Bittersweet | Do Kyung-seok

𝟬𝟲. call it what you want

CHAPTER SIX
i'd pick you up and we'd go back in time

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     𝐓ruthfully, Chaewon thought Do Kyung-seok would get tired of her pettiness by now. Unfortunately, the guy does get a little more than stubborn at times━well, most of the time━especially now that she was trying so hard to ignore his ever-longing presence and overall reconnecting with him for her very own reason that she would rather not talk about yet.

     But destiny has its plans, and it was egging on both of them.

     Do Kyung-seok didn't even give her time to say 'no' when he came marching towards her while she was with her friends, telling her to have a quick talk with each other before walking away.

     Chaewon let out a short bitter laugh as she shook her head disbelievingly. Her friends looked at her expectantly. She glanced at Soo-ah, the smile on her face wiped out when Kyung-seok left her without batting an eyelash. Of course, Chaewon ignored her, because whatever Soo-ah and Kyung-seok's business was was not hers to know.

     "What's going on?" Jung-boon grinned. "A secret chat between just you and him?"

     Chaewon scoffed. "Secret? You're kidding me, right?"

     "Go on," Eun urged.

     Beside her, Mirae was timid. Like she seemed to get whenever Do Kyung-seok gets near, and with Chaewon, too, whenever they're left alone by themselves. Nobody seemed to notice as they watched Chaewon begrudgingly follow after the tall freshman, tugging on the strap of her tote bag.

     As she left, Hyun Soo-ah innocently approached the trio. "What's going on? What could it be about?"

     Eun shrugged. "I'm not sure."

     "This is yours, right?" Chaewon stared at the familiar object in Kyung-seok's hand. She did a double take, then quickly rummaged through her bag, and back at the perfume he held in his outstretched hand.

     She snatched it from his grasp. "Yes."

     "It was on the cafeteria floor."

     "Must've fallen."

     There was a second of tense silence.

     "Do you need anything else?" Chaewon asked bluntly.

     Kyung-seok clicked his tongue, looking over at the main building and then back at her. "Doesn't your new friend remind you of someone?"

     "What?"

     "Kang Mirae, from our middle school."

     She narrowed her eyes at him. "Look, Do Kyung-seok, I don't know what this is but if you think talking to me would make everything okay━think again."

     Before he could say something in response, there were a few beeps that came from a convertible, with a guy calling out his name from the driver's seat. Kyung-seok glanced at his friend, then back at her. He clenched his jaw, hefting his backpack over his shoulder.

     "I'll see you around," Kyung-seok told her.

     "It's not like we won't since we're in the same freaking department," Chaewon scoffed under her breath as she watched him get inside his friend's car and leave. The grip around her Blood Orange perfume bottle loosened, thinking about what he had said. "Kang Mirae..."

     He was right. Mirae did remind her of someone from Jaryong Middle School. The bus stop. The faint smell of her perfume. It was the same brand as hers. Only it was the Pomelo scent. Glancing at her perfume, she sighed heavily and placed it inside her bag, deciding to go find her friends instead of worrying about him.