cliche | choi soobin

red chrysanthemums

Soobin's not in the hallway today, nor was he at the front of the school. Gina looks over her shoulder, hoping to see him. Her face falls and she continues down the hallway.

Just as she opens her locker, someone taps her on the shoulder. She spins around and is unable to stop herself from audibly sighing when it's not Soobin. Instead, it's Taehyun. 

"Well, damn," he says, narrowing his eyes at her. "Yeah, it's so nice to see you too."

Gina makes a face at him, wishing he would leave and Soobin would replace him.

"What do you want?" Taehyun shrugs, blinking at her.

"I mean, I don't know. I just wanted to know if you were doing okay. With your calculus and everything. It's not that bad anymore, right?"

Gina tilts her head, looking Taehyun over. He flushes under her scrutiny. Is he the one? Her flower fairy?

"No, it's not horrible. It's math, which is-" She sticks her tongue out and gags. "The usual, I guess. Are you doing okay?" That's a dumb question. He's the smartest person in the entire school. Of course he's doing fine.

Taehyun ignores how dumb her question is and just nods nonchalantly, giving her a small wave.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine. But if you ever need any help, you can let me know. I'm always down to help." He smiles at her and Gina smiles back, just as Soobin approaches. He only catches the last two sentences and pauses, his eyebrows pausing. Help with what?

As Taehyun walks away, Soobin comes up to her, forcing a smile.

"What did he want?" He asked, referring to Taehyun. Gina looks up and smiles brightly, causing Soobin's heart to race. 

"No, nothing. He's just being nice." Soobin looks over her head to watch Taehyun turn the corner. He raises his eyebrows, not believing her. There's no way he's just 'being nice'. 

Gina looks up, suspicious. 

"Why? Are you jealous?" Soobin looks down quickly, eager to deny it.

"What? No, no way. That's the best joke you've told." He fake laughs, and it grates on his ears, making him wince. There was no way she believed it.

But she did.

Pulling out the large maroon flower and the note, Gina smiles sadly as she reads it. It's not fair she's having feelings for someone else.

Red chrysanthemums - I love you

It hurts my heart, how much I love you.