22 days | felix lee

XIX | determination

━━☆⌒*.

FELIX WAS DETERMINED. It was finally Thursday and he had evidently had enough. He was tired of the avoiding, the ignoring, the ways that her head would duck down when she would catch sight of his sneakers heading his way. He was sick of it. He was going to spit the truth, whether she wanted to listen or not.

He wasn't mad, don't get his determined attitude wrong. However, he was not going to let a simple misunderstanding make him lose track of the girl that he spent years loving from afar. Especially when he was so close to her. His sneakers scuffed the hallway as he stood starkly next to her locker, the girl nearly jumping out of her skin at the sight of him.

She swallowed, collecting her composure. "Ah, Felix-ssi. Is this about your tutoring—"

"—we need to talk." His deep voice rang out. He may have been determined (and quite eager), but he was still a gentleman. Instead of grabbing her wrist, he held out his hand so only she could see it. She chewed on her bottom lip, gently laying her hand in his as he tightened his grip and led her out of the hallway.

Y/n's eyes squeezed shut, already hearing other people in the hallway whisper and point as she attempted to block them out. "Don't pay them any mind; this is just between us," He reminded, leading her to the very front of the school. Class was going to start soon, but that was hardly his priority at this point.

"I didn't take your phone," He immediately got to the point, shoving his hands in his pockets as he stared at her. Despite his firm grip and stern tone earlier, his eyes were as soft as ever when he gazed down at her. "These girls. . . they took it. One of them knew your password and unlocked it. I was trying to get it back for you when you walked in."

He took in a breath, "I'm sorry if it doesn't sound the most believable but—"

"—I believe you." She said with no hesitance. Felix looked at her, blinking wildly as Y/n looked up at him. There was concern in her eyes and even if her voice didn't waver, her gaze most certainly did. "I didn't want to think you were that type of person but. . . I got really scared. I'm sorry if it seemed a bit ridiculous."

Felix laughed lightly. "Ridiculous? Not really. Your phone is still part of your privacy, yeah?"

She pursed her lips at his response, her cheeks growing rosy. "Thank you for respecting that, but that isn't exactly why." Without another word, she grabbed his hand and led him farther away from the school. There were still people trailing into the building and she didn't want any nearby whispers or quiet glances as she explained.

"Soobin," Y/n avoided using the respective honorific, knowing that her brother hated it. "He's my brother and my last name is supposed to be Choi, but after my mother died, I changed it to her maiden name instead. I'm actually. . . " She took in a breath, stating the obvious that Felix hadn't paid much attention to. "Really rich."

Y/n laughed dryly, attempting to find humor in her situation. "Soobin's a famous fashion designer which is why I was surprised you didn't recognize him. My lock screen is a picture of him and I as kids and he hasn't changed much, so anyone else would've recognized him. You had my phone unlocked in your hand and I thought you were snooping."

She quickly corrected herself, flailing her arms as he smiled softly down at her, finding her change in expressions and actions absolutely adorable. "Well, I didn't think, it was more of like an assumption but I didn't really want to think that!" Y/n coughed and averted her eyes, continuing her story.

"People in the past have used me for money which is why I'm so adamant on staying alone since before my brother's success, I was known for my father's." It all slowly started to click in Felix's head as she explained it piece-by-piece. It now made sense why the name Soobin was oddly familiar, along with his physicality.

It also made sense with her initial lie about his relationship with her and how nervous she looked when he had looked around the expensive penthouse, along with the 'rich' rumors just a few years ago. "That. . . explains a lot," Felix concluded at the very end of her ramble, a big grin playing at his lips as she laughed sheepishly, mumbling another apology.

He shook off her feeling of guilt with a bigger smile.

"Hey, it's fine. We both messed up, yeah? I probably should've cleared it up earlier."

"And I shouldn't have avoided you," Y/n said cheekily.

Y/n took in a breath, about to ask something. He could already tell before the statement could slip from her mouth, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek. "I won't tell anyone, don't worry." He remarked, making her let out a sigh of relief. She beamed at him, "Thank you. I really wanted to start anew after changing my surname."

He nodded, understanding. Of course, he couldn't comprehend exactly what she'd been through, but he had enough sense in him to at least respect her wishes. "I wouldn't stick around for your money anyway," Felix shrugged. "Even if I recognized Soobin-ssi, it wouldn't do anything about me attempting to be your friend after years."

"After years? Years of what. . . ?"

A confused look filled her features and he immediately flushed, realizing that he'd accidentally said too much. He swiftly covered for himself though, suddenly worried about the warmth flooding his cheeks. "After years of having you in almost all of my classes," He awkwardly snapped his fingers, a chuckle slipping past his lips.

However, the girl looked even more perplexed. " . . . huh?"