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Verisimilitude [Editing]
◊ Verisimilitude ◊
[ OC X Baekhyun one-shot ]
"It's finally the end of Friday." A glassed girl with flowing auburn hair groaned as she stretched, cracking her neck. "But then, that means academy."
"Have you done math academy homework, Jiyun?" A jet-black haired girl asked her, and Jiyun nodded nonchalantly. "Of course." Grinning cheekily, she stood up from her chair and pushed it into the table and walked out of the classroom as the other students in her class poured out of the door. "Okay top grade student, you can stop showing off." "I wasn't showing off, Yejin." Jiyun laughed lightly as Yejin grumbled. Jiyun winked at Yejin. "Come on, let's go buy some bubble tea. Money's on me this time." Yejin significantly cheered up and bounced lightly in her steps. "Can Junku sunbae come over?" Jiyun snickered a little as both of them now got out of the school building. "I'd prefer not to be third wheel, thanks." Yejin pouted flashing puppy eyes at her, and Jiyun groaned. Jiyun's weakness was Yejin's aegyo. "Fine, fine, go ahead." Yejin hugged Jihyun tightly and proceeded to type quickly on her phone, texting her boyfriend to join them for a drink. "Where to though?" Yejin asked. "Taro Taro." Yejin nodded, and a few moments later spoke again. "Junku sunbae is coming with his friend, is that okay?" Jiyun shrugged. "Sure, I can chat to him while you guys do disgustingly affectionate stuff." "Hey!" Yejin stomped her feet dramatically as Jiyun laughed. "Kidding." Jiyun ruffled her friend's hair. "Come on, let's go there."
After walking for a while, Yejin and Jiyun arrived at their bubble tea shop. As Jiyun walked in, the familiar tingling of the silver bell on the door greeted her and the workers announced, "Welcome to Taro Taro!" Jiyun chuckled, and Yejin and Jiyun sat at a 4-seat table next to the wall windows of the shop, trying to see if the boys were coming. "Explain why you like him again." Jiyun asked, and Yejin huffed. "I told you a million times-" "But he still has super Asian eyes." Jiyun stretched her eyelids into a straight line as a demonstration. "Plus, he's an ." "No he's not!" "Yeah, yeah sure." Jiyun smiled as Yejin looked at her disbelievingly, but her face changed immediately into a wide smile as she spotted Junku sunbae and his friend. Yejin waved frantically as she stood up, and Jiyun stood up too.
Jiyun noticed his crimson red hair first, and Jiyun had to note that it was a very suiting color. His eyebrows were thick but were slightly curved giving him a soft impression; his eyes were of the deepest brown she'd ever seen. He was wearing a black Off-White hoodie over his y-shirt, just like Jiyun was over her blouse.
"Hi, Jiyun." Junku sunbae spoke, nodding to Jiyun, and she bowed slightly as Yejin smiled happily. "This is Baekhyun." Junku pointed to the redhaired guy, Baekhyun nodded a little as Jiyun bowed her head. "Same year as I am. Baekhyun, this is Yejin, my girlfriend, and Jiyun, her best friend." "I'll get the drinks," Jiyun spoke quickly, and Jiyun walked off to the counter, pondering over the drinks listed above.
"One ice taro bubble tea, one lemon bubble tea-" "-one chocolate bubble tea, one milk bubble tea, please." Jiyun swerved her head as Baekhyun interrupted her speech. Baekhyun raised his eyebrow, and Jihyun shrugged, letting him take over. "Dutch pay." "Of course, sunbae." Jiyun paid for her drinks as Baekhyun paid for his and Junku's, and they waited. Baekhyun drummed his fingers on the table, and Jiyun noticed that he had very dainty, long fingers. "You have a nice fashion sense, sunbae." Jiyun commented to break the ice, and Baekhyun cracked a small smile, making him look friendlier than his first impression Jiyun had. "You have a nice hair color sense." Jiyun smiled. "It's one of the only things I'm really proud of." Baekhyun chuckled at her reply. "Relatable." Jiyun nodded. "What do you major in, sunbae?" "Architecture. You?" "Interior design." Baekhyun nodded approvingly. "That's a underrated major." "Agreed." The drinks came out as they conversed, and Jiyun took the taro and lemon bubble tea as Baekhyun took the chocolate and plain milk one. As Jiyun walked slowly over to their seats she grimaced a little, having seen Yejin wrapped her arms around Junku. "How about we leave the two alone." Jiyun was more than willing to. After making a hasty farewell, Jiyun and Baekhyun both exited the shop.
Jiyun sipped her lemon tea, chewing on the pearls. "What's your full name, Jiyun?" "Choi Jiyun. You sunbae?" "Byun Baekhyun. Baekhyun is fine, I feel old when I'm called sunbae." Jiyun chuckled a little, and Baekhyun smiled. "You're really tall for your age and gender." "But you're still taller than me." "Thankfully." Jiyun smiled and drank her tea, as Baekhyun did too. "What's your past time, sunbae?" "Listening to music. Singing. Playing the piano. Sissy, I know." "It's not." Baekhyun looked at Jiyun questioningly, and Jiyun offered a smile. "It's quite romantic, actually." "...That's a first. What's yours?" "Listening to music. Dancing." Baekhyun smiled. "My friend is a dancer, you should meet him some day." "I'd love to." Baekhyun checked his watch. "Ah. I have to go Jiyun." Jiyun shrugged. "Sure." Baekhyun took out his phone and gave it to Jiyun. "Friends?" Jiyun cracked a smile, and she recorded her number on it. "I guess so." Baekhyun smiled as he took back his phone. "Where's your house?" Jiyun pointed the way back towards the café. "That way." "Oh. Wil you be fine?" Jiyun chuckled. "I'm not a kid, of course I will be." Baekhyun smiled. "I'll see you sometime soon?" Jiyun nodded, smiling. "Bye, Baekhyun." "Bye, Jiyun." They both waved goodbye, and Jiyun turned around to walk back to her home. She plugged in her earphones into her phone and put her earphones into her ear. She turned back and saw Baekhyun waving. Jiyun laughed and waved back as they both parted.
"How was Baekhyun sunbae?" Was the first thing Yejin asked her over the phone when Jiyun went back home. "Chill guy. Thanks for making us feel awkward being next to you guys. I swear, I'm never hanging out with you and Junku sunbae ever again." "I didn't see him for three days, okay?" Jiyun blew a raspberry. "Sure thing, Yejin. You guys text each other 24/7." Jiyun could just imagine Yejin pouting over the phone. "Alright, I have to go, Yejin. Text me if you got anything." "Alright, see you~" Yejin ended the call as Jiyun's mom charged into Jiyun's room.
"Where were you? You were supposed to study for your upcoming mocks!" Jiyun's mother's first words to her were like a slap to her face. She was being ridiculous; Jiyun's mocks didn't come until 2 months later. Jiyun, however, suppressed her feeling of unfairness, and spoke levelly: "I was with my friend." "That piece of trash that can't study? What do you hang out with her for?" Because she knows more about me than you do. Jiyun gritted her teeth as her mom trash-talked her best friend. "Mom, she's my best friend." "Don't grit your teeth to your mother! And what kind of friend is she?" Jiyun's mother's voice was razor sharp and brutally harsh. Jiyun couldn't take it and slammed the table with her palm as she stood up, ignoring the searing pain. "STOP IT, MOTHER!" Jiyun shouted at her mother, and her mother for a split second looked terrified; Jiyun seldom got angry at anyone. However, it was quickly replaced by the contortion of pure fury as she slapped her face, hard.
"Out." Jiyun's mother's voice was deadly soft, but she shouted her next line. "OUT." Jiyun's eyes started to tear up as her mother started forcefully pushing her out of the house, and Jiyun was struggling to go back in. "Don't you think about come back." Hopelessly Jiyun was pushed out of the door and she didn't even have to turn to hear her mother slamming the door and locking it. Jiyun was closing to sobbing but she couldn't in public; she instead sniffed and heaved a ragged breath.
Jiyun walked aimlessly down the path; she was still in her uniform, even in her jacket, and wearing her backpack. ...At least I can do my homework. Jiyun passed by the café she was at around an hour ago. It was fine just moments ago. In the end, she settled to go to the empty playground not far away. Though it was only 6:30, the sun set pretty quickly as winter was pressing by, so the playground was empty. Everyone would have been eating, too. Jiyun tried to ignore the rumbling in her stomach.
Jiyun felt the sand underneath her shoes as they made a small scrubbing noise. She walked over to an empty metal swing as Jiyun put her bag on the ground, next to the metal supporter of the swing. Jiyun sighed heavily, and her tears formed as the course of what happened moments ago replayed in her head. Jiyun craned her neck up, to not let her tears run down her face. She, instead, kicked off lightly against the ground, making the swing move gently.
Her head couldn't think of anything; she knew she was letting precious time waste away but she didn't want to do anything. She should have called Yejin, but Jiyun felt like she supported on her too much; Jiyun felt bad for always staying over, making Yejin's mother and father deal with her. She wasn't close enough with anyone else to call and stay over at their house unless she counted her 5-year-older brother, who lived in an entirely different city which was at least 2 hours away.
Jiyun sniffed as she looked at the sand soullessly as the swing swayed side to side, as if to rock her in comfort. Jiyun sighed again.
"Your sighs will make a hole in the earth." A voice next to her spoke gently. Jiyun jumped slightly as she moved her head, and there she saw Baekhyun sitting in the metal swing next to her. Baekhyun had changed out of his uniform and was wearing dark blue jeans and a crimson shirt, but he still had the Off-white hoodie over it. He smiled, which fell as he saw Jiyun's face. "Are you okay?" Jiyun couldn't answer; she wanted to say 'yes' but she knew she would be lying. "Debatable." Jiyun murmured instead. Baekhyun blinked. "Why aren't you at home?" Jiyun tried to smile but she knew it wasn't working. "Long story." Baekhyun sensed that Jiyun wasn't going to go home for a long time. He stood up, and took Jiyun by the hand, surprising her entirely. "S-sunbae?!" "Come on." Baekhyun's voice was solid as if he didn't want an argument. "Let's go." Jiyun was pulled and she took her bag as she was dragged through the streets and arrived at a small two-story house that had a sky blue roof which stood out from the blackening sky. Baekhyun let her hand go as he pulled a set of keys out of his pocket, and he unlocked the main door. "Go in." He jerked his head signaling for her to enter, and Jiyun stepped cautiously into the house.
Baekhyun's house was quite modern-looking; the living room was very spacious with platinum white walls and black sofas. He even had a rug right in front of the sofa. On the wall was a 32-inch newest TV. Jiyun was in awe; her family couldn't have afforded luxuries like this. Jiyun dutifully took off her shoes and she padded in, looking around. "Put your bag and jacket on the sofa," Baekhyun spoke, and as she did she heard weird footsteps, and she turned around to see a huge golden dog charging at her, and when it reached her it almost knocked her to the floor. The golden retriever barked as its tail wagged happily, and it tried to Jiyun's face. Jiyun couldn't help but chuckle. She patted the head of the golden dog and it smiled at her, and she found herself smiling. "Yeol." Baekhyun spoke, and the dog ran towards its owner, barking happily. Baekhyun chuckled. "Sit." The dog obediently sat, its tail brushing up against its paws. "Good boy." Baekhyun took out a small piece of meat from a nearby paper bag and gave it to Yeol, who wolfed it down and panted, looking at Baekhyun pleadingly for another one. "No, Yeol." Baekhyun said sternly, and the dog drooped his head, whining quietly. As the dog realized Baekhyun wasn't going to give in, Yeol went to Jiyun and nosed her hand, wanting to be petted. Jiyun granted his wish as she sat down on the rug and Yeol stretched out his head as he laid down next to her, and put his head on her lap.
"He's not technically mine." Jiyun's head swerved over to Baekhyun who was not standing very far from her. He padded up to her and sat next to her on the rug as well, leaning against the black leather sofa. "Yeol is my brother's, whose name is Chanyeol. But he left to America, and Yeol couldn't accompany him. I think he likes me better though." Yeol barked, as if in agreement, and Baekhyun chuckled. "I swear he can understand human language." Jiyun chuckled too. "My parents aren't at home; they live with Chanyeol as well. I'll probably go to America when I finish university." Jiyun nodded slowly as Baekhyun explained. Baekhyun looked towards Jiyun, whose eyes were losing their twinkle that Baekyun had seen just only two hours ago. Jiyun felt a soft hand on her head, and she looked to Baekhyun, who was smiling encouragingly. "Don't let your thoughts overtake you." Yeol barked along with his words, and Jiyun nodded slowly once more as she heaved a breath.
Baekhyun ruffled her hair as he stood up. "I don't cook very well, but I can make good fried rice. Is that okay?" Jiyun nodded. "Thank you." Her voice came out a little husky, and Baekhyun disappeared into a neighboring room and appeared again with a cup of water. "Drink." Jiyun drank obediently as Baekhyun disappeared to what she believed was the kitchen. felt a lot better, and she coughed away her husky voice. She reached for the tissue on the table and blew her nose. Jiyun looked around for a trash bin but couldn't find one, so she carefully stood up not to let Yeol get surprised, and walked towards the kitchen.
The kitchen was already full of delicious smells as she spotted Baekhyun with a sizzling pan full of rice and neatly chopped up vegetables. Baekhyun moved around the rice as he spotted Jiyun with a crumpled piece of tissue. "Trash can's next to the refrigerator." Jiyun found it and threw the used tissue into the bin. "If you're bored, feel free to watch tv." Jiyun didn't say anything but instead shuffled closer to Baekhyun and watched him silently making his dinner. Baekhyun smiled and ruffled her hair again, making Jiyun blush a little. "Hungry, aren't you?" Jiyun nodded. "I can't cook," Jiyun commented, and Baekhyun shrugged. "You can always learn, you know." Jiyun snorted a little. "My mother-" Her words came to a halt as the memory of her mother slapping her came back, and Jiyun subconsciously touched her cheeks as her eyes teared up. Baekhyun pursed his lips, wondering what he could do to stop her from remembering whatever was making her sad.
"Dinner is ready." Jiyun snapped out of her trance as Baekhyun made the last sweep to fry the rice and separated the rice mixture onto two small plates. He set it onto the table in the kitchen and placed the utensils on the right side of the two bowls. Jiyun slowly sat on the bowl with less food, and Baekhyun sat opposite to her. "Thank you for the food." Jiyun whispered, and Baekhyun smiled. "You're welcome." Baekhyun noticed that Jiyun took the utensils with her left hand rather than the right like he did. "You're left-handed?" Jiyun nodded, then made a thoughtful face. "Kind of. I use the scissors with my right hand, so you could count me as ambidextrous." Baekhyun 'oh'ed softly and nodded. Jiyun took a spoonful of rice and put it in . "It's delicious." "Thank god." Baekhyun sighed in relief dramatically, and Jiyun smiled a little. "It's the first time I'm ever actually cooking for someone. My friend, Kyungsoo, is a better cook than me, so he cooks all the time." Jiyun scooped another spoonful into and chewed, savoring the taste. Baekhyun ate his too, then made a face. "It's way too bland!" Jiyun blinked. "Maybe it's because I'm used to eating lightly flavored food." Baekhyun sighed but offered a smile. "At least it fits your taste." Baekhyun took a container of dry seaweed and took a layer and crushed it under his fingers, letting the flakes cover the rice. Baekhyun ate the rice again, and this time he smiled. "That's better." They ate their food in silence for a few minutes.
"Is it your mother?" Jiyun looked at Baekhyun who had his chin propped up on his left arm, tapping his chin. "Did she shun you out?" Jiyun nodded slowly as if her head had suddenly become heavy. "Does this happen often?" Jiyun nodded again, as she sniffed involuntarily and rubbed her eyes as tears formed again. Baekhyun stood up from his chair and walked around the table, and he gently put his arms around Jiyun, one hand gently petting the back of her head. Jiyun stood up and buried her face into his shirt, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Let it out," Baekhyun spoke softly. Jiyun started to shake uncontrollably as she started to sob, and hugged Baekhyun tighter. Baekhyun sighed and brought her closer to him, resting his chin on her head. "I got you." Jiyun seemed to take no heed and sobbed harder, and Baekhyun could do nothing but let her tears stop by themselves and just her head.
After a short time, Jiyun's sobs had come down into small sniffles. "I'm sorry." Jiyun's husky voice was no more than a whisper. Baekhyun shook his head. "There is no reason to be." Baekhyun lifted her head gently with his fingers, and he could see that Jiyun's nose was red, her eyes bloodshot and puffy, still pooling with tears. "Aigoo." Baekhyun gently brushed off her tears with his thumbs. "Do you still feel like eating?" Jiyun shook her head. "Tired." Baekhyun nodded and led Jiyun to the sofa, in which she sat on the rug. "I'll get clothes for you to change into." Baekhyun went up the stairs, found his most comfortable clothes and went downstairs, but when Baekhyun entered the living room, Jiyun was already fast asleep on the floor, Yeol lying beside her, watching her dutifully. Baekhyun heaved his breath looking at the abysmal sight of her. Baekhyun gently put his arms around her body and lifted her up. She weighed very little despite her height, Baekhyun thought. He put her on the sofa and draped a warm blanket over her. Yeol nosed his hand, and Baekhyun petted his head. "Please tell me if she starts doing anything weird, alright?" Yeol barked a little, and Baekhyun smiled in reply. Quietly, he finished the rest of his dinner and settled in for the night.
Jiyun woke up the next day, her hair messed around and her eyes in slits from the bright sunlight shining through the window. Her room didn't have any windows as far as she remembered- and like a gunshot, she remembered where she was. As if to confirm it, Yeol barked happily, wagging his tail when he realized Jiyun was awake.
"Rise and shine. You sure sleep a lot." Baekhyun's voice got clearer as he entered the living room in tracksuit pants and a navy shirt. He smiled. "Feeling better?" Jiyun nodded. "What time is it?" "10:30." "My math academy!" Jiyun stood up to run to the door but Baekhyun pushed her back onto the sofa gently. "You're not in a good state to go there. Plus, you don't have your math books." "...You're right." Furthermore, Jiyun wasn't willing to go to her house and face her mother. Baekhyun grinned. "I guess you're stuck with me. Would you like to shower?" Jiyun nodded fervently; she felt a little sticky and dirty. Baekhyun chuckled at her reaction. "On the second floor there's a big bathroom, I've left a new towel and some clothes you can change into."
"...Thank you." Baekhyun blinked, for Jiyun's voice was hesitant but very deep with emotion, unlike her usual shallow but sweet voice. Jiyun looked up and offered him a smile. Baekhyun's cheeks involuntarily felt very hot. "Y-you're welcome." Cursing himself under his breath for having stuttered in front of her like a child, he went back into the kitchen. Jiyun managed a chuckle before she went upstairs to shower.
It was odd. Baekhyun didn't hear any footsteps on the stairs signaling that Jiyun was coming down; it had been an hour. Surely Jiyun didn't take that long to wash. Baekhyun frowned in worry and left the kitchen to go upstairs, in which he heard faint piano music from his room. Wondering, he silently opened the door to his room.
Jiyun had her back to Baekhyun; she was wearing Baekhyun's blue t-shirt, which was definitely too big for her. Her fingers moved softly over the keyboards; it was as if the piano was whispering the music to Baekhyun. The music happened to be his favorite one too- 'Kiss the Rain' by Yiruma.
He had never seen a person play it so beautifully yet so nostalgically.
"I used to play the piano." Jiyun stopped playing the piano; she had evidently heard Baekhyun coming up the stairs. "This was my brother's favorite song. He played it every day before..." Jiyun's words were no more of a murmur as they stopped, then she regained herself by making an 'ahem' sound. "Before he left." "...Did he leave because-" "of the same thing? Yes." Jiyun smiled sadly as she turned around to face Baekhyun. She kicked absentmindedly in the air. "It affected my brother, too." Jiyun sighed, looking at her feet. "But I can't leave yet. Not until I finish university." Jiyun smiled as if in pain. "3 more years to go."
"Where's your brother now?" "Seoul. He's a biomedical engineer, working on a research." Baekhyun whistled lowly. "What a brother." Jiyun chuckled, but Baekhyun noticed the subtle bitterness in it. "Yeah." Jiyun was smiling but her eyes weren't, and Baekhyun decided to change the topic. "Did you call Yejin?" Jiyun shook her head. "I don't want to burden her." "But that's what friends are for." Jiyun chuckled at Baekhyun's remark. "Baekhyun?" "Yeah?" "You've had a lucky life so far." Jiyun smiled a little. "Your karma must be good." The way Jiyun spoke made Baekhyun feel so childlike compared to her; she seemed to have gone through so many things and yet, Jiyun was smaller than him, a year younger than him, much more vulnerable than him.
He couldn't help but feel the duty to protect Jiyun.
His thoughts were interrupted when Jiyun's stomach growled. Jiyun's face heated up. "I guess I'm hungry?" Baekhyun couldn't help but laugh, and Jiyun smiled bashfully, chuckling too. "Come on, let's eat." Baekhyun was still chuckling as he went out of the room and down the stairs, Jiyun following him. Yeol barked, wagging his tail. "You hungry too, Yeol?" Yeol barked again happily. Baekhyun smiled. "Breakfast for everyone then."
Jiyun's and Baekhyun's hangout ended uneventfully after that, where Jiyun went back home after breakfast due to Baekhyun's nagging of her trying to resolve with her mother. When she did go home, however, her mom did not talk to her. Jiyun thought that was good enough as she did her homework for school during the rest of the weekend. It was not a week later on a Friday lesson they met again.
"Class." Jiyun's design teacher spoke to the class of students who were taking the course. There were 10 females and 2 male students. "We are going to do our presentations I have asked for to an Architecture 2nd-year class. This will be the start of a project between the major of Architecture 2nd years and Interior design 1st years." Oh, my Lord. If Jiyun absolutely hated anything, it was public speaking, especially in front of people she had never met.
"Mrs. Park?" A student raised their hand up. "Why do we not do it with the other first years?"
"Because the Interior design second years will be working with them. We've always done projects within the same years but different majors, however, they decided to break that tradition and see how it goes." Jiyun felt like a mistreated rat in a medical experiment. She didn't remember or know anyone significant that resided in the major. "Shall we go then? Please, bring your presentation materials with you." Jiyun fumbled as she packed her laptop and her sheets of notes with her, and followed the other students and the teacher to a room across the corridor, labeled 'Architecture'. The teacher knocked politely, in which a male teacher replied deeply, "Please come in." Mrs. Park opened the door and went in; Jiyun followed her obediently. She realized it was like a small table auditorium, where the students were looking down at them curiously. Jiyun scanned the faces, with increasing internal panic as she could not recognize any face until she spotted a waving person who made her smile.
It was no other than Byun Baekhyun, sitting in the front row, waving at her. Of course, she had forgotten.
"Well, class, let us see what you have prepared. The Architecture class will 'assess' your presentation and choose a partner they believe fit their skill level and style." Even better. Jiyun hated being judged. "Let's make a good impression, nae? Choi Jiyun, please start." This was no surprise as everyone knew Jiyun was first in the study; therefore, Jiyun should be the one making the first impression. Jiyun bowed her head towards the teacher. "Yes, teacher." Jiyun connected the computer to the wire; thankfully, the connection was stable enough, and Jiyun's stylish presentation title popped up on the screen. "Hello, I am Choi Jiyun, and I will be doing a presentation on the interior design style I wish to pursue."
Having prepared it for nights, Jiyun's speech flow was smooth; the sheets of notes were not needed as Jiyun talked logically through her points, her main concepts embedded on the slides of her screen with relevant pictures. However, suddenly, there was an outburst from another room outside, and the whole room exploded in laughter, while Jiyun's speech was erased from her memory unexpectedly.
"Please continue." Mrs. Park said when the laughter died out, and Jiyun's eyes turned wide and her cheeks flamed red as she realized she had forgotten her lines. From halfway Jiyun had not made any other notes because Jiyun thought she was confident enough to remember them. "T-The next point is..." She stuttered and she felt the eyes of the audience boring into her. Jiyun shook her head and her eyes rested on Baekhyun. Baekhyun, having seen Jiyun in her panicking state, had made a funny face; Jiyun smiled and had to suppress a chuckle. Like a miracle, she remembered her next line. "Is about the concept of colors." Whenever Jiyun forgot her speech, her eyes turned towards Baekhyun, who would make funny gestures in which made Jiyun feel more relaxed and less tense about the presentation. She finished her presentation without a big error, and she bowed as both classes clapped for her presentation.
Jiyun was thankful that she was actually chosen first to do so; now she didn't have to feel pressured about doing better than the person previously before. She wasn't the only one nervous; many others stuttered too, making her feel slightly better knowing that she wasn't alone. She spotted Baekhyun giving her a thumbs up, in which Jiyun smiled and did a small one back.
After all the presentations ended, the class stood in a line, while the other class made their choices in their partners. Jiyun wished desperately that someone chose her so that she didn't have to face the embarrassment of working alone. "Class, if you have chosen the first speaker, Choi Jiyun, to be requested as your partner, please put your hand up." Heart beating wild, Jiyun waited for hands to come up. One! Two! Three! Countless hands went up, and Jiyun could count five, and Baekhyun raised his hand as well, smiling sheepishly, making six. Jiyun smiled. "Choi Jiyun, who would you like to pick?" Jiyun really didn't have a choice, looking around. She only did know one person.
"Byun Baekhyun." Baekhyun smiled widely as he was picked and did a small dance ceremony, making Jiyun chuckle. "Then, Choi Jiyun and Byun Baekhyun, you guys will be working together. Choi Jiyun, please be seated next to him." Jiyun dutifully walked up the stairs to the level where Baekhyun was sitting, and walked across the table, and sat next to Baekhyun who was grinning at her. "Hey, lemon bubble tea." Jiyun chuckled at how he called her. "Hi, milk." Baekhyun laughed as well, and Jiyun sat next to him. "How have you been for the week?" "Baek, we're supposed to be listening to the teacher." Baekhyun pouted and looked away from them to her. "They can wait." Jiyun chuckled and shushed him by putting her forefinger on his cherry lips. They were soft. "We can wait." Baekhyun's ears turned red but he gave a smile and looked obediently back to the class.
Baekhyun and Jiyun watched the class get sorted; she watched her classmates face the bewilderment of choosing partners for sunbaes; feel the embarrassment when they weren't chosen. Jiyun realized her classmates knew many of the sunbaes, because many didn't have problems saying their names. Maybe it was just Jiyun that didn't know them well. She wasn't very good at socializing, after all. "This project between the two classes will last a month. You are to make a presentation on the ideas combined between yours and your partner's architecture and interior design, even thinking about the costs. We expect this to be good and detailed." The last sentence crushed on Jiyun, putting pressure on her, making her heave a breath. Baekhyun looked at her in worry. "Are you okay?" Jiyun nodded. "Yeah." "Alright, the class is dismissed." "Now, let's talk." Jiyun chuckled as Baekhyun propped his head with his arm, looking directly at her. "How have you been?" Jiyun shrugged good-naturedly. "I've been okay. How about you?" "Byun-derful as always." Jiyun laughed lightly. "LIke wonderful but Byun-derful?" Baekhyun laughed and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah." "You're so funny." Baekhyun smiled. "I'm glad." The others filed out of the room, and they were left alone. "Byun Baekhyun, please leave." The male teacher spoke like as if he was complaining. Baekhyun grinned at the teacher. "All right, Mr. Kim. Let's go, lemon." Jiyun smiled at the nickname and bowed respectfully to the teacher before closing the door behind her. "Would you like to meet my friends?" Jiyun blinked. She wasn't too sure about the prospect of meeting strangers. "Uhm." "There's only Junku, Kyungsoo and Jongin." "Yejin's boyfriend, the chef, and I'm assuming Jongin sunbae is the dancer?" Baekhyun blinked and grinned. "Bingo." Baekhyun naturally led the way to the cafeteria, and Yejin followed his footsteps. "Kyungsoo doesn't talk much, but he's sarcastic most of the times when he does." "That's like Seohyun." "One of your friends?" Jiyun nodded. "Does she happen to be very short?" Jiyun blinked and laughed. "Yes!" Baekhyun laughed. "Kyungsoo is short too; shorter than most of us. Then there's Jongin, who's taller than me by a bit. He's known to be handsome, and he's a sweet person." "He seems like a nice guy." Baekhyun nodded. "They are."
Baekhyun and Jiyun entered the cafeteria; the room was already bustling with noise and occasional shouts from various students. Baekhyun led Jiyun to a small cornered table; there she saw Yejin talking to Junku sunbae, and she also saw a round-eyed guy with heart-shaped lips eat a bite of his food, and a guy with chestnut-brown swept hair looking bored, and he locked gazes with Jiyun as they approached. The guy smiled a little, and she realized he must have been Jongin, the handsome sunbae that everyone talked about.
"Jiyun!" She heard Yejin call, and Jiyun waved. "Hi guys, this is Jiyun, Yejin's and my friend. This is Kyungsoo, and this is Jongin." Kyungsoo blinked and waved, while Jongin smiled at Jiyun again, making her blush a little and smile shyly back. "Hi, sunbaes." Jiyun bowed her head respectfully, and Kyungsoo smiled. "Are you the Yiruma girl that Baekhyun talks about?" Jiyun blinked. "Oh. Maybe." "She likes the same song." Kyungsoo nodded and ate his food. Baekhyun sat next to Yejin who was facing Junku, and Jiyun sat next to Baekhyun slowly, and her seat was facing Jongin. Jongin looked at her, a smile still etched on his face. "I'm Jongin." "Jiyun." "You're the girl who likes to dance?" Jiyun nodded slightly, and Jongin broke into a wide smile, showing all his perfect pearly teeth. "I like ballet and contemporary." Jiyun's eyes shone at the mention of contemporary. "I dance contemporary too!" Jongin chuckled and reached his hand out and tussled Jiyun's hair. "Aigoo, cute." Jiyun blushed and shook her head.
Baekhyun watched Jongin and Jiyun interact. Jongin had a way with girls; everyone just found him attractive. Jiyun was no exception; Baekhyun watched her blush hopelessly when Jongin complimented her. Baekhyun's stomach dropped when he saw it. He didn't know why, but he just felt down all of a sudden. "Jiyun, let's go get lunch." Baekhyun strayed Jiyun away from Jongin, and they stood in the cue to get lunch. They stood silent for a bit, then Baekhyun blurted out, "Do you like Jongin?" Jiyun blinked, then started laughing. Baekhyun looked at her strangely, but also slightly embarrassedly. Why did he ask the question? "Milk tea." Baekhyun looked at Jiyun who grinned. "You're cute." Baekhyun's ears heated up. "A-am not!" He cursed himself under his breath for stuttering, and Jiyun chuckled. "No, I don't like Jongin in that sense. He's nice, charming, easy to talk to. I just blush really easily." Baekhyun grew curious at her last line. "You blush easily?" Jiyun nodded. "You can literally do anything to me and I'd blush." Baekhyun smiled and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Jiyun's face turned red and she covered her face with the sleeves of her jacket. "Baekhyun!!" Baekhyun laughed. "What, I did nothing." Jiyun glared at him through her sleeves, in which Baekhyun smiled and shrugged innocently. Jiyun sighed and put her arms down, her face still tinted with red from his action.
Baekhyun found it cute.
After they dutifully received their lunch, Baekhyun and Jiyun sat back down at their places and started to eat. Jiyun consciously ate very slowly and carefully, so as to not look like a ravaging beast when eating. "You eat like a kid," Baekhyun remarked, and Jiyun looked down at her plate. She had avoided all the carrots on her plate so far. Jiyu smiled cheekily. "I just hate carrots." Baekhyun sighed dramatically. "That's why you wear glasses." Jiyun 'hmph'ed. "It's not like it's going to get better if I just start eating carrots." Baekhyun teasingly threw her a look before eating his food. Jiyun looked forward, and saw Jongin looking at her with a smile, as his head was supported by his right arm. "She's cute, Baek." Baekhyun looked up from his plate. "Can I court her?" Jongin's unbelievably straightforward talk made Jiyun blush heavily and cover her sleeves. Baekhyun looked at her, then back at Jongin. "Really, Jongin." Baekhyun threw him a skeptical look. "Why, do you like her?" Baekhyun froze at that question. Did he? Baekhyun finally shrugged. "Not yet, but you can't have her." Jiyun, having heard Baekhyun, felt her heart beat rapidly. Did Baekhyun just suggest that Baekhyun sunbae might like her? "Alright." Jongin smiled and drank his small carton of juice. Jiyun, feeling like it was safe enough to look up, looked up. Jongin smiled. "Well, Jiyun, if you wish to talk to me more about dancing," He jerked his head towards Baekhyun, "ask him for my phone number. Goodbye, it was nice meeting you." Jongin left the table with a wave and a tussle of hair for Jiyun, followed by Kyungsoo who silently left with him.
"...Does Jongin sunbae always talk like that?" Baekhyun nodded at Jiyun's question, poking at his food with his chopsticks. "Jongin is straightforward. He'd point out all your flaws and strengths, regardless of your emotions." Baekhyun smiled. "It's fresh, but not a lot of people necessarily like it." Jiyun nodded. "I think having a friend like Jongin sunbae is beneficial." Baekhyun nodded in agreement. "That's true." Jiyun finished the rest of her rice, and she found out Baekhyun's lunch tray had been emptied as well. Baekhyun smiled at her. "Would you like to go?" Jiyun nodded slightly. "Yes please." They both took their trays and said goodbye to Yejin and Junku, cleaned their trays and left the cafeteria.
"Where do you go, at lunch?" Baekhyun asked, and Jiyun puffed her cheeks in thought, in which Baekhyun smiled seeing upon. "The library, courtyard or sports hall." Jiyun listed out. "How about you, Baekhyun?" "Courtyard, or the music practice rooms. Care to come with me?" Jiyun smiled. "Sure!" Baekhyun led the way down to the first floor where the practice room resided while Jiyun followed. They ented the small collection of rooms, and Baekhyun took an empty, small room which was empty except for a piano and the piano seat. He put his bag down on the floor, and Jiyun did too. Baekhyun sat on the piano seat while Jiyun decided to take a seat on the floor.
"What do you want me to play?" "...Could you sing, sunbae?" Baekhyun pursed his lips in thought, racking for a song he could sing and play the piano at the same time, and thought of one. "Sure." Jiyun smiled as Baekhyun started playing the chords, into his song.
안녕 내게 다가와
수줍은 향기를 안겨 주던 너
희미한 꿈 속에서
눈이 부시도록 반짝였어
설레임에 나도 모르게
한발 두발 네게 다가가
너의 곁에 남아
너의 미소에 내 마음이 녹아내려
눈이 마주쳤을 땐
두근거려
oh 너의 가슴에 내 미소를 기억해줘
하루에도 몇번씩
생각해줘
oh 너에게 하고 싶은 그 말
you’re beautiful
고마워 날 만나서
한결 같았던 니 모습이 보여
나를 기다려 왔던
너의 짙은 향기 깊은 울림
알 수 없는 강한 이끌림
너를 향한 나의 두 날개
펼쳐주고 싶어
너의 미소에 내 마음이 녹아내려
눈이 마주쳤을 땐
두근거려
oh 너의 봄날에 내 노래를 들려줄게
하루에도 몇번씩 생각해줘
oh 이렇게 너를 생각해
you’re beautiful
나를 반겨줘
뚜뚜뚜루루루 설레여
구름 위를 걷는 듯
거짓말 같이 난 네게 다가가 한발 더
다시 찾아온 너와 나의 계절에
기억할 수 있겠니
뚜루루루루뚜뚜
oh yeh all right
너를 만난 걸 행운이라 생각해
우리 다시 만나면
말해 줄래
fly to you
내 곁에 있어줘
you’re beautiful
Beautiful - Byun Baekhyun
His sweet and soft voice encaptivated her; she watched him like a trance as his long, slender fingers moved over the keyboard effortlessly and his face changed slightly with emotion as he sang. He looked like a singer that was on stage; singing out his heart through that small windpipe and his fingers.
When Baekhyun finished, he looked a little shy and sheepish. "I haven't sung in a while." That was a lie. Baekhyun had been practicing recently just in case someone had asked him to sing. "...I loved it." Baekhyun felt his ears turn red as Jiyun talked softly with real emotion within her voice. She smiled. "Your singing is amazing." "T-thanks." He cursed himself under his breath once more, and Jiyun came to sit beside him. "I learned a new piano song." She spoke proudly like a child, as her hands started playing Cherry Blossom by October. Baekhyun, this time, got entranced by how she played the piano; she always played so softly and so sadly, it made his heart ache when hearing it. The song was relatively short, so Jiyun's fingers stopped playing not long after.
"It's nice, the music." "It's beautiful, especially when you play it." Baekhyun's soft-voiced compliment made Jiyun blush. "T-thank you." Baekhyun looked at her for a long moment, and Jiyun looked back, still blushing, but tilted her head to the side, wondering why he was looking at her so intently. Baekhyun smiled.
Slowly, Baekhyun and Jiyun were starting to become attracted to each other.
"Yeol!" Jiyun said cheerfully as she ran into Baekhyun's house and greeted the golden retriever. Yeol barked and wagged its tail happily, Jiyun's hand. Baekhyun chuckled and closed the door behind him. Jiyun and Baekhyun had decided to work on their presentation at Baekhyun's house the next week Wednesday night so that they could figure out the main ideas of their design. Baekhyun had offered his location to be the place to meet, and Jiyun agreed; she wanted to see Yeol again. Jiyun put her bag down on the sofa and sat on the rug, petting Yeol.
"You really like dogs?" Jiyun nodded intensely at Baekhyun's question. "I love animals." "What's your favorite?" "Wolves." Jiyun smiled. "It's my brother's favorite too." Baekhyun's eyes turned wide at the mention of 'wolves'. "...They're my favorite too." "Really?" Jiyun's eyes turned round; Baekhyun could now see why Jongin complimented her as cute. "You're the first to say that!" Baekhyun smiled. "You are too." Jiyun smiled widely. "Hehe."
"Lemon?" "Yeah?" "Do you have a boyfriend?" Jiyun smiled and shook her head, and Baekhyun felt relieved all of a sudden. "I've never had a boyfriend in my life, actually." Jiyun frowned a little, but shrugged it off, smiling again. "It sometimes bothers me, but I live with it." Baekhyun nodded. "How about you, Baek?" "I've had one girlfriend before, but that was ages ago. I don't have one now." Jiyun nodded. "What's it like, to have a relationship?" Baekhyun pursed his lips. "It really depends." He shrugged. "I don't think I'm the best person to answer it. When I had a girlfriend, we didn't have a very good time." Jiyun let out a soft 'ah' and nodded. "I hope you have a better girlfriend, Baek. I think you deserve one." Baekhyun smiled. "You deserve one too." Jiyun chuckled and shook her head. "I don't deserve one." "Why not?" "I don't think I'm worth the time." Baekhyun looked at her, and Jiyun blinked. "Baek?" "You're always worth the time." Baekhyun smiled encouragingly. "You're one of my best friends now, and I like hanging out with you, for homework or not." Jiyun chuckled and smiled. "Thanks, milk tea."
Yeol barked suddenly, and the two snapped out of it. "The project." Jiyun said slowly, and Baekhyun nodded hastily. "Yeah. How do you want to do it?" Jiyun pursed her lips, then unexpectedly, she threw the documents onto the living room table, surprising Baekhyun. Jiyun turned to Baekhyun and pouted out of nowhere, and the word 'cute' almost mumbled out of his lips. "I don't want to do anything." Jiyun stretched her arms and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I'm so tired." "Physically?" "Nah.. more like mentally tired." Jiyun smiled a little, and Baekhyun smiled encouragingly and tussled her hair. "You'll get used to freshman days." Jiyun made a straight face as if almost to disagree, but she said nothing. "What extracurricular activities do you do, lemon?" "Dance club, Drawing club, Photography club, Basketball club, Piano ensemble club." Baekhyun 'woah'ed. "You sure have a lot of clubs." Jiyun chuckled. "It's only because I have a lot of hobbies. How about you, Baekhyun?" "I have my Band club, and a Service club for animal shelters." Jiyun's eyes turned wide. "You're in the school band?" "Yeah. I'm playing the piano and also a vocalist." "Are you the main vocalist?" "Nah, that's Jongdae, a year above me." Jiyun tapped her chin. "Why aren't you main?" Baekhyun shrugged. "I like to be side, not the center of attention." Jiyun smiled. "It is quite a lot of pressure to be the main in anything, really." Baekhyun nodded in agreement. "How about you, I mean, Basketball and Piano ensemble?" Jiyun chuckled. "I'm the center, but I'm only in the Junior team. For piano ensemble, I'm only a co-player. Yejin, me, and two others, we all play piano and create a quartet." Baekhyun wolf-whistled. "No wonder you're so tired and busy. You guys should participate for the upcoming Christmas music festival." "We are. How about your band?" "We are, too." Jiyun smiled widely. "I'll see you there then!" Baekhyun chuckled. "Yes, you will."
Yeol barked again, and Baekhyun and Jiyun looked at Yeol and they realized he was barking at a child walking across the street. "You know, sometimes, I feel like Yeol is my reminder clock whenever I'm procrastinating." Jiyun laughed at Baekhyun's remark. "I need that." Baekhyun laughed. "We all do." "Yeah. Baek, about the Service club, is it open for members?" Baekhyun blinked. "Yeah, we only have, like, 6 members." "I'd like to join." Jiyun smiled. "Plus, I need service activities." "You sure you can handle it with the others?" Jiyun tapped her chin. "Well, it doesn't hurt to try." "It's Friday afterschool." Jiyun listed her activities. "Drawing monday lunch, dance tuesday afterschool, photography tuesday lunch, basketball monday and wednesday afterschool, piano ensemble thursday afterschool and friday lunch, so yes, I can do that!" Jiyun's concluding tone made Baekhyun chuckle. "So, if I'm correct, you're only free on wednesday and thursday lunch?" Jiyun blinked and nodded slowly. "Smart Baekhyun." Baekhyun laughed. "I'm far from smart, compared to you." "Huh?" "Jiyun, it's not exactly a secret that you're top student in your grade." Jiyun made a straight, slightly disapproving face. "Ah, of course."
"Do you not like it?" Baekhyun asked, and Jiyun shrugged. "I mean, it's good for my forms, but not everyone likes it when I'm supposedly the best at academics. Even Yejin doesn't like it. Everyone thinks I'll do good even without study, but the thing is that I panick and stress for tests, too." Jiyun's voice had turned bitter with her surpressed, quiet anger, her lips forming a disapproving frown. "They think because they get lower grades, they have more pressure, which is totally untrue. I'm always the first in presentation, to set model, and it freaks me out. You saw me doing the presentation. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to finish my speech." Jiyun smiled at Baekhyun. "Thank you. I'm sorry it's late." Every time Jiyun said 'thank you' it was always deep with emotion and sincerity, and Baekhyun didn't know why, but it always made him feel flustered.
"You're welcome." Baekhyun thanked himself for not having stuttered, and smiled. "I'm not sure if it's the same, but I know what it's like to be pressured too, so you're not alone. I'm always here to listen to you, because I found out that when my friends listened to me, it was the best remedy I had in hand." Jiyun smiled. "It is. I'm here to listen to you too. After all, I listen for Yejin, so I count myself as a good listener." Jiyun grinned and Baekhyun chuckled. "You still realize that I am a year older than you?" "A year worth's more experience, but sometimes Baek, I think you lack the respect for teachers making you one year younger than me." "Hey!" Baekhyun pouted. "That was once!" Jiyun laughed. "I was joking." "Lemon?" "Yeah?" "Can you try calling me oppa?" Jiyun blinked, then made an 'ahem' sound, clearing her voice, feeling a little nervous without any specific reason she knew of.
"Baekhyun o-oppa?" Baekhyun felt like as if a hand had squeezed his heart; he felt breathless as he heard Jiyun's hesitating, soft, slightly higher pitched and undeniably cute voice, calling his name, his name, as her oppa. Jiyun blushed as she said it. "Aish, I said it weirdly." She mumbled, pouting, her face tinted cherry red. "I'm sorr-" Her apology was caught off when Baekhyun put his finger on her lips, leaning towards her. Her lips were moist and soft. "You shouldn't be." Baekhyun softly mumbled back. "Don't call anyone else oppa." "W-why not?" Baekhyun smiled mysteriously and Jiyun blinked, confused.
Both snapped out of the romantic atmosphere when Yeol barked once more, this time at a passing family.
Because, Baekhyun wanted to say, you just stole my heart.
Plus, when he put his finger on her lips, he had the very strong, fleeting wanting to replace his forefinger with his very own lips.
November turned into December, and Jiyun couldn't meet Baekhyun after that presentation preparation evening due to the upcoming Christmas music festival. Also, Jiyun's mocks were coming up, for which she was studying for restlessly. So, every lunchtime she had to apologise for missing her club meetings and go to piano ensemble practice, while afterschool she had to go to her clubs as well, and straight after go home to revise. Jiyun's sleep was reduced drastically, and she could feel her eyebags getting bigger by the minute.
After a week on Friday after the evening she spent with Baekhyun, she went to the fifth-floor classroom, where Baekhyun had told her the Service club was held. Quietly knocking, she carefully slid open the door.
In the empty classroom was one group of chairs occupied, and she saw Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Seohyun, and three others she did not recognise. Baekhyun noticed her first and gave her a warm eye smile, and Kyungsoo nodded in acknowledgment and Seohyun blinked widely in surprise then waved friendly.
"Baekhyun, was this the new memeber you talked about?" A girl with flowing, wavy chestnut brown hair said authoratively. She was very pretty, in Jiyun's opinion, and the puzzle pieces in her mind clicked: It was Lee Hyeri, the queenka above Jiyun's year. Hyeri sunbae, as far as Jiyun knew about rumors, was the most popular girl in school; she was also quite intelligent and athletic, too. Her major was Fashion Design. "Introduce her to us, nae?"
Baekhyun stood up and walked to Jiyun's side, smiling as he made eye contact with her. Baekhyun faced the others. "This is Choi Jiyun, our hoobae majoring Interior Design. She expressed interest in this club, so I invited her to join. She knows Kyungsoo, and Seohyun here." Jiyun bowed with his introduction, relieved that he had not mentioned her being the top student in her grade. "Hello, I am Choi Jiyun. Please take care of me."
"Choi Jiyun? As in the top grader freshmen?" Jiyun's hope of starting fresh and creating a different impression fell as a boy sitting on a table remarked. Jiyun sighed internally, and nodded reluctantly. "Yes." "The name's Kim Minseok, I'm proudly top grader for sophomore, majoring in Engineering." Jiyun's eyes widened at the name. Kim Minseok! The famous sunbae that had the craziest Math skills in the whole campus! Jiyun hastily bowed again. "It's an honor to meet you, sunbae!" Minseok sunbae chuckled. "No need, Jiyun. Welcome to the club. This is Taehyun-" "I can introduce myself, thanks. Minseok." Taehyun made a disapproving face to Minseok, in which he shrugged innocently in reply. Jiyun was given a fleeting memory of Baekhyun doing the same. "I'm Taehyun, sophomore, majoring in Engineering. Nice to meet you. I'm the initial creator of this club, but Hyeri leads it." Hyeri, at the mention of her name, smiled proudly. "Hi, I'm Hyeri, sophomore, majoring Fashion Design. It's so nice to meet another future designer!" Jiyun smiled back hesitantly. She didn't know Hyeri well, and Jiyun's first instinct was to be suspicious of her, especially because she was a queenka.
"Every Sunday, we go and visit nearby animal shelters and help get the facility clean, obviously without receiving any money." Hyeri giggles at her own emphasis. "We're doing one this Sunday, are you free?" Jiyun counted with her fingers the days she was free. Baekhyun watched her do so, and had to surpress a chuckle. "Yes, I can." Jiyun smiled. "Where is it?" "I'll message you the address." Baekhyun said, and Jiyun nodded. "Thanks, Baek." "You're welcome, lemon." Baekhyun said with a smile. Hyeri clapped once, and both of them looked to her. "For today, that's all I wanted to discuss. I'll see you guys on Sunday 10am sharp at the place, nae?" "Yes." The others replied. Baekhyun went to get his bag from the chair, while Seohyun walked up to Jiyun. "Sup, Jiyun." "Been busy, kid?" Seohyun gave her a disapproving gaze. "I'm not a kid. I'm practically the same age as you." "Precisely one month older than me but still 20cm smaller." Jiyun laughed lightly while Seohyun huffed. "Okay giant. Are you free, because I was going to get bubble tea." "You are seriously becoming Yejin's döppelganger. Yes, I am-"
"-not free." Baekhyun interrupted her talk, and smiled cheekily. "Lemon, you're hanging out with me today." "What?" "You heard me, let's go. It's been a week and 2 days." Jiyun sighed and shrugged. "Alright, if you say so." Jiyun turned to Seohyun, who gave a meaningful gaze to Jiyun, and whispered, "Is Baekhyun, like, your ssum guy?" "Kim Seohyun!" Jiyun huffed, her face going red. Seohyun laughed. "It is, isn't it?" Seohyun patted Jiyun's shoulder. "Good luck, giraffe." Seohyun waved and left the two alone in the empty classroom. Baekhyun eyesmiled. "Where to?" Jiyun couldn't help think, that, even if they were going as friends, this was potentially a date. "Uh, I'm not sure." Baekhyun pouted and Jiyun smiled. "How can you not have any preference?" Jiyun tapped her chin, then she did remember one place she had been yearning to visit. "There's this one place." Baekhyun brightened. "Let's go."
Few minutes later, Baekhyun found himself in the local arcade, following Jiyun to the counter to trade their money for arcade coins. "You like aracdes?" Jiyun nodded, and her eyes were sparkling with excitement. "I love games, but not everyone likes arcades." Jiyun gave her few paper bills and got 200 coins, and gave 100 to Baekhyun. "Repayment, more to come obviously." Baekhyun blinked, and received it. "You don't have to-" Jiyun's finger shushed Baekhyun's lips. Again, Jiyun could feel the unbelievable softness of his lips. "I'll feel bad if I don't." Jiyun smiled. "Come on, milk tea, let's play."
The first game Jiyun led him to was a shooting game, surprising Baekhyun. He definitely didn't know a lot of girls who liked aracdes, let alone shooting games. "You like this?" "Played it once, been addicted since." Jiyun laughed and inserted her coins. Baekhyun chuckled and did the same. They both picked up the fake guns and started to play. Baekhyun didn't regard himself a douche when playing shooting games, but Jiyun was managing to shoot down every one of them with deadly precision. "Jesus, how do you do that?" Jiyun laughed at Baekhyun's remark. "I just played it too much." The game ended without delay as Jiyun managed to pass every level. "Highest score! What should I name myself?" "Lemon." Jiyun chuckled. "Of course." She typed in 'Lemon' into the screen. "There, that's our first game. Your choice next, Baek."
Baekhyun led her to a dance game, where they had to step on arrow pads in sync to the music. "Oh my lord, yes!" Jiyun's excited remark made Baekhyun chuckle. "What level do you play?" "Medium, hard. You?" "Hard, extreme." Baekhyun said proudly, puffing out his chest dramatically. Jiyun laughed. "I got myself a rival!" They both stepped onto the board, and registered themselves into the game. "Your song choice, lemon." Jiyun chose a hard remix song. "Let's go, me and you." Jiyun looked at him with a competitive, playful stare, to which Baekhyun returned. As the song started, they were no longer talking but shifting their legs right, left, up, down, trying to get all the arrow beats in the song. People who would have crossed by would have been amazed as they were in perfect sync; Jiyun and Baekhyun didn't miss one beat. When the song ended, Jiyun was slightly panting. "Great one!" "Perfect score, lemon." "You too, milk." They shared a smile, and Jiyun spoke. "You're like the perfect arcade partner." Baekhyun chuckled and ruffled her hair. "I'm glad." "Your song." Baekhyun chose an extreme song. "Challenge! I'm good, let's go." Jiyun's eyes turned hard as she concentrated and Baekhyun turned for his screen. They did not utter a word once more as Jiyun and Baekhyun concentrated on the song; Jiyun cursed under her breath as she missed some beats. "Aish!" Jiyun said fustrated when she finished the song. "That was a fail." Baekhyun shook his head, smiling. "You did well, for a hard player." Jiyun looked at Baekhyun's screen, and discovered he only missed 1 beat, and puffed out her cheeks. "Okay, extreme player." Baekhyun laughed at her sarcasm. "Alright, alright, your game."
As they went around games, Jiyun felt herself enjoying every minute of it; relieving all her stress out on all these games made her feel lighter. Baekhyun enjoyed every second of it; he loved hanging out with Jiyun and arcades themselves. Jiyun forgot what it was like to be in mock preparation, to be a model student; she relished being just a normal student enjoying the arcade with a boy friend. They were soon down to the last few coins, and Baekhyun brought her to the line of doll picking machines. "You can wish for any doll, and I can get it for you." Baekhyun flicked a coin into the air and catched it in the air with his hand. "I'm an expert." Jiyun blinked, her eyes turning wide. "Really? Any doll?" Baekhyun eyesmiled. "Yes, any, lemon." Jiyun skipped along the line of machines, then pointed at a doll machine where it consisted of egg dolls called Gudetama. "This one!" Baekhyun laughed as he realized what Jiyun was pointing to. "I love them." "I do too." Baekhyun inserted two coins and moved the claw to one of the dolls, and Baekhyun easily grabbed it. It tumbled out of the machine, and Baekhyun handed it to Jiyun. "Here, your egg." Jiyun laughed and hugged the doll. "It's so cute~!" Baekhyun smiled and said, "You know what's more cute?" "What?" "The person holding the doll." It only took a Jiyun a split second to understand what he meant, and Baekhyun grinned at the sight of Jiyun's face going red. "Byun Baekhyun!" "I've been waiting to say that for ages, you know." Jiyun hit him with the egg doll lightly, pouting, making Baekhyun laugh. "I'm not cute." "Suuuuure." Jiyun huffed at Baekhyun's sarcasm, and Baekhyun ruffled her hair. "The next doll?" Jiyun tapped her chin, and looked around the machines. "Could you get me this one?" Jiyun's finger was pointing at a small penguin doll. "Of course. Penguin doll, coming up." Jiyun laughed at Baekhyun's imitaiton of a waitress. Baekhyun grinned as he inserted coins and manuevered the metal claw to grasp the penguin doll accurately. The doll once again, tumbled out of the machine, and Baekhyun gave it to Jiyun. Jiyun, however, shook her head and gave it to Baekhyun. "I want you to have it." "Why me?" "Because penguins are my second favorite animals." Baekhyun smiled. "Why, thank you." "You're welcome."
Jiyun and Baekhyun, as their bag of coins emptied, left the arcade, feeling tired but happy from all the games they had played. "Thank you." Jiyun whispered softly as they walked along the streets that were dimmly lit by the street lights. "I haven't had such fun in a long time." "Lemon, you're always welcome. I had a lot of fun too." "Will you be surprised if I said that's the first time I've ever hung out with a guy?" Baekhyun blinked, and Jiyun laughed. "Really?" "Yeah." Jiyun smiled a little nostalgically. "This was the closest to a date or hangout with a guy I ever had, so it's a lot more significant to me." As they were about to cross the road, Baekhyun instinctively held Jiyun's hand. His soft, warm hands made Jiyun blush, which Baekhyun took no notice of as he was concentrating on getting himself and Jiyun safely to the other side. When he did get to the other side, however, he finally realized he was holding Jiyun's hand, and let go, blushing. "I-I'm sorry." Jiyun shook her head, blushing as well. "It's okay." They walked in awkward silence, as they avoided each other's eye contact. Then, Baekhyun felt a small, cool hand holding his fingers gently, and he looked to his side to see Jiyun avoiding his eye contact but blushing harder. Baekhyun smiled warmly and he enveloped his palm around hers in reply.
And so they walked silently, their hands encasing each other into a warmth Jiyun and Baekhyun knew they'd never forget.
On Sunday, Jiyun woke up early to get dressed for her service trip to the animal shelter. Jiyun quickly washed her hair and she threw open the closet doors, wondering what to wear. Jiyun didn't have very solid decision skills, so it always took time for her to wear clothes. Jiyun knew that she was going to an animal shelter therefore comfortable clothes were the ideal thing; however, Jiyun knew she'd feel like a rat compared to Seohyun and Hyeri; they would all have their best maekup on, wearing dresses to show off their slim figure. Jiyun pursed her lips in thought. Jiyun prefered not wearing dresses, but she didn't want to feel like a boy. Jiyun racked for her dresses and skirts, and she found a knee-length navy, flowing skirt, to which she wore her ash grey blouse with. After eating breakfast and brushing her teeth, Jiyun changed into these clothes and curled her hair slightly to let her hair look naturally wavy. She put light foundation and applied light red lipstick. She wore her Off-White hoodie over it, and left for the house.
Jiyun walked to the bus stop, earphone in her ears listening to her playlist. Checking that the bus she had to take was coming in a few minutes, she stood, leaning against the boards displaying advertisements waiting for the bus. "Lemon?" Jiyun looked left to see Baekhyun wearing his Off-White hoodie, in dark navy jeans with a grey sweater. "It is you!" Baekhyun smiled. "Hey, Baek." "Hey, we're wearing the same colors!" Jiyun blinked. "We are." "Too good of a coincidence. Are you stalking me, Choi Jiyun?" Jiyun laughed. "In your dreams, Baek." "In my dreams, Jiyun didn't look this beautiful." JIyun blushed and hit Baekhyun lightly. "Byun Baekhyun, stop." Baekhyun laughed and held the hand Jiyun had hit him with. "I haven't forgotten about Friday, you know." Jiyun blushed harder. "Yah, you're making me blush." Jiyun mumbled, but Baekhyun didn't let go. Jiyun wasn't going to complain; Jiyun liked it. It made her feel all warm and giddy.
"Our bus is here. Come on." Baekhyun gently led her onto the bus; after paying for the bus fare, they sat on a two-seat, Jiyun taking the window seat while Baekhyun took the alley seat. Jiyun looked out of the window for a second when a hand squeezed hers gently. She looked to see Baekhyun pouting. "Is the scenery much more attractive than me?" Jiyun chuckled and shook her head. "No, Baek." "Then talk with me." "About what?" Baekhyun shrugged. "Anything. Hmm, what music do you like? I saw you listening to music." "I have a diversity in liking music, so I'm pretty much good with anything. What about you?" "Me? I like piano music, ballad, pop, rap. I like Jason Mraz and Maroon 5." "Me too!" Jiyun with those words, started singing.
I don't wanna know
know, know, know
Who's taking you home
home, home, home
I'm loving you so
so, so, so
The way I used to
love you, no
Baekhyun, who immediately realized what she was singing, sang along with Jiyun.
I don't wanna know
know, know, know
Who's taking you home
home, home, home
I'm loving you so
so, so, so
The way I used to
love you, oh
I don't wanna know
Don't Wanna Know - Maroon 5
"Woo!" Jiyun whooped and laughed, to which Baekhyun also laughed. "Choi Jiyun, you need to go to the karaoke with me sometime." "Yes! I haven't sang in such a long time." Baekhyun chuckled. "Full of surprises, huh." "What is?" "You." Jiyun's eyes twinkled . "Am I?" Baekhyun nodded, smiling. "Mhm." "I've always wondered how a person sees me. Could you tell me?"
Baekhyun pursed his lips in thought. "Let's see. You're friendly, very open. Competitive, respectful. Mentally strong. Interested in a lot of things. Cute, beautiful." Jiyun pouted. "There's no weakness!" "Uhm, too smart?" Jiyun laughed. "Really, Baek." "I'm serious!" "Am I a little distant? Hard to know?" "No, you're good." Jiyun huffed. "You're not helping." "I said the truth." Baekhyun held up his hands in defense. Jiyun stared at him through slit eyes, and Baekhyun smiled innocently. "Fine." Jiyun looked away back outside, then back to Baekhyun. "How's band practice?" Baekhyun swiped his hair with his fingers, then smiled. "It's alright. How's yours?" "Good. We're pretty much done, I think." "Do I get any spoilers for the song choice?" Jiyun smiled cheekily. "Nope." Baekhyun sighed dramatically. "Is our friendship that distant?" Jiyun laughed. "No, Baek, it's just I want to surprise everyone." Baekhyun grinned. "It better be good." "Challenge accepted."
"The next stop is the Animal Service Centre." "Hey, it's our stop." Baekhyun pressed the red button, making a beep signifying that they were going to get off. Soon, the bus stopped and opened the doors, and Baekhyun and Jiyun got off. "Nice day today." Baekhyun commented as the sun shined warmly at the two. Jiyun couldn't help think that his crimson hair looked beautiful under the sun. "It is." "Your hair really looks amazing under the sunlight." "I was thinking the same." The two chuckled. "Let's go, it's almost time, and Hyeri would scold us for being late." "Alright." The two walked making light conversation to the Service Centre. They soon spotted Hyeri waiting for them in front of the centre with Kyungsoo, Minseok and Taehyun. "You're on time!" Hyeri smiled. "Where's Seohyun?" Jiyun blinked. "Would you like me to call her?" "Yes please." Jiyun took out her phone and called Seohyun, in which she recieved. "Giraffe." "You're late." "Holy my lord I just woke up make a lame excuse for Hyeri so that she won't be mad at me. Have fun with ssum guy, I'll be there in an hour." Seohyun ended the call, and Jiyun turned to Hyeri. "Seohyun had a involuntary meeting to go, she quotes that her mother would've killed her if she didn't go." Minseok and Baekhyun chuckled, and Hyeri hmfed. "When will she be here?" "An hour the most." "Let's start first." The group walked in, Baekhyun and Jiyun following last. "Did she really have a meeting?" "No, she just woke up." Baekhyun laughed.
His laughter ceased as they entered the centre, and the caretaker came towards them. "Hello, thank you for coming." He bowed, and the rest bowed back. "We are happy to help. What can we do?" "You will have to clear the facilities and give food for the dogs. You'll have to wear masks and jumpsuits, it's a little dirty in there." The group nodded with determination etched on their faces. "Remember, your health is also a priority. If you feel unwell or you're hurt, please contact me. I'll be here." The group took all their working clothes and wore it over their clothes and put on their masks. Thy took their cleaning tools and walked into the centre itself.
Being in the countryside, the service centre wasn't very well made; it was just metal bars that separated the dogs from each other on a vast area of dusty ground. Their faeces could be seen scattered around the ground. "Well, let's start." Hyeri's voice was stern, and the others started cleaning up the ground. They took sections; they all did one fifth of the area. Jiyun was concentrating on cleaning up the dog's rooms trying not to disturb their sleep when Hyeri screamed loudly. Jiyun ran to Hyeri, who was sobbing and pointing shakingly to a huge husky that was growling viciously. "H-he almost bit me!" The other boys also crowded around. "I'll try." Minseok went in, but with no success the husky snapped his huge jaws at him and he came out of the bars as soon as he went in. "Nope. I think we'll have to leave that room alone." The others murmured in agreement.
"I'll try." Jiyun spoke up, and Baekhyun frowned. "Lemon, it's dangerous." Jiyun smiled. "Trust me." Jiyun went in the room, crouching down to be at the level of the dog. The husky growled at her, his eys glinting maliciously, but Jiyun did not move away and instead made a soft 'sshh' sound. "Hey, it's okay." She put away her mask and her gloves and gently moved her right hand to pet the dog when he bit her hand and Jiyun winced. "Jiyun!" Baekhyun shouted in alarm, but Jiyun shook her head towards him. Ignoring the pain and the blood, Jiyun put her hand on the floor and now, the husky didn't growl but sniffed her hand. "Good boy." She moved her hands slowly to pet him, and the husky didn't growl back. "See, you're a big fluffy husky. That's all." Jiyun smiled and the husky wagged its tail. The others watched with awe. "Let me just clean your room, alright?" The husky barked as if to answer, and Jiyun chuckled. "Good boy." She stood up slowly and started cleaning up the room with the husky following her. Jiyun waved goodbye to the dog when she was done and closed the bar door.
"Lemon, you're bleeding." Baekhyun rushed towards her as he uncapped a water bottle to rinse the bite wound, and Jiyun winced but smiled. "At least I cleaned the room, right?" Baekhyun sighed but tussled her hair. "I'm proud." Baekhyun offered a smile and Jiyun smiled cutely. "Heh." Baekhyun wrapped a bandage around her palm and fastened it. When the others had diasppeared to their area of cleaning, Baekhyun gently kissed the bandage around her wound, making Jiyun blush heavily. "Y-Yah!" "It's a get well kiss, that's all." Baekhyun smiled innocently. "Let me help clean your area, I'm done with mine." "Already?" "Mhm." Baekhyun winked smiling. "I'm fast." Jiyun smiled. "It would help, seen that my hand is injured."
"What's going on?" Seohyun entered the shelter and walked towards Jiyun and Baekhyun. "Did I disturb you two?" Jiyun shook her head. "No. You're finally here." Seohyun shrugged. "Well, I tried to take less time." "You took 56 minutes." Seohyun smiled wryly. "Okay, top grader Jiyun." Seohyun turned to Baekhyun, who blinked. "Doesn't Jiyun irritate you with her smartness?" Baekhyun tapped his chin and smiled cheekily at Jiyun. "A little." "Yah!" Jiyun puffed out her cheeks, and Seohyun and Baekhyun both laughed. "You're late." Hyeri walked towards Seohyun and knocked her on the head, in which Seohyun pouted and winced in pain. "Meanie." "You're to clean up for Jiyun's section, because she can't clean up anymore. Jiyun, Baekhyun, start feeding the dogs." "Don't make Seohyun do the man labour." Baekhyun remarked and smiled. "I'm fast, so I'll just do it. Jiyun and Seohyun can feed the dogs." Hyeri shrugged. "Both works." "Thanks, Baekhyun. More like, I should be thanking Jiyun for being such good friends with Baekhyun." Baekhyun laughed. "You're just like Kyungsoo." "Did someone say my name?" Kyungsoo appeared with his big round eyes and heart-shaped lips, seemingly done with his work. "Seohyun is like you." Kyungsoo blinked, looking at Seohyun, then looked at me. "Does she hit you too?" "Yeah." Kyungsoo's heart lips spread into a wide smile. "Hello, my friend. I'm Kyungsoo." "Seohyun." They shook hands smiling, as if an unknown telepathical message was sent between the two. "Chop chop, Kyungsoo, go help Baekhyun clean Jiyun's area. Jiyun and Seohyun, let's go and set up the food." "Yes ma'am." Seohyun said sarcastically which earned her another bonk on the head from Hyeri's knuckle.
As the girls distributed the food into bowls, Seohyun decided to strike a conversation. "Hyeri sunbae, do you like anyone?" Hyeri pursed her cherry lips and shrugged. "Not really. I used to be interested in Baekhyun-" - the word 'Baekhyun' pierced into Jiyun's heart - "but not anymore." Jiyun's heart flooded with relief. "You, Seohyun?" "I'm not particularly into any one either. I've recently broken up with a guy, so I'm single ready to mingle." Seohyun's sly smile appeared as she turned to face Jiyun. "And our Jiyun over here is having a ssum with a very nice guy-" "Shut up Seohyun." Jiyun's face turned red against her will. "Whoever it may be, I hope it's a good guy that won't trash you." Hyeri tutted. "Some guys are trash as boyfriends." Jiyun blinked. "What's it like to have a boyfriend?" Seohyun sighed. "It's like having a male friend with some skinship, that's all, Jiyun." "Is that really it? I thought there were fireworks, butterflies they all talk about." "Yes, that's it. Plus, relationship's are always meant to end. It's never good." Hyeri sided in. Jiyun felt downhearted. "I'm sure there's been good ones." Seohyun shook her head affirmatively.
"Jiyun, I can assure you, relationships will break your heart.
And you'll never get over it."
Author's Note:
Oh my lord I'm finally finished.
I'm really sorry for the delay, I've been moving countries and it's been such a rush to do things.
What I planned to be a oneshot...ahahahah I don't think that's going to work. This story will have, I think, at least 4 chapters.
Thank you for reading, and please subscribe for future chapters! :)
- Rin
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