ephemeral ∅ l.d.h

nineteen ⁺⑅

I couldn't stop, not when the same silky voice that lured me in in the first place was chasing after me. "Hye-jin, Hye-jin." Whispers and lies, lies that were spoken with snakes coming out of his mouth. "Hye-jin, please? Slow down, god damnit." I was a horrifying sight, black tears streaming down my face and jeans bloody and torn. My palm spilled blood onto the floor and it lead a track of drops.

A hand latched onto my wrist and pulled me to a stop. His hand touched my palm and I yelped, yanking my hand away from him. He still saw the cuts on them, and pulled my wrist closer to his chest. "You did this?" He murmured softly, rubbing over it softly with his fingers. "It's none of your business." I wriggled my hand out of his grip and hid it behind my back.

Donghyuck took in my disheveled appearance and chuckled, liking the way I looked in my darkest moments, eyeliner smudged and running down my face. "I don't need a tutor. And you shouldn't have agreed to it. You should know that out of everyone, you would've been my last option." Using my clean palm I tried to wipe away my tears, only strengthening the smudge, making Donghyuck laugh.

"Then who would you like?" He walked closer, hands behind his back. "Anyone is better than you." I took a step back, watching as the bracelets and rings around his hand caught the sunlight, shimmering as he snapped his wrist, the veins popping up on his wrist. "Well, I am the best. Unless you want the second-best?" Donghyuck shoved his hand back into his pocket and my focus returned back to his face.

"For someone who's grades are bad, you sure talk a lot." I scoffed, running a hand through my hair. "And you talk a lot for someone who hates me." He shrugged, walking around me with his hands behind his back. "Who said I hated you? That was your own interpretation."

I sighed with my eyes closed, taking deep breaths to calm my beating heart. "To be honest, I don't want to see you. Because every time I do, I always find fault within myself, which, of course, isn't your problem. But I do, and so I would like you to stay away from me. This should be easy as one said that you only like things for a short amount of time and then you stop caring. We could become friends, maybe, but only once I solve my problem. So for now, let's keep our distance. Please."

Donghyuck's gaze hardened, and when I tried to walk away, he pushed me until I was trapped against the wall. "Jung Jaehyun." He whispered, clenching his fists. "What?" I spoke blankly. "You saw him didn't you? That bastard." He looked away for a second, taking a deep breath. "I have no idea what you're talking about." I rolled my eyes, trying to duck under my arm.

"You did. I saw him on campus and he's the only one who would say something like that." He ran a hand through his newly bleached hair. "What's it to you? As far as I'm concerned, the things he said were true." I crossed my arms, not meeting his eyes. "And are you being true to yourself?" Donghyuck leaned closer until his breath was fanning my face. "Do you really want to stay away from me? Or is that what you're trying to tell yourself because you can't?"