Eunji/Leo, pg-13, 2.7k, slice of life/romance, from prompt 68. Common interests

warning: past Eunji/Baekhyun, mention of Baekhyun/Taeyeon, cursing Baekhyun

Actually, it’s not like Eunji was completely in love with her ex. Sure, she did like the guy. Although, to be completely honest, if both Byun Baekhyun and her Baymax merchandises collection was on fire, she would rescue her precious collection first. Baekhyun had legs anyway.

And, actually, had Baekhyun broken up with her with a little respect, if he happened to get his sorry broken the most Eunji would do to him was to say, ‘You poor bastard.’ But no, that had to cheat on her and then dumped her, so now if Byun Baekhyun was on his death bed Eunji would probably throw a party. Beside his dying, rotten soul.

You shouldn’t mess around with Jung Eunji’s pride, that’s all.

To Eunji, all Baekhyun did to her was enough to do the unspeakable: buying a voodoo doll to curse that lower than piece of human.  

She got the doll from a sketchy shop on the small, barely noticeable alley on the town, and according the shopkeeper – a short guy with bug eyes with dark hair and a dark aura – all she needed to do was to put the victim’s photo on the voodoo doll’s face. Then she could torture the thing with as many needles as she deemed necessary.

But she also needed to do that near the target, so that’s why she’s crouching down behind the boys’ dormitory’s building right now, poking the doll in her hand with small needles. She kind of felt bad for the innocent doll. Certainly not feeling any sorry for Byun Asshyun.

Eunji stabbed the doll’s right thigh because #EVERYBODYKNOWS about Baekhyun’s honey thighs and no man should hold that much power, she’s muttering under her breath, “… I hope they’re deflated…,” and she was too focused with her work that she didn’t hear the approaching footsteps.

“… you’re doing it wrong.”

It took a moment before Eunji looked up to find a guy looming over her. He’s tall, with broad shoulders and pale skin, long curly hair that he tied into a loose ponytail, and he had this dark, gloomy feeling about him. He should be the sketchy shop’s keeper, not the bug-eyes guy.

Eunji remembered that the guy had said something to her. “… Huh?”

The gloomy guy crouched down next to Eunji. “… you’re doing it wrong.” His voice was so soft, so gentle, so contrast with how he looked. Eunji had no problem at all imagining him serenading people while putting them to sleep forever. “… you should use a full-body photo for it to work.”

Blinking, Eunji looked back down to the doll in her hand. On the head, was a close-up photo of Baekhyun’s blinding smile that Eunji used to put in her wallet.

“… Really? Damn, the shopkeeper didn’t tell me that.” She scrunched up her nose, thinking whether she had a full-body photo of Baekhyun or not at her computer. She hoped she hadn’t erased them all. “Well, I guess I should go home first and back tomorrow. Thanks for telling me.”

“… you’re welcome…”

Both of them stayed in their place, crouching side by side near the plastic bags the guy carried – garbage that he wanted to throw in the backyard, but forgotten when he spotted Eunji. The sun was setting, and they could hear a dog’s barking somewhere far away.

“Shouldn’t you be worried that I’m doing this in the first place?” Eunji asked him.

“… shouldn’t you… be worried that I know about this in the first place…?” he asked back, and that made Eunji thinking.

Finally she just shrugged her shoulders, didn’t really care. She offered her hand to the guy, “Jung Eunji.”

He glanced down to Eunji’s hand first before he took it. “… Jung Taekwoon.”

***

The four words that had been on Eunji’s mind since her break up was on the tip of her tongue, and the girl found herself saying it out loud at last. “He cheated on me.” She sipped her Ice Americano through the straw, keeping her eyes forward watching the people passing by.

The respond she got was a slight slurping noise made when Taekwoon drank his own Ice Americano beside her on the bench.

It was Sunday and Taekwoon just took Eunji to the store he visits frequently and got her a new voodoo doll. As a thank you, Eunji bought him an Ice Americano from the café near campus that Eunji and her friends love. Coincidentally, Taekwoon also loved the beverages from the café, and one of his friends even worked part-time there. They strolled around before decided to sit on the beach by the college’s lake.

The lack of respond didn’t discourage Eunji to continue her story, and it’s funny because when she’s with her friends Eunji didn’t want to talk about it. It’s not her friends, it’s her, she didn’t want to remember, she didn’t want to look weak, and she didn’t want to look like she cared.

But Taekwoon’s quietness, somehow, just made it comfortable to talk to him – he probably wouldn’t care if Eunji cared; he didn’t even look like he’s listening.  

“The girl is a senior, and she’s, very pretty, very cute, you know Kim Taeyeon? Well, that’s the one. I mean, if given the chance, I’d probably dump that and date Kim Taeyeon too… She’s so tiny, did I already say cute? Well she’s cute. Thin, too. Small. Cute. And she doesn’t have these chicken drumstick thighs, that’s for sure.”

“… I like chicken drumsticks…,” out of nowhere Taekwoon murmured before he sipped his coffee again.

Eunji turned her head to look at him, unable to comprehend the small comment the guy just made. “… Huh. I thought you didn’t listen to my ramble.”

There’s a barely noticeable shrug on Taekwoon’s shoulders, the straw still there between his lips.

She looked back down to her thighs, thinking about Taekwoon’s words just now. “Is that… supposed to make me feel better?”

This time Taekwoon released the straw, shoulders tensed. “… Hakyeon said… I often make people uncomfortable…”

Eunji scrunched up her nose. Whoever this Hakyeon guy Taekwoon talked about, he sure knew Taekwoon well. “Hm, frankly speaking, you kind of did,” she said. Taekwoon tensed up even more beside her. “But thank you. I appreciate it.” She brought her paper cup to Taekwoon’s and bumped them together for a toast. “Cheers.”

Taekwoon stared at Eunji sipping her drink for a while before he followed suit.

***

“Okay baby, talk to me, are you in some kind of trouble?”

Eunji raised her eyebrows, being assaulted by her friend Chorong who cupped her cheeks and pulled her close so she could make their eyes aligned.

“Umm… no?” she tried to say. The words came out a little bit funny when Chorong squeezed her cheeks like that, made her lips puckered. “Why—What—Ugh, can you let me go?”

“Then who—,” Chorong did let her face go, but then she slung her arm around Eunji’s neck and pulled her to her side, “—is that creepy looking guy outside?”

Eunji reminded herself that even though they had the same built, she definitely didn’t have a black belt in Hapkido like Chorong did, and that’s the only reason she let her best friend manhandle her all the times.

She followed Chorong’s line of sight, and outside the classroom, they could see Taekwoon waiting. He let his hair down today, brushing his shoulders, and he wore a thin cream-colored sweater. The bright color couldn’t make his aura brighter, though.

Beside him was another guy, short and small in comparison with Taekwoon, square jaw and thick-framed glasses. He’s playing a video game in his phone but he glanced every now and then to Taekwoon, curious, and Taekwoon, realizing the glances, moved away to the side.

“Chorong, calling Jongdae creepy is rude,” Eunji said, frowning and trying to get away from Chorong’s headlock at the same time. They all knew about Jongdae, the glasses guy. Bomi introduced him as her friend, but it seemed their relationship was much more than that. “Besides, you know Bomi’s boy toy…”

“Jongdae is not my boy toy,” Bomi said, picking up her bag, passing through the two girls. “And Eunji? I don’t think Chorong’s talking about Jongdae, she’s talking about Captain Shoulders there. See you tomorrow!” She walked out, approaching Jongdae who’s been waiting for her.

Now there’s only Eunji and Chorong in the classroom, and Eunji tilted her head, realizing that Chorong was asking about Taekwoon judging from the nickname Bomi gave out. Taekwoon’s shoulders were indeed impressive. “You mean him? Taekwoon?” Eunji asked Chorong. “He’s not creepy.”

Outside, a girl shrieked when Taekwoon glanced at her direction.

Chorong stared pointedly at Eunji.

“… Well… Not really, if you know him. And no, I’m not in any trouble. He’s my friend. Bye bye, see you tomorrow!”

She ran out of the room before Chorong could interrogate her any longer, grabbing Taekwoon’s arm and pulled him to follow her.

***

At first their hang out consisted of discussing the ways of cursing someone, visiting some questionable shops that sold even more questionable merchandises (“Whoever has this necklace will have no luck in love for 100 years,” Eunji read the tag in one of the necklaces on the display. “Do you think Baekhyun will accept it if I give him this as a gift?”), or sometimes just strolling around in the park after buying a take-out Ice Americano.

But then they found out that they had the same taste in music and both had interest in musical theatre, resulting in going out one night to watch a performance in the city, ending with soju and chicken.

They talked more after that and it’s no longer about voodoo dolls, spells, or curse, it’s more about music, their hobbies, aspiration, friends and family, experience… anything.

At first Eunji talked to Taekwoon because it’s comfortable for her, her way of escaping the worried glances her friends exchanged when they thought she didn’t see, or how they were extra nice to her as a way to cheer her up. Eunji appreciated the effort, but she didn’t need the pity.

She wanted to tell them that she’s fine, that she’s over Baekhyun, but they knew it’s not true, and she knew it’s not true. Eunji loved her friends but they knew too much about her, and there were times it’s suffocating.

But with Taekwoon…

Taekwoon didn’t care about any of that, he didn’t care if Eunji’s over her break up or not. There were no worried glances, no unnecessary attention about her feelings. He didn’t ask – but he listened when Eunji told him. Sometimes he made a little comment, weird comments that should made the situation awkward, but Eunji knew that it was his way of comforting her.

And as the time passed, Eunji talked to Taekwoon because it’s comfortable, period.

Before she realized it, they’ve been spending times together a lot, almost every day, whether it’s just for a quick lunch or watching a musical theater performance, being holed up in the library to write an essay or out in the park people-watching as they chat.

Her friends had been wondering who’s stealing her times, but to her luck, no one was nosy enough to seek for the answer. They didn’t seem too bothered by the fact she skipped a lot of get-together and Eunji had a brief mind that maybe they didn’t care about her anymore?

But then, when she was eating fried chicken for dinner with Bomi, the girl had asked, “Eunji-yah, are you okay?”

The question was out of the blue. When Eunji looked up Bomi wasn’t looking at her, fully concentrating on her spicy wing as if she didn’t just ask her an important question.

“… Um, yes?” Eunji had answered, more like questioning back.

“Hm, good.” That’s all Bomi said before she went back to eating her spicy wing.

And that was how Eunji knew that no, it’s not that her friends didn’t care anymore. They were just giving her the space she needed and they were glad that whatever it was that preoccupied her time could make her happy.

“Bomi-yah.”

“Ung?”

“Thank you.”

***

They were in Eunji’s room, sitting on the carpet, having been watched a movie that Taekwoon liked and wanted to show to her. She’s browsing the internet for reviews and trivia about the movie – a habit, while Taekwoon’s doing nothing, just playing with his fingers. He seemed a little bit agitated tonight, unusually quieter than usual, and he flinched every time Eunji waved her hands.

“Okay seriously,” Eunji put her phone aside and faced Taekwoon, the guy flinched again while his eyes trained to Eunji’s left hand. Eunji looked down too, “What—? What is it, is there something wrong with my hand?”

This time Taekwoon lifted his gaze and met her eyes. He had cut his hair, much much shorter now it’s no longer curly, and even though it was just a simple haircut he lost a lot of the gloomy aura. His blank expression stayed, but at least he’s not as intimidating.

“… I just wonder,” Taekwoon fixed the hair that covered his forehead, “… if the ring will fit.”

Eunji furrowed her eyebrows. “Ring? What ring?”

Instead of answering, Taekwoon reached into his pocket, and he pulled out just that, a ring. It was a simple silver band with no gems or carving.

Without a word Taekwoon offered it to her.

Eunji stared for a while, waiting, but when it was clear Taekwoon wouldn’t say anything, Eunji opened , “What… Are you… I’m sorry, are you giving me a ring?” She had to ask when there’s no explanation about the action.

Taekwoon nodded.

“But… why?”

This time, Taekwoon blushed slightly. “Hakyeon… Hm, he always sings this song… That, if I like it, I should put a ring on it?”

“…Eh?” Eunji blinked several times, wondering if she had heard it wrong. Did Taekwoon just quoting Beyonce?

Taekwoon frowned, and mistaking Eunji’s confusion as she didn’t know the song, he started singing with a low voice, soft and mellow. “If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it…”

There were a lot of questions on Eunji’s head, like, who the hell was this Hakyeon guy Taekwoon always quoted, why he sings Single Ladies, why Taekwoon even thought of following the song, but mostly—

“Are you saying that you like me?” Eunji asked with wide eyes, still unable to understand the sudden… proposal?

The guy in front of her nodded without hesitation.

“Taekwoon, you can’t just—!” Eunji’s one second away from losing her . “Why—I mean—No, why? Why me? I’m not pretty, I’m not cute, I’m a mess, and you don’t even know, maybe I still like Baekhyun!”

“… You’re beautiful,” even though he’s soft-spoken but his words were clear, and Taekwoon said them like he meant them. “… You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met, you’re not a mess. And… You haven’t talked about Byun Baekhyun for the last eighteen days.”

“… I haven’t—Wait, you count?”

“… Even before, you only mentioned him in passing by. … Personally, I think you don’t like him anymore. Although, it doesn’t matter… even if you do…” He took Eunji’s hand and slid the ring to her ring finger. “… I just want to tell you that I like you…”

Taekwoon stared at the ring for a while, almost like he’s admiring it, before he nodded in satisfaction and turned away to face the TV, browsing through the channels and stopped in a documentary about animals. He’s back to watching the TV, as if he didn’t just put a ring on Eunji’s hand.

Eunji looked down to her hand, the new object circling her ring finger stood out like a sore thumb. It’s cold against her skin and it felt really… foreign, but at the same time, it didn’t.

“… Aren’t you going to ask me out in a date?” she found herself asking, still staring at the ring on her finger.

Taekwoon shrugged from his place. “... I always thought I’d take the girl I like to watch musical theatre, and I want to show her the movies that I like too…”

Silence engulfed them and Eunji knew that she’s not in love, not yet, but if there’s someone who could make her fell, she knew that it would be the quiet guy sitting near her right now, with his back turned to her and eyes focused on the TV screen even if his ears and neck were blushing red.

Eunji couldn’t help but to smile and she made a move to sit closer next to Taekwoon.

“… Do you have some time tomorrow? I think I want to introduce you to my friends…”

Last updated on July 2014? /chuckle awkwardly/ Let's pretend it's because I have a social life.

Same universe with Anyway, I Really Like You and I already have the idea since then. It only took me a year to write 2.7k, wow, I'm impressed.