?(?? ? ? )? . . . . . . .
. . A seemingly "hard boy" with emotional walls built from past pain. Outwardly confident, sometimes cruel
. . A quiet, gentle girl who has endured bullying in the past. She's observant and strong, and often overlooked...
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the first light of morning filtered through the blinds, casting a soft glow over seohyun's room. her eyelids fluttered open, groggy from a restless night.
her head felt foggy, like she hadn't quite woken up yet. the memories from the night before felt distant, like they belonged to someone else.
but something was off.
she sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. the events of yesterday—jake, miyeon, the kiss—played over in her mind, but there was something else, too.
something she couldn't shake.
the knock. the footsteps. the voice.
she frowned, her chest tightening at the thought.
her mind raced to put the pieces together. but it was fuzzy, unclear.
the door had cracked open. had someone been there? she couldn't remember. or was it all just a dream?
seohyun stood up, her feet heavy on the floor. she tried to shake the unease away, but it stuck to her like a shadow. as she passed the mirror, she caught her reflection—pale, exhausted. like she hadn't slept at all.
she made her way to the kitchen, trying to focus on the mundane. the familiar. but every corner of the apartment felt different today.
her mother was still passed out on the couch, as usual. seohyun stared at her for a moment, unsure what she was even looking for. some sign? some clue?
a faint memory tugged at the back of her mind, and just as quickly, it slipped away.
but then—
the sound of her phone vibrating on the counter broke through her thoughts.
she glanced down.
a message from jake.
"hey"
her heart skipped. she hadn't expected to hear from him today—after everything.
but what did he want?
and why did she feel like she was standing on the edge of something she couldn't see?
seohyun stared at the message, her thumb hovering over her phone screen. "hey, we should talk."
it was simple. too simple.
she didn't know what she expected—maybe an apology, maybe an explanation, but it wasn't that. it wasn't anything she could hold on to.
her fingers twitched. should she respond? should she even care?
she wasn't sure. her thoughts were tangled.
it wasn't like she could forget what she saw yesterday. the way he'd kissed miyeon. the way it had been so easy for him to turn away from her.
but then again, had she ever really been his to begin with?
another vibration. another message.
"you still there?"
sseohyun stared at her phone, her finger hovering above the screen as she reread the message. "You still there?"
she couldn't help it—her curiosity tugged at her, but she wasn't about to just let it slide. how did he get her number in the first place?
with a deep breath, she typed a quick reply:
"how did you even get my number?"
she hit send before she could second-guess herself.
her thumb rested on the edge of the phone, tapping anxiously against the screen as the seconds dragged on. what was she even expecting from him? a casual answer? some grand reveal?
then, her phone vibrated again.
"miyeon gave it to me."
seohyun's heart skipped, her stomach dropping.
miyeon.
of course. "she's the one who gave it to you?" seohyun typed, not able to stop herself from feeling a little... bitter.
a few moments passed before his reply came in.
"yeah, but it's not like that. i just... thought we should talk."
seohyun stared at the screen, biting her lip.
was he really trying to smooth things over? or was this just another way for him to try and make himself feel better?
her fingers itched to type something, anything, but she hesitated.
she didn't owe him an explanation. she didn't owe him anything.
but her thumb moved anyway.
"talk about what?"
she had sent it, feeling a little detached, unsure if she even wanted an answer.
but then—
her gaze flicked to the clock.
8:15 AM.
her heart skipped.
shit.
she had ten minutes before the bell rang. the last thing she needed was to be late again.
seohyun quickly shoved her phone into her bag, grabbed her things, and rushed out of her room. the apartment felt like a blur as she moved through it—her shoes slipping on the floor, her hair falling in front of her eyes as she struggled to gather everything.
her mother was still passed out on the couch, the TV static humming in the background.
"great," she muttered under her breath as she ran to the door.
the moment she stepped outside, she felt the sharp cold of the morning air bite at her skin, and she winced. she was already late. there was no way she was going to make it on time if she kept going at this pace.
but she pushed herself faster.
her mind flickered back to jake's message. to the unfinished conversation that seemed to weigh on her now. she couldn't believe she had actually considered responding right now. but no, school came first.
as she neared the school gates, her breath coming in quick bursts, seohyun realized something—she didn't feel as anxious as she normally did on a school morning. the knot in her chest had loosened a little, maybe because she was in control of something for once.
she pushed the school door open just as the bell rang, signaling the start of the first period.
just made it, she thought, breathing a sigh of relief.
