Within These Shadows || Park Chanyeol/Do Kyungsoo || Book 1

48 - Final

July, 2019

The exams started as scheduled on the 8th of July. No one had time to breathe; every person in the entire campus was nose deep into their books and studies. The current semester was a crucial one for the fourth year students as it was the second last semester of their university life. And they had to pass with flying colors to secure a good GPA when they pass out.

Jay and Mae were stuck in their room all day long, studying day and night for the exams. So were Chanyeol and DO. They got out of their rooms only during meal hours and exam hours.

The four of them never met up together after Kyungsoo and Jay stopped talking to each other. It was always either Mae and Chanyeol hanging out, or only three out of the four, in which, Jay and Kyungsoo were never together. Things were not okay between them; even though they met up, talked and laughed, but at the back of their minds, they were bothered about their current situation. None of them brought it up, but they weren't fully enjoying their moments together either.

In the middle of July, there was a five-days gap between two of their exams. Jayline, Seung Mae, Oh Dae Hyun and Lim Ju Hwan all travelled to Changwon on the 15th of July for Malinda's death anniversary. This one thing was a constant between them; no matter what happened, they always went to Changwon to visit Jay's mother on her death anniversary. They all took blue roses to place on her grave, and each talked to her to their heart's content.

Things between Jay and Ju Hwan were healing and they had become good friends again. The old squad of the two girls and the two older boys, were talking a lot again and their group chat on their SNS was never quiet. Even though things still hurt, Ju Hwan was happy with the current situation. Things could have always been worse, but they had reached a stable state. And something was better than nothing; he was grateful for his friends and dongsaengs.

DO was still hurt from everything. Throughout the one month, he had kept himself distracted by being buried in studies and thesis work. Thoughts of Jay still haunted him at night, and he stayed awake for hours, thinking about the what-if's and the what-could-have-been's. He was very cautious to avoid Jay in every possible way and so far, he was successful in every attempt. But he knew he'd have to come face to face with her one day, and he hoped and prayed that, that day wouldn't come anytime sooner.

Mae and Chanyeol were planning his journey to Changwon some time after the exams ended. She wanted to introduce him to her parents and wanted him to get accepted by her dad. And after meeting her parents, he would take her to meet his family, who already knew about her. They were both nervous and excited about the thought of it all.

*

"Finally! Yes!!" Mae spread her arms to the sides and raised her head high above, feeling the joy of the exams ending.

Jay chuckled at the sight of her best friend. She grabbed Mae by the back of the collar of her shirt and gently pulled her towards herself, where she was sitting on the half wall. "Yah, you're standing in the way; people need space to walk." They were at the top of the stairs outside the entrance of the university.

"Jay-ah!" Mae jumped and turned around to face Jay. "Can you feel the freedom in the air?" She had a big smile on her face.

"Nope. I can't. There's still one more semester left before we taste the final freedom." Jay shrugged.

Mae pouted, frowning upon hearing Jay's words. "Aren't you a party pooper." She turned around to face the entrance of the University where piles of students were walking out. She suddenly spotted the tall boy whom she so dearly loved.

"Chanyeol-ah!" Mae waved at him to grab his attention.

"Jagiya! (Honey/Sweetheart/Babe!)" Chanyeol rushed over to her, arms spread out in the air. Mae too, spread out her arms and allowed him to pick her up and spin her around.