Only one? [male Chaeyoung x TWICE]

(11) take me back

[at campus]

Chaeyoung strolled down the quiet hallway, a stack of books balanced in his hands.

He had just come from the library and was heading to class, his mind preoccupied with his upcoming assignments.

Sana watched him from a distance, her heart racing.

'Now's my chance,' she thought. She had been waiting for the perfect moment to approach him, to finally reintroduce herself after all these years.

But before she could take a step, she noticed someone else moving toward him.

Mina.

With a calculated flick of her wrist, Mina "accidentally" bumped into Chaeyoung, sending his books tumbling to the floor.

She crossed her arms, glaring at him as if it had been his fault.

"Seriously?" Mina snapped, her voice sharp and condescending.

"Watch where you're going! Do you even know how much this dress costs? You could've ruined it!" Chaeyoung blinked at her, unfazed by her outburst.

He sighed, crouching down to pick up his books.

"Sorry about that," he said calmly, his tone neutral. But his nonchalant response only seemed to ignite Mina further.

"That's it? Just 'sorry'? You think that's enough? Do you honestly think you're going to get away with that?" Sana felt her blood boil as she watched the scene unfold.

Without thinking, she stepped forward, her voice cutting through the tension. "Maybe you should watch where YOU'RE going," Sana said, her tone icy.

"From what I saw, you were the one who bumped into him." Mina turned, her eyes narrowing at Sana. "Excuse me? Who even are you?"

"Someone who's not going to stand by while you harass someone over your own stupidness," Sana retorted, stepping between Mina and Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung glanced up from the floor, surprised but curious about this sudden ally. He didn't recognize her—at least, not yet—but he decided to play along.

"Thanks," he said quietly, dusting off his books as he stood. Mina's face flushed with embarrassment and anger. She huffed, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

"Whatever. I don't have time for this." She shot one last glare at Sana before storming off, muttering under her breath. As soon as Mina was out of earshot, Chaeyoung turned to Sana, his expression soft.

"Thanks for stepping in. You didn't have to do that." Sana smiled, her heart fluttering at the familiar sound of his voice. "Well, someone had to. She was being ridiculous." Chaeyoung tilted his head slightly, studying her.

"You seem familiar... Have we met before?" Sana hesitated for a moment, her nerves suddenly getting the better of her.

Sana was silent.

"Chaeyoung I..." Sana starts, but the sound of the bell rang, signaling the start of the next class.

"Catch you later!" Sana said, walking off before he could say anything else.

Chaeyoung stood there for a moment, watching her leave, a strange feeling of déjà vu settling over him. 

'Who is she?' he wondered, before heading to class himself.

Chaeyoung stared down the hallway where Sana had disappeared, the faint echo of her words lingering in his mind.