kiss me, leave me + ljn

liar liar

jeno tilted his head up, admiring the stars that sparkled brightly in the clear dark sky. moments from the day flashed through his mind, a smile creeping onto his face. he heard leaves crunching near him, signifying that someone was walking. he looked at the source, face still smiling brightly.

"happy to see me?", she asked.

"no.", he responded. he felt sick; all his pent up emotions started to overcome him.

"what are you doing here?", he asked through gritted teeth, veins showing on his neck. the girl took a step closer, "jeno, our parents would be happy to know that we're on good terms. don't you think we owe them that? don't you want to make you parents happy?".

jeno looked away. even though he was disappointed and angry at them, he still had the feeling of obligation to give back to his parents. but it was his life they were dealing with, and that was something he did not want to give away.

"i want to live for myself. and i don't think i owe them my life just to make them happy.", jeno responded, looking to the side. she took another step towards him, placing her hand on his chest. jeno froze. there was a period of time after the break up where all he longed for was nari. nari's touch. nari's voice. nari's love.

but it felt wrong.

as much as it was something he wanted dearly before, he did not want it anymore. those feelings of loving her were dissipating quickly. it was gone.

but he could not move.

she gently cupped his cheek, turning his head to face her. the two looked at each other, nari's eyes flicking up and down between his eyes and lips. she leaned in without a warning, placing a peck on his lips.

jeno flinched, his heart beating against his ribcage aggressively, trying to understand what was going on.

nari searched his face, hoping to find a sign that he felt the same feelings she felt. her shoulders dropped, a pout forming on her lips, "jeno, i thought you loved me.".

he inhaled deeply, looking down at nari, "please leave.".

nari's eyes widened slightly, "jeno-,".

"leave. i don't want to ask you again.", he responded coldly.

nari took a step back from him, still searching for any form of expression that would tell her otherwise.

she sighed, his face showed certainty and she could not deny that any longer. she looked at his eyes once again, taking a mental photo of him. his hair gently flowing in the wind, his hands tucked in his pockets while his chest raised and lowered with every breath he took. "goodbye, jeno.".

he watched as her figure started to become more distant, trying to process what happened. he never thought he would be put in a position where he knew what felt right and what felt wrong. he was certain of what he wanted, regardless of what his parents thought. and in that moment, all he could think of was eunji.

he turned back to face the direction where eunji left in, not expecting to see her back so soon. but there she was, standing with two ice cream cones in her hands, her eyes glassy.

jeno gulped, making an educated guess that eunji saw the whole interaction unfold right before her eyes.

"eunji, i can explain.", jeno started, taking a step towards her. she took a step back. he stopped in his tracks, not wanting eunji to feel even more uncomfortable than she already was. he cleared his throat, not knowing where to start.

"ask me anything. i'll be honest.", he said, looking straight at her.

eunji stabilised her breathing, or at least tried to.

"who was that?"

"nari. my ex-girlfriend."

"what was she doing here?"

"she was trying to start our relationship again."

"when did you guys break up?"

"about a month ago."

"why was she trying to restart your relationship?"

"our family's companies are merging, and part of the agreement is that she and i would get married."

"are you going to?"

"no. i rejected it. i don't want to be just another clause in their agreement."

eunji paused. it was a lot of information to take in all at once. but she wanted to know the truth. she looked down at the ground, wanting to ask a string of questions that were dicey. questions that could potentially hurt her. again.

the truth. that's all she wanted.

she looked back up at him, trying to swallow her tears.

"why did you start hanging out with me?"

jeno inhaled sharply, not expecting that question. he did not want to hurt her. not one bit. but he knew it would hurt her more if he lied.

"i wanted to get over nari."

eunji's stomach churned.

"was that the only reason?"

"no."

she could feel her throat tighten.

"you were part of a bet."

"what bet?"

"a bet that i could make you fall in love with me."

she couldn't hold it in anymore. tears started falling uncontrollably, but she wasn't sobbing. her lips quivered, her breath was shaky. she chuckled dryly.

"i'm so stupid."

"eunji, i'm sorry. i didn't want to upset you."

"i'm not upset, jeno. i'm disappointed."

"eunji-"

"but i'm not surprised."

she looked up at him. their eyes meeting. jeno could see the hurt behind her eyes. his heart ached.

"eunji-"

"i never want to see you again, jeno."

she threw his ice cream cone on the concrete ground and walked away from him, leaving him behind as he watched her disappear through the crowd.