𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 & 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 | jungwon

3 | zero regrets

Harin looks up at him and blinks, not knowing what to say or do as he looks down at her with a smile across his face. But when he holds out his hand to shake hers, she holds in her breath unintentionally, before hesitantly taking his hand and shaking it.

The first thing she can't help but think is how soft his hands are. She almost feels hesitant to let go but does so after a second.

"I'll see you soon Harin." He says sweetly, before turning away to leave the building. He turns around for one last glance, looking almost disappointed himself.

He won't see me soon.

"Harin the driver will come and pick you up." Her mum suddenly tells her. "Me and your father have some business to attend to."

Before she can even reply, the two of them head off, leaving her stood there by the restaurant entrance, looking out into the dark sky. She hugs herself as the night's cool breeze makes her body shiver, waiting for her personal driver to come and collect her.

This situation is the norm for her. It's happened many times before after dinners such as these, and so she was betting that it'd happen again, which it did. Harin never understood how her parent's business worked or why everything had to be done so urgently, but she just accepts it and goes about her day.

Obviously she wishes she had parents who would spend more time with her, and who actually acknowledged her... but she's never known any different. This was her life and she was used to it.

If it wasn't for the story books she's read over the years, she would never have guessed that the way her parents have been treating her is not right in the slightest. It's a form of neglect, and as Harin has gotten older and more mature, she's come to realise this.

But what can she do?

***

Autumn finally arrives, and that means school is back on. The night before, Harin managed to pack all her things that she wanted to take to her apartment, that was situated just outside the university. Thankfully, it'd all been sent to the flat already, so when Harin arrives all she has to do is organise everything.

She wakes up bright and early to get ready and to pack her bag, and all she can feel is pure excitement. She's finally ready to get away from her cold home, and live on her own. It wouldn't feel much different anyway since she practically been doing that since she became a teenager, since her parents are barely home anyway.

But to get away and do her own thing felt amazing, something she's so ready for.

The drive to the university is a drag, taking almost two hours to get there, but it's so worth it when she arrives. She gazes up at the tall buildings of Seoul University in awe, everything seeming to be glimmering in the sunlight.

She couldn't wait to get here, and now that she's made it, she has zero regrets.

***

Harin soon realises that the apartment she had chosen is in a high rise building with multiple floors, containing many other apartments which other students have rented out too. She enters the building to find that the lounge on the ground floor is mesmerising.

The decor looks expensive, and many vending machines are available for use. There's also a small restaurant on site that serves food 24/7, and Harin couldn't believe her eyes.

With her bag on her shoulder, she heads towards the lift that runs all the way to the top of the building, crossing all floors. She enters it and takes a deep breath, choosing her floor number - 45 - before closing the doors shut.

However, as they're closing, her eyes catch a glance of someone running towards the lift in a hurry, and they slip through the doors effortlessly, squeezing through the gap.

The boy holds onto his knees, leaning over to catch his breath before he stands ups straight in front of Harin. When she realises who the boy is, her jaw instantly drops.

"Jungwon?"

A smirk forms on his face as he looks down at her, but he doesn't look as surprised to see her as she is to see him.

Maybe he doesn't care?

"I told you I'd see you soon." He states, the dimples on his face prominently showing as he can't stop smiling.

"Wait what?" Harin pauses and has has a moment of realisation. "You knew I'd be here?"

"Mhm." He nods. "You go to Seoul University, right?"

Harin nods in response.

"So do I." He smiles and her heart nearly falls out of her chest.

How does this even happen?

"How did you find out?" She asks, but before he can respond, the doors of the lift open.

A delivery man rolls in a trolley of boxes that take up most of the room in the lift, causing both Harin and Jungwon to stumble into the corner of the little room. Harin's face flushes pink when she realises that her back is fully against Jungwon's body, her head leaning against his chest unintentionally.

What she doesn't see though, is that Jungwon has a small smirk on his face, as he rests his hands on the railings of the lift, not wanting to make her uncomfortable by touching her accidentally.

There's moments of silence as the lift moves upwards, with the delivery man not paying any attention to the two students he just bombarded.