Jooheon

Stop Hiding

Jooheon was trouble.

Hana wished she had learnt that earlier. Maybe then she wouldn't be dealing with her heart constantly being in a state of heartache and her mind that kept betraying her by thinking of one man. It had been no secret. Jooheon was typical; he liked to drink and smoke, he was hauntingly attractive, he didn't care what people were to say or think about him and with the trouble he went around causing, many wondered why he was even at college. Not to mention that he liked to get into fights, and the thought of throwing his fists around brought a smile to his face.

Jooheon was typical. He dressed in all black, constantly working a pair of black jeans and a V-neck shirt underneath a jacket. Sometimes it was black denim; sometimes, it was leather; when it was colder out, he wore a leather jacket with fur on the inside and a black beanie. Hana was sure he had black eyeliner to line his eyes to look all the more intimidating.

Hana had known all of these things about Jooheon. They were no secret; her friends shared their worries about these things with her. But Hana hadn't been worried. Everything had started innocently anyway. Jooheon may have been all the things that he was, but he still came to class and sometimes, if you snuck a glance, you could see him paying serious attention. That was how innocently everything had started, they were studying the same under study, and when their lecture hall had been put to use for a meeting, their teacher moved them to the library. Hana hadn't minded it; her friend in the same class was away that day for appointments she couldn't help, so Hana was delightfully left in her own company with her books spread over the table.

Until Jooheon arrived, Hana was stunned at how he had been so polite in asking to sit with her. She didn't decline his request but looked around as Jooheon sat next to her that day. Jooheon was one to sit by himself, but that wasn't possible, with Hana taking the last free desk to herself. And judging how she looked around the room, everyone else was too intimidated to have Jooheon sit with them.

That day, things had started so innocently, just two people taking their class in a library. And when Jooheon finally spoke, Hana began to realise there was more to Jooheon than she already knew through all the whispers and talk of him. Hana didn't cower or reject him; Jooheon liked that. Hana also didn't throw herself at him or pull her shirt down for a better view when he was around, and he liked that too. 

Hana realised that Jooheon was kind. Jooheon was a sweetheart in disguise. She had only intended to be friends with Jooheon. And then he had moved her hair behind her ear, smiling as he explained he wanted to see her eyes properly, and Hana's heart skipped a beat. Something changed in Jooheon that day too. He only grew sweeter, and Hana's heart continued to beat for a new reason.

What Hana didn't know about Jooheon was that he could sweet-talk any girl that had come his way. The first time, Hana had no choice but to be in hearing range for longer than she had liked. By the end, she had calmed down from her pain as laughter came from Jooheon and the other girl more and more. It seemed like it was a joke between friends, so Hana figured she was ok. She could continue to like Jooheon and have her feelings for him without being hurt.

The next few times, though, Hana had seen the same trick Jooheon had used on her, brushing another girl's hair behind her ear with some sweet line. There was another time that some girl was sitting on his lap; in his business, Hana didn't need to see Jooheon to know what had the girl giggling; all she knew was that she couldn't breathe.

Hana didn't realise that Jooheon could be a two-timer along with everything else about his reputation. It wasn't worth bringing up though, maybe this was all an act and if Hana said something, Jooheon would just laugh in her face about how naive she had been. As if Jooheon would ever see anything in her, right, there were so many other girls that he could spend his time with; what a fool she had been for letting her feelings grow like this. What an idiot she had been to fall for Jooheon's tricks.

It wasn't worth saying anything, so Hana kept her distance. Her friends had been right, she should have been more careful. So, Hana tried to go back to the way things had been before when they were just two people taking the same under study. She missed a day or two of class. And by the time she came back, her friend had changed seats, away from where Jooheon had begun to sit next to Hana. From there, Hana wasn't as bright when Jooheon approached her, and she had reasons to be somewhere else, and if she spotted Jooheon looking around for her, she would disappear to avoid him at all costs.

It had worked for a little while. There were things that helped her, like the way people reacted when Jooheon entered a room and the strong cologne that accompanied his presence. If Hana saw Jooheon's friends, she would turn the other way. If Hana saw Jooheon and another girl, she would turn the other way, escaping in hopes she was quick enough not to be seen. Sure, it had its downfalls, like coming to class later or taking the longer path, but it was working, and now all Hana had to do was get over her heartache with a little help from her sympathetic friends.

There was still a hurt and yearning that Hana couldn't let go of.

There was something that Hana did know about Jooheon, and it was that he wasn't dumb. Jooheon was smart and had most definitely caught onto her behaviour. Hana had a feeling that she was being followed, that Jooheon was looking for her and would most definitely confront her when given the chance. That was why Hana should have been staying on her A game instead of daydreaming so often. But Hana couldn't help it, her chest was constantly in pain and her mind was against her, always dreaming of the one person she didn't want to be around anymore.

"You know," A voice, deep in hurt, jolted Hana from her thoughts. A particular cologne hit her nose and Hana knew she was in trouble.

"This is a place where people eat to take a break from studying" Hana shut her book and put her pens away with the intention to run, to just make more of a fool of herself by getting up and escaping. But Jooheon sat down next to her, and she froze with her books in hand.

"Well, it's quiet at this time of day, so it's a good place to study" She answered, not daring to meet Jooheon's eyes as she slid across the seat, avoiding the warmth that radiated from his body. Hana was panicking, adrenaline was starting to flow through, but it didn't take her anywhere as her head turned left and right, openly looking for a doorway to leave.

"So, you're choosing to study instead of coming to our class, which is currently running?" Jooheon questioned, and Hana swore he knew what he was doing as he followed her, sitting shoulder to shoulder with h