Sticky Notes • Hongjoong

• Chapter 3 •

The two of them walked side by side on the pavement, their footsteps falling on the tiled ground almost rhythmically.

Jaeyoung stared at the chocolate bar in her hand with a soft, fond smile playing on her lips. The candy was still untouched as she was too busy thinking about its bittersweet pieces dissolving in her mouth, and the more she thought about it, the wider her grin got.

Hongjoong caught a glimpse of her smile and his heart instantly started beating at a quicker rate. He continuously told himself to stay calm and collected, but it wasn't easy because seeing her smiling so purely made him want to melt.

That was his first time seeing a happy and harmless looking Jaeyoung, instead of the furious and dangerous one, which he didn't even think was possible. The irritated scowl that she always wore nearly convinced him that it was her default look which she couldn't change.

He took a mental note that dark chocolate was probably the only thing on the planet that could bring a smile on her face. Earlier in the store, she stated that it was her favourite, not only because she liked its taste, but also because she claimed it to be as dark as her soul.

'She sounds like an emo fanfiction girl. How lame,' he thought mentally rolling his eyes at her. Then a grin took over his face when he thought, 'But that's okay, because I'm lame too. We can be lame friends together. I hope...' His mind trailed off as he began wondering if they could ever be friends.

Ever since the first time he met her, he had been wishing that he knew her from before, so he could know her better and be good friends. He didn't understand why though; she was usually mean to him. Yet there he was, desperate to earn her friendship.

They continued to walk through the busy street without sharing a single word, as Jaeyoung was too busy admiring the candy to bother, and Hongjoong was lost in his own space.

Although they were occupied in their own piles of thoughts, they didn't miss to keep an eye on each other so they wouldn't get separated. It'd take an hour, at least, for them to be found if they got lost in the large crowd. Especially Hongjoong, because the area was quite unfamiliar to him, and he wouldn't know where to go. In short, things would be a mess.

So to prevent that from happening, they stayed close so it would be easier for Jaeyoung to grab him if he launched himself in the wrong direction.

As they strode along the path, Hongjoong took a quick glance at her to find her still beaming at the candy, as if it was her most prized possession. He found it absolutely adorable how she acted as if it was her treasure.

Jaeyoung could see him grinning like a goofball from the corner of her eyes, and wondered what was so funny. She tilted and raised her head up to be able to see his face properly – because despite her taunting him by calling him 'small', she was actually a whole head shorter than him – and flashed him a questioning look.

Upon seeing her looking at him like that, Hongjoong realised that he had been staring at her like a creep. Not knowing how he should counter that, he let out an awkward chuckle and shyly rubbed his nape before speedily looking away from her to hide his reddened face.

Sighing, Jaeyoung began questioning his metal stability once again, for the hundredth time that day. 'What goes on in that mind?' she wondered before turning her attention back to her beloved candy.

A wave of happiness washed over her just by looking at it. It wasn't just because she loved the candy too much, it was also because it reminded her how Hongjoong took her note so seriously to actually bother to walk all the way to a store and buy it for her. 'He's so stupid. But as the saying goes: stupid people are the real ones. Wait – is there even a saying like that?'

Meanwhile, Hongjoong was too embarrassed to even blink. He walked exactly like a robot, his eyes looking straight ahead, both of his hands stuck to his side like they were glued, and his movements so stiff as if his joints had rusted. Although Jaeyoung didn't think of anything when she caught him staring at her, he felt like he committed the biggest crime and she hated him.

By the time he stopped overthinking things and was back to normal, it was time for them to head for their own separate ways.

As they parted, he sent a wave at her with his tiny hand peeking out from the long sleeve of his sweater. He paused, and his eyes reflected the orange hues of the setting sun as he waited for her to respond.

A firm nod and a gentle smile, that was barely visible, was all he got in return; but that was enough to send him over the moon. 'She smiled at me. She smiled at me. She smiled at me!'

Taking one last glance at her monotonous yet surprisingly cheerful face, he ambled away, his figure becoming smaller and smaller to her as he walked further.

She stood there, watching him leave, and debated whether or not should she run up to him and say goodbye, and maybe thank him as well.

Even though she wasn't the type to do either of those, Hongjoong deserved at least a 'bye, and thanks for the candy' for bothering. But she was afraid that she would be awkward and then do something harsh to hurt his feelings. Again.

Letting out a sharp exhale, she decided that she should at least try to be nice to him for once. After all, she had been rude to him, ever since she could remember, while it was obvious that he deserved the opposite.

However, by then, he was gone, and could no longer be seen by her. That made her heart ache with regret. It wasn't much of a big deal, considering that she could just say that to him the next day, yet she felt like she missed something big.

Pressing her lips into a thin line, she sauntered back home, constantly telling herself, 'He wouldn't have heard you anyways.'

× • × • ×

{ A/N: Happy new year. Well, it's almost a month since 2020 began, so it's not really a "new year" anymore, but I'm trying to be polite. :')

Happy old year then, I guess.

But like, I updated after a year, guys. A YEAR. I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M THIS LAME. *CRIES*

Like seriously, I'm sO sorry for taking years to update. I promise I'll try to be more active this year.

Thank you for bearing with me, y'all are literal angels. ╥﹏╥ Have a nice day/night.

P.S, ANSWER IS A BOP OMG I CRIED. ALSO HORIZON AND PRECIOUS IS JUST???? WOWOWOWOW LEGENDS. KAY BYE.

- Mocha }