dandelions｜kim dohoon

chapter three - winds of change 🌬

yewon's walk home was always a time for reflection, a quiet moment to let her thoughts settle before she entered the rush of school life again. but this time, her mind felt heavy, filled with fragments of the student council meeting, the way dohoon had smiled at her, and aeri's cold, deliberate actions.

she had always known that aeri, as the vice president of the student council, was in a position of power, but today, yewon felt something she hadn't before-a sense of being watched. the air around her felt charged with unspoken tension, and she couldn't shake the feeling that aeri's polished exterior was hiding something darker.

the very thought of it made yewon uncomfortable, and yet, she couldn't push it aside. aeri had been too... sweet, too attentive today. almost too eager to involve herself in every little decision, every detail of the event. yewon had caught the way aeri's eyes lingered on dohoon, the way she subtly tried to position herself at his side.

it wasn't just a friendly partnership-there was something else there. something yewon wasn't sure she could compete with.

as she walked past rows of familiar houses, yewon's phone buzzed in her pocket. she pulled it out and saw a message from youngjae: "hey, you wanna meet up? i've got something to talk to you about."

she hesitated for a moment, feeling the weight of the day pressing on her shoulders. but then, thinking about the way youngjae had quietly slipped back into her life, she couldn't resist. he had been her first love, after all. he understood her in a way no one else did.

"sure, where?" she replied, her fingers tapping quickly on the screen.

"let's meet by the park in ten minutes. i'll wait for you."

yewon's heart skipped a beat. it had been a while since they'd had a conversation like this-one that didn't feel strained or awkward. it was always nice to talk to him, even if it brought up old feelings. without thinking too much about it, she turned down a side street and made her way toward the park.

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meanwhile, inside the student council room, aeri was far from as composed as she appeared on the outside. once the meeting had ended and the others had dispersed, she had stayed behind, waiting for dohoon. her thoughts swirled with unease and determination. she had always admired him from afar-his confidence, his calm demeanor, the way everyone seemed to gravitate toward him.

but it wasn't just admiration. aeri had long believed that dohoon was the one for her. she had spent years positioning herself as the perfect vice president, aligning herself with dohoon at every opportunity, offering support when needed, and making sure to present herself as the ideal partner for him.

but now, there was yewon. the soft-spoken girl who had recently become more involved in student council activities. aeri had noticed her the moment she joined, and while she had initially written her off as harmless, something in yewon's quiet interactions with dohoon had set off alarms in aeri's mind.

the way dohoon had looked at her, the way he seemed to listen so intently when yewon spoke-it was different. there was something between them, something aeri couldn't ignore. yewon might not have realized it, but aeri knew: she was a threat. and aeri wasn't about to let her dreams slip away just because of a naive crush.

as dohoon walked into the room, aeri quickly masked her thoughts with a bright smile. "hey, dohoon," she greeted him smoothly. "are you free to go over the schedule for tomorrow's meeting?"

"yeah," dohoon replied, his tone as calm as ever. "i've got a minute."

they sat down together, papers spread out in front of them, but aeri's mind was elsewhere. she could feel the weight of the situation pressing on her, the pressure to stay composed, to not let anything slip.