Against All Odds (Chaeryeong x Male Reader)

Striking a Chord

After the bus has been on the road for quite some time, everyone starts getting lulled to sleep. As per Johnny's request, Mark relocates to the seat next to Edea's so that Johnny has extra room to stretch out his long frame during his nap. Edea moves her bag onto her lap and asks,

"Did Johnny not sleep well last night?" 

"Probably not as well as the night before. He said I move around in my sleep too much, haha." Mark answers sheepishly. 

"Oh, my bad. I fell asleep last night without realizing it. You guys didn't have to squish together. I was planning on just taking the pullout couch." Edea explains.

"Oh shit there was a pullout couch? I didn't even know!" Mark laughs.

Mark's contagious laughter leads Edea to smile in return. 

"Did you sleep well though?" Mark asks, his eyes wide with curiosity.

"Yeah, actually. I slept well for the first time in a while, which was kind of surprising." Edea chuckles. 

"Glad to hear it. I was kinda worried you'd be uncomfortable being the only girl in a room full of guys." 

"It's just you guys...I wasn't worried. Having you guys around actually made me more comfortable." Edea smiles. 

"Wow, that must be why you're in an awfully good mood today. Should I be worried?" Mark teases, and Edea elbows him in the ribs in return.

"Ow! Annnnnd she's back." Mark winces. 

Edea dismisses Mark's comment and looks out the window pensively. 

"I've just been thinking." Edea explains.

"About what?" 

Edea watches a mom play with her kid on a playground as the bus crosses an overpass in the process of switching freeways.

"The future. We're gonna graduate next year, and I've been wondering if my dream is my own or if I'm just trying to impress my parents. Not to mention I have no idea if I'll even be able to make friends in college based off of how badly things have gone for me in high school up until this point. You, Johnny, and Lia are all I have." 

"First of all, you have an idea of where you want to head. That's good. Whether or not you still want to continue with it once you've tried it out is something you'll have to decide later after you've already gotten a feel for it. I don't think wanting to impress your parents is a bad thing, but either way, I think you'll make a great lawyer." 

Edea abruptly turns her head to face Mark, taken aback by his sudden earnestness.

Mark returns her gaze and smiles, "I mean it. You don't need me to tell you to already know you're good at arguing; you shut people up before they even have a chance to talk." 

Edea searches Mark's eyes for any sign of humor or jest, but she finds none. She sighs and responds,

"If I'm being honest, I kind of have doubts on whether I can actually make it that far. I have random bursts of confidence, it's not consistent. If I'm gonna be a lawyer, I actually have to be confident in myself all the time. I can't ever waver or else it's over. I'm not sure...I can do that." 

"I'm sure you've convinced everyone at this school you're confident and capable." 

"Sure, but I'm far from convincing myself. I have this reputation at school and at home as well, but deep down I don't think I live up to it." Edea shrugs. 

Mark shakes his head and says, "No, you live up to it. Imma be real, the reason why you don't have a lot of friends is because you seem unapproachable from the outside. People see you and think you're in a different class than them; too high for them to reach. Plus, it doesn't really help that you have a poker face and wear black from top to bottom almost all the time. It wouldn't hurt to smile more."