003.
chapter three
"kpop boys be like ㅋㅋ do you love me"
current timestamp:
SATURDAY, OCT. 08, 2016
10:57 AM
WON MIYOUNG
"Wait, what? You're going by yourself?"
Miyoung emitted a small hum through her pursed lips, trying her best to not distrurb anyone else on the bus with her, "Taejoon has an early volleyball practice for his game at 1 today. I plan on going early and then heading to school to watch the volleyball game. And, don't worry, mom, I brought pepper spray and all that, just in case."
Miyoung could sense that her mother was wary over the fact that her daughter was going somewhere by herself. For as long as she can remember, she had always went places with Taejoon because, well, Taejoon is considerably her only friend, but she thought she'd try going on her own. Besides, nothing bad ever happened when she went, and the chances of something happening at nearly ten in the morning is slim.
There was a short pause in the call before Miyoung's mother spoke aloud in her usual tired voice, "Okay, just don't talk to anyone strange. My schedule's packed today and I'm almost positive your father's is, too. So, if anything happens, call 119 or call Taejoon, if possible."
"I know, mom," Miyoung bid her mother a goodbye before letting the other line disconnect.
She knew her mother meant well and she just wanted to make sure her only daughter was safe, all parents do, but sometimes Miyoung felt she was being treated too much like a child. It wasn't a bad thing, persay, since all parents go through that sort of phase in their lives where they baby their kid, but with an almost legal teenager in high school? By that time, parents should be over that babying phase.
But not Miyoung's parents, or at least her mother. Her father's a bit more laid back, probably because she talks and enjoys her time with her father more than her mother just a bit more. Sure, her father's protective, just as any father would, but it isn't as drastic as her relationship with her mother. Miyoung appreciates her parents and their efforts in trying to bring her up well, but she's becoming a grownup in a matter of seconds. Doesn't she deserve some freedom, even if it was for one day?
After stopping by a local store to pick up a small yet colorful bouquet of flowers, she proceeded on her way to see her brother.
Miyoung hasn't seen her brother, Junyoung, since late-Summer. Of course, she continuously made an effort to visit him, but with the amount of stress from her workload, sports and clubs, she couldn't squeeze in even a quick five minute visit. But, now that the workload has been dwindling down a bit, she finally was able to make time for Junyoung.
However, Miyoung couldn't say the same for Taejoon's schedule. Typically, she would go with Taejoon because, to him, her brother is just as much of family to him and, plus, he'd always ask to tag along. But this time around, Taejoon's schedule came into conflict with volleyball practice being so early in the morning, and today was the only available time she had. But, even so, Taejoon told her to say hi to Junyoung for him and to pick up a more colorful bouquet to go against the bland Autumn leaves. He said Junyoung would like that.
That's something Miyoung always liked about Taejoon: he was always considerate of others, even when he's busy doing other things. Simple tasks like requesting for a colorful bouquet over the standard yellow sunflowers she would always get, always brought a smile to her face. If only Junyoung could see how much effort her boyfriend put into, not only her, but to him as well.
"That's a pretty bouquet you have there," Miyoung heard an older male's voice chirp in from beside her.
As always, Miyoung greeted the elder with a cheeky grin, taking a quick glance at the flowers in her arms before shooting the same grin back, "Ah, yes. It's for my brother. I'd usually get him yellow sunflowers, but my boyfriend said to get this instead."
"Ah, that's kind of you to visit your brother. Does he live uptown," The elder pointed towards the front of the bus, signalling that they were heading to uptown Seoul.
Miyoung only nodded with a simple 'yes', not wanting to give more details about her brother in fear that she'd break out in tears. This was a reason why she always travelled with Taejoon to visit Junyoung: he always knew what to say when a touchy subject like this was always thrown at her. Typically, he'd squeeze her hand to comfort her, rubbing the pad of his thumb against her hand, as he did all the talking, but now? Now she was there to fend for herself and speak on her own behalf. Of course, she was raised to be an independent woman, but how can she openly say that her brother died of leukimia and that she was going to visit his grave?
She couldn't, and Taejoon knew that. That's why Taejoon always spoke for her when questions came up. That's why Taejoon always went with her when they visited Junyoung. That's why, without Taejoon, Miyoung wouldn't know what to do with herself. In short, Taejoon kept her sane and feeling at ease. No matter how much her heart was hurting in the process, Taejoon was always there to fill her heart with the upmost affection.
Miyoung was now sitting across from Junyoung's tombstone, the bouquet laid right in front as she read the words over and over again.
Son. Brother. Friend.
Won Junyoung.
14 of March, 2000 to September 28, 2010.
Over and over again, Miyoung read each word and number, remembering every memory she had with Junyoung when he was still alive. From the playful banters they had in the hospital to even their small fights that would make Miyoung angry for a minute before crying and clinging onto Junyoung; everything was flooding back to her.
She remembers the day after the funeral and how it was raining. She remembers telling her parents that she didn't want to go to school because the sky was sad, but her parents knew that it wasn't the sky that was sad, but her. Her parents were aware of the fact that, despite being so young, Miyoung loved Junyoung to the core, and they knew that the twins loved school because they would be out of the house together without their parents. But now that Junyoung's gone, Miyoung's love for school started to decline and she began to feel unmotivated to do anything. But, of course, her parents told her that education is important and that she needs to move on slowly, but surely.
Yet, when she got to school, she hid away in the nurse's office every chance she got, saying that she had a headache or she got hit in the head by a volleyball during gym class. And that behavior was frequent for Miyoung. No one in her class really questioned it, and her teacher didn't necessarily notice that the once happy and bubbly ten year old was not herself anymore. In fact, her teacher simply blamed it on hormones, not realizing that the situation was far worse than expected.
Miyoung would sometimes walk by Junyoung's classroom and evidently seemed dead by just looking through the window at Junyoung's empty desk. She assumed word spread in his class that he passed, seeing as there were flowers and pictures sprawled on top of his desk. Sneakily, she walked into the classroom towards her twin's vacant desk, reading each Post-it note about how Junyoung was everyone's friend and how they all missed him. All the pictures of him with his classmates and the number of small bouquets of roses slowly dying right in front of her, she couldn't help but be overwhelmed by it all.
"Cheesy," Miyoung picked up one of the dead rose petals, chuckling to herself through small tears. "He always found roses to be cheesy; in fact, he never liked them."
She evidently would always find herself going back to Junyoung's classroom for the next few weeks, watching as the bouquets were always replaced by newer roses. The notes and pictures remained, with the addition to a few new ones and a small teddy bear wearing the school's uniform, but Miyoung would always find it funny that, despite Junyoung being friends with nearly his whole class, they still didn't get his favorite flowers and animals right.
Sitting on the floor beside Junyoung's desk, Miyoung would always grin and poke the bear in the seat, "His favorite animal was actually a cat not a bear; and, his favorite color was purple not green."
As weeks would turn into months, Miyoung was still the same, but people were already moving on. The things on Junyoung's desk were given to Miyoung three weeks into his brother's death, and his desk was ultimately given to a transfer student by the name of Mark Lee, or at least that's what everyone in that class said. The room started to become a little less gloomy as students turned to happily playing in the classroom during their off hours, and whenever there was a class in session, laughter could be heard over their teacher's terrible jokes.
Even her parents were already slowly moving on. Her parents buried themselves in their work, picking up hours left and right to keep them from thinking about their son. In fact, her parents were never really available to Miyoung since his brother's passing for this reason alone, and she always found herself walking nextdoor to a family friend because her parents were never home. And even when her parents were home, it wasn't like they made that much of an effort to care for Miyoung outside of feeding her and giving her a roof to sleep under. Her father was always at the company and would even sometimes never come home, settling to sleep at the company. Her mother, on the other hand, would work long hours at the hospital and would come home, but would immediately find herself going straight to sleep, only to do it all over again in a few hours.
But Miyoung? Miyoung still made the excuses to go to the nurse or would even ask to go to the bathroom for extended periods of time. Classmates of hers wouldn't dare to ask her what was wrong, knowing for a fact that she was still mourning the loss of her twin. Her teacher would even talk to her privately in their office, continuously telling her that her grades were in jeopardy and she should visit the guidance counselor.
Miyoung just kept wondering how people can casually move on with their lives after someone like Junyoung passed. She never really understood why Junyoung's friends could move on and yet Miyoung was still coping. She wondered that, and she wondered that up until the end of the school year.
It took a while for Miyoung to understand why she had such a difficult time in coping with everything.
When she met Taejoon through a penpal project in her class about two years after her brother's death, that's when she started to piece together and say what she feels more. Although Taejoon was all the way in the States, nearly 10,000 kilometers away from each other, Miyoung found comfort in talking to the then twelve year old kid. Although, at first, she could sense that Taejoon didn't necessarily want to do this penpal thing, but she felt the need to keep talking and trying her best to get him to open up more. And, thanks to her efforts, Miyoung and Taejoon became close and started to talk more about their own feelings and thoughts that filled their heads.
You can say she was thankful for Taejoon for everything, despite being so distant with her at first—and honestly who wouldn't? You're talking to a stranger on a different continent—and you can say that it was thanks to him that she finally had an outlet to vent her frustrations and feelings. Since her brother's passing, she really didn't have anyone to openly talk to. Sure, she had a few people she considered friends and teachers she was evidently close with, but she didn't want to bother them with her own problems and getting a cold shoulder for acting like this, just as her parents do to her. So, she bottled everything up inside, only to cry out all her worries and issues to herself in her bedroom late at night. But after talking to Taejoon for some time, she began to feel more welcomed and reassured about her own life. Just as she learned things of Taejoon's own life, she was taught about the beauties of her own life.
Kakao!
FROM: TAEJOON (SCREEN NAME: 주인공 오빵 💕)
TO: MIYOUNG (SCREEN NAME: WMY 👼)
i'll wait outside the sports complex for you 🤗❤️
After what felt like a whole century in the the cemetery, Miyoung was finally on her way to to KRS to watch Taejoon's game that was in about an hour. Originally, she was going to go eat lunch on her own, but Taejoon insisted to eat together since he was also hungry, and being the kind of girlfriend she is, Miyoung couldn't say no. Although, sure, school food wasn't her cup of tea, if it meant that she could spend time with someone who truly loves her and cherishes her company, then it's worth all the ty mashed potatoes and even tier tuna salads.
Kakao!
TO: MIYOUNG (SCREEN NAME: WMY 👼)
FROM: TAEJOON (SCREEN NAME: 주인공 오빵 💕)
the cafeteria doesn't have good food today, so i'll wait for you at the ...
Miyoung raised a brow at Taejoon's sudden message telling her that he'll wait at the bus stop near school. Usually, as much as Taejoon is a sweet and loving boyfriend, he's usually never waiting at the bus stop for her. In fact, Miyoung's surprised that Taejoon even knows where the bus stop is without her help. But she assumes he slowly learned through the amount of times Miyoung drags him outside the gates, walking past the bus stop and to a nearby sushi restaurant.
She quickly texted him back, saying that she'll be there in a few short minutes to which Taejoon quickly texted saying he's currently sitting on the bench for her. Miyoung couldn't help but smile at their Kakao messages, both recent and past ones. She always loved looking back on their texts to each other, scrolling through their number of cute stickers and images they've taken together on their dates. It slowly became a habit of hers to read through them when she's on Kakao, texting Taejoon.
TO: MIYOUNG (SCREEN NAME: WMY 👼)
FROM: TAEJOON (SCREEN NAME: 주인공 오빵 💕)
an angel like you shouldn't be feeding me all this good food at school! i don't deserve you!! 😭😭
"Tsk, dummy," Miyoung let out a small chuckle, reading that repeated text he's been using ever since she started to bring lunch for the both of them. Whenever he would say that, she would always roll her eyes, repeatedly telling him that they deserve each other and he deserves the best food. But, of course, Taejoon would always try to do something equally as loving to make up for the million meals she provides for him. In fact, he tried cooking her a 'gourmet meal', or so he says, but Miyoung couldn't finish it because, well, it wasn't the best eating experience. She appreciated his effort in trying to make pasta for the first time, but, since then, they settled on leaving the cooking to Miyoung and Miyoung alone.
But regardless of Taejoon's lack of skills in the kitchen, he still manages to make her heart skip a beat with minimal effort.
01:16 PM
IM EUNBYUL
It had evidently been a more calming day at Eunbyul's house, considering that it was the end of the first month of school and her younger siblings were bouncing off the walls over the cookies she baked only an hour earlier.
Eunbyul couldn't help but laugh at her siblings' antics so early in the day. Sure, one in the afternoon wasn't really that early, but when it's a Saturday and you have absolutely nothing else to do, one in the afternoon is considerably early for anyone.
"How do you passive-aggressively tell someone ' you, I wish you weren't in my life' and 'love you, I hope you live well' at the same time," Yaoxun was quick to ask through their Skype call with the most serious of expressions, most likely caused by (a) being awake before noon and (b) being too busy shopping online for more video games for himself.
Yaoxun and Eunbyul are, considerably, an odd pair that people didn't really expect to actually be friends. Eunbyul's one of those sweet and innocent girls who didn't bother in interacting outside of school and her clubs, putting education and family before all things. Yaoxun, on the other hand, was your typical popular kid who had a ' it, let's just do it' attitude on life, putting his need for thrill and adventure above everything. They're complete opposites and, seeing them talk around school is weird for everyone no matter how friendly Yaoxun is. In fact, people thought Eunbyul was just another one of Yaoxun's 'girl toys' from one of their many school parties, but, shockingly, Yaoxun considers Eunbyul one of his closer friends that's a girl and same goes for Eunbyul. The only difference Yaoxun enjoys talking to Eunbyul outside of his own friend group is mainly because of the fact their friendship didn't stem from Eunbyul having a romantic interest in the older male. Obviously, Yaoxun thought she was trying to hide her feelings for him, which caused him to always poke fun at her and his constant pestering in trying to get her to confess, but Eunbyul really didn't find Yaoxun to be even the least bit attractive. She wasn't like all the other girls that would befriend Yaoxun just for the popularity or to change their relationship status, and Yaoxun was thankful for that.
Eunbyul rolled her eyes at Yaoxun's question. This isn't the first time Yaoxun's asked her that same exact question, thinking back to a few months ago when he asked her the number one way to call out a snake was in public or even to last April when he asked if putting 'happy birthday, tard' instead of just 'happy birthday' was okay for one of his friends. Each time Yaoxun would ask her questions like this, she can't help but sigh and tell Yaoxun off for his ty 'gifts'. But that's why Yaoxun always asked Eunbyul because, out of all his friends, Eunbyul's the one to put Yaoxun into his place and get his out of trouble. Eunbyul took a quick glance at the screen, seeing as Yaoxun was just focused on his game, "What happened this time?"
Yaoxun glanced at his own camera, fixing his non-prescribed glasses and humming, "Mm, it's a few months before Christmas and I want to get my ugly step-sister something. Ideas?"
Eunbyul blinked, only vaguely recalling Yaoxun's step-sister. She remembers crossing paths with his sister at the cafeteria early in the school year, but because of her own busy schedule and his step-sister's schedule, Eunbyul hasn't been seeing Yaoxun's sister as frequently as before. Eunbyul puckered her lips forward while trying to recall his sister's name. What was her name again? Yoojin? Yoojoo? Ye... Kanye?
"Hello? Earth to Eunbyul," Yaoxun's scream threw the girl off her train of thought, to which Yaoxun thought was funny to him, seeing as Eunbyul looked dazed right after. "So, what do you think I should get for Yejin?"
Ah, that was her name!
Eunbyul shrugged, "I don't know, Yun. What does she like?"
Yaoxun shrugged as well, "She likes being a piece of , that's what."
Eunbyul couldn't help but tsk at his words. She knew Yaoxun and Yejin didn't have a totally great relationship, even witnessing a fight when he Skyped her at Yejin's apartment, but the audacity he has to call her that? Eunbyul knows very well that Yejin isn't that type of person. From the number of run-ins she had with the older female, she was nothing but nice and compassionate to her. But, at the same time, Eunbyul knew where her close friend was coming from. It's hard to like a step-sibling at an age where you understand divorce.
Eunbyul let out a sigh, "How about a karaoke set? Your sister's part of choir and likes singing, doesn't she?"
Yaoxun shook his head, "She already has one. In fact, she has two. Can you believe that? Like, why do you need two karaoke machines when the first works fine and there's literally a coin karaoke walking distance from where you live? This just likes wasting her money that she literally didn't earn by working her off. What a smoocher, smooching off of mom and step-father."
"Yeesh, I didn't know you were this mad," Eunbyul slowly got up from her spot on the couch while holding her phone out in front of her, walking over to the twins. Oddly enough, her siblings grew quiet as she kept talking to Yaoxun which she found unusual. Typically her younger sibings are always loud and full of excitement from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to bed, but this time around? The house is... oddly quiet.
Eunbyul heard a grunt from her phone, "Yejin is just— ugh! You know what? I'll just get her one of those pillows I saw on my Twitter feed. Knowing her, she'll be playing with it all d—"
Eunbyul quickly muted the call, knowing very well that the words Yaoxun is spurting out is definitely not appropriate and, considering how loud the volume of her phone is, she doesn't want the twins to get any ideas that can cause her parents to disown her. So, while Yaoxun was still evidently saying something that's, well, rated with hand odd hand gestures, Eunbyul began to walk around the house to find the twins.
She walked through every hallway and room on the first floor, eyeing all the toys scattered across the floor. Eunbyul couldn't help but sigh at the mess. She always told her parents that Hanjae and Hanbyul didn't need more toys than they already do now, especially when they're at the ripe age of fourteen where all the rage for them is dying from the pain of homework and electronics, but her parents thought it was in their 'best interest' to 'give their kids all the toys in the world'. But, to Eunbyul, it just meant more to clean and more Legos to step on while cleaning.
Suddenly, she heard a loud scream coming from upstairs and, instantaneously, she rushed up the stairs and began to look through every room, momentarily forgetting she was still on a call with Yaoxun.
To her surprise, the twins were in her room looking through her Biology textbook that was opened on her desk. Eunbyul wanted to scream at the fact they were in her room without her permission and were going through her stuff, but her first reaction was to laugh at how Hanjae and Hanbyul were simultaneously covering their eyes at the images of a the human body.
"What are you doing," Eunbyul placed the phone upright in an empty part of her desk before messing up Hanjae's hair as she looked at Hanbyul closing the textbook.
Hanbyul innocently looked at her older sister, "Nothing! We were just—"
"Why is the girl's body so weird without clothes," Hanjae started to flip through the textbook again, trying to find the page they were looking at. Hanbyul quickly tried to pry Hanjae's hands off the textbook, yelling at him that she doesn't want to look at it anymore. Eunbyul, on the other hand, just kept laughing at her brother and sister, even falling onto her bed whilst holding onto her stomach as her siblings kept fighting over the textbook.
"Oh, Yun oppa," Hanbyul happily quickly picked up Eunbyul's phone and unmuting the video call. "Oppa, hello!"
"—it, Eunbyul, I swear to God if you don't unmute right now, I'm going to ki— oh," Yaoxun looked closer at his screen, his forehead being the only visible thing in frame for Hanbyul, which made her chuckle. Yaoxun pushed his glasses back up before waving, "Hanbyul! Where's your sister?"
"She's right here," Eunbyul was still face-first into her bed, still laughing at Hanbyul and Hanjae's antics not even thirty seconds earlier.
Yaoxun cussed under his breath, making sure Hanbyul doesn't hear, "Why's your sister like tha—"
"Hyung, look at this," Hanjae held up the textbook for Yaoxun to see, making sure the bodies were in frame. "Why do the bodies look like this? And why does the girl's body look weird from ours?"
"The bodies? The human bodies," Yaoxun raised a brow. "Didn't you learn about the body yet? I could've sworn that when I was your age, I learned."
"We learned, but this is different from the images we've seen in school. The man's ding-dong is the size of his hand!"
Yaoxun's eyes widened in shock, but the culture shock of Hanjae's words made him laugh, "Ding-dong? Don't you mean the ?"
"Yeah, that," Hanjae pointed to the s before pointing at the girl's, "Why don't girls have it? In school we only learned what they do, but we didn't learn why boys have dongs and girls don't."
Hanbyul started to push the textbook away, which only made Hanjae look at his sister in an almost angry manner. The twins started to stare each other down, before Yaoxun's voice started to fill Eunbyul's small room, "Do you want to know where babies come from?"
Eunbyul quickly shot up from her current position before grabbing her phone back from Hanbyul, "Bye, Yun! I'll see you on Monday!"
Before Yaoxun could say something else, Eunbyul quickly hung up and heaved out a long sigh. But, of course, the twins started to have a fight about where babies rightfully came from.
"Don't babies come from the hospital store?"
Hanbyul lightly punched Hanjae, "No, stupid, they come from mother nature! Obviously, you haven't been listening in class."
Hanjae shut the Biology textbook loudly and started to argue with his younger twin, "I'm not stupid, you're stupid! Mom says we were brought home from the hospital so if we're from the hospital, obviously other babies are from the hospital, too!"
Eunbyul just stood there with an uncomfortable smile, only thinking to herself how much she wanted to hit Yaoxun with her Biology textbook.
After what felt like centuries listening and talking to her siblings about how a baby is born, which Eunbyul still found odd that they don't talk about this more in school, Eunbyul was off to meet up with her friend, Boyoung, to discuss the fundraiser they're holding next week for the Baking club once her mother arrived back from grocery shopping.
In all honesty, as she got onto the bus to head to the academy, she couldn't help but think about the future of the club. During the fair with all the other clubs, her tired eyes being the most prominent that day due to baking late at night for the event, not many people showed up to the first meeting. No matter how many emails Boyoung sent in the course of that first week of meetings, only a handful of people showed up. Eunbyul couldn't help that she was sad after the meeting and only seeing around fifteen people attend. Sure, the club was new this year and maybe people just simply forgot about the meeting, but as the president and only seeing a small handful of the people who signed up during the fair actually show up saddens her. But, of course, Boyoung was somehow able to convince her to look past that and just keep a positive mindset.
Boyoung was always someone who Eunbyul could trust, especially since Yaoxun isn't really he 'comforting' type. Boyoung made up for where Yaoxun couldn't help Eunbyul with, and she couldn't be any more happier with it. To Eunbyul, the girl she calls her 'soulmate' is the sort of friend everyone needs in their lives: trustworthy, comforting and just an overall amazing and friendly person. In a way, Boyoung is like Yaoxun in which they're friendly and have that sort of 'comforting' vibe to them when someone they love is down, though Yaoxun evidently needs a little work in that field. Eunbyul assumes she got close with Yaoxun because, besides having a mutual acquaintance back in year one, she saw a bit of Boyoung in him that made her comfortable in the male's presence. But, of course, Eunbyul considers Boyoung her number one friend (sorry Yun).
Ding! Ding!
TO: EUNBYUL
FROM: BOYOUNG (AKA 바보영이아!)
yah! i went to the bathroom really quick. wait for me at the cafeteria~
Eunbyul quickly glanced at the notification before getting off the bus and walking through the gates of school. To her knowledge, she thought there wouldn't be anyone at the cafeteria besides a few other students who stayed on campus and were probably having a late lunch, but, to her surprise, there were a number of people at three in the afternoon. Raising a brow she noticed a few people wearing the school's merchandise, their faces painted with lines and red noise makers with KRS on the side. As she blinked a few times, a familiar voice spoke up behind her.
"Oh? Eunbyul!"
Eunbyul quickly turned around to math the familar voice to a, hopefully, familiar face and, to her surprise, it was Yaoxun's older step-sister, Yejin. The older girl had a bright smile, her blonde hair obviously catching Eunbyul's eye, causing her to notice how prettier Yejin got since she last saw her a few weeks ago.
Yejin had similar red lines painted onto her face that she saw on a few other people a few seconds ago, but, to Eunbyul, Yejin's now messy lines from rubbing them only accentuated her high cheekbones more than usual and, to Eunbyul, that just made her prettier. Today, Yejin looked prettier, but why?
The older female quickly spoke, "I haven't seen you in awhile. How've you been? What are you doing here?"
Eunbyul just blinked, simply pointing in the direction of the bathroom, "I'm... I'm waiting for Boyoung. She said she went to the bathroom."
Yejin raised a brow, "That's weird. I was just in the bathroom and I don't think I saw Boyoung. She's the girl you always hung out with last year, right?"
Eunbyul couldn't help but look at Yejin with a huge smile, thinking about how attentive she is. They haven't talked since the beginning of the year and don't have mutual friends, but here's Yejin pinpointing the exact person Eunbyul was talking about. Even her own friend and Yejin's step-brother, Yaoxun, can't remember Boyoung's name after knowing each other for almost two years. To Eunbyul, Yejin was beginning to look prettier by the second.
The younger nodded, "Yeah, that's Boyoung. We have to talk about our fundraiser for Baking club that we're hosting next week."
The older let out a small hum, running her fingers through her dyed hair. Eunbyul couldn't help but watch the girl's every action from the way she combed her hair away from her face to the cheeky grin that made her eyes curve into small crescents, every action was pretty. Yejin's mouth shaped into a small 'O', her voice evident with curiosity, "You're having a fundraiser next week? That's good! I wanted to join, but it clashes with my own clubs and activities. Plus, I'm trying to find a job right now."
"Really? Yun told me—"
Yejin playfully slapped Eunbyul's upper arm whilst scrunching her nose which, to Eunbyul, was cute, "Aye, don't listen to Yaoxun. He doesn't know what he's talking about ninety-nine percent of the time. If he told you I'm freeloading off my dad, I'm not anymore. College is around the corner and I have a single apartment with a dog, so I need to make some sort of money for myself."
Of course, Yejin isn't what Yaoxun says she is, Eunbyul thought to herself. To think she listened to him and believed everything he complains to her about his family. Sure, Yaoxun may not necessarily enjoy being with or talking about Yejin, but Eunbyul would've liked to hear at least one good thing about Yejin from her friend's mouth.
It also occurred to her that this is Yejin's third year in KRS, meaning, it's her final year before heading off to some college. Eunbyul couldn't help but feel sad that, after this school year comes to an end, she won''t be seeing the pretty senior in school and, knowing Yaoxun's relationship with her family, Eunbyul won't be seeing Yejin at all after this year. Although, sure, Eunbyul and Yejin don't talk as frequently and haven't known each other for long, Eunbyul still felt some sort of attachment to her senior. Eunbyul wanted to get close, even possibly becoming friends, but with Yejin becoming busy with her final year, it's a difficult task. If only Yaoxun wasn't such a to Yejin then, maybe, Eunbyul could've seen Yejin more frequently and gotten closer to her.
Eunbyul mentally shook her head, thinking to herself that it doesn't have to end like this; hell, there's still a whole year ahead of them. There's still time to get close with pretty Yejin.
"Anyway," Yejin gave off another one of her soft smiles. "I have to go now now. I think the second half of the game is starting and I promised a friend that I'd get her soda. I'll see you around!"
As Yejin quickly proceeded to the school store, Wolf Den, Eunbyul began to notice how much prettier her senior was. From the way she happily waved goodbye to her from the cute bounce in her step on the way to the store, Eunbyul couldn't help but think how pretty she's gotten in the span of only a few weeks. Eunbyul tilted her head as she turned around to look at her phone, trying to figure out where Boyoung could possibly be at the moment, "Was she always this pretty?"
03:48 PM
YOO CHIAN
"Look, Yun! Look what I bought," Chian excitedly approached his best friend who was trying to catch up on the latest season of Black Mirror that he so desperately kept pushing back because of his ty work schedule and the amount of hours he naps a day. At first, Yaoxun didn't notice the happy-go-lucky kid until two keychains blocked his vision.
Currently, Yaoxun was waiting for Chian to get off work, wanting to watch a new horror movie that Chian opposed to. However, he ultimately said yes since, well, the varsity basketball team (read: basketball brothers) planned to do something before the season and, with Halloween around the corner, they thought it'd be in their best interest to watch The Nun. Although Chian's a total chicken when it comes to horror movies, he rarely said no if it involved Yaoxun his 'brothers'. But here he is, trying to stall time by wanting to show Yaoxun his couple keychain of Tinkerbell and Peter Pan.
Yaoxun raised a brow, pausing the episode, and laughed at how excited Chian is over two keychains, "I'm surprised you didn't spend money on a Twice CD or something."
The younger male shook his head, but a look of sadness reigned over him because, , Chian messed up. It was tempting for him, at the moment, to return it and buy a Twice CD since, in his mind, the cheap keychains were the price of a Twice CD and poster. Obviously, we can tell how amazing Chian is at math. Chian pursed his lips, "FYI, you said you'd buy me a Twice album when they made another comeback. So where's my overdue Summer Nights album, huh?"
Yaoxun rolled his eyes, "Honey, sweetie, I'm just as broke as you are. I shortened my hours at the store for basketball season and my so-called 'rain money' became my 'I want x amount of shoes because I'm a sneakerhead' money. So, maybe next comeback. Maybe."
Chian raised a brow, "Twice is rumored to come back before the end of 2018. If that's the case, I'd better see a flipping Twice album under the Christmas tree."
"If they comeback before December this year and I have enough money for it, then, yes, I'll get you one." (minor a/n but like i typed this up like a week or so before it was actually revealed Twice would be coming back and looking back at this- wow I'm shoCked i guessed okay back to your scheduled Chian update-)
" yeah," Chian shrieked, which caught the attention of his coworkers and a number of customers who just wanted to drink their Pumpkin Spice Lattes in peace. It's no surprise to his coworkers, and Yaoxun, that he's so obnoxiously loud and overly excited over the smallest of things. Although, to many, he can be seen as annoying, Chian's actually someone you'd want around you to have a good time, even despite the between him and his peers. He's like an annoying younger brother you never had.
After seemingly apologizing to everyone in the coffee shop, Yaoxun chuckled before averting their attention back to the keychains, "So, the keychains; are you expecting me to say something good?"
"I'd hope you say something good," Chian scurried his way into the chair in front of Yaoxun, sliding the Tinkerbell keychain towards his beloved friend. "I got us couple keychains to put on our bookbags! Now we can show off our relationship to the world!"
Yaoxun eyed the keychain while Chian, on the other hand, eyed the taller male sitting across from him. Yaoxun poked at the keychain before sticking it into his hand, twirling it by its hook, "Okay sure, but don't say 'couple keychains' and all that in front of people; we're not like that."
Chian playfully gasped, batting his eyelashes a few times as his mouth hung wide open, "Excuse me? Nani? As someone who loves you with all my heart and soul, I'm offended."
The younger male watched as one of his many best friends, or more like his platonic boyfriend, rolled his eyes for pretty much the millionth time in one sitting alone. To Chian, he knew that Yaoxun hated being associated with the word 'couple' after how much he went through with Yeri and his few other so-called 'flings', but it's all in fun and games. Yaoxun knew that... Right?
"Yeah, okay, sure, but I don't roll that way," Yaoxun shook his head before closing out the Netflix application on his phone and shoving it into his back pocket. Chian just watched Yaoxun's actions from the moment he stood up, towering over Chian by a few centimeters, to the moment he grabbed his windbreaker from his seat.
Chian would be lying if he said he wasn't envious of Yaoxun in some way. In fact, Chian's pretty sure that Yaoxun is that jock kid that gets into horrible but people still like being around him. Of course, people love Chian with or without Yaoxun, but he can't help that Yaoxun is better than Chian in certain aspects, like basketball and picking up chicks (read: girls. not more byungaris. don't trY plS), and Yaoxun is popular, even if the popularity isn't the best. People know of him and want to be friends with him, but Chian? Some people find Chian a bit too loud for their liking and, sometimes, it's difficult for him to open up to others, but he tries. The effort shows through his excessive happiness and love he shows to close friends, and the desire for even more friends is pretty much Chian's forte. But Yaoxun? People naturally go to him. People cheer for him at games. Heck, people sometimes even go to the school store just to see and talk to him. But Chian? He forces himself to put a smile on his face everyday. He becomes so clingy with his close friends, Yaoxun especially, and tends to become too attached. And people even think that Chian's trying too hard to get more friends. Chian knows that, but he hides it under this facade of his in fear that he'll appear weak and say something wrong. But all he cares about are the people who stay by him and manage to deal with his daily routine of being the happy-go-lucky kid he is.
Yaoxun smiled at his friend, patting his shoulder, "Ready to go watch that movie? The guys are waiting there for the 4:45 movie."
Chian blinked, realizing that it's almost 4:15, thirty minutes before they meet the rest of their friends.
For a movie.
A. ing. Horror. Movie.
He cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head, "Um, well you see, I just remembered I have homework to do and an essay that's due next week and Miss Kim assigned a project that I wanted to start as soon as possible and I know it's due like two or three weeks from now but I still want to get a head start and I need to—"
The older male let out a loud chuckle, catching the attention of other customers who were starting to get tired of the two just loudly talking and laughing. He quickly started pushing Chian out the door, a wide smile still playing on his face, "Dude, I know you and you probably already did all your homework yesterday, the essay is due next Friday so you have all next week and the project? It's literally not a project. It's just a single paragraph about that stupid reading we did. Plus, you never do homework on work days because you said, and I quote, 'frickity frack school is wack let me just get ma coin sishter'. So, stop being a and just watch the horror movie with us!"
As Chian started to be pushed into the direction of the Uber that Yaoxun called not too long ago, all he could do was gulp and pray for his sanity because, you see, Chian hates horror shows and movies and, honestly, Chian's been a the moment they chose to watch The Nun.
"That movie was honestly the ing best," Wonwoo let out a laugh as he continued to eat the leftover popcorn the boys left over. Hell, Wonwoo was even nibbling on the kernels out of pure curiousity.
Wonwoo was someone who Chian and Yaoxun looked up to, especially considering that he pretty much helped them train and improve their basketball skills. Although Yaoxun was a pretty grade A basketball player due to his drastic improvement from the beginning of the season until the first few games, even landing a spot into the varsity team later into their first year due to a lack of so-called 'decent players', Chian was someone who needed more... well... 'work'. As Yaoxun looked up to Wonwoo as a basketball player, Chian followed suit in asking Wonwoo for help when needed. After all, Wonwoo was the team's co-captain, center and occassional point guard who was a year ahead of both of the 2-F students. Although they weren't necessarily close because of the small , especially between Chian and him, they still considered themselves close enough to chill (not netflix and chill. oh god, no.).
"Eh, I thought it was mediocre. Right, Chian?" Yaoxun shrugged his shoulders before swinging an arm around Chian's neck, resting his arm on the younger's shoulder. Yaoxun looked down at a still-terrified Chian who, as everyone figured, was still scared over the movie. In fact, Chian almost got the group kicked out because he kept mumbling that there would be a jumpscare every single time there was suspenseful music and facial closeups.
", mediocre? Th-That movie was gr-great," Chian stuttered, putting up a shaky thumbs up and a definitely unsure and scared smile. Everyone knew that Chian was scared of anything related to horror, and so they all knew Chian would hate the idea of going out to watch a movie like The Nun. But everyone had already agreed in watching a horror movie and by everyone, they mean everyone chose the morning of because they knew Chian would be working until 4pm. So, that gave them the opportunity to purchase tickets and have Yaoxun go ask Chian at work since, well, Chian won't say no if it's Yaoxun.
"Dude, you literally screamed 'be gone thot' and tried throwing popcorn at the screen whenever some creepy nun came up," Wonwoo let out a laugh, followed by the other varsity members to which Chian could only let out a broken laugh. To Chian, he knew he took it too far in trying to chuck popcorn at a screen, but what could Chian do? He hated watching horror movies and it didn't help that it was in a large and dark theater. If Chian had a say in this, he would've chosen a lighthearted movie and called it a day or, hell, just stayed home and watched videos of dogs. Now that's the real great thing.
"Okay, but it's your guys' faults for not telling me in advance! If I knew what you guys were planning on doing, I would've bounced out of there real quick. And, yes, I know Yaoxun told me and all that, but you guys know I hate horror movies! Next time, let me pick, will ya'?"
"Fine, fine," The team captain patted Chian on the shoulder before looking at the others. "We'll let you pick next time if we decide to do another movie night or something, and it better not be that same animated movie."
"Excuse me, but The Secret Life of Pets was a great movie, thank you very much, captain."
Their team captain was someone who, in Chian's eyes, was a guy who he really didn't enjoy being around. Even though it's someone who he sees nearly 24/7 since the varsity basketball team was always together playing or hanging outside of practice and games, Chian wasn't a fan of his attitude towards Chian. He supposes it's because he saw Chian as too childish to be in high school and a bit too clingy for his liking. No matter how much Chian possibly hates the team captain, even going to Wonwoo more than the official captain, he can manage to play a game with him and pull through. Besides, he rarely talks to the team captain anyway outside of their regular basketball schedule.
"Honestly speaking, that animated movie is actually the ," Yaoxun suddenly spoke out, knowing very well that Chian was about to explode and throw Wonwoo's popcorn at the team captain. Even though it wasn't evident to the other players, Yaoxun knew Chian to the core and knew when he was on the brink of beating a up. Although it's a huge sight to see, to watch Chian curse and yell in anger, Yaoxun knew that it shouldn't happen, specifically in public. Plus, Chian's reputation would probably decrease since the team captain was a third-year student and well-affiliated with the school as his aunt and uncle were actually the first year and third year vice principals, respectively, of KRSA.
"Yeah okay, kitty girls," The team captain let out a chuckle before stretching his arms above his head. "I'm going to bounce early because I have work in, like, twenty minutes, but you guys can keep hanging out. I'll see you at the first official practice on Monday."
As the captain left, and a number of other people followed suit, that simply left Wonwoo, Yaoxun and Chian who all, apparently, had nothing else to do that day. The three quickly found themselves in an ice cream shop near the movie theater in hopes they'll figure out what else to do at nearly 7pm on a Saturday night.
"So," Wonwoo started to poke at his vanilla and chocolate ice cream with his spoon, eyeing the other two males in front of him. "There's honestly nothing we haven't done around here, so... what now?"
"I don't know, man, that movie was actually kind of lame," Yaoxun leaned back in his chair, at his pistachio ice cream in a waffle cone. "We could probably just go watch Netflix or something. We can go to my sister's apartment. I don't think she'll mind."
"Are you suggesting this because you want to see Roi?"
Chian's eyes suddenly lit up, clasping his hands around his own waffle cone with the basic two scoops of vanilla ice cream, "Oh, Roi! I haven't seen my buddy Roi in so long!"
"Dude, you saw him yesterday. We walked him together because you insisted that you'd tag along to 'get fresh air'," Yaoxun shook his head. He knew very well that Chian loved Roi, and probably loved him even more than Yaoxun, so if you ever mention Roi around Chian, he'll go crazy and keep asking to see him. Which, of course, led to Yaoxun letting his best friend tag along in a five minute walk to his sister's place and about a ten minute walk to the nearest park and back. Hell, Chian even offered to pick up the dog and he did it with the widest smile on his face. Kid's ing odd.
"Okay, your point is? Roi is the cutest little bean ever!"
"Well, damn, Yaoxun. Are you really being chosen over a dog," Wonwoo started laughing after watching the scene unfold before his eyes and, lucky for them, the only people present in the shop were the two workers who just scrolled through their phones the majority of the time.
Yaoxun rolled his eyes, "Honestly, I'd choose my own dog over myself, so it's not something that's new."
Wonwoo let out another small laugh before shrugging, "Well, if your sister's okay with three guys suddenly barging into her place just for the dog, her wifi and her Netflix account, then yeah, I'm down."
"Roi," Chian jumped up excitedly, nearly dropping his ice cream that's already been melting down his hand for the past minute or so.
Yaoxun shook his head, "My sister doesn't care. Hell, it's actually my Netflix, so I should be able to just barge in and use it."
"A'ight, cool," Wonwoo stood up, followed by Yaoxun, as they followed Chian out the door and towards Yejin's apartment. "What should we watch?"
"The Secret Life of Pe—"
"We should watch another horror movie."
Chian narrowed his eyes towards Yaoxun who, playfully winked at his friend and wiggled his eyebrows. All Chian could do was let out an agonozing breath, murmurring under his breath ' you' and 'I'm going to take your ing dog'.
06:58 PM
SEOK TAEJOON
Taejoon always knew that the moment he's with Miyoung are always his favorite times of the day. The two were currently in Taejoon's living room, comfortably laid out on the sofa wrapped in a warm blanket together while watching old Disney sitcoms. The pair is fortunate enough to live pretty much side-by-side together and for their parents to be great friends, and so nights like these were easy to get by.
After Taejoon's volleyball game ending earlier than expected, the couple decided to head home for the night. Typically, when either of them win a home game, they would go and celebrate at a local restaurant that served students of KRS half off when their school wins, but, this time around, the two opted out of it. It's not the fact that it gets crowded with their peers, since that's pretty much a given, but Taejoon simply just wanted to treat Miyoung to a nice night in as a sort-of apology for not being able to go with her uptown. As much as Miyoung kept telling him that it was fine, that he shouldn't worry about it all too much, but when you make a promise to someone you love that you'd never leave their side, Taejoon can't help but feel guilty about not being with Miyoung to visit her brother on the other side of Seoul. You can say he's the type of boyfriend who sticks with his word, the sort-of 'ideal boyfriend' that everyone needs in their lives (peter kavinsky, is that you?), but to Taejoon, the only person that can make him the way he is now is no other than Miyoung herself.
For as long as he can remember, Miyoung has brought out the best of him and allowed him to grow into the man he is today. From the moment the two were writing letters back and forth with words filled with both happiness and sorrow, Miyoung has been a stable and valuable person in his life. Coming from his sort of background and not having a whole lot of friends growing up, he's thankful that the world led him to a girl he can proudly call his best friend, lover and soulmate.
"What do you think about my nails," A random question suddenly popped out of Miyoung's mouth as she proudly showed off her nails.
Taejoon looked at her hands, smiling to himself, as he reached out to rub her knuckles with his own hands before taking them into his own. He looked at Miyoung, a grin playing on her face, "I think they suit you. Why'd you choose red and blue?"
"For obvious reasons," Miyoung looked at how perfectly her hands fit into her partner's before looking up at him. "The red's our school's colors and you had a game today, so i thought it was fitting. And the blue... You already know why I chose blue."
Taejoon hummed, shaking his head which caused his brown hair to stiffly move from side-to-side, "Mm, no, I don't know! Did you pick blue to be patriotic? Ah, I know. Blue because it's the color associated with heaven, and that's where you were born, angel."
The girl couldn't help but scrunch her nose in embarrassment at her boyfriend's sudden flirty tone and words. Playfully, she pushed his face away and automatically covered her face with the blanket, "Ah, that was so corny! Since when were you corny?"
Taejoon couldn't help but laugh at his girlfriend. Everything she did was cute to him, even the way she pushed his face away and hid was adorable. He immediately enveloped her into a bear hug, planting light pecks on her cheek before cupping her face to make her look at him, "I'm only corny with you, mia tesora."
He pecked her multiple times on the lips before slinging his arm around her neck with a proud smile while Miyoung was flushed pink. Taejoon always enjoyed being cheesy with his girlfriend, not because it's sweet, but because he liked seeing her get all flustered and flushed in various shades of red from his sweet actions. Just like everyday, Miyoung's cute in his eyes.
A few moments passed by and the house was suddenly filled with end credits followed by a ringing noise from outside. Miyoung looked at Taejoon, both dumbfounded, but hereally wasn't expecting anyone, especially when you take into consideration as how small his friend— or more like 'acquaintance'— group was. Taejoon shrugged in her direction before prying the blanket off his lap, "I'll check."
Miyoung's eyes followed Taejoon to the front door that wasn't considerably far from the couch. As Taejoon opened the door a bit to peek at who it was, he was immediately greeted by the laughter of his parents followed by Miyoung's parents. Both of the young adults raised a brow at the sudden appearance of Miyoung's parents and, as the two looked at each other, they saw how even more dumbfounded they were at the current situation. Mustering up enough courage, Taejoon cleared his throat before speaking, "Um, so, what's the occassion?"
"Oh, honey," Taejoon's mother, Goo Mina, patted her son's cheek with a smile before resting her hand on his shoulder. "I invited Myungsoo and Aeyeong for dinner after you told me Miyoung was here. Please set the table while me and the girls make dinner, yes?"
"Ah, okay," Taejoon couldn't help but glance at everyone in the room. He watched as his mother led Miyoung and her mother into the kitchen to prep for dinner. In all honesty, he couldn't help but worry. Sure, Miyoung's talked to his mother before and is able to hold a decent conversation with her, but the idea of having your girlfriend of nearly two years in the same room as, not only her mother but yours as well just screams embarrassment for the teen male in the relationship. Just as long as his mother didn't bring out the terrible baby pictures and home videos, then Taejoon's safe.
"Taejoon," Miyoung's father, Won Myungsoo, came up from behind, patting the taller male's back multiple times. Taejoon immediately bowed, greeting him in the usual polite manner he's always greeted him, but Miyoung's father just let out a chuckle, "Aye, how many times have I told you to stop bowing? We're practically family, so just be comfortable around me, Taejoon-ah."
"Ah, yeah," Taejoon scratched the back of his head, emitting a rather awkward and quiet chuckle. "It's sort of a habit, but I'll work on it."
"Good, good."
Suddenly, the atmosphere got quiet between the two. This wasn't typically the case, in fact, the two usually have a good conversation, but when it's just the two of them together and solely them two, it's hard for Taejoon to talk to him in the way he talks to his own father. The teen assumes it's because, every time he would see Miyoung's father, he can't help but feel a slight ting of anger build up inside of him over how his girlfriend was treated. But, even so, it isn't to the point at which he absolutely hates Miyoung's parents. It's just simply the first thing that crosses his mind. That's all.
"I heard you had a game today? How'd it go," Being the type of commanding person he is, Miyoung's father further initiated the conversation. Taejoon, on the other hand, was just wondering where the hell his father went.
"Yeah," Taejoon nodded, "We beat Seoul High with the first two sets. I'm usually the right side hitter, but they put me as the middle blocker. And I actually was the leading scorer for KRS."
"That's good," Myungsoo gave off a fatherly smile. Taejoon knew Miyoung's father enjoyed hearing the accomplishments of, not only his daughter, but with his daughter's boyfriend. It made Myungsoo happy to see the two of them do well both academically and athletically. Myungsoo hummed, "I'm glad the two of you are doing well; that's all a father can ask for."
Taejoon always liked hearing that specific phrarse: 'that's all I can ask for'. When people say that to him, he can't help but feel better about himself because that phrase alone tells him that he's doing something right. For as long as he can remember, Taejoon didn't have the best childhood and, no matter how hard he tried in school, he can't recall a single moment where his parents were ever proud of him. All he can recall is the yelling and fighting that happened in the house on a daily basis. It's pretty much a permanent memory for Taejoon back in the States, but when he officially moved to Korea for good, he can proudly say that the past is most definitely in the past. Now, he has two loving parents (or even four?) that care for him deeply and are proud of everything he does and, of course, he has someone by his side that he can proudly show off as his true love.
That night, Miyoung changed into Taejoon's clothes that were too big for her, but it was still considerably comfy enough to indulge herself in before joining him back on the couch. Oddly enough, Miyoung wanted to stay the night and, to their surprise, her parents were okay with it. In both of their minds, they assumed her parents would disapprove of that idea, thinking that it was wrong for a nonmarried couple to stay at each other's houses, but, because Taejoon's parents were close friends of Miyoung's and they lived directly next door, why the hell shouldn't let Miyoung stay the night? Besides, Miyoung's parents said they have a long day at work ahead of them and won't be home until late Sunday night.
It was always like this between Taejoon and Miyoung. When they were younger and Taejoon was newly adopted, the two would always sleep over each other's houses, especially when one of their parents were stuck at work or had business to attend abroad. Obviously, the two were upset when their parents wouldn't be home, but, they slowly started to enjoy nights together and watching movies late or even building blanket forts in each others' rooms.
But, when they began to get more workloads from school and would rather stay home alone, those nights laughing and talking about their elementary school peers started to turn into ranting about their academy's teachers over video call. Of course, if he wanted to, Taejoon could always walk to Miyoung and they could study together, even pushing her to take breaks every once in awhile, but he thought it was best that she'd be left alone so he wouldn't be able to distract her. However, today, they made an exception to forget about school for one night to take their mind off the stressful first month in a new classroom setting.
"I'm such a beautiful creation, right," Miyoung sleepily muttered through her yawn while cuddling up to Taejoon.
The older male couldn't help but chuckle at her cute and sleepy tone on top of her unique question. It was evident that Miyoung was already tired and that she had a long day today, but as Taejoon brushed her hair away from her face and behind her ear, he could sense that Miyoung was trying to push through a few more hours awake. He hummed softly, prodding her cheek before pulling her closer to him in a hug, "You're always beautiful, what are you on about?"
Tonight, they chose to sleep in the living room as the sudden thunder outside was too overwhelming for her to stay alone in the guest room opposite of Taejoon's. He knew that if they shared his room together, his parents would question them weirdly in the morning. So, to make sure both of them can live to see another day, they opted against sharing his bed. Making himself comfortable in her presence, Taejoon clung onto Miyoung more than he normally does, inhaling the familiar and flower-like scent of her perfume he got her early this year as a birthday present. He continued to comb through her hair, trying her best to calm her as the thunder and rain started to get louder outside.
"Are your parents sleeping? I feel bad I couldn't bid them goodnight, but I had to pee really bad," Miyoung jutted her bottom lip out, batting her heavy eyelids.
Again, Taejoon let out a chuckle, watching as Miyoung was slowly falling asleep in his arms, yet, when thunder clapped outside the window, she would jump like a frightened puppy and come closer to her protective boyfriend. He began to hush her to sleep, trying to get her mind off the thunder by increasing the volume a bit on the TV, "You should sleep now, angel."
Miyoung shook her head, "Mm, I'm not tired. Plus, we just started another movie and I haven't watched this movie in, like, fifty years!"
"Fifty? What? Are you a vampire now, huh," Taejoon poked her nose which made Miyoung playfully slap his chest whilst a small whine escaped her pursed lips. For the millionth time that night, Taejoon let out a small chuckle, ruffling Miyoung hair, "Why's my girlfriend so cute?"
She scrunched her nose before copying his actions, ruffling his hair in return, "Ah, why's my boyfriend so handsome, hm?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Yeah-huh," Miyoung reached her hands out to cup her boyfriend's face, "Look at this face. It just screams 'handsome'."
"And this face," Taejoon cupped Miyoung face in return before stealing a quick peck on her lips, "Screams 'mine'."
"Tsk," Miyoung playfull pushed Taejoon's face away, only to face forward with a fllushed pink face. Although it was dark in the living room, the white glow from the TV and the small light source beside him allowed for Taejoon to see Miyoung's slight pink cheeks. Taejoon assumed Miyoung could feel his eyes on her, and so she proceeded to speak her mind, "I'm proud of you... Of what you did today."
"Proud of me? Why?"
Miyoung turned to sit upright on the couch, facing Taejoon as she started to play with his fingers. She could faintly see the floor burns on his hand caused from the game and, when looking down at his exposed knees, she could see bruises upon bruises. She, herself, knew the struggles of bruises and burns from the dance team, but it was never as serious as Taejoon's. All this season, it was evident that Taejoon was pushing himself to have a successful volleyball year, and that may be caused by how upset he was over last year's terrible volleyball season. It's no wonder, today against Seoul High, Taejoon was the highest scorer and was even the MVP of the whole game.
But, to Miyoung, Taejoon was taking things a little too far. Just a week ago, Taejoon had a sprained ankle during one of the practice sessions and was told to sit out for the rest of the week. Yet, Taejoon's stubborn would just get up, saying he was fine, and keep at it. Today, Miyoung saw the pain in his face and the amount of bruising he got once the game was over. Although he was happy to win, on the inside he was filled with pain from his injuries and mental stability from his academic classes.
Every time Taejoon would push himself a little too far, Miyoung can't help but blame herself. There's been minor incidents where Miyoung and Taejoon would bicker over Taejoon's lifestyle, especially when their athletics begin, and every time, Taejoon would tell Miyoung he's alright, that he can 'handle it'. If only he wasn't so stubborn, Miyoung would force him to rest every day.
The girl hummed, looking up at Taejoon with a soft smile, "You did a good job today. So, I'm proud of you."
"Thank you," Taejoon rubbed the pad of his thumb against her cheek before leaning forward to steal another quick peck. "I'm proud of you, too."
"I didn't do anything, though," Miyoung shook her head before tilting it in confusion.
"Silly, I'm always proud of you. There's not a day I'm not proud," Taejoon quickly enveloped her in a tight embrace before falling backwards on the couch, which only caused Miyoung to laugh. Taejoon followed suit, emitting a rather loud laugh in comparison to Miyoung's light giggle.
"Okay, okay," Miyoung rested her chin against Taejoon's chest as he looked down at her, which may or may not have caused a double chin or two for him. Miyoung let out another small chuckle before patting his chest. "Out now. I'm sleeping on this couch."
Taejoon shook his head, jutting his bottom lip out, "No, I only brought one blanket and one pillow. Besides, I'm already in a comfortable position as it is."
"Um, no. The deal was that I sleep on this couch and you sleep on that couch," Miyoung pointed at the adjacent couch, her lips pursed together as she looked at Taejoon intently.
Taejoon began to whine with a pout, which only made Miyoung chuckle a bit at his sudden childish behavior. It was moments like this where people would think Miyoung was older or, at least, wore the pants in their relationship. Taejoon shook his head another time, "Mm, no. Jagiya, don't make me move."
"Don't jagiya me; a deal's a deal."
"And a seal's a seal, but you don't see me keeping a promise to one."
Miyoung raised a brow, "Are you calling me a seal right now?"
.
I ed up.
Taejoon gulped before patting Miyoung's shoulder with widened eyes, "I- Get up, jagi'. I'm going to sleep on the other couch."
Miyoung gave out a small chuckle, pushing herself up and off Taejoon, "Mhm, that's what I thought."
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