Love in the Halls [Lee Donghyuck]

Chapter 76: Mommas Help

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Later that night Narae stared down at her phone, her thumb hovering uncertainly over the screen as her mom stood beside her, watching with far too much interest.

"You're making this way more complicated than it has to be," her mom said, nudging her shoulder. "Just text him. You talk to him in person, right? How is this any different?"

Narae groaned, throwing her head back. "Mom, this is completely different. In person, I don't have time to overthink my every word."

Her mom raised an eyebrow. "And yet you're overthinking right now."

Narae shot her a look, cheeks warming as she hesitated once more. She had already typed out a simple message but couldn't bring herself to hit send.

"Just press it!" her mom urged, practically bouncing on her feet. "It's not like you're asking him to marry you."

With a dramatic sigh, Narae finally hit send:

___________⋆˚࿔ hyuckie ⋆˚࿔ ___________

Narae: u free tomorrow?

"There. I did it," Narae said, exhaling like she had just run a marathon. Her heart raced for no reason at all, and her mom looked like she was about to burst from excitement.

Her mom squealed, clasping her hands together. "What do you think he'll say?"

Narae rolled her eyes, but the truth was, she was just as anxious. "I don't know. He could be busy, or maybe he won't reply..."

Before she could finish, her phone vibrated with a new message. Both of them jumped, and Narae quickly grabbed her phone, reading Haechan's reply:

hyuckie: yeah I'm free

hyuckie: why??

hyuckie: do you need something?

Narae's mom peeked over her shoulder, squinting at the text. "Ohhhh, he replied fast! That's a good sign, right?"

Narae groaned. "Mom, stop analyzing everything!" She glanced at the message again, her mind racing. What was she supposed to say now? Should she just ask him to hang out, or would that be too weird?

"Ask him what he's up to tomorrow," her mom suggested eagerly, practically shoving Narae toward her phone.

Narae hesitated, then typed:

Narae: we should hang out after school

"Perfect!" her mom said with a satisfied nod, as if she had written the text herself. "Now we wait."

Narae's stomach twisted in knots. The seconds felt like hours. Her mom was pacing the living room like she was waiting for the results of a reality TV show, and Narae was seriously regretting doing this in front of her.

Ding. Another message popped up:

hyuckie: sure ꉂꉂʕᵔⰙᵔ⠕ʔ 

hyuckie: awww narae

hyuckie: what do you wanna do?

Narae bit her lip, glancing at her mom for advice, but her mom had already begun offering ridiculous suggestions.

"Tell him to come over for dinner!" her mom said, her eyes gleaming. "We could all hang out here. I could cook something nice!"

Narae nearly choked. "Mom, no! Absolutely not." She shook her head, horrified at the thought. The last thing she needed was her mom playing matchmaker while she and Haechan tried to make small talk over dinner.

Her mom laughed. "Fine, fine. What about the movies? You two could go see something romantic—"

"Mom!" Narae blurted, her face burning. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I'm not asking him to watch a romantic movie with me!"

"Well, I'm just trying to help!" her mom teased, grinning mischievously.

Narae took a deep breath and decided to ignore her mom's suggestions altogether. She needed something casual, something that wouldn't make her seem like she was trying too hard. She quickly typed:

Narae: grab something to eat?

Narae: or just hang out somewhere chill?

Her mom clapped her hands together, clearly proud of Narae's restraint. "That's good! Keep it casual."

Narae groaned. "Please stop," she muttered, now more embarrassed than ever. She couldn't deal with her mom's over-the-top reactions anymore. In a fit of desperation, she grabbed her phone and dashed to her room, slamming the door behind her.

"Hey!" her mom shouted through the door. "Let me know what he says! I wanna know how it goes!"

Narae groaned again, flopping onto her bed as her phone vibrated once more.

hyuckie: okok

hyuckie: we could grab food at that place near the arcade?

Her heart skipped a beat. Of course, Haechan had to suggest something that would probably end with him dragging her into some chaotic gaming session. Still, she couldn't help but smile. He was being casual, laid-back, just like he always was. And weirdly, that made her feel a little less nervous.

Narae: sounds good

Narae: I'll meet u at ur criminology class

hyuckie: huh

hyuckie: no I'll meet u at ur art class

hyuckie: dw

Narae: whatever floats ur boat

She waited for his response, her fingers trembling slightly as she sent it. It was strange how just texting him made her feel so on edge. After a minute, he replied:

hyuckie: ʕ ᵔⰙᵔ⠕ʔ

Narae exhaled, a mix of relief and excitement settling over her. She stared at the screen, reading the messages over again. Her mom was right—this was all happening, and she was already in too deep.

A faint knock came from her door, followed by her mom's voice. "Did he say yes?"

Narae rolled her eyes, but a smile crept onto her lips. "Yes, mom! We're hanging out tomorrow!"

She could hear her mom's muffled cheer from the other side of the door. "I told you! You should listen to me more often!"

"Yeah, yeah," Narae muttered, shaking her head with a laugh. Maybe her mom was a little too invested in her love life, but she couldn't deny that her excitement made the situation a bit easier to handle.

Tomorrow. She was going to hang out with Haechan tomorrow. And for the first time, she wasn't freaking out about it—well, not completely.

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