.20.

When do people realized they're inlove? 

Growing up in a broken family, Jaehyun had a hard time grasping the real definition of love. He had receive a great amount of love from his mom, compensating everything with how his father has been treating him. But he can't help but to question if his mother's unconditional love towards him was also the reason why she left. How can love be this cruel? 

During his high school years, Jaehyun only know two things - sports and studies. He didn't put that much thought to the girls around him as well as showing zero interest to even getting into a relationship especially with how strict his father is, he couldn't even find the time to do so. It wasn't until he started paying close attention to this timid girl he had met at the sports meeting that he found himself looking for her at the crowded halls as the spotlight always fell on her. She wasn't glowing or anything like that but he was always unknowingly drawn towards her. That's why he got curious which he ended up doing oblivious things just to get close to her until she notices him.

He didn't know exactly when and why he started catching feelings for her. This was a mystery for Jaehyun. 

It was a cloudy afternoon as it was one of those weekends when he would meet up with his friends, but unfortunately, it seems like some of them had something came up, canceling their plans at the last minute which left Jaehyun alone at the said meeting place. He was rarely allowed to go out and it took him a lot of persuasion to get his tutor to agree in canceling their usual lesson during the weekends. He thought it would be a waste of effort if he would go back home. He ended up wandering around Han River, entering inside a near-by convenience store to buy something to relieve his hunger, but as soon as he made his way to the snack aisle, a familiar figure came into view. 

"Haru? What are you doing here?" He quite remembered how she mentioned it to him that she was a homebody which completely surprised Jaehyun to see her outside the school campus on a weekend.

"Lovely seeing you here, too, Jaehyun." Haru jested, taking a box of almond pepero from the shelf. He stood there frozen as it took him a few more seconds to process it all. He would usually see Haru on her casual clothes, but this time, she opted for a mid-length summer dress as she also had her hair and make up done which he thought looked good on her. Was she always been this pretty? 

"Are you okay? Your ears are red." Jaehyun quickly cupped his ears into his hands, hiding the uncontrollable response of his body. "I'm gonna head over to the drinks. Do you want some?" He made his way to the fridge, evading her question instantly. A waft of cold air greeted him, along with varities of drinks placed neatly on the rack. He wondered if the coldness somehow halted the growing blush that was slowly creeping up his face. He grabbed two bottles of coke and made his way to the cashier. 

"Here," He handed her the coke he had just bought before opening the door for her and the two of them went out of the store. They walked over to the wooden bench that was situated under a pine tree at the top slope.

"Are you going somewhere?" Haru was confused at his question at first but she caught on with what he meant by it when he noticed he had been scrutinizing the way she was dressed. "I just met someone awhile ago." She gave him a short, vague answer and Jaehyun felt an uncomfortable tugged in his chest. He didn't know why there was this unsettling feeling at the mere mention of an anonymous person. They finally found a vacant spot and Haru settled herself first while Jaehyun still kept a fair distance from her. Jaehyun twisted open his drink as he quickly took a swig to quench his thirst. 

"How about you? Did you got stood up?" Her abrupt question made Jaehyun almost spit out his drink as Haru chortled at his reaction, handing him a tissue. He was silent as he remained to tidy himself, wiping the liquid stains on his shirt. Haru let out an amused laugh, "I can't believe that the charming Jeong Jaehyun got stood up." 

Jaehyun narrowed his eyes at her assumption as Haru continued, "Come on now. I know you probably went to numerous dates already, but yeah, things like this happen sometimes. Cheer up, Jaehyun." He failed to maintain a straight face with her small attempt to console him as he was hardly able to surpress his laugh. On the other hand, Haru was quite proud of herself seeing at how he reacted, assuming that it comforted him somehow.

It took him a few moments to compose himself before turning his attention back to her. "Well, I don't know if I should be flattered with that. I hate to break it to you but I never had those mumerous dates, let alone went on one." Haru scoffed at his sudden revelation, unconvinced with it. "Yeah, right. You don't need to be humble about it." She said in a sarcastic tone before taking a sip from her drink. Jaehyun was quiet as he didn't try to insist his claims anymore and instead gave a smug look. People always thought that among his friends he has the most dating experience but in reality, it was the exact opposite of what they have reckoned. Sometimes he wished a part of it was true. 

"Oh god. You're not lying." Haru gasped in shock when she realized Jaehyun really meant what he said. "Why would I even lie about that?" She pretended not to hear him, quickly shifting her gaze anywhere but his. She busied herself in opening the box of pepero she just bought back in the store, still ignoring his question. "I know rumors spread fast even the ones that are made up. I want to know what you've heard about me?" He persuaded even though he didn't care much about what they had said about him, but he wanted to at least know what she thought of him