Chapter 12

 

"Yah, oppa wake her up now."

 

 

"WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!"

 

 

"Relax, let her sleep for a bit longer."

 

 

"The plane's about to land."

'So much talking, I can't sleep!" Seo Ah thought, furrowing her brows together. Her eyes shot open when she felt a cool finger press against where they joined. 

 

 

"Don't do that, princess. You'll get wrinkles," L muttered softly. Her eyebrows went back to their natural position and it just occurred to her that she was resting against something hard yet supporting. Her eyes traveled down and she moved her neck slightly and almost screamed! Her head was resting against Ls shoulder!

 

Suzy, Yuri and Jeongmin were staring at her in a suspicious way through the gaps of the seats in front and behind her while L looked extremely amused. She opened to talk when she suddenly felt the plane land with a bump. Since she was caught off guard, not even a seatbelt could stop her from leaning even more into L. Her head was now on his chest and he'd automatically wrapped his hand around her shoulders to steady her.

 

She flinched away after 5 LOOOONNNNNGGGGG seconds and sat up straight in her seat.  Both their faces were beet red. But the only difference was, one was annoyed and scowling and the other was smirking.

 

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"Yah! L! WHY am I sharing with your lover?!" Suzy screamed. Her voice could be heard from a million miles away! She was referring to Seo Ah with a sarcastic tone.

 

 

"Both of my lovers in one room! Ah...how amazing. And I have to share with Jeongmin, too. Both of HER lovers know in room," he said, dramatically spreading his arms out, clipboard in hand, and inhaling deeply. He smiled contentedly while everyone stared at him weirdly.

 

 

"Yah!  We're NOT lovers!" Seo Ahs voice shouted, making everyone stare after her in shock too.

 

 

"Who? Me or Jeongmin?" he asked cheekily, raising his eyebrow slightly. She quickly retreated to the comfort of her room after a intensive glaring competition.

 

 

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"Yah, Seo ah. Don't you think this guesthouse is similar to the one they used for 'The Romantic and Idol?" Suzy asked excitedly as she flung her suitcase onto her bed. Seo Ah had a puzzled expression on her face as she went to open the curtains.. She'd always heard the name around school as it was so popular, but she didn't know what it was. 

 

 

"Ah...Neh..." she said meekly, smiling as she saw the bright and beautiful Jeju Island through the huge window, which let beautiful yellow light in. Suzy squinted slightly and pulled out a compact mirror.

 

 

"The light makes me look so much prettier," she muttered, smiling in content. "Yah, Seo Ah, just so you know...L oppa is mine, so I don't suggest you try anything to make him fall in love with you," she said warning, applying a thick coat of mascara on her lashes. Seo Ah choked on her own saliva and started coughing uncontrollably, making Suzy turn and gawk at her.

 

 

"Unnie, I don't think of him like that..." she said, soon retreating to unpack her bags. While she was at her wardrobe and unpacking, Suzy sat on her bed and took the opportunity to fully examine her. 

 

'She's pretty. But her figure's nothing compared to mine. Maybe if she wore better fitting clothes... Apart from her jeans, it seems all she packed were sweatpants and hoodies'. She silently gasped as she saw Seo Ahs shoes. 'RED CONVERSE?! WHERE ARE HER HEELS?!' she thought, craning her neck to check for another pair of footwear. Her jaw dropped to the floor in disgust. 'FLIP FLOPS?!' Her thoughts were cut off when Seo Ah turned abruptly, their eyes meeting. Suzy quickly fixed her horrified expression. 

 

 

"Sunbaenim, I'll be outside," she said quietly, oblivious to a pair of glaring eyes watching her as she spun around and exited the room

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The wind felt so amazing against Seo Ahs soft skin. The air was cold, but she didn't mind. The coldness on her face made her feel so much more alive, as long as the rest of her body was warm enough. She closed her eyes as her hair was being softly blown back, enjoying the feeling. But instantly she began missing the ocean view and opened her eyes. She almost screamed.

 

She saw a pair of deep brown eyes staring into hers. Someone had secretly came and sat next to her. She could feel the persons breath against her neck as they were turning slightly to look at her and could see her reflection in their eyes. Her heart was beating unbelievably fast and she was having trouble breathing. though she felt slightly uncomfortable, she never withdrew her gaze. They were both staring fiercely into each other's eyes. She didn't even know who this person was! She didn't need to, it was a secret conversation between just the two of them. For a while, she thought about L and how mysterious he could be at times...

 

 

"Annyeong, mermaid," the owner of through eyes said softly. The silence was broken and the mystery was gone. 

 

 

"What're you talking about Jeongmin ah?" she said, a blush spreading across her face furiously. She quickly averted her gaze and stared at the ground so he couldn't notice. Jeongmin didn't understand why she'd suddenly turned away and looked hurt as he stared at the back of her head.

 

 

"Ah...It's been ages since we've been to the beach together, right?" he asked, leaning back on his hands which hurt slightly from the rough rock they were sitting on, giving him a better overlooking view of the sunset.

 

 

"It's so beautiful..." she sighed, inhaling the salty fresh air. 

 

 

"Just like you..." Jeongmin muttered. He realized his slip and gasped slightly. Seo Ah turned and stared at him in confusion. The soft expression in her eyes was all if took to send him on the verge of collapsing.

 

To her, It felt really special being told she was beautiful. While growing up, she'd always been inferior to her friends and got all the hate for not being as pretty. All it took was time, like a flower blooming slowly and proving to be more beautiful than all the other flowers in the garden. Everyone knew it; she was beautiful and Jeongmin felt proud that he'd stuck to her and never left her side as she bloomed.

 

 

"Yah, Seo Ah...what do you think of me?" he asked, her stare becoming too much from him as he turned and looked towards the horizon again. 

 

 

"You're amazing. You're funny and it's always a great time when I'm with you. You're an amazing frie-"

 

 

"Don't say that..." he said. Seo Ah's head snapped to the side and she examined him in concern.

 

 

"Yah...Jeongmin ah..."

 

 

"Is that all we'll be...friends?" he asked, hurt clearly in his eyes as Jeongmin faced her again.

She furrowed her brows together in confusion. He sighed and pressed his finger where they joined, she instantly relaxed, but her eyes still sent waves of concern.

 

 

"Babo...Seo Ah yah,  you don't know?"

 

 

"Don't know what?" He smiled slightly before leaning slightly closer. Their noses brushed against each others as he moved and her heart beat quickened, but it's not  like they've never been this close before...He took his finger off her forehead as he leaned down and whispered in her ear,

 

 

"I...love you." Her eyes flew open in surprise but found herself unable to move. She stirred slightly and he rested his hands on her shoulders, before crushing her into his chest. 

 

 

"All this time...I've been in love with you. When everyone left you and when you were getting over all those crushes who never felt the same, I was there with you. You may be short tempered and cold but they're the sides of the you I love. You're kind on the inside despite the wall built around your heart. You put others before yourself, forget to think about your own problems and needs... but I hope I can break down that wall around your heart and be there to look after you when you forget to. Ah...this...I'm confessing, so don't get mixed up in the love between friends."

 

Seo ah was speechless after hearing his heartfelt confession...she couldn't imagine JEONGMIN of all people confessing like this. But now she didnt know what to do...she had to say something, but she didn't know what to say.

Jeongmin moved slightly and pulled away from the hug, but still kept their faces close as he stared expectantly into her eyes.

 

 

"Jeongmin ah-"

 

 

"DINNER TIME!" L's loud voice shouted. "STOP FLIRTING!" 

 

Seo ah didn't know what to do, she jumped up and sprinted away. In the distance, she could hear his voice shouting her name as well as the wind whistling through her ears, but she kept running as if her life depended on it. She slowed down once she reached the gate, she leaned against it, heaving and panting for air. She closed her eyes and prayed with all her being that she had just imagined what had happened. 

 

 

"Seo Ah! Where are you?!" Suzy's voice was so loud the ground was almost shaking! Seo Ah sighed loudly when she realized she had promised to help Suzy cook dinner! 

 

Quickly, she spun around and walked into the guesthouse, but yelped when she crashed into something hard and immediately was sent flying backwards onto the ground.  

 

'Did I walk into a wall or something?!' she thought, rubbing her head tenderly and looking up. Her eyes turned into fiery slits when she saw L smirking and looking down at her. Her eyes wandered to his chest, gasping quietly when a certain thought came into her mind. 

 

'HIS CHEST IS AS HARD AS A WALL?!' She could feel her cheeks heating up as she got more and more flustered. 'WHY AM I BLUSHING?!'

 

 

"You look like you're in a hurry, princess" he joked, extending a hand to help her up.

 

 

"To get away from you," she snapped, disguising embarrassment with...her usual attitude towards him. 

 

 

"Yeah, explains why you came running into my chest," he shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

 

She glared at him before eyeing his outstretched hand cautiously. She moved her hand, slowly towards his... L was actually smiling stupidly to himself and imagining what it would be like to hold her hand... But something made her change her mind as she flinched when their skin touched and instead of taking his hand, she smacked it away and got up by herself. She dusted herself off and glared at him. His games weren't over yet, though.

 

 

"Did he finally confess?" he asked randomly, you could clearly see he was enjoying teasing her. He smiled in amusement and triumph when she became flustered again. 

 

 

"What are you-"

 

 

"It's obvious he likes you, how did you not know?"  She was speechless.

 

 

"I just didn't think of him in that way...but now..."

 

 

"Now you're seeing him differently?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together. She opened but instead, Suzy's voice was heard over hers,

 

 

"SEO AH!" Her voice was followed by shrill screaming.

 

 

"What's she doing?" L asked, not the least bit concerned.

 

 

"Cooking," she said, turning around quickly in the direction of her voice. Ls composed face quickly went into a worried frown am a look of alarm, which got even whose when another scream came from the kitchen. L sprinted off towards Suzy.

 

Seo Ah followed him in shock. 'Does he like her that much?'

 

 

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thanks for the beautiful poster by Red Threads graphic store