033

Chapter thirty three

It's been three days

Three long days since I stood up to On-Jo. Since I got suspended. Since the kiss that I still replay every time I close my eyes

The kiss that was never meant to happen

The hallway feels colder than usual, my shoes echo off the polished floor as I step back into school like some kind of legend, or criminal.

Whispers follow me, some in awe, some in judgment

"She's the one who fought On-Jo"

"Did you see the video? She was savage"

"I heard Heeseung was there"

I don't make eye contact, I keep walking, because no matter what they're saying, it's the same voice inside me that's screaming louder

Where is he?

And then I see him

Heeseung

Walking down the hallway with his usual confident stride—like he owns the place—but when his eyes meet mine, something shifts

He slows down, lips tugging into a smile that's soft— Almost nervous

"Hey" he says when we're finally in front of each other, his voice is quieter than usual, like he's not sure if I want him to talk to me

"Hi" I reply, biting down on my lower lip to contain the smile that's forming so easily

We walk to class together, side by side, close enough to brush shoulders, but not quite, the whispers are louder now

"Are they dating?"

"I swore I saw him leaving drinks on her desk"

"They're totally a thing!"

I want to laugh, I want to hide, I want all of it to be true

But when I step into the classroom, my smile drops

There's no drink on my desk today

I sit down slowly, trying not to look too disappointed. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was never him

But then—tap

I turn and he's holding it out

Peach milk

His smile is lopsided, kind of embarrassed, like he's not used to doing something sweet without acting cool about it, I take the carton and before I can say anything, he turns and walks to his desk

My heart thumps hard against my ribs as I notice the note taped to the back

"Meet me at the construction site at lunch?"

I look up and his eyes are already on me, he looks away as soon as I catch him

I nod

And just like that—he smiles

"OH MY GOD. HE KISSED YOU?!" Jiwon yells so loud my soul leaves my body

"Shh!" I hiss, eyes wide as I slap her shoulder

"Seriously?!"

"You're telling me this now?!" she whisper-yells, dragging me by the arm, "You're meeting him again?!"

"At lunch" I nod, glancing down at the note. "He asked me to meet him at the construction site"

"Haerin, this is straight out of a K-drama, do you know how many people wish they were you right now?"

I roll my eyes, but I'm grinning too hard to argue, "I don't even know what this is, Ji. Maybe it meant nothing to him"

Jiwon snorts. "Babe, he gave you peach milk, that is literally the teenage boy version of 'I love you'"

"Tell me how it goes, okay?" Jiwon says

"Always" I nod and wave goodbye

The construction site looks exactly how I remember it—half-finished, peaceful, and hidden from the rest of the world

Heeseung's already there, pacing, he stops when he sees me, rubbing the back of his neck

"Hey" I say

"Haerin! You're—uh, hi"

I laugh, "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Yeah. I just..." He stands up too quickly, nearly stumbles, and laughs awkwardly, "I'm not used to doing this"

"Doing what?"

He rubs the back of his neck like every awkward male lead ever, "The whole... talking about feelings thing"

I cross my arms, "You called me here for a feelings talk?"

He steps closer, biting his lip like he's trying to hold the words back but failing miserably

"I—okay, I practiced this" he blurts, "In front of the mirror— like, three times"

I blink, "What?"

"I even did finger guns. It was tragic," he says, "But now I'm forgetting everything I was going to say because you're looking at me and I'm short-circuiting"

I burst out laughing, "Heeseung, oh my god"

He groans, dragging his hands down his face, "This is not going the way it did in my head"

"So... I wrote the note" he says

"No kidding" I tease

His eyes widen, "Wait—was that—bad?"

"No" I laugh softly, "It was cute"

"Oh." He scratches the back of his head, "Cool. That's... cool"

Silence

Painfully awkward silence

He clears his throat. "Okay, so—I've been thinking. A lot. And I suck at this. Like, really bad. But I needed to say something. Or else I was gonna explode or fall off this building. Maybe both"

I blink, "Heeseung—"

"I like you" he blurts out, "Like—really like you"

My breath catches

He steps closer, still rambling. "And I'm sorry. For ignoring you. For asking weird questions about Gunwoo. For acting like I didn't care when I did. When I do"

His voice softens

"I got jealous. When I saw him. And I hate that feeling. I never used to care who talked to who. But with you? I can't help it. I hate the thought of you smiling at him the way you smile at me"

I'm silent, he takes a deep breath

"Gunwoo and I... used to be friends. Close, actually. But he—he said stuff. About you. When you first transferred. He said he was going to try and get with you, just for fun. That's why I was such an ass at first"

My eyes widen

"I thought he was lying. Or exaggerating. But I didn't want to risk it" Heeseung says, "I tried to push you away before you could get hurt. Before I could get hurt. And it just... didn't work"

He finally looks at me, eyes full of something real— Vulnerable

"So now I'm here" he says, "Telling you I'm sorry. Telling you I like you. And... asking if you'll be my girlfriend"

It's like time slows down, I don't even realize I'm crying until he steps closer and gently brushes a tear off my cheek

"I'll be better" he says softly, "You don't have to say yes. Just... know I mean it"

My heart is screaming. The boy I thought would never care about anyone is standing here, shaking, nervous, rambling, vulnerable... for me

"Yes" I whisper

His eyes widen, "Yeah?"

"Yes" I say again, laughing through the tears, "But only if you stop pacing like a robot"

Heeseung exhales the biggest breath of relief I've ever seen and breaks into the biggest, cringiest smile

"Okay, cool, yeah. Awesome. Girlfriend. You're my girlfriend"

"Don't say it like that" I groan, hitting his shoulder

"Say what?" he grins, leaning closer, "Girlfriend?"

"Stop it"

"Girlfriend"

And then, before I can argue more, he kisses me

And this time—there's no confusion

No guilt

No fear

It's just us

And it feels like the start of something good

Guys next chapter may infact be the last!!

-K