Giving In
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
By the time Hoya left the dance studio, night had fallen. He had wanted to call Yoona from his room, so that he could watch her expressions as they talked, but he was so excited that he decided to dial her on his walk back.
*Ring, ring*
"Yoboseyo?"
Hoya smiled. "Hey. It's me, Hoya."
There was a pause, and Hoya strained to listen, until he thought he heard a sniffle.
"What do you want."
"Yah, are you sick or something? Do you want me to get you some medicine?" He eyed the streets, looking for a convenience store.
"No, I'm just..." Yoona's voice was hoarse on the line, and it put Hoya on high-alert. "I'm just tired," she said.
"Yoona... what happened?"
"Don't worry about it. It's nothing." But then, she took a rattling breath and started quietly sobbing.
It sent Hoya in a frenzy. "Yah! Where are you? Tell me! What happened?? C'mon, can't you tell me? I mean, we're friends right?"
There was a pause on the other side.
Hoya repeated, more sincerely. "Yoona, we're friends."
Yoona hesitated. "D-do... do you want to meet really quick?"
"Where do I need to go."
*******
Yoona leaned against the chain-link fence, facing the baseball diamond of her nearby park. The night was chilly, and she watched her breath as she breathed slowly out.
She had stopped crying. She almost felt like she'd gotten over the situation, or so she told herself. It wasn't anything new--her sisters always bullied her. And, even though this felt like the worst violence yet, she should be used to it.
But then, why did I call Hoya out here? She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, wondering if she made a mistake.
"Yoona!" she heard someone call from the distance.
She spotted Hoya running towards her. Halfway down the field, he dropped his duffel bag on the ground and entered a full-on sprint.
"Yoona..." He reached her, panting, and doubled over for a moment to catch his breath.
She smiled, but then turned away. "Hoya, don't look at me."
"What?! Why?" He took her shoulders and wheeled her towards him. Yoona watched as he finally saw the three red scratches on the side of her face. "Yoona, what happened?"
She felt her eyes watering, and she tried to look down. "I told you not to look."
But what Hoya did next surprised her. He took her into his arms and held her tightly. Tenderly, but securely. Suddenly, she felt her strength leave her, and she burst into a fresh round of tears, burying her face into his strong chest.
"Yoona..." he whispered, her back and her hair as he held her. He made to release her and ask her what happened, but when he loosened his grip, she moved further into him.
"Please..." she muffled into his shirt. "Please, don't ask. Just... hold me."
He eyed her in wonder. She never gave him permission to get close to her like this. Then, not needing her to say it twice, he wrapped his arms around her again and held her as she cried.
*******
When she finally calmed down, she asked Hoya to walk her home. Hoya obliged, leading the way.
They turned down her street, and she suddenly stopped.
"You don't have to walk me the whole way."
"Aniyo, your gate's right there." Hoya made to keep going, but she gently took hold of his wrist.
He turned his full attention to her. She smiled, and though her eyes were puffy and her face was scratched up, to him she was incredibly beautiful. It was the first time that he'd ever seen her smile.
"Hoya..." she spoke, hand still on his wrist. "Thank you, for being my friend. Kumawo." She smiled again, eyes watering a little.
Hoya looked deep into her eyes, moved close, and scooped her into another warm hug. She readily fell into it. "I'll always be here for you," he whispered into her ear. "Always." Then, he released her, but not before he kissed her softly on her forehead.
The act surprised her, and she grew wide-eyed. He backed up, a satisfied smile on his face. "I'll see you tomorrow, Yoona."
She nodded and watched as he peeked back at her with a smile, and then walked back down the street.
*******
Back in his room, Hoya lay on his bed, one hand tucked behind his head, and the other flipping his phone open and closed. He kept thinking about Yoona, and wondered if it would be too much to call her.
He checked the clock. It's only been an hour since he saw her. Since he kissed her on the forehead.
He sighed at the memory. He longed to see her again.
"Yah, what's wrong with you." Dongwoo looked at him from his desk.
But he just flopped onto his belly and started typing into his phone.
I'll always be there for you.
He frowned and hit the backspace button.
I'm glad we're friends too.
He stuck his tongue out and hit the backspace button again.
Yoona, I like you.
He rolled his eyes, hit delete, and threw his phone to the floor, curling up into a ball under his covers.
Dongwoo watched with a confused smile, shook his head, and then turned back to his books.
---
I hate that feel of not knowing what to text, or whether to text at all.
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