HOW TO UNCRUSH ; hwang hyunjin

06 | sour disappointment

Sora felt dizzy, her heart in a tangled mess and a faint buzz ringing in her ears. She had just slammed the door in Hyunjin's face—her childhood best friend. Her first kiss. Her face burned with a deep blush.

"You disappeared." Intak's voice broke through her haze. Sora's head snapped up, her eyes wide and unfocused.

"Yeah, uh... I think I'm heading home," she muttered, letting go of the doorknob and brushing past him, her hair falling like a curtain over her flushed face. Intaek stood there, baffled, though it couldn't compare to the confusion etched on Hyunjin's face. He finally emerged from the kitchen, locking eyes with Intak, but neither said a word.

"Weird," Intak whispered.

Hyunjin exhaled as if trying to dispel the butterflies swirling inside him.

"You drunk?" Intak asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Nope," Hyunjin sang, a lazy grin spreading across his face like sweet summer zest. "Maybe a little."

"Right. Let's get you home before you start serenading someone," Intak sighed, moving to steady his swaying friend. "You're creeping me out with that smile."

"I was dancing, and she walked in," Hyunjin groaned, his face reddening with embarrassment. Intaek scoffed.

"Dancing? Alone? No wonder she ran. You probably scared her off," he muttered, half-laughing as Hyunjin leaned more heavily into him, making their way toward the back door. The cool night air would help sober him up—hopefully.

"She didn't even say hi," Hyunjin mumbled, sounding so dejected that Intak stole a glance, half-expecting tears. Luckily, all he found was a sulking pout.

"Get a grip, Hyunjin. And walk, you're as heavy as a sack of bricks." Intak grunted under the weight, ignoring Hyunjin's incoherent ramblings. It was such a stream of jumbled thoughts that Intak zoned out, focusing instead on counting the dark flecks on the carpet beneath their feet. By the time they reached the door, Intak was drenched in sweat. The least Hyunjin could do was open the door, but instead, the doorframe tripped them both. Hyunjin face-planted right onto the floor.

"Are you... okay?" Intak hesitated, biting back a laugh.

"That was fun," Hyunjin chuckled, his words slurring. "Do it again." A moment later, soft snores filled the space.

"Great. Just great," Intak muttered. Tomorrow was the first day of the semester, and here he was, stuck babysitting his drunk roommate.

...

Meanwhile, Sora was back in her dorm, carefully lifting a pot of ramen off the stove. She rushed to the living room and set it on the table, nudging the TV remote with her toe. As she flopped down into her seat, the opening credits of a new series filled the screen, and she smiled. The show was based on a webtoon she'd devoured back in ninth grade, and the nostalgia wrapped her in a warm hug. She hummed happily, blowing on her ramen before slurping down a mouthful. "Mmm, so good," she mumbled with a full mouth.

On the screen, a handsome man appeared, his hair falling softly over his eyes as he smiled, the bright backdrop giving him an almost angelic glow. But before she could get lost in the scene, Hyunjin's face popped into her mind, uninvited. Her smile faltered. "Why did he have to show up? Isn't Seoul supposed to be huge?" she muttered under her breath, mixing her ramen with sudden aggression. A splash of hot broth hit her in the eye.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Sora scrambled for a tissue, pressing it against her stinging eye. "Why is this happening now? I'm going to miss the premiere!" She bolted to the sink, running cold water over her face, half-blind from the pain. Hyunjin probably remembers you kissed him. "WHY CAN'T I STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT GUY?" she groaned, practically waterboarding herself.

Sora couldn't hear her phone ringing among the chaos of water getting all over her clothes and her cursing and physically fighting the faucet.

6 messages from nabi...

PICK UP YOU DUMBASS
OKAY BYE IGBORE ME
WERE GOING ON A CAMP
WE LEAVE TOMORROW NIGHT
I PUT IN YIUR NAME TOO
call me mad eye moody muAhahhaah