Love in the Halls [Lee Donghyuck]

Chapter 65: A Familiar Comfort

⋆˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

Narae's apartment was filled with the comforting smell of instant ramen, the steam rising in lazy spirals from the bowls set on the coffee table. Renjun sat cross-legged on the floor, slurping his noodles with an ease that spoke of how many times they'd done this before. He looked entirely at home, his expression content as he took another bite.

Narae, curled up on the couch with a blanket draped over her legs, watched him with a small smile. These moments with Renjun had become something she treasured—simple, no-pressure evenings where they could just be themselves.

"Why does ramen always taste better when it's shared?" Renjun mused aloud, breaking the silence. He twirled some noodles around his chopsticks, glancing up at Narae with a grin.

"Cause you're eating it with me, duh," Narae replied, her tone light and teasing.

Renjun chuckled. "Sure. Your presence elevates even the most basic instant noodles."

"You're so cute when you're nice, Renjun," she  quipped, taking a bite of her own noodles. "You should do it more often." 

The warmth of the food settled in her stomach, soothing some of the anxiety that had been swirling inside her since the festival.

"So, what's been going on in Rae-land?" Renjun asked after a moment, his gaze curious but gentle. He leaned back, resting his hands on the floor behind him.

Narae hesitated, twirling her chopsticks around in the bowl. "Don't even get me started. I'm trying to keep my head above water."

"Huh?" Renjun raised an eyebrow. "You mean dealing with Mark and Donghyuck—Haechan?"

She sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Sure, something like that. It's just... I didn't expect things to get so complicated so quickly."

Renjun tilted his head, his expression thoughtful. "Is it really that complicated, though? Or are you overthinking it?"

Narae shot him a half-hearted glare. "Maybe a little of both. I mean, it's not like I asked for this attention. I just wanted a quiet, uneventful school year."

"And yet, here we are," Renjun said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Narae, you've never been one to blend into the background, no matter how hard you try. People notice you."

"But, I don't want them to," she muttered, feeling a familiar sense of frustration bubble up inside her.

Renjun's gaze softened, and he leaned forward slightly. "But maybe that's not such a bad thing. You're interesting, Narae. People are drawn to that."

"Yeah, well, can they please stop now," she grumbled, poking at her noodles.

Renjun chuckled, the sound warm and reassuring. "You're too hard on yourself, you know that? And maybe this whole thing with Mark and Haechan is just... the universe's way of reminding you that you're not as invisible as you think."

Narae rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "I wish the universe would pick a different way."

Renjun shrugged, his grin widening. "The universe has a weird sense of humor."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, the movie playing in the background providing a soothing backdrop to their thoughts. Narae let out a small sigh, feeling some of the tension ease from her shoulders. Being with Renjun always had that effect on her—he was like a grounding force in the midst of her internal chaos.