𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐑 | 𝖫𝖧𝖲

𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧: match

"jieun, someone's here to pick you up!", kyungjun called from downstairs.

i frowned while putting on my earring. who the hell would pick me up tonight?

quickly fixing my skirt, i rushed down because i didn't want to keep them waiting... whoever was waiting for me anyway.

"jungwon?"

the boy was smiling shyly as he waved hello. "surprise?"

"jake is waiting for me. don't forget your keys and lock up the house properly before you leave.", my brother warned me as he grabbed his own things to leave. "see you at the party, hyung.", jungwon bid him goodbye.

now it was just the two of us. "i'm surprised you know where i live.", i chuckled as i was looking for my bag.

"heeseung said you two were neighbours, so i just figured out. i also thought it wouldn't be safe for a girl to walk there alone, so since you're living on the way, why not stop by?"

"you're too genuine, i appreciate it."

once i was finally ready, i noticed we were quite matching outfits.

as i was wearing my black skirt and a red cardigan, jungwon had a similar red collared sweater and black pants. "we're matching!", i said and looked down on my outfit.

"now that you noticed... if you want to, you can go change! i'll wait outside."

"no way. we look great, people shouldn't care what we wear. let's go." i was actually too tired to change because i was standing in front of my wardrobe the whole morning to find a good fit.

———

"welcome to the bloody party!!"

jay was already caught up in the nostalgia, he didn't quite care who entered or exited his house. sunghoon on the other side greeted everyone politely as he fixed his tie. they were so different, yet so similar. by the end of the night, hoon would definitely be seen dancing on top of a table or something like that, i guarantee you.

"the two Js! jieun and jungwooon!", riki yelled through the house.

i turned my head as fast as i could. jieun and... jungwon?

the invitation said bloody party, yet no one actually came up with the idea to wear red. but both of them did.

jieun shyly waved to the crowd, not expecting anyone to wave back.

for tonight, she wore that short, black skirt again. i just didn't like how she had her hair down, but at least the red headband didn't cover up her face. and the fact that it was matching with her red cardigan? magnificent.

what must have bothered me the most was the fact that jungwon probably picked her up and even matched with her. i didn't even know whether it was intentional or not. they looked like a cute couple, not gonna lie.

still, jieun was supposed to be mine.

as i was staring at both of them, sunoo approached them before handing two red cups. i wasn't going to just stand there and observe, so i quickly made my way to them.

"good to see you all!", i forced a smile. "heeseung hyung! don't worry, i gave them apple juice. we don't approve of underage drinking here.", sunoo proudly informed me, supporting his statement with a nod.

"i'm old enough though.", jieun giggled. "nope, you're not getting any. your alcohol tolerance is literally zero.", i argued. she playfully rolled her eyes and left our little circle to join the crowd.

"isn't she pretty?", jungwon suddenly grinned.

 
i couldn't blame my friend, he thought jieun and i were only friends after all. but he knew she was rather an outsider in our class, so why would he try to hit on her? they didn't even have anything particular in common.

jungwon, what are you trying to do?

———

as the party went on, most of the guests were tipsy and either dancing or disappearing somewhere else. indeed, i spotted my two friends a few hours ago, but could i still call them friends? they were ignoring me, pretending as if we weren't close for the past few years.

and now kazuha was in sunghoon's arms, giggling and talking. i had to press my lips together in order to gulp down that lousy bad feeling.

what hurt me the most was the sight in front of me as i was sitting on the couch. heeseung really had the audacity to dance with another girl, holding her waist and keeping her as close as he could. i felt like vomiting. i haven't seen him drink yet, so i suppose he was sober as hell.

the room made me feel sick and nauseous, which is why i simply got up and entered the garden of the house. maybe fresh air could clear my mind a bit.

a sigh escaped me as i sat down at the bench and stared at the sky. maybe if i just didn't attend this party, i wouldn't have to see the things i just saw. why did it feel like everything that seemed perfect was crumbling?

kazuha and shuhua seemed to have abandoned me, jake and me were on awkward terms, i didn't want to talk to heeseung out of jealousy and the only one i would have left was my brother, who also happened to have his own friend group now ever since we came back here.

life was draining.

"what are you doing here all alone?"

jungwon sat down next to me while giving me a downward smile: "you aren't enjoying this, are you?"

"parties weren't my thing anyway, not even in australia.", i sighed. "what about you? shouldn't you be in there and dance like all of your friends?"

"i saw you going outside. maybe accompaniment would brighten up your mood a bit, so i thought. the whole time, you didn't really smile once, so i was worried." "sorry for making you feel like that. you shouldn't we worried though, we're not even close."

"but i'd love to be close to you.", he suddenly exclaimed. confused, i turned to look at him: "what?"

"listen. when you entered our classroom for the first time, i thought you're really pretty. and the fact that you have that cute smile you don't show often made me giggle sometimes. i think you're a great person to be with, the others just don't realise it. based on what i heard, your friends don't seem to be girls you should think about as friends. i've been there, middle school things. so... if you want to, we can be friends. you shouldn't be or feel lonely, jieun."

"that's very sweet of you, jungwon.", i smiled and tried to hide my cheeks. they felt like they were burning at this point.

"starting monday, i'm making sure to protect you at school!", he cutely exclaimed as he threw his fist in the air. "you don't have to do that!", i laughed at his behaviour, "but i really appreciate your effort. thank you."

i guess this was the start of a new friendship.