After the trip, a quiet distance settled between Juhee and Wonbin. They returned to campus, slipping back into the rhythm of university life as if nothing had happened between them. No words passed about that night by the beach, and no sideways glances hinted at hidden thoughts. Their silence seemed mutual, a silent pact neither acknowledged nor broke.
As the year drew to a close, campus life shifted to a relentless pace. Final exams loomed, and each day seemed to demand every bit of focus and energy. Juhee threw herself into her studies, finding some solace in late nights and stacks of notes. Friends came and went with offers of study breaks or coffee runs, but she waved them off, her mind determined to stay sharp.
When exam week finally arrived, Juhee found herself navigating a sea of students with the same anxious intensity. In lecture halls filled with focused faces, she saw Wonbin from time to time, though always at a distance. Each sighting unsettled her, memories of that night sparking and fading before she could let them take root. His presence was both familiar and foreign, a contradiction that left her more conflicted than ever.
As the last day of exams arrived, she couldn't shake the feeling of something unresolved. Her final test ended with a sense of relief, but also a strange weight she couldn't quite identify. Gathering her things, Juhee watched friends laughing and congratulating each other, the shared energy a welcome distraction from the empty feeling that had begun to grow inside her.
Making her way toward the campus exit, she caught sight of Wonbin. He stood near the gate, casually talking with a few friends, his expression relaxed, almost content. For a moment, their eyes met, and a current of unspoken words seemed to pass between them. She waited, hoping he might walk over, but after a heartbeat, he looked away, resuming his conversation as if nothing had ever passed between them.
Juhee paused, feeling a mix of frustration and acceptance. She wanted to walk over, to ask him what that night had meant, but the resolve slipped away as quickly as it had come. Whatever had lingered between them felt like a shadow of a memory-distant, slipping away with the closing of the school year.
Taking a steadying breath, Juhee turned and walked out of the gate, hoping to leave the confusion and heartache behind with each step. The year was ending, and with it, the questions that had lingered on the edges of her heart.
YOU ARE READING
Between the Lines | Riize Wonbin
FanfictionBOOK 1 of the RIIZE series || Between the Lines || Ft. Wonbin of Riize Amidst the relentless pressures of university life, Myung Juhee is trapped under the crushing expectations of her family, determined to become a successful lawyer while drowning...
