When I Grow Up (Seventeen Jeonghan x CLC Seunghee)

Seventy Six: When You're As Distant As The Stars

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She's standing now, staring back at him with a face she knows gives it all away in his eyes. Seunghee is astonished to see him again. What she feels is beyond comprehension. It feels like she's in wonderland. For how many years has she waited for this man to come to her again? It's been eight long years since that fated night. That night she totally broke his heart. And this night is the start of her long-been suspended win-back plan. That's all there is in her mind, to win him back, to bring him back in her life and to be with him again, this time never letting him go again.

But as she stares more into his eyes, she perceives something. There is something different. Something very wrong in the way he looks back at her. His bright eyes, his supposed to be dazzling eyes are all dark now. All clouded with gloom and indifference. And what more hits her is the fact that he's looking straight at her, as if eyeing a complete stranger.

She suddenly blurts out his name, the name she has been longing to say for a very long time now, "Jeonghan-ah..."

He doesn't respond the way she wishes him to though. He smirks at it and replies, "It's been a while Seunghee-shi."

This comment from him brings her back to reality. The formalities are back. Something she can't get used to hearing again. It leaves a piercing pain in her heart when she hears it. What more if she hears it starting now? She's lost in her own world when he talks again.

"My store is opening tomorrow. If you have time, you can come and check it out. Here," he hands her the invitation.

She gets it but it has no addressee that she finds a bit upsetting.

Jeonghan sees this and adds right away, "I didn't know you owned this tutorial school. So I apologize for not having your name on the invite."

She quickly responds to him as if it doesn't matter to her, "No it's okay. I don't mind at all."

"Then I hope you can come tomorrow." He doesn't smile at her. He only wears this very thick façade and it feels so unkind.

"I'll try to. It's a pity that I have a full schedule tomorrow. But I'll try to, Jeonghan-shi."

He grits his teeth and clenches his palms inside his pockets but she sees none of that. She smiles at him halfheartedly, her pain cannot keep from showing. And he doesn't really want to see her this way. Avoiding the look on her face, he turns his back and bids her goodbye.

"I'll leave you now, I still have some things to prepare for tomorrow," he says.

But she can't let it end like this. She has finally seen him again. She has finally talked to him again. She can't let their first time seeing each other in eight years be short-lived like this without her making the first move. She has to get it through to him. That she has waited for this day to come.

"Jeonghan-ah, wait!" but she corrects her words, "I mean, Jeonghan-shi..."

Jeonghan looks down on his feet but turns around anyways. And it surprises him to see a brave-faced Seunghee looking back at him. All traces of pain erased from her face, replaced by motivation and resolve.

"It's been a while, and I was thinking, if you've changed your phone number."

It lightens his face somehow, and replies her, "I did."

"Can I have your new one? Can I call you some time?"

She doesn't bat an eyelash telling him this. And he replies just as curtly as she told him.

"Yah. Sure."

She smiles at him but he doesn't smile back, though his expression is somewhat lighter. She's relieved in the least. She can work on winning him back from tonight. She won't let anything or anyone hinder her way with him. Pride don't matter to her anymore. He's finally in front of her again now. She'll never lose sight of him again. She'll throw away anything and everything just to have him back in her life.