Happy Endings ⁘ Chenle

77 ⁘ Stay

⁘ 77 ⁘

It all happened so fast and, suddenly, Eun-kyung found herself face-to-face with Chenle. 

Her heart was beating so rapidly that she felt like she was close to fainting. She wondered if he felt the same. If that smile on his lips was meant to portray his feelings the same way her smile portrayed hers. 

Since they met, since they finally go to see each other... was it always meant to be? 

"It's so good to meet you," Chenle said, speaking warmly. "I've heard a lot about you but we never actually met."

His voice was breathtaking. When he spoke, all else faded away. All she could hear was him, all she could focus on was him. No one around her mattered. The café they sat in could have been empty, it could have been crowded. None of it was important. Her sole focus was on him. 

How could it not? How could anyone not offer him their undivided attention? 

She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. "It is nice to meet you too." 

"Don't be so formal," he said through a soft laugh. His eyes were on her. They were almost glued to her, as if it was too hard to look away. Or... at least that was how she felt. 

It was hard for her to look away. 

"Anyway, aren't you older than me?" he joked. 

"Barely!" she interjected. "I should still be formal. How can I talk informally to you?!" 

Chenle scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well..." he said, a little unsure how to phrase this but, "...how am I supposed to get closer to you if you treat me with so much distance?" 

Eun-kyung's heart skipped a beat. She exhaled in shock. "C-closer?" she stuttered. "Really?" 

"I didn't want to meet you for no reason," he admitted shyly. "Or do you... not want that?" 

"No," Eun-kyung stopped him quickly. "Of course I do!" she said loudly, not minding whether she attracted a few glances from the people around her. 

When Chenle's eyes suddenly lit up with glee, and his lips curled up all on their own by the thought of spending time with her alone, she understood. 

She understood that she had been right all along. 

He never wanted Da-eun. He never meant to be with her. Whatever happened... it was just her doing. Chenle knew his worth and had his pride. But Da-eun? She didn't see any of it. She didn't respect him or who he was. 

"I'm glad to hear that," Chenle admitted. He looked away now, eyes stuck on the floor. Eun-kyung's heart fluttered at the sight. 

He must have been shy, right? 

"But I was... uhm..." Chenle said, a little unsure. He looked up again, yet his eyes couldn't settle on Eun-kyung. Even though he surely wanted to look at her, even though his eyes surely longed to meet hers, he was too nervous. "There's just a lot of people... it's a bit..." 

"Oh." Eun-kyung should have noticed. She should have known he would be uncomfortable amongst everyone's gazes. What if anyone was going to take pictures or invade his privacy?

It must have been frightening. 

"Should we go somewhere else?" she suggested quickly. "Somewhere quiet?" 

"Maybe to my place...?" he thought out loud before shaking his head. "There's too many people there right now..." 

His lost gaze, the way he bit his lip nervously... Eun-kyung couldn't look away and she couldn't... she couldn't really deny his request when he asked,