that boy | hwang hyunjin | ✔

Chapter 37

It would've been a shame if this beautiful place served terrible food. Fortunately, that isn't the case.

The hotteok is absolutely delicious, just as Hyunjin promised. While the dough is relatively standard, the filling is an explosion of sweetness that seems to melt on my tongue. I find myself closing my eyes and humming in contentment, enjoying the food to the fullest.

As I swallow the bite and open my eyes again, I catch Hyunjin looking at me in amusement.

"W-What?" I blurt out, heat rushing to my cheeks instantly.

"I knew you would like it," Hyunjin states with a soft giggle. "I just didn't expect you would like it this much."

Still caught off guard, I stare at the sweet pancakes on the plate in front of me. It is true that they are delicious, but- "It's rude to stare at a person while they're eating," I mutter in defense.

"My bad, Lee," he fakes an apology, his sweet smile evolving to a sly smirk. "I just thought you were really cute while you were enjoying your hotteok."

I nearly choke on my saliva and I'm positive I resemble a tomato by now. My lower lip is shaking from embarrassment as I slowly look up, gathering the courage to face the shenanigan. "S-Shut up," I stutter, eyeing him dangerously.

"I'm just kidding," he laughs it off, raising his hands in the air in mocking surrender.

His statement causes a wave of relief to wash over my body and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding until now.

"Or not," he adds smugly.

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Hwang," I warn the boy, still blushing furiously. "I'm going to ignore you from now on and enjoy my hotteok."

Hyunjin's bright laughter echoes through the restaurant and several other visitors turn to look at us, seeking what has interrupted their peaceful chatter. What do they find? A boy and girl that weren't supposed to get along, but for some strange reasons still enjoy their time together.

I continue to eat the sweet pancakes, stubbornly ignoring Hyunjin who's trying his best to get my attention to a point that I'm admiring his devotion. But after a while, even he gives up and I catch a glimpse of his pout before he returns to eating his own abandoned hotteok.

"You know, I never would've thought we would eat together in peace," Hyunjin begins after a while of silence. A faint smile plays on his lips as he finishes the last bite of his meal.

"Me neither," I agree, letting out a soft chuckle. "I'm surprised, seeing how you were my enemy not too long ago."

"Enemy?" the raven-haired boy repeats. "Was it really that bad?"

"You were nice to me," I shrug, staring down at my empty plate. "That made you a threat."

"You're basically admitting that I was hard to resist now, do you realize that?" Hyunjin slightly tilts his head, his brown eyes pleading innocence as they meet mine.

"Hyunjin," I groan, closing my eyes in mocking despair. "It's really getting to your head."

"Hey, I'm the first one to break through that barrier of yours," he defends himself. "Of course it's getting to my head!"

"Because I let you break through," I quickly correct him.

The boy opposite of me slightly leans forward, his smirk growing from ear to ear. "But that still means I'm special, right?"

An awkward grin makes its way to my face. "You won't stop until I'll admit that you're special, huh?" I warily ask, hoping that he won't make me say those words.

"You got it," he confirms, his smile never faltering.

I swear, this boy could be as bad as Felix sometimes.

"Fine," I sigh, my shoulders slumping in defeat. "You're special."

The all too familiar blush creeps up to my face and I quickly cover my cheeks with my hands to hide my embarrassment. Deep down inside, I've always known he was special. Never did I meet a boy that I felt guilty about after turning him down harshly. Never did I meet a boy that I let this close to me. Never did I meet a boy that became my friend. Apart from Felix, that is. Of course he's special, but actually calling him that out loud is something on another level.

The way it makes my heart pound inside my ribcage is scaring me.

The smirk on Hyunjin's lips is quickly replaced by a content smile as reaches for his bag and raises to his feet. "I'm going to get the bill, I'll be back in a second."

Before I can protest, he's already gone, zigzagging his way through the tables packed with visitors. I watch his figure shrink until he's reached the counter, where he talks with a staff member and hands him money. Then he returns to the table and realization hits me.

"Y-You paid for me?" I ask and the boy nods enthusiastically, causing the guilt to rise.

"Don't feel guilty," he softly smiles, as if he could read my mind. "I paid for you because I wanted to. See it as a thank you for today."

"Uh- I'm glad I went with you," I admit, a bit uncomfortable. But I really am glad. "It was fun, thank you too."

"No problem," Hyunjin replies, raking his fingers through his hair before reaching out to grab his coat. "I think it's time to go, huh?"

"I think so," I nod in agreement. "I don't want my mom to get upset so I should be going as well."

"Ah- that's understandable," the boy mutters as we make our way to the exit.

The atmosphere as turned awkward and tense within only a moment of time and I have a hard time finding the right words to say as the moment to separate comes closer with every second.

Darkness has already spread out over Seoul as we leave the cozy restaurant, the sky a deep, dark blue and the streets illuminated by streetlights.

"See you tomorrow, I guess?" I pipe as I securely wrap a scarf around my neck, sucesfully blocking out the cold breeze.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Hyunjin replies with a kind smile, his colorful scarf in his hands. "Be safe."

"You too," I mutter before turnind around to take my leave. But before I can walk off, the  boy stops me by calling out from behind.

I turn around, only to find hin looking at me with a smug grin. "I knew that you were nice. I knew it from the beginning."

"Be glad, Hyunjinnie," I chuckle. "Not everyone gets to see this side of me."

Hyunjin's bright laughter fills the night sky and with a smile on my face, I turn around and make my way towards the place I call home.

I feel like I'm flying as I skip over the sidewalk, my body feeling light with relief. I'm satisfied and happy in a way I've never felt before.

Is it because of Hyunjin? Most likely. I made him happy tonight, he seemed to enjoy his time with me. I feel like I'm finally worthy to be his friend, no matter what those girls are telling me.

I'm finally better than my dad.

--

I've been  d y i n g  to write this.

that freaking smile shdhdhgd