- 𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐘

06.

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The following day, it was safe to say that Kang Ha was on cloud nine—perhaps even cloud ten. He had scarcely managed to sleep the previous night, his mind incessantly replaying the kiss he had shared with the brunette. He could still feel the ghost of her curvy body, the silky cascade of her brown hair, and, most importantly, her plump lips that rendered him almost feral. The boy was convinced he was caught in a dream... a remarkably vivid one.

With his backpack slung dutifully over his right shoulder and a broad smile gracing his face, Kang Ha approached the school gate, eager to step inside.

It was impossible to ignore the myriad of eyes scrutinizing him, something he had anticipated. At one point before leaving home, he had contemplated not attending at all; despite the admiration for his audacity, it also elicited criticism. How could a scholarship student, a boy of humble means, dare to pursue Jeong Sarin? Let alone approach her and engage in a passionate kiss that lasted three exhilarating minutes?

It all felt like a fever dream to him. Yet, when his gaze alighted upon her as she entered the classroom, he knew he had made the right choice.

With quickened steps, Kang Ha followed her inside, making his way to the seat beside the brunette.

"Hey," he greeted, a cheesy smile adorning his face. Could anyone blame him? His facial expressions seemed to operate on autopilot whenever he was near Sarin.

"Kang Ha," she replied, her eyes still averted. "You're brave, you know."

He was momentarily taken aback. Was it a compliment?

"I like it," she added.

It was indeed a compliment.

Sarin turned to him, a wide smile illuminating her soft features.

In that fleeting moment, everything felt solidified for Kang Ha. Her smile, her laughter, her eyes, her entire aura—each aspect of her radiated an intoxicating allure. The way she carried herself and the self-respect she exuded captivated him. Everything about her was like a drug, and he found himself irrevocably addicted. He felt himself spiraling into the black hole that was Jeong Sarin, and if he were to be honest, he never wished to escape.

Despite the overwhelming cons of pursuing a girl as desired and sought after as Sarin, Kang Ha found it all worth it without a second thought. He may not have fit in and was markedly different in status from his peers, but he possessed something they did not—courage. To be brave meant venturing beyond one's comfort zone, even when faced with an overwhelming sense of trepidation.

And for Sarin? Kang Ha was willing to risk it all.

With no further words exchanged, the two sat in comfortable silence beside one another, both ignoring the pair of hawk-like eyes that had been fixed on them throughout the lecture.

Then there was Ri-an.

Kang Ha found himself at a loss—should he feel anger, sadness, disappointment, or confusion? Perhaps a mix of all these emotions was most appropriate. He had come to understand that Hera had orchestrated the entire scenario. It was her idea, her chosen theme, her selected colors, and even the flowers she claimed were Sarin's favorites. Ri-an was frustrated with himself for failing to see Hera's intentions, especially after he had chosen the color pink, despite Sarin's repeated assertions that it evoked nothing but horror for her.

She had once confided in him about her struggles with that color, recounting how her father had forced her to wear frilly pink dresses as a child, parading her around like an accessory to impress his business associates. It was a color synonymous with trauma for Sarin, and the memory of comforting her, validating her feelings, and holding her close echoed painfully in his mind.

How could he have forgotten? How could he have been so blinded by his own desperation to do something—anything—for Sarin that he overlooked such a significant detail?

Disappointment in himself coursed through him, but it was quickly overshadowed by a swell of anger towards Hera. Beyond mere anger, he felt a deep disgust.

Was Jae-yi complicit in this? The more he pondered, the more his fury intensified, knuckles turning white as he clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Can I talk to you?" Ri-an finally managed to approach her. They had already endured three classes, and he had yet to secure a moment of conversation with her. To his dismay, Sarin was evading him like a hawk, a defense mechanism she had adopted to shield herself from situations where she felt out of control. And that, he realized, was what hurt the most.

She walked away

Sarin didn't speak to the boy for the remainder of the day, and as they made their way home through the bustling corridors of the school, he caught a fleeting glimpse of her. Her eyes, once filled with warmth and admiration, now appeared cold and distant, devoid of any emotion. It was a striking contrast to the way she used to look at him, as if he were the only one in a crowded room, special and worthy of her attention.

Now, those same eyes regarded him as if he were just another face in the throng of students, indistinguishable from the thousands who passed by each day. He felt a pang of loss, as if a vibrant color had drained from the world around him, leaving only shades of gray. The laughter and chatter of their classmates echoed in his ears, but it all felt muted, overshadowed by the heavy silence that had settled between them.

With each step, he could feel the weight of her indifference pressing down on him, a stark reminder of how quickly things could change. Memories flooded his mind—shared jokes, late-night conversations, and the unspoken bond they had once shared. But now, those moments felt like distant echoes, fading away, leaving him to grapple with the reality that he was nothing more than a stranger to her. The boy's heart sank as he realized that the connection they once had was now a fragile thread, fraying with each passing moment.

For the remainder of the night, Ri-an sat in silence, a heavy weight of sorrow pressing down on him. He didn't speak to anyone—not to the servants, who busied themselves with their tasks; not his best friend Woo-jin whose been constantly blowing up his phone, and certainly not to Sarin, the girl who occupied his thoughts and heart, yet remained blissfully unaware of his feelings.

Woo-jin was painfully aware of the situation that had unfolded between Ri-an and Sarin. He knew deep down that Ri-an would go to the end of the world for Sarin, but the bitter truth gnawed at him: Sarin would never reciprocate his affections.

As he contemplated his feelings, Woo-jin felt a profound sense of sadness wash over him. The reality that the best he could do was accept this unrequited love weighed heavily on his heart. He wanted nothing more than for Sarin to be happy, even if that happiness lay with his best friend. Yet, the thought of watching them together was a torment he could hardly bear. The night stretched on, filled with unspoken words and unresolved emotions, leaving Woo-jin to grapple with the complexity of friendship and love.

Meanwhile, Ri-an's mother remained oblivious to the emotional turmoil surrounding her son. Her primary concern was his academic performance; she had little patience for his feelings or the intricacies of his relationships.

"Just swallow it," she had told him dismissively, her focus solely on ensuring his grades didn't slip. She wondered what had caused this sudden change in him, but her inquiries were more about the grades than the heartache. To her, emotions were a distraction, something to be set aside in favor of academic success. As Ri-an sat in silence, he felt the chasm between him and his mother widen, realizing that in her eyes, his struggles were secondary to the expectations she imposed upon him. The weight of his unexpressed feelings pressed down on him, leaving him feeling more isolated than ever as the night deepened.

And as he closed his eyes. He never felt so alone.

———————

hey guys! I apologise for the long hiatus, I was gone trying to better my writing. Expand my vocabulary, and just fixing personal things in my life.

from this chapter onward I'm kind of going to improvise and not base the book entirely on what happens in the kdrama etc!

I'm gonna attempt to do daily updates now, thank you all for the support ❤️