Who are you: school 2015 ( A Chance) {On-going}

⭐Chapter 26⭐

The night air was cold against their skin as Taekwang and Eunha stepped outside, leaving the tension of the dinner behind them. The door clicked shut softly behind them, and they stood on the porch for a moment, the silent evening wrapping around them like a blanket.

Taekwang ran a hand through his hair, his breath coming in uneven puffs. He hadn't meant to sound so forceful earlier, but seeing her so uncomfortable, so out of place—it unsettled him more than he could explain.

Eunha shifted beside him, her eyes lingering on the ground as if searching for something, anything to focus on other than the silence between them. Her shoulders were tense, her arms crossed over her chest. She didn't look at him, but he could feel the distance growing between them, even in this moment of isolation.

"You didn't have to leave," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Taekwang's gaze snapped to her, surprised by the words. "I wanted to," he said, the truth coming out before he could stop it. "You shouldn't have to stay there if you're uncomfortable."

She finally looked at him then, her eyes meeting his with a mixture of surprise and something softer, something he couldn't quite place. "I didn't want to make things worse," she said, her voice full of an unspoken apology.

"How could you make things worse?" he asked, his voice sharp before he caught himself. "It's not your fault."

Eunha's gaze dropped again, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve. She seemed small, distant, like she was trying to hide from him. He felt a surge of frustration—a desire to understand what was going on inside her head. Why had she seemed so out of place? So... fragile?

"Do you—" he stopped himself, the question hanging in the air like a weight.

"Do you even want to be here? With me?" The words slipped out before he could filter them, and once they were spoken, they felt too vulnerable, too real.

Eunha froze, her eyes wide for a brief second. Her lips parted, but she didn't answer right away. Her gaze shifted to the stars above them, and for a long moment, Taekwang thought she might leave the question unanswered, like the silence was safer. But then she spoke, her voice barely audible against the wind.

"I... I don't know how to explain this," she said, her words catching as if she was grappling with something much bigger than the night, bigger than the dinner. "I don't know how to explain anything anymore."

Taekwang frowned. There was something in her tone that made his chest tighten. "What do you mean?" he asked, stepping closer to her, though he hesitated. He didn't want to crowd her, but he needed to understand.

Eunha glanced at him, her expression shifting, darkening with something that might have been regret. Her lips pressed into a tight line. "Taekwang..." She swallowed, as though the words were hard to say. "There's so much you don't know."

"About me. About... everything."

He took a deep breath, trying to hold on to his patience. "You don't have to explain it all right now," he said softly, reaching out tentatively, his fingers brushing against her arm. "But you don't have to carry it alone either."

She seemed to falter at his touch, her body going still for a long second. Then she closed her eyes and sighed, a sound so heavy it felt like it came from a place much deeper than this world.

"I don't belong here, Taekwang," she murmured, her voice barely a breath

"Not like this. Not here."

Her words were a whisper, but they hit him like a punch.

"What are you talking about?" His voice cracked slightly confused.

He wasn't sure he wanted to hear what she was about to say, but he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"I am not from here. I don't belong here. This is not my place. I can't fit in here.

"Where are you from, Eunha? Really from?"

She looked at him, her gaze steady now, but there was something distant in her eyes—something that felt like it was hiding behind a veil. "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you." She said unsure.

Before Taekwang could respond, before he could demand answers, something flickered in her expression—a brief moment where the intensity of the moment was replaced by something almost sorrowful. She seemed like she was already preparing for him to reject whatever truth she was about to give him.

He swallowed hard, his chest tight. "Try me."

Eunha hesitated, her lips parting as if she was about to say something monumental. But instead, she looked away. "Not yet," she said, the words so soft he barely heard them. "Not tonight."

For a moment, they stood there, the quiet stretching between them like a chasm neither of them was ready to cross. Taekwang wanted to press her further, but he could feel the walls she'd built around herself, walls that seemed too high for him to climb.

Instead, he let out a slow breath. "Okay," he said softly. "But you can tell me, whenever you're ready."

Eunha looked at him then, her eyes searching his face for something—maybe for a reason to trust him, maybe just for the comfort of knowing he wouldn't judge her. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

Taekwang didn't respond right away. He wasn't sure what to say, how to make sense of everything that was happening, everything she was saying without saying it. All he knew was that standing here with her, in this fragile moment, felt like both the beginning and the end of something. And for the first time that night, it didn't feel like he was carrying the weight alone.

"Whatever this is," he said quietly, his voice firm, "we'll figure it out together. I don't care where you're from. I care about you. That's all that matters."

Eunha's eyes softened at his words, and she gave him a small, uncertain smile. "I don't know what to do with that." she said

Taekwang simply shrugged, stepping closer.

"We'll figure it out," he repeated. "One step at a time."

A long silence passed before Eunha took a deep breath. Her fingers curled around the hem of her sleeve, and she exhaled shakily. She didn't speak right away, but when she did, her voice was steadier than it had been all night.

"Taekwang..." She met his gaze, her eyes now holding something more firm. "I don't want to be here alone. I... I think I need to leave. I don't know where to go, but I don't want to stay here anymore."

Taekwang's heart thudded in his chest as the weight of her words settled in. He didn't even hesitate before he stepped closer, his hand reaching out to gently take hers. "You don't have to go alone," he said, his voice low, steady. "I'm with you. Wherever you want to go, I'll be there."

Her eyes softened, and for the first time that night, her smile wasn't uncertain. It was small but genuine, like a glimmer of hope in the dark.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely audible, but her grip on his hand tight.

Without a word, he stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her.

She melted into him almost immediately, the warmth of his embrace a silent promise that everything could still be okay. And as the cool night air wrapped around them, Taekwang could feel the future stretching out before them, uncertain yet full of potential. His heart beat a little faster as they walked away from the world they knew and toward whatever would come next.

And, in that quiet, sacred moment, everything felt like it was exactly as it should be.

End of Chapter 26!

Yours sincerely,

Jungkookie301