Distant Sky

11

Start of a friendship

Taehyung! He stops and turns to face her. They were both a little out of breath from practically running all the way here. "What are you doing?", Joohyun asks looking confused. He had basically kidnapped her as she was on the way to cafeteria and brought her here. What's going on? she thinks. After having no contact for two days, today he just grabs her?

"I just wanted to talk to you", he says, a little unsure. She takes a deep breath and sighs at what he said. He was observing her closely, trying to gauge her reaction. "So do you usually just grab people when you want to talk to them?" She retorts, arms crossed, with a judging look on her face.

"I-I..." He stops and clears his throat. "N-no, I don't usually do that." He looks down guilty. Joohyun smiles. She can't help it. He looks so cute when he's nervous, she thinks.

He looks back up, ready to apologise. "Look, I'm sor-" He stops when he sees the smile on her face. He visibly relaxes and gives her a shy smile, realising that she just joking and not really angry at him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't meet up with you on Thursday like I said I would", he says instead. So he did mean it. This time, it's her who takes his hand and leads him to sit under the window.

She then calls Wendy, telling her she can't make it today. That she was roped into having lunch with her classmate. Which wasn't a lie. Before she could apologize for abandoning her, Wendy quickly tells her it's ok. That she herself had some work to do and was only going to join Joohyun for lunch since she thought she might be alone.

Relieved, she turns to Taehyung, who was looking at her in anticipation. She gives him a reassuring smile. "Seems like she was busy too", she shrugs. "Looks like I'm free for the whole break", she says, gesturing him to go ahead and say what he wanted to say.

He smiles at her thankfully and proceeds to explain how he had been busy helping Bogum in the lunch break that day and how Bogum had to leave early after school, so he couldn't wait for her. She feels a little relieved at hearing that, knowing he did want to talk to her and it wasn't just her dilusion. He then tells her how he had searched all over for her the next day.

"Oh...I was with my friend in the dance club", she explains, surprised by the fact that he had actually looked for her. Then she admits to having looked for him as well on Thursday. He looks shocked at first, then immediately guilty. "Sorry", he apologises again.

"It's ok, I understand, you were busy", she reassures. She also admits that she had assumed he didn't really mean to meet with up her when he had failed to come see her on Thursday. He frowns at that and looks like he is about to say something but stops.

She wonders what he was about to say but doesn't push him. She then notices her lunchbox next to her and picks it up. "Aren't you going to eat?" she asks. He shakes his head and says, "You go ahead and eat, I'll grab something from the cafeteria later."

"Um, actually....", she says looking at the extra lunchbox. "I had prepared this for my for my friends. Do you want to eat it?", she asks holding it up.

"Are you sure?", he asks, looking surprised at her offer. "Yes, I'm sure", she smiles. "It was going to be left uneaten anyway, since my friends can't make it."

~~~

Joohyun hands him the lunchbox and looks at him eagerly, her own lunchbox forgotten on her lap. Taehyung was shocked when she had offered him lunch. He wasn't expecting it at all.

He was already feeling guilty for practically kidnapping her before she could have lunch, so it didn't feel right to eat the lunch she had prepared for her friends too.