a season for everything, HAECHAN (❂)

chapter five

soleil found herself feeling frustrated as she listened (eavesdropped) to the conversation between haechan and jenna, unable to grasp the details of their exchange. they were speaking in english, and her vocabulary is only limited. she longed to understand what they were discussing, but the words slipped through her comprehension like sand through her fingers.

as haechan shook jenna's hand, gratitude filled her voice. "again, thank you so much for saving me. i'll get you a drink", jenna said, holding his hand a bit longer than necessary. her friends giggled and teased her from behind.

"it's okay, it's my duty, and i– i cannot drink yet jenna, you? are you already of legal age?", haechan replied, a hint of awkwardness in his gesture as he rubbed the back of his head.

"yeah, i just turned 19", jenna said smugly.

"but you're underage" haechan shakes his head disapprovingly.

"i follow korean drinking law", she winks at him.

"anyway, how about we just get a soda?" jenna offered him and he accepted it with a friendly smile. soleil couldn't help but feel a twinge? of jealousy watching them interact so effortlessly while she struggled to keep up with their conversation.

soleil unknowingly bumped into a lady.

"you! watch where you are going, idiot!!!!", the lady yelled in english, then proceeded to give soleil her fat middle finger.

reacting instinctively, soleil flipped her back and doubled the middle finger she received, a defiant response that seemed to draw gasps from onlookers.

"wait, isn't that sol?"

"who?" jenna replies to haechan.

haechan quickly moved rina away from the lady, issuing a quick apology on her behalf.

"sol, are you okay?" haechan's gentle voice came as he fixed her disheveled bangs, his hands steadying her shoulders.

"y-yeah, i managed to upset that lady", soleil replied with a hint of embarrassment.

jenna's friends exchanged whispers, puzzled by soleil's presence. jenna herself asked in a somewhat rude tone, interrupting them in korean, "uhhmmm... who are you?"

soleil greeted with half a smile, "hello, i'm soleil, haechan's friend."

"oh– okay. actually, we were just asking haechan to join us and get some soda", jenna explained in english.

soleil tugged haechan's shirt lightly, "help, what did she say?"

"she asked me to join them to get some soda", haechan translated for her.

feeling out of place and struggling to bridge the language barrier, soleil wondered how to proceed. she didn't want to intrude on their plans, but she also didn't want to be left out. uncertain of what to do next, she stood there, contemplating her next move.

"sol, do you wanna hop along?" haechan popped her bubble of thoughts; he couldn't leave her here by herself.

soleil slowly nodded.

"jenna, sol is coming with us!" haechan happily says.

soleil caught jenna's glare and couldn't shake the feeling that there might be more to jenna's intentions with haechan than met the eye.

❂

"so, do you have any plans coming back to korea?" jenna inquired, her tone seemingly innocent as she directed her question to haechan. while her words appeared casual, her actions told a different story. the way she leaned in slightly, the subtle twirl of her hair, and the weird gaze she fixed upon haechan held an unmistakable undertone.

soleil's brow furrowed ever so slightly as she observed the scene. she wasn't blind to the dynamics at play. the subtle nuances in jenna's behavior weren't lost on her, and they stirred a growing discomfort deep within her. gosh, it irked her.

jenna's approach wasn't merely a coy flirtation; it was blatant, bordering on intrusive. her touches were frequent and her laughter slightly exaggerated. it was an apparent attempt to captivate haechan's attention. soleil couldn't help but wonder if jenna's antics were meant to provoke a reaction.

her gaze shifted to haechan, who was obviously uncomfortable.
"i have, i'll probably go back to my hometown once i finish my studies here", he answered.

"wow, we should definitely catch up by then", jenna sips the remaining drops of her cola.

"no we would'nt", haechan mumbled.

"huh?"

"nothing", haechan continued eating his plate of salted fries.

soleil's phone buzzed from her sling bag.

incoming message from mom:

soleil dear, where are you?

im at a small restaurant nearby

do you have money with you?
the smiths want you to meet their son

tell them that i'm not interested

okay, be back at lunch.

soleil looked at the time, it was only 8:41.
she almost forgot she brought her camera with her.

"i'm stealing you for today", soleil grabbed haechan's hand.

"jenna and friends, thank you for your time but me and him have somewhere to go."

before jenna could even say anything, the two were already gone.