This chapter is mostly oc's backstory, you can skip to the next chapter if you want that good chanxoc ;)

Eunji sat across the table from Jihoon, looking down at her hands. The soft hum of other conversations in the coffeeshop filled the silence between the two, who sat in a little corner out of the way.

“Happy Birthday,” Jihoon started. Eunji looked up to see him smiling sheepishly. She laughed a little hesitantly.

“It’s not even my birthday yet,” Eunji tried to smile and fidgeted with the frayed hem of her sweater sleeve.

Jihoon leaned a little closer, hands clasped on the table.

“Yeah, but I wanted to give you this before break started.” He unfolded his hands to reveal a little package. The small rectangle was carefully and neatly wrapped, complete with a festive red bow stuck on the top left corner. “It’s for you,” Jihoon said quietly. He leaned back in his chair a little too quickly to pass as relaxed and looked at her expectantly, hopefully.

Oh no.

Her heart felt like it was compressing into itself, the weight of his heavy expectations and her dread of what was to follow slowly pushed down on her chest until it started to hurt. The reason Eunji had asked Jihoon, her boyfriend of three months, to meet her today was to end their short relationship. And here he was, effectively shattering all the resolve she had tried so hard to work up in one single move. Of all the different scenarios of the breakup that Eunji had pictured in her head, one where Jihoon would get her a nice little gift all wrapped up in red and gold was not one of them.

The two went to school together. Although they seemed like an ideal match as two of the top students at their school, any time they spent together alone were too painfully awkward to make dating a real possibility.

So, Eunji thought it best they terminate the relationship.

Jihoon apparently thought otherwise.

“Jihoon-” Eunji tried to start the speech that she had practiced in the car.

“Yeah?” Jihoon looked at her, puzzled. Eunji felt constipated.

“Uh,” Eunji faltered. “Jihoon. This can’t work.”

Jihoon looked confused. “Uh, but you haven’t even opened the present…” He rubbed his jaw. “I think you might like it.” He chuckled nervously.

“No, no! Thank you so much for the present but… I meant us.” Eunji inwardly cringed at how cliched and disingenuous those words sounded stumbling roughly off her lips.

He was quiet.

“Oh.”

“I’m so sorry.” Eunji felt like running out of the coffeeshop. She grabbed onto the seat of her chair, as if she expected her body to bolt out of there without her permission.

“Uh. Can I ask why?” Jihoon met her eyes plaintively, anxiously palming the hot chocolate in front of him.

“It’s just… we’re so different and I feel like you deserve better.” Eunji blurted out. Their breakup was turning out to be just as awkward and empty as their short-lived relationship. Or maybe all breakups were like that, Eunji wouldn’t know as this was her first.

“What? No, I… ” Jihoon looked confused. “I thought we were doing great.”

Eunji sighed and looked down at her latte.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Jihoon.

“Thank you so much for the present but…” She gently pushed the package towards Jihoon. “I’m sorry.”

He was quiet.

“I’m gonna go, okay?” Eunji awkwardly struggled her way out of the corner that her chair was stuffed in, almost knocking over her latte in the process. As soon as she escaped from the stubborn chair, she rushed out of the coffee shop as fast as she could without breaking into a sprint.

Eunji slammed her car door and slumped against the cool leather of her seat.

“Thank God that’s over.” She covered her face in her hands and breathed out slowly.

In. Out.

In. Out.

Truthfully, she had only stayed for Jihoon for three long agonizing months because she felt like she kinda had to. Her justifications for dating him sounded empty even in her head, but it was hard to find a solid reason to break up with him. There was really no reason to start this pointless relationship, but once she was locked in, she couldn’t find a reason to end it either. So, after weeks of back and forth, she decided that she was wasting her time.

She couldn’t help but feel cheated out of the perfect first relationship she’d always envisioned. It was supposed to be all fluttering hearts and cheesy one-liners, shy looks and whispered promises. A first boyfriend was supposed to mean something, wasn’t it?

Eunji always got caught up in the supposed-to-be’s.

If she really had to pinpoint the reason she even considered dating Jihoon, she would say it was because a lot of their friends had been expecting them to for a while. Eunji was very easily influenced by expectations. In the deep subconscious of Eunji’s mind, there existed very clear supposed-to-be rules that delineated every social interaction and relationship. They were always there, nagging at her in every whenever she talked to a teacher, whenever she received a compliment, whenever she met someone new.

You’re supposed to do this.

You’re supposed to be this.

Sometimes she couldn’t distinguish her own thoughts from the voices of those pesky supposed-to-be’s.

And that’s why she wasn’t so sure about the intensive music camp she had signed up for a couple months ago. Her voice teacher, choir director and recording supervisor had all enthusiastically recommended her to the prestigious Intermony Center of Performing Arts for the Modern Voice track, so she had felt like she should do it. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience to work with the top talents from around the nation, and it could turn out to be pretty fun. Although the whopping $5,000 tuition package worried her, her school, the Nova Performing Arts High School, had generously offered to cover her full scholarship for camp. So now she really felt like she had to go.

Now, this “music camp” was nothing like those those cheesy “Camp Rock” types you see on T.V., where cute guys and cute girls be-bop all over the forest having a grand old time. This was real . There was a highly competitive application and audition process that each camper had to pass. And once you were in, you had to receive passing performance grades, or you were sent home with no refund on your payment.

When Eunji read that tidbit on the camp’s website, she gulped. Money was no joking matter to Eunji, as her family never had enough of it. As the daughter of blue-collar parents, Eunji was used to working summer jobs and buying most stuff herself. But she still considered herself spoiled in everything but money. Her parents raised her and her younger brother with constant love and affection, and she knew that she had lucked out with parents who supported her dream of becoming a musician. However, she knew not to ask for or expect any luxuries when it came to clothes, electronics, etc.

This camp was one huge luxury. From the beautiful castle-like buildings on campus to the majestic pine forests that enclosed the pristine grounds, everything about this camp looked foreign to Eunji. She had seen all the pictures on the website, and she couldn’t help but feel that she wouldn’t belong. But since the school was paying her tuition, Eunji felt she had no choice but to go with a grateful heart.

And so, two weeks later, with the guilt of the breakup still in the back of her mind, she got on the coach bus that would take her the 200 miles to Intermony.

***

Everyone, let's thank Jihoon aka P.O from Block B for that short feature! *applause*

He will not be appearing again in future chapters. Sorry for using you like that bae ;(