HOW TO UNCRUSH ; hwang hyunjin

05 | kitchen is for dancing

The dinner concluded, and various groups of students engaged in drinking games. Bottles spun, and truths and dares were exchanged amidst the growing excitement. Sora, who had reluctantly ventured inside as the outdoor temperature plummeted, had been given a handful of chocolate candies by Nabi, which she couldn't refuse. She had apologised to her for dragging her here. Sora now sat in a far corner where the lighting was dimmer, quietly observing others as they reveled in the night's festivities. A solemn gap in the midst of a gathering was what she deeply appreciated.

"You," a voice addressed her, but it took a moment for Sora to realize it was directed at her until the guy sat beside her. "You're the girl from the other night."

Sora's heart tumbled into erratic beating when her eyes found his upturned ones. He was as handsome as ever. He stretched his arms, head jerking towards the busy students. "Not gonna join?"

"Hey." Sora swallowed her nervousness. She looked at the people in front, shaking her head. "Aren't they just finding an excuse to make strangers kiss?"

Intak was surprised by the blunt answer. He chuckled. "You're something else."

Sora found herself smiling too. She hugged her knees, resting her face to look at him. "My first expression wasn't the best one. You should forget about it."

"Well," Intak took out his phone to open the video, "people do love you."

"What?" Sora was surprised to say the least. She took the phone out of his hand. "Why am I here and why does this have a million views?"

"You didn't realise you swung a bat in front of an audience?" Intak watched her with a keen interest. She on the other hand sighed worriedly.

"I hope the university doesn't see it." She let Intak have the phone back. "I was just trying to scare him. I'm not crazy."

Intak laughed over how defensive she seemed about her image. "You, me and Jisung could make the best trio."

"Jisung? Like Nabi's cousin?"

"Yeah. He's a bit crazy, but he always tries his best to help others out. Like me. Hyunjin hates us for that. He doesn't like getting involved in other peoples' problems." Intak sighed with a soft reminiscent mood.

Sora nodded away. Thinking back to the times when she stood up for her friends in the past. And how this habit of hers probably wasn't the best. Especially after that incident in high school. She shook her head, trying to forget about it.

Intak called out to someone. Sora watched a guy with doe eyes and a contagious smile walk towards them. His eyes settled on Sora. He waved his hand at her. "Hey, you're Nabi's roommate."

Sora nodded tiredly. She gave him a smile. "That's me."

"She's my cousin. I'm Jisung." The boy sat opposite to the two. Sora could feel his eyes raise up when he looked at Intak in questioning.

"Oh. She's that girl from the video. The baseball bat one."

Sora rolled her eyes mentally. This was a great introduction to her. Now she had two identities: Nabi's roommate and the crazy girl who was swinging a bat.

"You're joking!" Jisung was wide eyed. He blinked at Sora. She suddenly felt like a newly discovered species. She awkwardly raised her apple juice at him.

"What a small world..." Jisung rested back on his palms. He softly kicked Intak's leg. "Dude, where's Hyunjin?"

"Must be staying away from people. He's allergic to gatherings." Intak and Jisung snickered. Sora was now tuning out of their discussion. The name Hyunjin did make her ears perk up, but the way her social battery was running out, she needed to rest her eyes for a bit.

"I'll grab some water from the kitchen." Sora stood up. Intak and Jisung gave her a thumbs up. She smiled before turning around to leave.

Unfamiliar with the layout, she peeked into open doors along the corridor. Darkness obscured her view until she reached the last door, which was slightly ajar, with jazz music playing within. As she gently pushed the door open, her steps halted in surprise.

Inside a boy was slowly swaying along the music. Sora didn't have enough time to leave, because suddenly the guy moved around softly on his shoes, his eyes catching hers.

Sora felt a soft punch in her chest. She blinked. He blinked back.

Tousled hair, and a very familiar mole under his eye.

Neither spoke a word, and Sora couldn't let the silence crush her further. She pulled the door shut, leaving Hyunjin lightheaded at the unexpected reunion.