Zephyr | Lee Felix

Chapter 23

MONDAY, WEEK 5

It has been almost two hours since they have spent time together at the park. Hyunjin places down his pencil, surprised by the way his creativity has decorated his previously blank sketchbook. He stares at his draft, feeling satisfied.

As Hyunjin admires his progress, he glances up to see Eugene, engrossed in her textbook and laptop. Her focused expression and how she nibbles on her thumb when thinking hard make his heart beat a little faster.

"Eugene? How's your work going?" He clears his throat softly, not wanting to disturb her concentration but also wanting to check on her. 

She looks up from her laptop, her eyes bright and focused. "It's going pretty well." She replies with a smile. "I've made a lot of progress on this assignment. How about you? How's the drawing coming along?" She leans in to take a look at his sketchbook, her proximity sending a spark of excitement through his heart.

"I... It's coming along." He says, trying to sound nonchalant. "I think the draft is almost done." He turns the sketchbook slightly so that she can get a better look.

"Whoa. As I expected; a masterpiece." Her lips curve up into a smile as she inches away, "I'm quite curious about how it'll turn out in the end, though."

He breaks into a small smile, "Thanks. I'm... feeling pretty good about it so far. It's turning out better than I expected." Hyunjin then adds with a shy tone, "I guess... I really needed a change of environment."

"Productivity does get affected by your environment." She nods in agreement, starting to pack her things away. "Anyway, I think that's enough grind for now. Shall we return to our apartment?"

Hyunjin watches her hands move along, taking in the items into her beige tote bag one by one. The thought of returning so soon somehow makes his heart sink slightly. As much as he doesn't want to admit it, he doesn't want this moment to end just yet.

"Actually..." He begins, his heart accelerating as he makes a split decision. "Can we... walk for a little longer? Just for a bit?"

Eugene pauses, her brows furrowed in slight confusion. He can almost see the question in her eyes, but she nods anyway. 

"Sure, why not." She slings her bag over her shoulder and gets to her feet gracefully. "Lead the way." 

Hyunjin stands up, a mix of relief and excitement coursing through him. He takes a moment to gather his sketchbook and drawing materials before he starts walking, glancing at the girl as she falls into step beside him.

They walk in comfortable silence for a bit, the peacefulness of the park surrounding them. The air feels different now, lighter yet somehow tenser at the same time. Hyunjin wonders if she can feel it too.

He'd find himself stealing glances at Eugene from time to time. She seems so close yet so unreachable. He doesn't know what he's doing, inviting her to stay longer with him like this. He can feel a future heartbreak, but he just can't help it.

"What are you looking at?" Eugene turns her head towards him, her eyes meeting his.

Hyunjin jumps slightly, realizing he's caught staring at her. He quickly averts his gaze, feeling a heat creeping up his neck. "Uh, nothing. Just the scenery." He responds, hoping she doesn't notice his slight fluster.

"Sure, the scenery." She teases.

Hyunjin feels his cheeks warm up. He tries to play it cool, replying with a similar teasing tone. "Yeah, the scenery. Got a problem with that?"

Even as he responds, he's painfully aware of how cliche of an excuse it is. The 'scenery', really? Couldn't think of anything better? He curses himself internally—that was stupid.