H is for hopeful

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Seohyun gaped at the blushing boy for one long second, then finally came back to her senses and realized that she had to answer his question.  

"Oh.... Luhan... Sorry, I like someone else."  Kyuhyun's face flashed in her mind.  This was the first time she had ever been asked out, and she felt super bad for rejecting Luhan.  On the other hand, relieving herself of that confession felt oddly satisfying.

Something like recognition passed through Luhan's face for such a fleeting moment that Seohyun almost missed it before he deflated and started to walk away dejectedly.  Before Seohyun could have called him back to comfort him and apologize once more, the bell signaling the end of recess rang and Luhan melted into the crowd that was beginning to form. As she started to walk to her next class, she felt two people grab onto either of her arms.  When her head snapped up, she realized she had totally forgotten her two best friends because of what just happened. 

"Why did you say no?  He would have been good for you!"  Yoona asked, pouting.  Yuri nodded, wearing the same expression as Yoona.

Realization dawned on Seohyun. "You guys set this up!"  So this is what they were whispering about this whole time...

Yoona shrugged innocently. Seohyun's eyes narrowed.  "Why did you make someone who doesn't even like me ask me out?  If I had said yes, that wouldn't have been fair to either of us."

"So you might've said yes?"  Yoona asked insistently.

"No."  Seohyun said, and slapped Yoona playfully.

"Actually, you're wrong about him not liking you. Didn't you see him blush? We did, and we were like ten feet away! Plus, don't you ever wonder why he never brings his pencil to class?  I'm in his biology class and he has it then."  Yuri teased.

Seohyun was surprised by this; she didn't really expect him to like her...

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The next day, Seohyun didn't have to worry about Luhan; he brought his pencil to class.  She almost approached him, but the girl could tell Luhan was trying to avoid her. Even when she was looking directly at him, Luhan would look down pointedly at his paper. He wore such a sad face...  Seohyun felt guilt gnaw at her insides.  Finally, she decided that she would talk to the poor boy after class, but he rushed out of class right when the bell rang so she had no chance to.

Seohyun wondered what Kyuhyun would think of Luhan's confession.  When she saw Kyuhyun next (after school), she struck up a conversation about the usual trivial stuff, but then tentatively brought up the topic of Luhan.

"Hey Kyu..."  Kyuhyun looked at her curiously.

"Do you know a guy named Luhan?"

"Um... is that the Chinese one like two years younger than me?"  

"Yeah I think so... What do you think of him?"

An incomprehensible expression shaded his pale face. Then suddenly he broke out into his famous smirk/smile. "Why, do you like him?"

Seohyun laughed nervously, still not believing that the boy she actually liked asked that.  "No... but he likes me... he asked me out yesterday."  Seohyun looked down as she said this.

The unreadable look returned.  "And you didn't answer him yet because you wanted my opinion?"  Kyuhyun was genuinely inquisitive.

"Actually, I said no."  Seohyun looked up at her crush.  Her heart started to thud in her chest as she waited for his response.  

"Why?" Kyuhyun's eyes smoldered.

"Because I like-"  The need to confess to him was so powerful, she almost uttered the word 'you.'  However, Seohyun remembered Jessica.  "-someone else." She lowered her head, afraid that if she continued to look him in the eyes, Kyuhyun would discover the truth. In the end, she gave Kyuhyun the exact reason she gave Luhan. In her head, she berated herself for being such a coward.  

She felt his eyes on her.  

"You're not going to tell me who that is."  Kyuhyun stated.  He gave her a tight lipped smile. Seohyun shook her head, even though it was a statement, not a question.

"Seo..."  The way he said her name made it seem like he was going to say something very important.

"Yes?"  Seohyun squeaked.  Her voice was filled with so much hope... but it was a fragile hope, and it was shattered with his next sentence: "You should have told him yes."

"Oh."   reflected the word. Thoughts formed furiously in her mind, and after a moment, she said, "But I'm not going to tell him yes."

Instead of smirking as she expected, Kyuhyun just stared at her.  He muttered something to himself, but it was so low that she couldn't make it out.  

Abruptly, Kyuhyun turned away from Seohyun and started to walk away from her.

"I'll see you later Seo!"  He called after her.

And with that, Seohyun started to make her way home herself, utterly bewildered.

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Hello all!  Some interesting things are about to happen in the next... say three chapters?  Well maybe not the next one, but it will be the basis for the later ones.  Please anticipate that!

And what did you think of this chapter?  I know many of you did not like Luhan (which kind of amused me), so I think this chapter should have been pretty satisfying.  Also, did you think that the conversation between Seohyun and Kyuhyun was interesting?  Please comment below your thoughts!  

Thanks for reading!