our delicate string | 최범규

18: don't fade away.

[ 🫧 ]

day three

ANOTHER DAY HAD passed and Aera still hadn't gone to school. she was now at four days left on her countdown.

her feet caught up to her as she grabbed her bicycle and began to cycle somewhere. she needed to escape—somewhere that nobody would worry about her. a place where she felt sanctioned, knowing that maybe she can disappear without upsetting anybody. but she wouldn't be the judge of that—she can't control anybody's feelings.

if she fell out of love for the boy, maybe she would stop disappearing. if she stopped falling for the love of her life—but how could she lie to her own heart who knows her better than herself?

she wiped the tears streaming down her face with one of her hands as she continued to cycle down the sidewalk. as her bicycle parked somewhere, a latch connected the side of a railing kept it secure. her feet stepped forward to a convenience store. she didn't know how long she would stay away. maybe a day—her mother would be worried if it was anything longer. she didn't want to worry anybody.

she wasn't running away, she was only going to stay somewhere that she could be alone for the day. alone to cry, alone to disappear. maybe she would go back home every night. she didn't know anything.

placing a couple of food packages and water into her grocery cart, Aera paid and connected the grocery bag to her bicycle and went off to the only place she wanted to be.

[ 🫧 ]

"math is actually the worst." Soobin said, his head resting in his hand. "what is probability anyways? how am i supposed to know the chance of red beads in the package?"

"no literally, how about they count their own stupid beads instead of making me doing it for them?" Yeonjun complained. he sighed, standing up and slouching on the sofa next to Hyuka.

"you guys, it's literally just counting the number of red beads and dividing it over the total amount." Beomgyu explained, placing his pointer finger over the worksheets.

Taehyun looked up at the brunet. "since when have you been good at math?" he joked.

"i know a thing or two." Beomgyu laughed, packing up his homework.

"i guess Aera is rubbing off on you." Hyuka smiled.

"oh yeah, is she okay?" Taehyun asked, as the five sat across from each other, sitting at the coffee table in Soobin's house. "i haven't seen her at school at all these last few days."

Beomgyu sighed. "i think she's sick, i don't know how to help but i know i need to." the brown haired boy rubbed his eyes in frustration. "she hasn't come to school yesterday, the day before and even today. i'm so worried."

"did you try talking to her?" Yeonjun placed his hand on the boy's shoulders, putting his pencil down.

"she won't tell me anything."

"maybe there's nothing wrong." Hyuka suggested. "i mean, maybe you're just jumping to conclusions and she's not sick." he tapped his feet against each other. "but i guess that doesn't explain why she hasn't come to school."