Personal Sunrise

Doubts, Darkness, and Realizations

Mi Sun's POV

I smiled sweetly and waved to Jonghyun as I shut the classroom door behind me. I leaned against the door and sighed, massaging my face with my fingertips. I wasn't used to smiling so cutely. I was feeling confident, though. He would be proud that I had done so well.

Phase One: Complete. A total success.

I peered through the door's small window until Jonghyun's blonde head was entirely out of sight. The cold metal handle gave easily under my hand as I eased the door open and ran down the hallway. He had asked me to report as soon as possible.

I pulled open the thick door at the end of the hallway and blinked rapidly as my eyes attempted to adjust to the pressing darkness.

"Mi Sun? How did it go?" His voice filtered through the shadows and settled around me like a warm summer breeze. It always made me feel comfortable and fearless.

I laughed lightly. "Perfect. Better than I expected, actually. My face hurts from smiling so much."

My eyes had adjusted, and my breath caught at the sight of his beautiful face. He never failed to take my breath away. His perfect lips tilted upward in a triumphant smile.

"Ahh, I knew you could do it!" He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me. My eyes slipped closed as I leaned into the embrace. He had no idea how much that small gesture really meant to me... No idea at all. The thought sent a spark of loneliness through my heart, and I sighed reflexively.

He pulled back and stared intently into my eyes. I was instantly grateful for the darkness that hid my resulting blush.

"Are you all right?" He asked, concern lacing his tone.

I laughed again and waved my hand dismissively. "Ne, I'm fine. Just a bit worn out from acting so adorable." I stuck my tongue out at him playfully. "I'm not used to being so cute."

He ruffled my hair. "Aniyo, you're always cute!"

I pouted and reached up to fix my hair. "Yah, hands off! I have a boyfriend now, remember?" I rolled my eyes.

"That's the mindset you should have!" He said, grinning. "It makes for a better performance. I picked you for a reason, you know. I know you can do it!"

"You have too much faith in me, oppa. I don't know how long I can keep it up. Acting so adorable might make me sick..."

"I already told you, you're naturally adorable! You're perfect for this. And you must have done amazingly well because he accepted the chocolates... That was the first step."

I blushed at his praise. He really did overestimate me...

"I'll try my best to keep it up. I promise. But what if it doesn't turn out how you want it to?"

He shook his head and grinned at me. "It will, don't worry."

I sighed and turned toward the door. "If you say so, oppa. I have to go to class now, but I'll report back to you tomorrow. We're moving on to Phase Two, right?"

His eyes shone in the dim light. "Right. Thank you so much for doing this, Mi Sun. You're the best!"

"Yeah, yeah. Get too demanding and I'll start charging you. 20,000 won for every time I have to say, 'Jonghyun oppa, I like you so much~'." I put on my sickly-sweet schoolgirl voice and batted my eyelashes for emphasis.