𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙊𝙉 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙈𝙔 𝙎𝘾𝘼𝙍𝙎 / 𝙃.𝙃𝙔𝙐𝙉𝙅𝙄𝙉 𝙓 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙀𝙍

chapter 25; " notes "

October 1st, 19:23 PM

The atmosphere of the party had dimmed down as the girls sat on the porch outside, eating ice cream in the cold weather. Y/n cleaned the table, placing the plates in the dishwasher as Hyunjin watched from afar, his eyes lingering on Y/n's rolled-up sleeves. The cuts hadn't healed in years in both ways-physically and mentally. His jaw clenched as he tightened his fist, anger glinting in his eyes as he just wanted to ruin those who had touched her.

Hyunjin's phone rang amidst the quiet, comfortable vibe, and he walked away from the kitchen, glancing at the contact name "Chan Hyung" as he swiped to answer, placing the phone near his ear.

"Hm, Chan?" he answered. A cough echoed through the call, making Hyunjin flinch at its volume. "Shit, my bad," Chan apologized, letting out a few small, short coughs.

"You good, old man?" Hyunjin joked.

"Gosh, I might've forgotten how to smoke; I was trying to look cool," Chan replied between coughs.

"You're already old as heck; you're going to ruin your lungs," Hyunjin scoffed, earning a chuckle from Chan.

"I've been stressed out lately; these girls aren't giving me any time to relax," Chan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Ooooo, girlfriend?" Hyunjin teased, earning a tongue click from Chan.

"No, the students. They're wasting my time." Chan took a deep breath, his chest heaving.

"Quit. I'll give you a job at the department store," Hyunjin responded. Chan went quiet, clearing his throat.

"I'll think about it," Chan replied, his dry lips uncomfortable as he spoke since he hadn't been taking care of himself.

"Great, the offer's open anytime," Hyunjin said with a smile before Chan hung up.

Bang Chan was at the university 24/7, worn out to the point that he often passed out in class. He considered Hyunjin's offer; he didn't want to feel like this anymore. Returning to the classroom to grab his belongings, he dragged himself to his laptop, shut it, and placed it into his backpack. He walked out, turned off the lights, and made his way to his BMW-Hyunjin's birthday gift to him. Clearing his throat as he sat down, he placed his backpack in the passenger seat and buckled up, his grip on the steering wheel weakening with fatigue, unable even to take his frustration out on his car.

---

Hyunjin paced around the kitchen out of boredom as Y/n cleaned up.

"You're so noisy, stand still," Y/n sighed, adjusting her posture, her eyes avoiding Hyunjin's.

"I'm bored," Hyunjin grunted.

"Go home then," Y/n rolled her eyes. Finally done cleaning, she took a seat, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it down, her eyes trying not to close from exhaustion.

"Where's the bathroom?" Hyunjin asked. Y/n placed her glass down, gulping the water before answering.

"Go to the one in my room. Second floor, the door to your right," Y/n replied quickly. Hyunjin nodded and went up the stairs, his steps loud and clear as he approached the door, pulled down the handle, and entered. Y/n's room wasn't excessive, but it didn't lack anything. It had enough accessories and a pleasant atmosphere. Hyunjin's gaze fell on a galaxy-themed diary on the desk. He lingered for a few seconds before reaching for it, ignoring the bad feeling as he picked it up and opened it. It was a diary that started in 2017.

---

'Aug 17, 2017'

'I know this is my first time writing in here, so I hope the future me reads this. Hi! I just finished eighth grade a few months ago, and I'll be starting high school in a few days. I'm so excited because I've been waiting for high school all year in eighth grade. I hope everything goes well. I'm a bit of an introvert, but I really hope some people approach me. I just want to make a few friends-even one would mean a lot. I didn't have any friends last year, so I'm hoping high school goes well!'

---

Hyunjin read the page, his fingers fidgeting with the edge before turning to the next one.

---

'Sept 4, 2018'

'I started school today, and it's not so bad, although it upsets me that no one has approached me. I'm writing this in class because the teacher hasn't arrived yet. I'm already tired, but I have to go home and cook for my father and sister. I don't know what I should cook for dinner. Maybe rice with chicken? Oh well, I'll figure it out with what's at home. I wish I had a mom to cook for me; that way, I could just go home to hot food on the table without worrying about my father being left hungry, my sister too. I wish my father could cook, but I guess he doesn't have the skills. I hope someone cooks for me one day-someone close, someone who can share their warmth.'

---

Hyunjin shuddered as goosebumps formed on his arms. His heart pounded, torn between stopping and reading further.

---

'Sept 30, 2017'

'I don't know if I should be writing this, but my arm stings so much. I'm writing with it, and the pen pressure is hurting the small cuts. I have a raspy voice and look like a mess. I just got home, and my father's at work, so I'll have time to clean up before he comes back, right?'

---

Hyunjin's eyes scanned the page, taking in every word and misspelling.

---

"What are you doing?" A voice echoed, sending shivers down his spine. He quickly dropped the diary, flinching as his eyes darted to Y/n's death stare.

"Uh... looking for the bathroom," Hyunjin lied, the excuse so obvious it almost embarrassed him.

"Really?" Y/n tilted her head, stepping closer with quiet, soundless footsteps. Hyunjin's heart pounded, loud enough to echo in the room as Y/n closed the distance. She knelt to retrieve her diary from where he'd dropped it, gripping it as she stared at him.

"Did you read this?" she asked, dead serious.

"Why would I?" The obvious lie didn't fool her.

"Fuck," she sighed, throwing the diary onto the bed in frustration, embarrassed at the thought of being seen by him after that discovery.

"I didn't read it," he repeated, though the lie weighed on him as he saw her expression.

"Liar," she scoffed.

"Fine," he admitted, earning an exasperated huff from her. She covered the diary with a pillow, embarrassed and frustrated. "I'll beat you to death if you mention a single detail from a single page," she threatened, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Hyunjin stood there silently, then a faint smile played on his lips as he leaned closer to her. "Oh, really?" he whispered, bringing his face level with hers, their noses almost touching as he closed the distance between them.

Their breaths mingled, the space between them barely a whisper as he inched closer, his gaze flickering between her eyes and parted lips. She could feel the warmth radiating from him, the soft rise and fall of his chest in time with her own unsteady breaths. His eyes held her captive, the intensity thrilling and unnerving. Her heart raced, her pulse thrumming as his face drew so close that their noses nearly brushed. Time seemed to still, the world fading until all that existed was him, the quiet promise in the tension between them, and the electric anticipation sparking in the air.

Y/n's cheeks turned red, her eyes fixed on him before she quickly pushed him away, terrified by what she'd almost done. The thought of acting on that urge made her stomach clench, her eyes blinking rapidly before focusing back on him. Hyunjin stood there, disappointment flickering in his expression as he sucked his lips in, tasting the faint cherry flavor of his lip balm. They stood there in silence, the chaotic vibe between them turning into a thick tension as they eyed each other.

An: ik I don't leave messages but so many views but barely any votes, thank you all for your lovely support !! If you don't mind, can you vote for the chapter so the book can get into recommendations? <3 (I might be too greedy but if you do like the book, mind following too? :3) We're so close to 2k reads and I'm so happy at how far we've come, my phone is really laggy and I always try to use special things in the books but I can't because it lags really bad. Lemme tell yall something. I write in Samsung notes, meaning I can't add those fancy cool looking fonts in my chapters because if I do, the entire chapter will be filled with that specific font :(
Let's just hope I get a new device to write on !!