Chapter 15 (Part 1)

Strawberries&Cigarettes
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Always hoping that things would change

But we went right back to your games

 

Joy was a good detective.

And with her instincts and her smart brain, she could tell something happened between the bear and the bunny.

"You don't need to be a detective to figure that out!"

Shut up, Wendy.

Anyway, judging by how the bunny and the bear couldn't look at each other in the eye for days she was sure something was wrong.

They acted so awkward around each other and Joy never saw Joohyun this shy since she first met her.

Sometimes she would glance at the younger from time to time and blush.

Sometimes she would frown as if she was inventing a new formula.

And now seeing Joohyun reading her literature book upside down with a dazed expression, she just had to do something.

"Seulgi told me she confessed to Joohyun unnie nine days ago." Yerim, her most trusted spy told the two juniors at break time.

"Finally!" Wendy exclaimed and the other two had to clamp shut to turn her volume down. Leaving the shortest girl helplessly squirming like a worm.

"So then what's the problem? Why are they avoiding each other?" Joy asked. "Was Seulgi that bad?"

"No. The problem is Joohyun unnie didn't give her an answer."

"Nothing? At all?"

"Yeah. She ended the call and ran to Seulgi but she kept saying she didn't know her feelings."

"She ran all the way there just to say that?" Joy surged forward looking like an angry bull.

The frightened squirtle took a step back and held out her both hands.

"Hey! I'm not Joohyun unnie! Don't be mad at me!"

"We have to do something for those idiots!"

"But how?" Wendy, whose mouth was finally freed, protested. "The finals is only 10 days away!"

Joy put her both hands on her hips and shot the girl a look.

"Wendy, which is more important? Your friends or your books? And don't you dare hesitate."

"Fine, fine." Wendy grumbled. "But I'm not going to get carried away. I'm not going to risk Joohyun hating me all over again."

"Then what can we possibly do?"

Joy pondered for a moment then smiled her famous 'genius/crazy idea smile'. 

"I have an idea."

 

"I should definitely warn them to stop using the student council room like this."

Joohyun grumbled as she banged the door.

Joy had suggested to go to the library and Joohyun was too happy to even realize Joy was never the one to go to the school library.

It was too late when she realized and she was dragged by her two childhood friends, thrown in the student council room which was not actually empty.

"Well, I already confessed. So I guess I'm the listener now?"

Seulgi said, stacking some pens to make her own 'pen house'.

Judging by her books and pencil case, and her blazer sprawled on the floor, Joohyun didn't need to guess how Yerim lured her in.

Joohyun finally gave up and instead, banged her head against the door.

"My face is burning."

"Including your hands and head?"

"Why are you so calm about this?" Joohyun turned, finally facing the younger.

"Because I let it all out."

Joohyun sighed and leaned on the locked door. "I wish I could do that."

"It took a lot of guts. And courage. And-"

"Cigarettes?"

"Maybe." Seulgi said, looking a little ashamed. "I actually didn't mean to confess that way. I wanted it to be at least... romantic."

"I did the romantic part, didn't I?"

"Well you definitely did surprise me."

Joohyun frowned. "I still don't understand why I did that."

"Don't look at me I'm not the one who ran all the way there with slippers."

"It's partly your fault! I was shocked, okay?"

Seulgi, despite the dark circles on her eyes, laughed.

"It's nice to talk to you again. I missed it."

"Yeah." Joohyun admitted. "Me too."

"But you still don't know what you're feeling, do you?"

"No idea."

"I want to say take your time but.. It's actually hard for me to wait."

Joohyun stepped toward the girl and carefully sat beside Seulgi who was still focused on her pen house.

"I know." She said softly. "I'm sorry."

"I wish we had a book to figure them all out."

"I guess my feelings for you are not that simple."

"How flattering. But for me, I have only one feeling for you so. I win."

Joohyun felt her face heating up again and almost knocked out the pens by trying to hide her embarrassed face.

"I don't know Seulgi. And I really, truly wish I knew." 

The bear frowned. She didn't want Joohyun to be this frustrated. She was actually expecting her to reject her but she didn't.

So maybe Joohyun has kind of a similar feeling toward her.

Just not as much.

Still she didn't want Joohyun to get distracted from her studies and she didn't want them to never talk to each other again.

An idea popped into her head and even though it was not the best idea, she needed to try.

"Tell you what." Seulgi put down the last pen and met her eyes. She had to restrain herself not to fall in love with her all over again.

"Why don't we pause this.. awkward situation?"

Joohyun rolled her eyes. "This is the real world, Seulgi. Not a movie. You can't just pause this situation."

"But we're both suffering from this, right? And the finals is important for both of us. I don't want you to be so distracted."

"I...." Joohyun's words faltered. It was true. At the day Seulgi confessed, she couldn't sleep a wink and she ended up falling asleep in the middle of her lessons. Which was not the kind of behavior her teacher approved very much.

"We can drink strawberry shake, take a walk at the park, go see the cherry blossom tree. Just like old times. We can do all that. Then maybe you'll know. And when you do know, you can tell me after the finals is over."

"That all sounds like a date to me."

Seulgi shrugged innocently. "It depends."

"And the finals is only 10 days away." Joohyun added.

Seulgi waved the pen at her face. "Make that nine because today you're not going to open those books."

"Oh so you're now demanding me to not study for college?" Joohyun raised an eyebrow but her lips curving upward betrayed her.

"I'm trying to help you stop that aching in your head."

If she was her old self, she would hesitate, and then she would give in.

But now, she grinned and shook her head.

"I can't believe you, Seulgi Kang."

"I take that as a yes. And it's settled!" The bear held up Wendy's gravel and excitedly brought it down, which made her 'pen house' collapse making Joohyun laugh again.

.

It was lunch time and since there was only 10 days left for their finals, there were almost no students in the library. Most of them were busy studying in their own classrooms or self-study rooms. But Joohyun had a long day, she finally reconciled with Seulgi and she was going to spend time with her today.

So she decided to call it a day and celebrate this with another good romance novel.

It was quite a shame that all the good romance books were on the highest shelf, having no mercy for her small height.

"Looks like you're in a better mood today, Joohyun."

She stopped trying to reach for the book on the top shelf and saw Miss Hwang, smiling her dazzling smile.

If not for the silver ring on her ring finger, Joohyun was sure she would have been very popular.

"I reconciled with my friend today so... I feel better."

"You mean Seulgi?" She pointed at the girl who was busy stacking the books. They almost laughed when she knocked off some of the books and groaned in frustration.

"That's the one."

"I don't want to be too forward but.. Are you two perhaps more than a friend?"

"What? No, no. We're close friends. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less."

Miss Hwang tilted her head a little and nodded in uncertainty. "Right."

"Why would you think that?"

"Oh, I don't know." The teacher smiled at her again and it was making her very uncomfortable.

"I thought you two were just like my Taengo and me."

"Taengo?"

"It's a little nickname for my lover."

Why did that nickname sound awfully familiar?

Then she remembered.

At her first date with Bogum, the woman in a black suit was the cashier. 

She had eyed Joohyun as if she knew her, and gave her a small, knowing smile.

After that, she became uncomfortable whenever she saw the woman while waiting for Seulgi to finish her shift.

She hid behind the door when the woman wearing her casual clothes, was having a call with someone.

'Stop calling me Taengo!' She had protested. 'I'm Taeyeon, Hwang Miyoung! Geez!'

"I'm very sorry if you find this rude, Miss Hwang. But..." She lowered her voice and the teacher almost laughed out loud seeing how serious she looked.

"Is your lover... A woman?"

Miss Hwang, aka. Tiffany, decided to play along, sending her serious eyes back to the younger girl.

"Well, are you against that?"

"No! Not really. But.. Why are you telling me this? You could get fired!"

"Because I know you're a very nice girl and truthfully, one of my favorites."

"Thank you." Joohyun said, a little pleased.

"And besides." Tiffany winked. "Who's going to keep all those best-selling romance novels for you if I'm gone?"

Joohyun giggled. "Of course."

"Judging by how you know Taeyeon is a woman, I guess you know she's the owner of the restaurant that Seulgi works for?"

"Yes. I've seen her from time to time."

"She tells me a lot about Seulgi. I mean, a lot.

"Let me guess." Joohyun pretended to think. "That she's too clumsy? That she's too slow?"

"Yes, yes. But," Tiffany reached out and pulled out the book she was trying to reach and handed it to her. 

"She mostly tells me about how much she reminds her of me."

"Seulgi? You and Seulgi?"

Of course, Seulgi and Miss Hwang both had an amazing smile. But other than that, she didn't see the similarity.

"I know you're not happy that your friend is being compared with a thirty-year-old teacher-"

"NO! That's not what I-"

"But I was just like Seulgi. I had this major crush on Taeyeon. I wanted to do anything for her so I even did the most ty part time jobs to buy her a mic or music sheets for her birthday. Or even go on a trip with her. Just like Seulg

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MeloMera
I don't have a twitter account anymore but thankfully I saw a pleasant surprise today when I went back to my account for the last time :)
Thank you @dinniebur for liking this fic so much! I'm very happy&grateful that you enjoyed it :) your reactions about each chapter made my day haha

Comments

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hollyhunterey
#1
One of the best.. Thank you very much 💕
Kylie_123 #2
Rereading !!! Kasi gusto ko kiligin ulit 💗💗💗
Jensoo4everlove #3
Chapter 59: I LOVED THIS SO SO MUCH 😭❤ And thankyou so so much Author for taking out time to write such a masterpiece!!! I really appreciate it!! But why can't I see the sequel? 🥺
sjaelister
#4
I just want to ask if this is the original version because I read this but it's the Ryeji version on wattpad huhuhu.
AnneTokki 34 streak #5
Chapter 59: 💓💓💓💛💛💛🫶
Revemid12
#6
Reading this masterpiece for the third time, is my comfort fic, let’s goo!
Oct_13_wen_03 26 streak #7
Chapter 49: reread❤❤
serenedipitea
#8
Chapter 20: this chapter made me cry. the angst!!!
Seul_rene14 #9
Chapter 59: Am I the only one who won't get to read the sequel?🥺😭
gcpt21 #10
Chapter 49: This fic is so beautiful thank you so much author ily