Bittersweet | Do Kyung-seok

𝟭𝟴. lost in the fire

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
i'm way too involved somehow

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

     𝐏eople just keep finding a lot of ways to make assumptions about the most normal things in the world. It was ridiculous. They don't even have to say it. All it took was one look, one long stare that could mean a whole lot of things, and another person to share it with. That's how rumors were born in the first place.

     Just right on time, someone entered the department room and found them both inside which was suspicious enough without context. As glad as it was to have the door opened, it was obvious Chaewon and Kyung-seok wanted the earth to swallow them when their two upperclassmen found them together.

     "What?" Tae-young looked surprised as he glanced between the two of them. "Were you guys in here together?"

     Noticing her hesitance, Kyung-seok answered for her. "Yes."

     "What are you guys doing here?" Tae-hee raised her brows, a little confused.

     "I came here to get changed." Immediately, Chaewon regretted her words. She shouldn't have said it like that. "I mean━"

     "What?" Tae-young looked taken back.

     Chaewon mustered an awkward smile, hastily grabbed her bag, sent one last glance at Kyung-seok, and decided to run instead. She gave the older students a quick bow and said, "Thank you. Bye."

     Finally getting away from their questioning stares, the two walked side by side around the university. Students were either hanging around and chatting with each other while some were keeping themselves busy with their activities. Chaewon had already forgotten about the mishap back in the department room after Kyung-seok ran after her.

     "Does this mean we're best friends again?" Kyung-seok asked all of a sudden.

     Chaewon raised an eyebrow. "Slow down there, pretty boy. Not sure about 'best' yet."

     "Why?" He pursed his lips, looking a bit bothered despite how irrational it was.

     "Why?" She chortled. Then she realized he was being serious. "Dude. You gotta do more than that. You do know I'm a high-maintenance person, right?"

     "At least you're aware," Kyung-seok muttered, earning a look from the girl. "All right. I can take that challenge."

     Chaewon shook her head, wrinkling her nose at his antics. She lightly punched his shoulder, which made him raise an eyebrow at her. "You're impatient and easily jealous. Are you aware of that?"

     Kyung-seok looked away like she was wrong. "Hm."

     She only smirked at his reaction, watching the corner of his lips faintly lift into a small smile. Before she could tease him about it, the fireworks display suddenly began, painting the dark sky with different colors and sparks of light. They stopped walking to enjoy the scene, and Chaewon stared at the fireworks with a new feeling in her heart.

     "It's beautiful," Chaewon murmured.

     "Yeah..." Kyung-seok mumbled, staring at her face. The fireworks made her brown eyes shine and her face glow in the pale moonlight. "Yeah, it is."

     Unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes looked at them from afar with envy across her face and a certain sense of spite in her chest. Her expression dropped as she watched them look at each other with gentle smiles on their lips like they didn't want the moment to end and they were content with just each other's presence.