runaway love / cha eunwoo astro ✔

+sixteen

hyunjae was spending his time eating spicy rice cakes at the nearby stall when he felt his phone buzzed inside his jeans pocket. he fished out the device and a smile bloomed on his face upon seeing the caller's name.

he wasted no time in accepting the call, holding his phone against his ear as he took another spoonful of spicy rice cakes into his mouth using his other hand.

"hey, eunbi." he greeted full-mouthed— his voice came out slightly muffled.

"hyunjae-ah..." eunbi's gloomy voice alerted hyunjae. he forced himself to gulp down the half-chewed food inside his mouth, coughing slightly when the spiceness burns his throat.

"you okay? what happens?" he ignored the stinging pain in his throat, worries consuming him. he placed a few notes of money on the table and rushed to leave the stall, not before he took a big gulp of water to ease his throat.

"i—i.." the girl sounded as if she was at the verge of breaking down and hyunjae sped up his steps to the sm building.

"what?? you what?" hyunjae was starting to freak out, though he could guess the reasons of her breakdown— maybe she was rejected.

"i pass the audition! i'm officially sm's new trainee!"

hyunjae halted in his steps. he was only few metres away from the building though. "what?" he was taken aback.

"you heard me right! i'm accepted and i feel like crying right now." eunbi was practically whining into the phones, her voice trembling. "where are you right now, though? i just step out of sm."

hyunjae could make out a silhoutte of a girl exiting the main entrance of the building; she had one of her hands at her mouth and another one holding phone against her ear, looking around.

hyunjae smiled, all his worries was washed away, a grin making its way into his lips.

"ahh, really?" he was already making his way near her. "i'm still eating at a nearby stall. i'll see you in thirty minutes."

eunbi frowned. "thirty minutes?? that's so long! what am i gonna do—" she let out a surprise shriek when she felt someone slung his arm around her shoulder, grabbing her into a playful headlock. it didn't take long for her to realise that the culprit was none other than the dork named hyunjae.

"you brat! you make me worried for a sec just now! i thought something bad happened to you!" hyunjae finally released her after eunbi began hitting his arm, hiding his smirk and glaring at her playfully.

"auww! is hyunjae worried for me? that's so sweet!" eunbi coos, attempting to ruffle the boy's hair but her hand was caught middle-air, hyunjae taking the opportunites to entertwine their hands together.

"congrats, eunbi! i know you can do it." he genuinely smiled. "don't forget us at the shop, especially me."

eunbi tched, looking away in embarrassment. she tried to pull away her hands but hyunjae only tightened it again as they walked down the street, going back home.

and this time, eunbi let him holds her hand, trailing behind him with mixed feelings.

-

"hyunjae, i can go home by myself, really." eunbi assured the boy when he insisted on walking her back to her apartment.

it was dark when they boarded down the bus and hyunjae lived in different area from her. she didn't want to trouble the guy further. what hyunjae did for her today was more than enough.

but hyunjae was so stubborn and eunbi finally gave up. they walked to her apartment block hands in hands, no one speaking and yet, none of the two seem to mind the silence.

eunbi didn't have anything particular in mind. she still couldn't get over the giddiness after being accepted as a trainee at sm, her mood was over the cloud nine.

hyunjae, on the other hand, looked somewhat nervous and flustered. he kept glancing at eunbi every now and then from the corner of his eyes but the girl was too happy to notice it.

that was until they reached the entrance of her apartment. eunbi bid him goodbye and was about to leave when hyunjae grabbed her arm, stopping her.

she turned to him, eyes questioning.

hyunjae averted his eyes, slowly releasing his grip from eunbi's arm. he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, clearing his throat.

"i have something to tell you." he bit his lips in nervousness. gosh hyunjae, get a grip of yourself! he scolded himself.

"what is it?" eunbi smiled innocently, not expecting anything from the boy before her.

hyunjae heaved a deep breath, composing himself and he looked up to meet her eyes. his hands went to her shoulder to make her face him properly, taking her off guard.

"from now on, i need you to listen to me carefully." he stared deep into her eyes and eunbi gulped. hyunjae being serious was so strange in her eyes.

"i know this might be too late, since you are now a trainee and have this no-dating rule..." he stopped, biting his lips, unsure whether he should go till the end or stop right here. but he figured there's no use to stop so he continued his next words, which made her sucked in a breath. "but i want you to know that i like you. i truly do."

"h-hyunjae..." eunbi was at a lost of words. she didn't exactly know what to say at the moment. she was baffled with his sudden confession. all these while, she thought the boy only looked at her as a sister, if not, a closed friend.

"if possible, i want you to be my girlfriend." he continued faintly, his grip on her shoulder loosened as he saw how she react.

"hyunjae." eunbi called out once she recovered from her baffled state. "you know i'm a trainee now. if you want to do this, why don't you tell me earlier? you are putting me in a difficult situation." her voice was weak and fragile.

"we can always keep it down, eunbi. i'm willing to date you quietly until you're able to date, no matter how long it takes." hyunjae reached for her hands, smiling faintly, "i want to be by your sides, as someone important to you, when you're having your rough times. i don't want to see you suffer alone without anyone by your side."

eunbi could see it in his eyes: the genuine look and perhaps, love. he was willing to share her misery. he wanted to support her through hell and high water. her heart ached as it reminded her of eunwoo, when he betrayed her feelings for his own career.

hyunjae was nothing like eunwoo. the two were like two different worlds; earth and sky; water and fire.

hyunjae understood her and he always stood by her side. he treated her well. he proved to her that she is worth to be loved.

eunwoo, on the other hand, had hurted her too many times. he gave her hopes and crushed it until she was broken, then she was left to mend with her pain all alone.

clearly, hyunjae was the better guy for her. it would be stupid to let him go. but eunbi knew all too well that she was still caught up with eunwoo. she couldn't fool herself to like hyunjae. it would only hurt him, and herself.

"eunbi." hyunjae's voice snapped her out of her trance. he was still staring at her, waiting for her answer. "will you give us a try?"

then again, she needed to move on from her feelings towards eunwoo. she wanted to forget him, erasing him entirely from her life, if possible.

she couldn't do it alone and hyunjae could be a great help for it. so, she nodded her head at his question.

"let's date, hyunjae-ah."

-

anyone see that coming? 😏😏