𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗜𝗡 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘. ʲᵃᵉᵐⁱⁿ

︎︎ ︎︎ ︎︎ ︎︎ ︎︎ ︎︎ ︎︎ ︎︎ ︎︎↳ chapter four

【 the coincidence  】

as the school day went on, naeun found herself constantly thinking about jaemin. whenever she looked at him, she couldn't help but wonder if he was thinking about her too. but every time she looked his way, it was clear that his mind was a million miles away.

for the first time, she started to wonder if jaemin was really even interested in her. maybe he had only said "maybe" out of politeness, and deep down he didn't want to have anything to do with her.

as she left school at the end of the day, naeun was lost in thoughts about jaemin. she couldn't stop herself from wondering if things would have been different if she had introduced herself when they spoke. maybe then, he actually would have recognized her.

but now, it seemed like that chance was gone.

she still didn't know what jaemin meant by "maybe," but it was starting to feel more and more like a rejection.

naeun stopped in her tracks as she felt her phone vibrate. she pulled it out of her pocket and saw a text message from jaemin.

how are you? he had written. nothing else was added to the text, and it still felt cold and distant.

still, the fact that he had reached out to talk to her made her heart flutter. she quickly typed back a response.

good, she wrote. hbu?

almost instantly, jaemin's response came back.

just fine.

that was it. no hint of enthusiasm, or any other kind of emotion. to be honest, naeun wasn't even sure if jaemin actually cared what she said back. at least he replied, though, she thought. maybe this was progress.

naeun took a deep breath and typed out another text to Jaemin.

what are you doing? she wrote.

her heart was beating fast, hoping for a more interesting response this time.

a minute passed with no reply, and she starting to wonder if she had made a mistake.

but then, jaemin wrote.

eating dinner.

again, a simple, cold response.

naeun smiled to herself when she read his text. jaemin had texted her twice already. even if they were short responses, maybe it was a sign that he was starting to come out of his shell.

she typed back another question, feeling determined to keep the conversation going.

eating alone? she wrote.

jaemin's reply came back quickly.

no. with friends.

naeun's heart sank a little at the blunt response, but she kept trying.

okay, she wrote.

she paused, trying to think of what she could ask him next. it seemed like jaemin was always giving short answers, and she just wanted to find a way to keep him engaged in the conversation.

can i ask you a question? she wrote.

this time, jaemin took a little longer to reply. naeun started to worry that she had done something wrong, but then his text popped up.

sure, he wrote.

naeun felt her heart beating faster as she typed out her next question.

i never told you my name last night, right? she wrote.