Pandora's Box | kim mingyu & jeon wonwoo

11

I don't remember much after her sudden confession.

I remember standing there as I absorbed Nayoung's words. I remember struggling with what I should say. I thought it over numerous times: I would open my mouth to say something, anything, and then walk away. But no matter how many times I opened my mouth, nothing would come out. For a moment, I was convinced that I would never speak again.

After a couple of minutes, however, I tried again. And eventually, I found the power to say, "okay," before I turned around and walked off.

The next day I had made sure to wake up early. I had not spoken to Nayoung after her sudden confession, and the whole way home I had walked ahead of her. Regardless, I could feel her presence behind me. She even made of point of stepping inside the apartment well after I did. I had let her enter the passcode before I marched in and simply left the door wide open for her to enter.

In the morning, I packed my things as quietly and as quickly as possible. I had managed to find some change lying around the house and figured that because Nayoung owed me money regardless, I was entitled to some cash for my new train ticket. After I was ready to go, I made my way out the door and onto the street. I struggled for a second, but my phone reception in the city was exceptionally better than back home, so I was quick to regain my footing. I was able to quickly call a taxi and head to the station.

The whole ride home, I didn't think of anything. I busied my mind with videos online and my friend's social media posts. I saw a picture Wonwoo posted and my heart quickly swelled. The sound of his voice was usually enough to brighten up my mood, yet this time around, my mind was in such a mess that not even he could clear it up.

When I got home, my mom was quick to ask me what had happened, but after she saw my face, she stopped pushing it. I made a beeline to my room, fell asleep, and didn't speak another word to anyone for the entire day.

When we returned to school, I made a conscious effort to return to life before Nayoung's arrival.

I picked up Wonwoo from his home and we walked to school together like usual. The whole time, he kept trying to redirect the conversation towards my trip to Seoul, but I made a point of talking so much that he couldn't really get a word in.

By the time we reached school, I made up some half-assed lie and I told him that Myungho and Seokmin were waiting for me. Unlike usual, I left Wonwo by the entrance and ran off to the second floor. Usually, Wonwoo liked to stay behind a bit in the morning and buy some breakfast buns at the cafeteria.

As I made my way up the stairs to the second floor, I could spot Nayoung from a distance. Instantly, my heart dropped. I was tempted to turn back around and simply not go to my homeroom class. In the end, however, I decided to power through.

My strategy was to walk completely past her and simply not acknowledge her. My game plan had been ruined, however, when Nayoung made a point to deliberately stand in front of me. Due to the suddenness of her actions, I had to abruptly stop in my tracks. Because of this sudden change in plan, I ended up bumping into her a bit.

"Hey," she greeted me. Unexpectedly, she was smiling.

I paused. I had no idea what she was trying to do, nor what she was expecting me to say. My silence did not perturb her, however, and instead, it seemed to empower her. She would not stop staring up at me and finally, I settled for a, "yes?"

"Can we talk?"

She asked this in a cool, collected sort of way, and this surprised me. I knew that what I had done to her was rude, if not straight-up cruel, considering her fear of trains. But honestly? I was starting to feel nauseous just being in front of her; I could not bear this any longer. All I could think about was, 'what if Wonwoo sees? what if he finds out?'