"Umm, Jeno?"
Jeno looks over his shoulder.
"Can we talk?" Jieun is standing near the fridge, nervously anticipating Jeno's next words. Jeno whirls back to face the microwave, internally panicking at being alone with Jieun.
"Yes?"
"So... I don't know how to say this without sounding weird... the past few days... I've been feeling- I mean maybe it's just me... I could totally be wrong, in which case feel free to tell me I'm wrong. Actually, it would be better if I'm wrong because then-"
"Jieun you're rambling."
Jeno's shaky but friendly tone silences Jieun momentarily. She takes a deep breath and walks closer to Jeno and leans against the kitchen counter opposite to him.
"I feel you have been a bit distant these days... like you've been avoiding me..."
Jeno does not respond. He feels disoriented, partly because Jieun not only picked up on his behaviour but also wants to address it. And mostly because he does not know what to say without confessing his one-sided crush.
"Did I do something to make you uncomfortable? If so, I really apo-"
"No! It's not you, it's me!" Silence follows Jeno's indignant response. "I-"
"You don't have to share, if you don't want to." Jieun gently says but Jeno shakes his head. "I think... if I don't say it now, I might never." Jieun doesn't respond wanting Jeno to speak up in his own time and comfort.
"Don't take this the wrong way or feel pressured or-" Jieun places a hand on Jeno's shoulder, reassuring him with a smile that she won't judge him no matter what he says. Jeno closes his eyes and breathes out.
"I... like you Jieun."
Taken aback, Jieun does retrieve her hand but does not move away. Sensing that Jeno probably has more to say, she also does not attempt to give an immediate response. With his eyes still closed, Jieun's lack of response makes Jeno feel extremely anxious, but at the same time he is also grateful for it.
"I'm going to sound crazy but the day we first met..." He pauses and a fond look comes over his facial features. "I felt drawn to you the moment I saw you. You know, for the first time I wasn't nervous or anxious for an exam. I felt calm and I knew it was your effect."
The microwave dings, signalling that the food's all heated up. But neither of the two make a move. Each too deep in their thoughts.
"When I couldn't find you afterwards, I was sad thinking I might not get to see you again. And then..." Jeno chuckles to himself. "...you turn out to be Jisung's sister."
Jeno finally opens his eyes but he doesn't immediately look at Jieun. He stares at the ceiling briefly before tilting his head slightly to give her a side glance. "Fate sure works in quite mysterious ways, doesn't it?"
Jieun shifts her position, now standing beside Jeno. Her fingers fidget with the bracelet on her left wrist. Jeno notices and lets out an airy laugh. "You are free to reject me now."
With guilt and sadness swimming in her eyes, Jieun scans Jeno's face. She can see his eye smile attempting to mask his heartbreak and that pains her even more. "I'm sorry for causing you pain Jeno."
"Don't be." Jeno's deep but soft voice lingers in the air. "I'm at peace with it."
Jieun looks down, her heart feeling heavy with multiple emotions. Knowing this, Jeno nudges her with his shoulder playfully. "Hey." She shakes her head and refuses to look away from the floor.
"I admit, I have been avoiding you. I was still sorting my feelings..." Jeno opens straightens. "It took some time, but I realised that in the end I am content with being your friend. As long as I don't lose this bond between us."
He plates the food for everyone and holds out a plate for Jieun. "Besides, it's just a crush. I'll be over it before you and Renjun even confess. That is, if you guys do."
Jieun snaps her head up with wide eyes. Jeno's lips curl up in a tiny grin at the perplexed expression on her face. "Jaem's right. You two are hopeless."
"Excuse me!? What?"
Jeno hands her the plate and walks toward the door. Before walking out, he stops and looks back with a smile.
"I'm rooting for your happiness Jieun. So, tell him how you feel before it's too late."
Go ahead, curse the author because I would too. 😭
One-sided crushes are painful and so I wanted to give Jeno's closure a proper chapter of its own.
More updates coming soon! Thank you again!
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Romance"You don't have to smile like that in front of me." "You should smile more often." A girl with a smiling mask. And a boy with a cold personality. He seems to see right through her mask. She seems to melt his coldness. But is that the end? What st...
