his secret | woosan

thirteen

i looked up at the guy, who stood almost a head taller than me. for a brief second, i worried i might have angered him, my heart skipping a beat as i prepared to apologize. but then, under the pulsing lights, i saw him laugh it off, the tension in my chest easing. he leaned forward, holding a red cup in his hand, and shouted over the blaring music, "sorry about that. are you okay?"

i nodded, offering a hesitant smile. his biker leather jacket, adorned with a few rugged patches, caught the light, giving off an edgy vibe that contrasted with the casual white t-shirt underneath. his dark pants blended into the shadows, hard to distinguish in the dim light, but the black-rimmed glasses on his face stood out, framing his features perfectly. his jet-black fringe fell just above his eyes, the sides trimmed short, adding to his effortless appearance.

he furrowed his brows, leaning in closer, his voice cutting through the music. "we haven't met before. are you in this grade?"

my breath hitched at the question. the truth teetered on the edge of my tongue, but the fear of his reaction—of him pulling away if he knew i was one of the new scholarship students—held me back. so, i simply nodded, hoping that would be enough.

he winced, clearly annoyed by the deafening music, and then nodded towards the direction i had come from, signalling me to follow. i hesitated, unsure of his intentions but curious enough to comply. as i followed him, i scanned the crowd, hoping to spot san amidst the sea of unfamiliar faces.

he led the way up the stairs, his movements confident as he navigated through the clusters of people lingering on the wide staircase. every few steps, he glanced back, ensuring i was still behind him. the gesture, though subtle, felt strangely reassuring. i kept close, grateful as he cleared a path through the couples who were too absorbed in each other to notice us.

when we reached the second floor, the atmosphere shifted. the thumping bass from downstairs still reverberated, but the noise from downstairs softened, and the crowd thinned out, leaving more space to breathe. the smooth checkered floor gleamed under the dimmed lights, and at the end of the hallway to the left, i noticed a large glass door. a few people stood inside, their outlines visible through the glass, as if they were part of a world separate from the chaos below.

the guy finally slowed down, and as soon as i caught up, he casually wrapped his arm around my shoulders. i breathed in a citrus scent that lingered in the air between us. the sudden contact made my heart skip, but i tried to keep my expression neutral. i glanced up at him as he took a sip from his red cup, the liquid inside sloshing gently.

"you're one of the scholarship kids, aren't you?" he asked, nonchalantly pushing the glass door wide open with his free hand. great, i thought. my mind spun as multiple scenarios flashed before me, each one with a different answer i could give. should i lie or be honest? when i didn't answer right away, he smiled, a reassuring curve to his lips that made me relax, if only a little. "relax, i'm not a threat. you just seemed lost down there."

his voice was calm, almost disarming, and while a part of me wanted to pull away, another part felt that he was being genuine.

"yeah... i am. and, i was just looking for my friend," i replied, my voice tinged with uncertainty as we walked through the spacious hall. it was quieter and more intimate up here.

he hummed in understanding, the sound resonating against the rim of his cup as he took another sip. "well, it's nice to meet you. my name's ryu," he said, his voice casual.

i took in the space around us—a bar top on the left-hand side with sleek, black stools lined up neatly in front, and a seating area on the right where a few couples were wrapped up in their own worlds, lips locked and oblivious to our presence. directly in front of us was another set of glass doors, wide open to the balcony outside.