Vinyl Dreams | Nakamoto Yuta

XII.

The next day, Haneul was excited to tell Chaeyeon about her unexpected encounter with Taeyong. As they settled at the school's cafeteria during lunch break, she even warned her friend not to freak out or overreact with her story.

"Listen, this might seem like a joke, but you know what, I met Lee Taeyong yesterday!"

"Seriously? How? Where?"

"I was in a rush to work and when I arrived at the shop, I literally bumped into him. He bought some bread but he dropped them because of me."

"No way."

"I'm serious, Chaeyeon. I met him. I didn't know it was him, but Sunoo told me he was Taeyong, the leader of NCT."

"You're playing a prank on me again, right? That's not funny!"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"I think that's impossible. Why on earth would Taeyong buy bread from the shop you were working? Are you living the Y/N life?"

Haneul was starting to get annoyed with Chaeyeon. She was not convinced with her story. Worse, she was accusing Haneul of lying and doing some prank on her.

"Fine. If you don't want to believe me, it's not my problem anymore."

"It's because you're not telling the truth. You don't even know him."

"You're just jealous."

"What? You're telling me I'm jealous of your made-up story? Very funny, Nam Haneul! Very funny!"

"Whatever!"

Haneul got up and walked out of the cafeteria. She was having the worst day of her life because of some petty argument with her only close friend at school.

Days passed and they still ignored each other's presence. It was difficult for Haneul since she barely talks to anyone at school. She was left alone and lonely, but she diverted her focus on studying. After all, she went to school because of my dreams, not because she wants to get along with everyone else. However, she was so frustrated that they have to fight just because of Taeyong. Haneul was starting to hate NCT already because of him.

One evening, while thinking about her situation with Chaeyeon, Haneul thought of calling Yuta to ask for advice or just pour out her frustrations. She really had no one else to talk to. She called his number once but he didn't answer. After more than half an hour, Yuta returned the call.

"Sky, what's up? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just...are you busy?"

"A bit. I'm working on a project."

"Oh, okay. Good luck, Yuta."

"Wait, are you really okay? Is something bothering you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine. I'll go now, get back to work, busy bee."

"Okay. But hey, if you need someone to talk to, I'm here, okay? I mean, if you're shy to tell me now, you can message me. I promise I'll check them before I go to sleep."

"Okay. Thank you, Yuta."

After talking to Yuta, Haneul somehow felt better. She hasn't even told him anything, but his mere presence gave her comfort that she didn't know she needed. After the call, Haneul tried to send him a message telling him about what happened between her and Chaeyeon. It's a good thing that she already told him the story about Taeyong before, so she guessed that he would understand her side.

She wasn't expecting for Yuta to message her back since it was getting late. She thought that maybe he got busy with his work or he fell asleep already. Haneul just focused on her homework and studied.

It was almost twelve midnight when Yuta called again. Haneul already fell asleep on her desk so when her phone rang, she got startled and fell from her seat.

"Hello?" Haneul picked up the call while still sitting on the floor.

"Sky, did I wake you up?"

"Uhm, no. I'm still up actually. I was doing my homework."

"Great! I'm outside your store. I brought some midnight snacks."

"What?!"

Haneul panicked and ran outside. She was greeted by him wearing the sweetest smile. Yuta was really outside, carrying a bag of burgers and fries.

"I read your message and I thought of answering back, but I figured it's better if I'm here. I mean, you really need a friend right now."

"Thank you, Yuta." Haneul didn't know what to say anymore. She was so overwhelmed by everything that was happening.

They spent the evening outside the store, talking about Haneul's problem while enjoying the snacks that Yuta brought. Again, they didn't even notice how the time ran so fast. It was almost two in the morning when Haneul insisted that Yuta already needs to go home.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay now?"

"Yes, don't worry. After all the advice that you gave me, I'm already relieved."

"Alright, Sky. Remember, everything will be alright. Don't worry too much about it. I know you'll be okay soon."

"Thank you, Yuta. You're the best."

She didn't know what pushed her to do it, but Haneul hugged him. She knew he was surprised with her action, but Yuta hugged her as well. It felt awkward when they let go of each other.

"I...I'll go now, Sky."

"Yeah. Thanks again."

Yuta waved his hands as he walked away. Haneul waved back and stayed outside until he was gone from her sight.

The night was so cold, but their hearts felt warm.