he stared out the classroom window, lips parted slightly as the cold wind gently caressed his face. he watched as students roamed around the school. the ground was covered in dried leaves. he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
he hears the sound of leaves crunching while the dewy morning air filled his nostrils. the corners of his lips tug into a small smile as he savoured the quiet and calm moment he's in.
his eyes fluttered open, feeling as though someone was looking at him. he looked over to the classroom door and their eyes locked.
she stood by the door like a statue, her eyes boring into his. he gulped, his cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. he's never felt this way before. vulnerable under someone's gaze. under her gaze.
he continued to hold eye contact, awaiting her answer to his confession from a couple days ago.
he hasn't heard back from eunji since that night which made him feel anxious and jittery through the weekend.
eunji looked away and made her way to her seat, her face expressionless. his heart sank, wondering why she wouldn't give him an answer. he was confused.
jeno was not used to being vulnerable in front of anyone. he stood up, unable to contain his need for an answer.
he started making his way to her.
several steps in, eunji stood up abruptly, causing jeno to stop in his tracks. she looked at him, locking eyes once again. he gulped, taking a step back. with that, she walked out of the classroom, leaving jeno alone once again.
—
"thank you! have a good night!", eunji greeted enthusiastically as the customer walked out the door.
she exhaled deeply, feeling drained and exhausted. it was 10pm at night and eunji was rostered for the closing shift.
she took out her textbooks from her bag, laying them out on the countertop. there wasn't many customers that day so she decided to use some time to finish up her homework.
soon after, the door swung open, the cold air gushing in. eunji was so absorbed in reading that she could not take her eyes off her textbook. "welcome!", she greeted, not looking at the customer that walked in.
after a few minutes, eunji called out, "do you need any help?". the gentle voice responded, "nope, i'm all good!".
eunji heard the customer's heels clicking against the floor, moving closer towards her. she finished reading the last few words of the page before looking up at the customer with a bright smile.
"will that be all for today?", she asked.
the two girls stared at each other. eunji's smile slowly started to fade away. she scanned the girl's features, noticing her beautiful complexion and captivating brown eyes.
nari.
eunji brushed the thought off, picking up her snacks and scanning them. "that will be 7 dollars for today. are you paying by cash or card?", eunji asked while placing the snacks in a bag. "cash.", nari responded, handing eunji the exact amount.
"thank you! have a good night!", eunji greeted, bowing at nari as she walked towards the door. her hands grabbed the handles of the door, but she did not pull.
she turned to look at eunji, flashing her a gentle smile, "i'm sorry about the other night, eunji.".
eunji gulped, not expecting an apology. she scratched the nape of her neck, "it's not a big deal, nari. don't worry about it. it's not your fault anyways.".
nari smiled, looking down to her feet before looking back up at eunji, "good night, eunji. i hope to see you around.".
—
JENO
eunji
can i have an answer please?
seen 11:57pm
—
jeno tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. he pulled the blankets off of his body, getting out of bed.
he opened his bedroom door slowly, trying his best to not make any noise that would wake his parents up.
he walked down the stairs, making his way to the kitchen. he flipped the light switches on, illuminating the room. his eyes squinted from the bright lights, contrasting the dark room he was in before.
"can't sleep too?", a deep voice asked, causing jeno to flinch. he exhaled, "dad, please don't ever do that again.". his father chuckled, swirling the glass of bourbon in his hand.
jeno grabbed a glass out from the cupboard, filling it up with cold water. he sipped on the water, turning around to face his father. the older man tapped the spot across from him, prompting jeno to take a seat.
he placed his glass of water on the table before taking a seat. for the next ten minutes, the two sat in silence, sipping their respective drinks.
his father cleared his throat, catching jeno's attention. "how's school?", he started. jeno chuckled dryly, "it's fine.".
"are you doing well in class?"
"yes."
jeno took a sip of water again, his father following suit.
the two hadn't sat together or spent time together in a long time. the last memory jeno had of his father was when he was ten. his father would bring him to the park nearby and play with him. the wholesome memories of him and his father flooded his mind. his eyes started to sting.
he cleared his throat, pushing back the tears that threatened to fall.
"jeno..."
"yes?"
he didn't know what to expect. his father took a sip of his bourbon, staring at the glass as he swallows the drink. the dark brown liquid sparkled against the light with every swirl of the glass.
"i shouldn't have involved you in the agreement. i only wanted what was best for you, but in doing so, i was blinded by my dreams and aspirations for you that i forgot to ask you what you wanted."
jeno sighed deeply, taking another sip of water, feeling the cold liquid glide down his throat. "i understand, dad.".
the two sat in silence for a while. jeno replayed the words his father said. he was trying to reconcile.
his father chuckled, breaking the silence, "do you remember the time i brought you to the barber?".
jeno rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips.
"i got so caught up with the work call i was on that i agreed to you going bald without knowing.", his father laughed. jeno couldn't help but laugh too, remembering the moment he saw the barber shave off his hair, but he was too shy to say anything so he sat in the chair, watching his beautiful black hair fall to the ground.
the laughter died down slowly, both of them smiling to themselves as they reminisced the fond memories they shared.
his father cleared his throat, finishing up the last of his bourbon.
"i will be here for you whenever you need me, jeno.", he started. jeno looked at his father, skeptical of his words. "it's my fault for only noticing now. but i will always have your back.".
jeno felt at ease immediately, his shoulders relaxing as he let out a breath he did not know he was holding. his father was never one to be vulnerable and honest about his feelings. as much as jeno tried to catch any form of ingenuity in his father's words, he could not find any.
jeno nodded, looking up at his father, tears pricking his eyes, "i know you will, dad.".
YOU ARE READING
kiss me, leave me + ljn
Fanfictionit was a game you never should have played. + lee jeno
