"what is love?" (zhang hao)

chapter seven

the quiet hum of the airplane filled yurim's ears as she gazed out of the window, watching the sky outside turn from blue to a soft, dusky orange. the fading sun cast long, golden rays across the clouds, but she barely noticed the beauty of it. her mind was far from the plane, lingering instead on the people she had just left behind—her friends, the fun, and him.

hao.

she sighed, resting her chin in her hand, her thoughts drifting back to all the moments they'd shared at the arcade. the way he teased her, his playful smirk when he won that stuffed bear, and how proud he looked when he handed it over. she glanced down at the small plushie now sitting on her lap, a reminder of how good-natured their rivalry always was. it felt silly, but holding the bear made her feel like she was still connected to him, even though they were miles apart now.

she didn't know why she missed him so much. after all, they were just friends—really good friends. that's all it was, right?

next to her, yujin was watching some action movie, but even with his headphones on, he could sense her mood. he pulled one earbud out and glanced over. "thinking about your friends already?"

yurim blinked, shaken from her thoughts. "huh? oh, yeah... just, you know, thinking about everyone."

yujin smirked, clearly seeing through her vague response. his eyes flicked to the bear in her hands. "everyone? or just one person?"

yurim's cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly shoved the bear into her backpack. "what are you talking about?"

yujin laughed softly, shaking his head. "c'mon, noona. you were glued to hao's side the whole trip. everyone could see how much you guys hung out."

yurim frowned, brushing off the comment. "we're friends. we just get along really well, that's all." she tried to sound casual, but even as she said the words, a strange feeling twisted in her chest.

"sure, whatever you say," yujin replied, but his grin told her he wasn't convinced. "but don't act like you weren't sad when you said goodbye. you were practically sulking."

yurim groaned, leaning back in her seat. "i wasn't sulking. i just... i don't know, it feels weird leaving everyone behind. especially hao." she paused, her voice softening as she said his name.

yujin raised an eyebrow but didn't push it. instead, he gave her a knowing look. "you're clueless, you know that?"

yurim frowned. "what do you mean?"

"you'll figure it out." yujin smirked, putting his headphones back in before she could argue.

yurim huffed, turning back to the window, though yujin's words lingered in her mind. what was there to figure out? sure, she missed hao. they had spent a lot of time together, and she couldn't deny how much fun she had with him. but that didn't mean there was something more, right? they were just friends, after all. the playful teasing, the way he ruffled her hair just to annoy her, how he always managed to make her laugh even when she was trying to be serious—that was just their dynamic.

she sighed, her thoughts a tangled mess. why did she feel so restless thinking about him? it was normal to miss friends. but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it wasn't just missing him—it was how much she missed him.

she pulled her backpack close and hugged it, as if holding the bear inside could somehow make the feeling go away. her heart was heavy, but she refused to acknowledge why.

unbeknownst to her, the answer was sitting quietly in her heart, waiting to be realized.

for now, though, yurim remained oblivious. all she knew was that, in this moment, she would have given anything to turn the plane around and see hao's smiling face one more time.

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one extra chapter today bc i just realized im dragging the story i swear they will see each other soon (like chapter 20?? IM REALLY SORRY I GOT CARRIED AWAY im gonna upload 2 chapters each time i upload ig)