[✔] lightbulb » lee taeyong & na jaemin

ch. 20

sonder: the realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own

» kwan ara's pov »

we exited the room, dripping with sweat.

"that was," i panted, "pretty awesome."

"right?" replied jaemin, panting just as much.

"now..." i took a deep breath. "we have to talk to miss kim about our superior skills. we almost beat sabeom-nim up!"

jaemin cracked a smile, and then started laughing. smacking his knee, tears started filling his eyes.

"oh my god, we almost did!" he wiped a tear away, and laughed even harder. "what if we do that to somebody better? do you think we can teach the class?" i grinned, and then smacked his arm.

we walked over to the office, prepared to speak to miss kim. but somebody had already beat us to it.

"they cannot be in my class. i have two bruises on the both of my shoulders because of them. give them their master belt already!" sabeom-nim shouted. i winced as some of his spit landed on her face.

miss kim didn't even blink. "i'll take care of it. now go back to your room, your next class will be here soon."

sabeom-nim released a big sigh, as if the weight of korea was on his back. i let out a little snort, and jaemin put a finger on my lips to keep my quiet.

too late, sabeom-nim had seen us, glaring. tilting his chin up, and he stomped out of the office. we broke into a fit of laughter, which made sabeom-nim start running away from us. this made us laugh even harder.

miss kim glared at us, but she said, "i'll give you your new class information tomorrow. check your emails."

we bowed and started to walk towards the exit.

"let's go home!" i whined.

"yes, yes. be patient, little one," he said, with a tone of maturity. i rolled my eyes. he was the least mature adult i knew.

"let's get coffee first, okay?" he suggested.

"mmm. no."

his mouth fell open, and then he began to pout. "whyyyy?" he whined, stretching out the word.

"because i'm sweaty, i'm stinky, and i would love a shower as soon as possible, like right now."

"ugh. fine." a crooked smile appeared on his face. "since you're so stinky."

i shoved him. "stupid! i'm not stinky! i was only saying so!"

"ah, yes." he rolled his eyes. "because you just smell like roses and unicorns after sweating like that."

i frowned playfully. "fine, be like that." i gave him the side-eye. "but i don't stink!"

now outside, we breathed in the fresh, non-sweat-filled air. we walked towards his car, stretching our sore limbs.

"ahhh."

jaemin rolled his eyes and walked behind me. suddenly, he gave me a push, making me stumble.

"you said you wanted to shower as soon as possible! well, hurry up! you're so slow!"

i turned around, my hands on my hips. quickly, i jumped on him, knocking him down to the floor. my legs were pressed against the side of his torso, and i placed my hand behind his head to soften his landing as i landed on my feet. he was laughing.

"woah, woah, woah, lovebirds! calm down! not in the parking lot!" a voice shouted. i scrambled to get off of jaemin, and we both stood up, stiff but bowing frantically.

we looked around. oh no. miss kim had saw us from across the parking lot.

"we're not dating!" i shouted.

"i never said anything about that." miss kim lifted an eyebrow. "but sure," she said.

i refrained from rolling my eyes. "i have a boyfriend."

jaemin nodded. "yes, his name's taeyong."

"huh," miss kim said. "okay." she walked away stiffly, and jaemin and i made eye contact. a smile slipped, and then we were both laughing.

"oh, god." i wiped my eyes of stray tears. "we need to go shower! at home!"

"yes, ma'am!" he saluted. "just don't jump on me!"

we entered his car and blasted the air-conditioner, sighing with relief. after a few seconds, jaemin put the car into reverse and left our parking spot. i connected the aux cord to my phone and scrolled through my playlist.

"what are you feeling right now?" i asked.

he looked at me for a second before paying attention to the road. "something loud, maybe?"

i nodded, although he couldn't see. "i have the perfect playlist."

i started playing my nct hype playlist, which began with "hot sauce".

he smiled. "perfect."

after around fifteen minutes—or four extra songs—we got home. we had played "work it," "kick back," and "punch," along with half of "gods menu" and "black mamba".

"i'll see you tomorrow!" i said, waving from in front of my door.

"tomorrow at your mom's!" he replied as a confirmation. i let out a little gasp. i had forgotten about it.

we both unlocked our doors and shared a smile before entering our own homes. i set down my bag and looked around. taeyong was nowhere to be seen. i shrugged, and then entered the bathroom to shower.

i turned the shower on, letting the steam fill the whole place. it looked as if i had worn the wrong glasses, but that was how i liked it. i put a leg in, looking at the mirror before entering completely. it was blurry, and almost as if i was under a spell, i wiped the mirror with my hand, creating a clear streak. my face was...different.

i was glowing with happiness.