Summary:

Today is an important day for Jaehwan. However, Jinri didn't expect that it would be a memorable one for her as well. memorable in what way though?

Notes:

hello, sorry for being gone for a reaaaaally long time. when i said i was already halfway with the chapter, i was actually halfway the chapter. however, while reading it, i felt like it would be too bland and too draggy so i scrapped the whole chapter and started a new one. but then, inspiration and motivation are out of the window so i really had a hard time finishing this chapter. and also, i really have no plans for the next chapters yet, so it might take some time but if my mind decides to be creative and actually start functioning quickly for once, i might update soon.
i ran through this once, not sure if flawless but i am apologizing in advance for the errors. too lazy to edit.
to those who are still reading until this chapter, thank you for waiting. we're almost there, seongwu and jinri are finally at the level where they actually talk and interact with each other.
also, if you could suggest fun questions that i can use for one chapter with a 'never have i ever' kind of game, i would really appreciate it. lovelots.
wanna one will be coming back soon, imma go punch the person who punched niel. hoho jk

**

“So what you’re saying to me right now is that finally, you didn’t only have the guts to say hi, but you were actually able to confess your feelings for him?” Jaehwan said through the phone, amusement evident in his tone. Jinri knew that if the guy was standing right in front of her at the moment, he would be trying his best to stop his self from laughing.

Jinri let out a sigh, and it was enough to turn Jaehwan into a laughing mess. The boy was already close to laughing already a few minutes ago, only waiting for the right timing just so he could more and get a good reaction out of it. She was already prepared for the round of teasing from the boy. She knew it was coming. 

Minhyun walked towards her, holding a big maroon cup of drinks they agreed to share on one hand, a big bucket of cheese popcorn on the other. “Is Jaehwan okay?”

Jinri nodded, still listening to Jaehwan’s hysterical laugh from the other line.

As if her coughing was the signal, Minhyun and Jaehwan came back only a few minutes after Daniel came back that day. Before they got a grasp of what happened when they weren’t around, Jinri told them that she had to leave as soon as possible, saying that Jisung was already looking for her. The guys believed her, totally clueless of what happened when they were gone. Seeing Jaehwan’s reaction at the moment just proves that Seongwu didn’t tell them anything about that awkward moment. She was a little thankful that Seongwu didn’t tell them, because she preferred to have herself tell the story to her friends and get laughed at, rather than having them hear it from others.

Minhyun was the first one she called that night. All that Minhyun did was laugh at her, to the point that she can even hear Minhyun’s laugh even after she hung up. The boy wasn’t able to respond properly since he found the situation amusing. Just like her, he never even thought that his good friend would be able to do do something lke that. Before the call ended, he told Jinri that she did a good job and that everything would be okay.

It was obvious that Jaehwan tried his very best to calm down, and when he was finally able to talk, he cleared his throat. “Good job, my friend! I am so proud of you!”

Jinri just let him with whatever he was doing because nothing’s going to change the fact that she already confessed to Seongwu, even if she didn’t plan on doing so anytime soon. Being extremely busy right after Valentine’s Day was a huge help in order for her to avoid Seongwu after making a mess out of herself.

“You really are something, huh? I didn’t expect you to do that so quickly. And that was a really weird yet good way of confessing, do you know that? There’s no way he’s ever going to forget your confession.” Jinri knew that Jaehwan was still laughing, and she just chose to ignore it. Today was an important day for him after all, and kicking him on the sheen would be of no help.

Today was their university’s soccer team’s first match of the year (also the championship game), and the university was bursting with school spirit, almost everything decorated in maroon and white. Classes were cancelled so everyone was given the chance to support their school’s soccer team, almost all students wearing maroon and white shirts to express their support. It was a little chaotic, but it was the kind of chaos which screamed university spirit and made everyone feel a little less dead despite their numerous schoolworks.

Since Jaehwan was one of the team’s ace players, he was nowhere to be seen in the past week. Their team was training really hard since this match would determine the champion of the University Soccer League, and there would be scouting teams around to check on potential players to be added to their professional teams. Jaehwan was really nervous, and decided to call Jinri and Minhyun so he could talk to them and calm down a little. Jinri knew that talking about how she made a mess of herself would be the perfect way to divert Jaehwan’s attention from the nervousness he was feeling.

Chungha was also a little busy in the past week— being the next-in-line head cheerleader was making her busier than she already was. Jinri and Minhyun rarely saw the two during game season since it’s the time when they need to step up their games.

“I know.” Jinri let out a sigh for the nth time that day, her mood totally in contrast with the rest of the people in the parking lot, showing their school spirit through various activities. “I .”

“No, you finally stopped . You finally had the guts to do something, that’s good!” Jaehwan let out a soft chuckle before clearing his throat. “Ah, . I am so nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous, Jae. I know you’ll do well. We know you will,” Jinri tried her very best to sound assuring. She wasn’t the best person to go to when you need someone to comfort you, but at least she tries her best. “You’re not Kim Jaehwan for nothing, you idiot.”

Jaehwan let out a soft chuckle. “Thanks. Talking to you and Minhyun hyung was really helpful.”

“Anytime, Jae.”

“Anyways, I need to go. We’re going to have a team meeting for a while.” With that, he hung up. Jinri gave Minhyun his phone back and took a handful of popcorn from the bucket.

“How’s he doing?” Minhyun asked curiously before taking a sip from their drink.

“He’s nervous, but I hope that he would really do well.” She popped a few pieces of popcorn in , chewing slowly as she looked around the place. “It’s a miracle that you’re not the one in charge of covering this event.”

Minhyun shrugged with a playful smile. “I wanted to watch the game this year, and also, the younger ones need to train. I’m too tired, let them do all the work for this event. And bes—”

“WOOOOH GO MYUNGSANG UNIVERSITY WOOOH!”

Even if she was in a really vast concert hall, or in the middle of a really noisy parking lot just like today, Jinri would know who the owner of that voice is. It was Seongwu. It came from somewhere near, and she knew that the possibility of them meeting each other after that confession was high.

If you thought that confessing to Seongwu can make Jinri much more confident in engaging to normal human interaction with Seongwu, then you’re wrong. Jinri was back to square one— trying to avoid the boy at all costs. Yes, Jinri was busy in the past week: busy with schoolworks and busy avoiding Seongwu. It was a good thing that their Media Studies professor was out of town that week and only left a writing assignment, so she didn’t have to meet Seongwu. Can she embarrass herself more in front of Seongwu? She was sure she doesn’t want to.

“.” She cursed to herself as she ran her fingers through her hair. “Minhyun, let’s go.”

“Where to?” Minhyun looked at her with a curious expression, blinking his eyes slowly as he took a sip from the drink.

“Somewhere far, somewhere away from here!” Jinri held Minhyun’s wrist and was ready to leave. She was very determined to avoid Seongwu at all costs.

But then, she was never successful at times like this. The more she avoided Seongwu, the more she saw him around. This day was not an exception to her unbelievable luck.

“Well hello there, fellow schoolmates!” As soon as Jinri turned around, she was faced with Seongwu’s chest. She looked up to see Seongwu, smiling widely at her and Minhyun, holding a small bottle of face paint on one hand. He was wearing their school’s official long-sleeved shirt, a white cape and a white bandana on his head. He also had two strips of maroon and white paint on each cheek, just like most of the people around the parking lot area. By the looks of it, he was one of the people responsible for it. His right hand was covered in paint.

“School spirit, wooh!” Seongwu raised his hand in the air, smiling. “Disclaimer, I am not drunk. Most people think I am but I am not, trust me. I’m not really drunk.” He let out a soft chuckle, wiggling his brows. “Anyways, you guys look like you are getting ready to leave. Where are you going?”

Jinri blinked as she swallowed the lump that was formed in . What is the most decent answer besides ‘trying to avoid you’, she thought to herself as she stared at Seongwu. Her mind and tongue wasn’t cooperating at the moment.

“We were going to get some drinks. I drank almost half of her drink.” Minhyun answered with a smile, slightly shaking the large cup he was holding. He then looked at Jinri and gave her a smile, the girl looking at her with a thankful smile.

“Oh,” Seongwu nodded slowly, looking at Minhyun then at Jinri. “Well, before you guys go, and since I’m already here, do you guys want some paint? They’re face paints, so you can remove them easily after the game.”

Before Jinri could say no, Minhyun cut her off. “Yeap, she goes first.”

There’s a reason why Jaehwan and Minhyun clicks, and teasing her is one of them.

“Okay, Jinri first.” Seongwu said with a smile as he turned to look at Jinri. She was trying her best to keep her calmest expression at the moment. Seongwu raised his right hand, showing Jinri his paint covered fingers. “I’m going to use my hands, would that be okay?”

Jinri nodded slowly. “Well, I guess I’m not much of a germ conscious person so it’s okay.” She wanted to hit herself on the head so bad for coming up with the lamest answer.

“Don’t worry. I make sure I sing the happy birthday song whenever I wash my hands to get rid of almost ninety percent of germs and bacteria.” Seongwu let out a soft chuckle, dipping his forefinger on the paint. “Just make sure to wash your face thoroughly tonight to remove all the paint on your face or else your skin will rot. Ready?” The boy looked at her with an expression which seemed like he was asking for permission, to which she responded with a slight nod.

As soon as Seongwu’s finger touched her cheek, Jinri felt herself blush. Her pale skin was slowly turning into a light shade of red. Seongwu’s finger was warm, despite the cold sensation the paint brought. He was slowly creating the two on her cheek, looking at her attentively. Jinri was sure that she felt like she was going to combust anytime soon— if that word was even applicable to humans.

“I ran out of white paint. Wait for a minute.” Seongwu looked around, then gestured for someone to come closer. It turns out Dongho was the person he was talking to. “Dongho, do you still have some white paint?”

Dongho jogged slowly towards them, greeting Minhyun with a wide smile and a nod before looking at Seongwu. He wasn’t a member of Seongwu’s org, but he’s always around to help since he knew most of the members. “Oh, hello.” He looked at Jinri with a playful smile before he handed Seongwu the small bottle of white face paint.

“And now the left cheek.” Seongwu said with a smile, dipping his finger on the paint before drawing two straight lines on Jinri’s left cheek. His gaze shifted from her cheek to her eyes, Seongwu looking at her with a soft smile. “Oh, your cheeks are turning red.” He then dabbed a little of the paint on the tip of Jinri’s nose before he proceeded to paint on Minhyun’s face, chuckling softly to his self.

There’s a reason why Seongwu and Jaehwan click, and she’s sure that teasing her is one of them.

Minhyun swore it wasn’t on purpose. Finding two empty seats right beside Seongwu and his group of friends wasn’t really planned. Minhyun swore it was pure coincidence.

Jinri wanted to believe Minhyun. If it was Jaehwan, then it was probably planned. But knowing Minhyun, he isn’t able to do this kind of thing.

She sat down on the seat beside Seongwu, since Minhyun took the seat next to it, saying it has a better view. It was an excuse, and it was obvious because Minhyun was smiling to his self as he settled on his seat.

Beside Seongwu was Daniel, Dongho, Jonghyun and Minki, their faces filled with face paint just like Seongwu. He probably forced the paint on Minki’s face since the were messy, and Daniel was now the one wearing the cape Seongwu had before.

The previous events weren’t on purpose, but Jinri swore she almost kicked Dongho on the face for making her go with Seongwu to the food stalls to buy some snacks. She wasn’t even eating from their bucket of cheese fries but she ended up being the one tasked to buy another bucket as well as bottles of water along with Seongwu. They all needed to rehydrate theirselves during the match since there will be a lot of screaming and jumping whenever their team would score.

Seongwu was the one talking to the person behind the counter while Jinri looked around the place nervously. She kept on sipping the now melted ice from her drink, the blue lemonade already ran out a few minutes ago. Her attention was all on her drink in order to avoid Seongwu or any kind of conversation, and she was able to finish almost half of it in less than two minutes. Whenever Seongwu asked her questions, she answered him with either a nod or a quick shake of her head. However, now that she’s out of lemonade, she has no excuse to stay quiet anymore.

“Do you want some fries?” Jinri was surprised to see Seongwu leaning a little closer to her ear. It was a little loud in the place, making it hard for everyone to talk without screaming at each other’s faces. “The guys wanted cheese fries, but then I want sour cream and onion. Do you like that flavor as well?”

Did she like that flavor? Yes, she does. A lot, actually. It was her favorite. Whenever they bought fries, Jinri was the one in charge of that specific flavor. Jaehwan got the cheese fries covered, and Minhyun on the plain salted ones. “Sour cream and onion? Yep, I like that flavor.”

Upon hearing her answer, Seongwu’s face brightened up. The boy held onto Jinri’s shirt’s sleeve, tugging on it gently out of excitement. “Really? Really? Can we share, please? Cheese fries are too salty, and besides, the guys fight over it.”

Jinri nodded with a slight smile, feeling a little more comfortable after seeing Seongwu’s expression. She was really worried that after what happened, Seongwu would feel awkward around her and stop talking to her the way he used to before. It was a relief, since she knew she did not cause any more discomfort to the boy beside her.

She took out her wallet from her pocket, deciding that she’ll be the one in charge of the fries like she used to do with Jaehwan and Minhyun. “Sure, I’ll buy it and we can share.”

Seongwu quickly shook his head. “No can do, Jinri. My mom told me never to let a girl pay. That’s basic manners.”

Jinri looked at Seongwu with an eyebrow raised. “And I believe that men and women are equal. So if you, a boy, can buy me a drink or a meal, then I, a girl, can buy you a meal as well.” She then smiled and gave him a nod before ordering the bucket of the said fries.

Seongwu wasn’t able to protest anymore since Jinri quickly paid for their order. He just looked at her with an amused smile, shaking his head slowly as he took his hand out of his pocket. “Every time you open your mouth, you always amaze me. You say the most unexpected things.”

Jinri cleared , then faked a cough as she covered half of her face with her hand. She knew she was blushing, and she knew that just like before, Seongwu would about it. “A-anyways, thanks for saving a seat for Minhyun and I. We thought we were going to end up sitting on the stairs this time.”

After that paint incident in the parking lot, Jinri and Minhyun headed to the office of the Journalism club since Minhyun had to brief the sophomores who were in charge of covering the event. So far, the ones he assigned for the event were doing great, and there were a lot of pictures that they could use for the article.

Seongwu nodded slowly. “No worries. The place was almost filled with people. Daniel suggested we save a seat for you two when I mentioned I saw you two at the parking lot earlier.”

That answers her question. Daniel was the one behind all these, and he probably meant no harm just like the instances before. He was just extra nice like the person he really is.

The person behind the counter then handed Seongwu the big bucket of cheese fries he ordered, as well as the bag filled with water bottles for the guys. A few minutes later, the sour cream and onion fries Jinri ordered for them came as well.

Jinri’s phone vibrated in her pocket, and when she checked, Minhyun sent her a text telling her to buy a big cup of lemonade for the two of them. He was certain that Jinri already finished up their drink and he wasn’t even able to drink a lot from it.

“I’ll just buy another cup of lemonade, Minhyun wanted some.” Jinri said, holding onto their bucket of fries.

Seongwu glanced at Jinri as he held onto the bucket of fries and the bag of water bottles carefully. “I’ll come with you. We’re done here anyways.”

Jinri blinked before shaking her head slightly. “I can ge—”

“I’m coming with you.” Seongwu said with a grin as he nudged Jinri slightly, urging her to move.

And with that, Jinri had no choice but to let Seongwu tag along. They walked in silence, Seongwu eyeing the fries since both of his hands were occupied. Jinri was silently eating some of the fries as she tried her best to walk quickly towards the lemonade stall.

“So here’s the thing.” Seongwu said, looking at Jinri seriously then at the bucket of fries. Jinri looked at him while handing the payment to the person behind the counter. “I really want some fries at the moment.”

Jinri stopped the urge to let out a soft chuckle as she watched how serious Seongwu looked as he said that. “Give me the bucket of fries.”

Seongwu’s lips slowly turned into a smile as he handed Jinri the bucket. He was like a five-year-old kid given a lollipop as he started munching on the sour cream fries he liked a lot.

It was one thing that Jinri should add to her list of things which make up the human version of Seongwu: he liked sour cream and onion fries, and he looks a lot better when he eats. His expression brightens up more than usual and he looked like a little hamster when he chews.

“Uhm.” Jinri was itching to tell Seongwu that he got some of the powder on his lower lip. It was distracting her.

Seongwu looked at Jinri while he nibbled on a french fry. “Mm?”

“Uhm.” Jinri tried her best to not look at Seongwu’s lips. “You have something on your..”

“Mm?” Seongwu blinked twice.

“You have some sour cream powder on your lips.” Jinri looked away, clearing as she tapped her left foot on the ground.

“Oh.” Seongwu blinked once again before he let out a soft chuckle, wiping his lips gently with the back of his hand. “Hey, I’m glad you’re not awkward around me anymore.”

Upon hearing that, Jinri became speechless. She opened , but then no words came out of it. Once again, her brain has betrayed her again.

“Well, you’re still awkward but at least you’re not that awkward anymore.” One thing that Jinri noticed this whole time was how Seongwu looked at someone whenever he talks, or whenever he listens. He tries his very best to look at someone during a conversation, straight in the eyes. It was a so much more different than the way Seongwu looked at her the first time they talked.

Jinri’s eyes shift from left to right, trying to avoid Seongwu’s gaze as he talked. She felt uncomfortable and more self conscious than she already was at the moment.

“If you think I didn’t notice, well then you’re wrong. You’re actually not the subtlest person whenever you try to avoid me. I know that you’ve been avoiding me ever since, you know.” Seongwu gave her a knowing look. She knew what he was referring to. At least they were on the same page.

Jinri pressed her lips together, not knowing exactly what to say at the moment. She was guilty of what Seongwu just said.  

“I’m relieved that you’re actually talking to me right now. I am hoping that this would go on, because you know. My group of friends and your group of friends kind of get along really well these days, and seeing each other more often is possible. Daniel really likes hanging out with you three, you seem to amuse Dongho a lot, Jaehwan is a really good friend, and Minhyun and Jonghyun seems friendlier with each other recently. So bottomline is,” Seongwu pressed his lips into a thin line and blinked thrice. He looked like he was looking for the right words to say.

What is he going to say? Jinri’s mind was a mess at the moment. She wanted to give Seongwu an award for the most dramatic and the most climactic pause ever. If this was a movie, Jinri would be commenting at how good the director used the silence.

However, this kind of silence scared her. There are a lot of possible things that Seongwu can say, and based on the kind of Seongwu she knows at the moment, she can say the most random comment ever.

What are you really going to say next, Seongwu?

“I want us to be really good friends. I really hope we can get along with each other.” Seongwu looked at her with a smile, a really sincere smile.

Huh. So this is how it feels like to be in the friendzone. Jinri never expected that she’d be on this situation. Well, she didn’t even imagine she’s going to talk to the boy, yet here she is, being asked by the Ong Seongwu to be his friend. Right after she confessed to him. Unintentionally. Huh.

“I mean, we share a class together, we are even partners for schoolworks and all. You and Jaehwan are like a one plus one package, and I have to admit that I kind of enjoy talking to you because your comebacks are unexpected and amusing.” Seongwu nodded slowly, looking at the bucket of fries the whole time he was talking. He then turned to look at her and gave her a small smile. “I mean, if my hands were free right now I would really offer my hand for a handshake, but since I can’t,” he gave Jinri a gentle nudge on the side, wrinkling his nose as he smiled.

The whole time Seongwu was talking, Jinri was just staring at him with a blank expression. Her mind was a mess, and she wasn’t sure of how to feel at the moment. Was she supposed to feel bad that Seongwu just friendzoned her or was her heart supposed to flutter at how he wrinkled his nose as he gave her a little nudge? She wasn’t really sure.

All that she was able to say to him was a soft sure while nodding slowly, trying her very best to return the same smile he gave her. Seongwu was being sincere, she can’t ignore that just because she wasn’t sure of what to feel about it.

There’s a reason why Ong Seongwu wants to be friends with her. That, she was sure of. Deep down, she knew that something was up. She just doesn’t know what it is at the moment.

**

If you were Jinri, how would you feel? Let me know. <3
Thank you to those who voted for this story, I really appreciate it!