Love in the Halls [Lee Donghyuck]

Chapter 89: The Solace In Writing

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It had been a week since Narae last saw Haechan. The memory of their conversation, of him carrying her home after she had fallen asleep, lingered in her mind like a song that played too quietly in the background. She hadn't talked to him much since then, not because she didn't want to, but because something in her needed space. A breather. The whirlwind of emotions between them—whatever they were—had left her feeling more vulnerable than she was used to.

Her mom had noticed, of course. She always did, throwing out comments like, "You should invite Donghyuck over again! He's such a nice boy," and, "I've never seen you so close with someone before." Narae would just smile, shrug it off, and change the subject. There was something about hearing Haechan's name from her mom that made everything feel too real, too close.

But now, a week later, the haze of emotions had started to lift, and she needed to do something for herself. She woke up that morning with a strange sense of urgency, the kind that pushed her out of bed before she could second-guess herself. She had spent too long mulling over things in her head. Today needed to be different.

Without much thought, Narae packed her bag with a notebook, a pen, and a book she had been meaning to read but never got around to. She didn't have a plan—just the desire to get away for a while.

By late afternoon, she found herself walking through the quieter streets of the city, away from the bustling areas she usually frequented. The world felt softer here—less chaotic. The sun was shining, but not too harshly, and a gentle breeze ruffled her hair as she made her way toward a park she hadn't visited in what felt like forever.

The park was small, hidden away from the main roads and the crowds. She remembered coming here as a kid, spending hours playing in the shade of the large oak trees or lying in the grass, staring up at the sky. It was one of those places that seemed frozen in time—unchanged, like it had been waiting for her to return.

When she arrived, she found a bench beneath the largest oak tree, its thick branches offering a cool refuge from the warm summer sun. The park wasn't completely empty; a few people walked by, and a couple sat on a nearby bench, but it was peaceful. It felt like a world apart from everything she had been dealing with lately.

Narae sat down, pulling her notebook from her bag. The pages were blank, untouched since she last used it months ago. She had always been someone who found solace in writing—little snippets of thoughts, pouring out emotions, or whatever came to mind. But recently, her mind had been too cluttered to put anything down.

For a while, she just sat there, staring at the blank page, letting the sounds of the park fill her ears. Birds chirped overhead, leaves rustled in the breeze, and the distant murmur of the city barely reached this quiet corner. It was nice to sit still for a change, without feeling the need to rush or think too hard.

As she sat there, pen hovering over the paper, her mind wandered back to the past week. The space she had carved out for herself had been necessary, but it also gave her time to reflect—on Haechan, on her feelings, on everything. She had tried not to think too much about him, but it was impossible not to. Especially after that night. She had fallen asleep in his arms, and even though she tried to laugh it off the next day, she knew there was something more to it.

Maybe it was the way he hugged her. Or the way his voice softened when he spoke to her, like he was careful not to break something fragile. There was a tenderness in his touch that she hadn't expected. And for someone who spent so much time building walls around herself, that tenderness had slipped through the cracks.

But she wasn't ready to deal with that yet. Not today.

Instead, she let her thoughts drift to other things—simpler things. The quiet of the park, the warm breeze, the soft scratching of her pen against the paper as she wrote down whatever came to mind.

The minutes turned into hours without her noticing. She wrote little fragments—nothing coherent, just thoughts that floated in and out of her mind. Scribbles about the park, about the way the sunlight filtered through the leaves, about the sense of peace she felt in this moment. For the first time in a while, she wasn't thinking about school, or her friends, or the complicated feelings swirling around Haechan. It was just her, the park, and her notebook.

At some point, Narae paused, looking up from the page. The sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky, casting a soft golden light across the park. She watched as the few remaining people began to leave, the world around her growing quieter with each passing minute. The air felt different now—cooler, more still.

She leaned back against the bench, closing her eyes for a moment and letting herself just exist in the moment. No thoughts, no worries. Just the gentle rustle of the trees above her and the distant hum of the city fading into the background.

This was what she had been missing. The quiet, the solitude, the time to just breathe without the weight of everything pressing down on her. She had spent so much time wrapped up in the chaos of her life—of school, friends, and whatever was happening with Haechan—that she had forgotten what it felt like to be alone in a way that felt... peaceful.

She had needed this day, more than she realized.

When Narae finally opened her eyes again, the sun had almost set, casting long shadows across the ground. The park was nearly empty now, the quiet settling in even more deeply around her. She packed her things, slipping her notebook back into her bag and standing up from the bench.

As she made her way out of the park, she felt lighter—like the weight she had been carrying around for the past week had finally started to lift. She wasn't sure if everything was suddenly clearer, or if she had found any answers to the questions swirling in her mind, but at least she had reclaimed a part of herself today.

The world outside the park was the same as when she entered, but to Narae, it felt a little less overwhelming now. A little more manageable.

And maybe that was enough for now.

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1101 words

A/N: GUYSS THE BOOK IS REALLY NEARING ITS ENDING 

I feel like that's also why I haven't been updating as often...I don't want it to end :((  but low-key its been already really slow-burn so it has to

anyway I hope u enjoyed the quick read this was more of a filler but yeah its gonna get good soon have the best day/night very guys!! xoxo