forget-me-not || lee dohwa

𝐎𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐂𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐬

Of First Dates, Crying Sessions at the Cemetery, and Expected Cameos

Dohwa asked her out to the cinema the following week.

"Contrary to popular belief," he pushed Gyeoul forward on the playground swing, "I'm not that experienced when it comes to dates or women. Everything I know, I know from reading romance comics." If it had been anybody besides Gyeoul, Dohwa would've never admitted it out loud.

"Honestly, me too," Gyeoul kicked up her feet, feeling dizzy from the height before she swung back, "They're great reference material and some of the ideas really take off."

"They do?"

"This is working, isn't it?" She gestured at the swing and they laughed.

Gyeoul couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much in the company of someone other than her family. With Namju, she tried to be a bit more...more. More sophisticated. More feminine. More outgoing. Dohwa made her feel at ease. Like she was enough, with all her jitters and awkwardness. Though it had only been a few days, Gyeoul didn't have any more of her heart to give away.

She put her feet down to stop the swing and stood up, holding onto Dohwa to steady herself. "Let's meet at the movie theatre then," she said once her head stopped spinning.

He walked her back to the library, which had started to feel like a second home to Gyeoul now. She knew exactly which corner a particular book was in and had memorized the unofficial seating arrangements the students preferred. She learnt how to initiate a conversation with them and even knew who was reading what apart from what genre of books they preferred.

Baek Gyeoul from several months ago could only dream of standing amongst sixty students and not folding into herself or wishing to turn into air.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Dohwa kissed her cheek as they parted at the library doors. He turned and took a few steps before hurrying back, "No, wait. Again." He pressed his mouth over hers for a fraction of a moment and began to leave, only to stop once more. "No, no. Again. I'll do it right this time."

She giggled as he showered her with soft pecks and kisses. "You have to go back," she blushed, her fingertips against his jaw.

"One last time, I promise," he insisted, kissing her freckles.

Gyeoul felt her insides—everything, from the bones to the butterflies—turn to mush.

"Lee Dohwa?"

Gyeoul looked over Dohwa's shoulder and inhaled sharply out of embarrassment. Dohwa whirled around, red in the face, and waved mechanically at Haru. "O–oh, Haru. What...what are you...ah, right. You–you stay in the library too, right? Haha."

Haru blinked, not hiding his curiosity as his gaze flickered from Dohwa to Gyeoul. "Who's that?" He asked.

Gyeoul shifted to hide behind Dohwa. She hadn't crossed paths with Haru or Eun Danoh after she had told them off near the lockers. Dohwa began to wave his hands animatedly, flustered over the fact that his friend had walked in on him behaving like a lovesick fool. "This...this is," he cleared his throat, "I told you about her, right? This is Baek Gyeoul. My girlfriend."

"What?" Haru and Gyeoul echoed.

Dohwa jerked his head towards Gyeoul and exclaimed, "Hey! Why are you sounding so surprised?"

"No...nothing," she felt her cheeks turn warm, "You've never called me that before."

Haru looked between the two of them as they exchanged bashful glances and, in his usual, flat tone, said, "Ah. This is the person you make notes about and cry over their photo when you think we're not listening."