The Love Scandal ♪ Nishimura Riki

29 ♪ show me all of you

Chapter twenty-nine

Jihyun whirled, pivoting on the heel of her foot.

"Why'd you do it?" She asked Maera.

"Is there a reason that I shouldn't have done it?"

"No, I was just-"

Maera's feet stop. "I have my reasons." She lifts her chin and gives Jihyun the faintest smile.

Jihyun drops her hands into her pockets for nothing, and she pulls her lips into an appreciative line as she dips her head once towards Maera. "Thank you."

The girl's gentle hand drives through the calm air when she raises it, and she waves with humility. "I should thank you. You're good competition. So next year—same competition, same partner maybe, but I'll beat you that time."

Jihyun gives her an indulgent chuckle, and her heart feels relieved. "Next year then."

"Be ready to lose."

"We won't."

Maera narrows her eyes shortly, but she leaves it and sticks her thumb back. "Gotta go drive them back. So I guess this is where I leave."

Jihyun bows then, and she pulls up with an animated grin pressed on her lips. If you asked her, Jihyun would claim that her endeavor would have been fruitless if Maera had not come in when she did, and she considers how destitute she would have returned with no good news to bear, solemn like a kicked puppy.

"Bye, Maera."

A smooth voice from Maera replies, "Bye, Jihyun."

Jihyun observes the girl rounding the corner to leave. She feels like she should be contemplating many things, but her mind is empty with just an echo of Maera's last words in the cavity of her mind. Still, there's that cold rush of relief charging through her pulsing veins.

It went well, she thinks. Considering the exchange, it ended up going well in the end. But that's just her part of the story. What about Riki?

She shuffles in place, altering her weight to her left foot when discomfort crawls up her spine, laden with worry. Things have to go well with Riki, Nara said it will. And she already has the issue with Mr. Lim solved.

"How'd it go?"

Jihyun spins jovially, and she catches Riki walking up to her just a few feet away. She gives him a succinct smile for him to catch on, and when he mirrors it, every ounce of worry dissipates inside of her. "It went well. What about you?"

She feels his arms sneak around her own torso, and for a second she feels the need to tell him off about it since they're in public, but she averts her eyes to the nearest door and window and luckily finds that they're in a hallway. So she welcomes it.

"The tour may or may not start up again–I don't know, you didn't hear that from me though."

"So soon?"

"Eh, maybe not soon, but it will. Things just have to be sorted out first so it'll take a while but...give it time."

This time, Jihyun can only smile at the news she was given because it worked. Everything is finally settled, and they can get back to how things used to be, right?