ch. 57

"where there is hope, there is always hardship."

-sea

"so, i'll see you after lunch?"

eunbi nods with a small smile as she hugs the tall male. "yeah, i'll see you later yunho."

walking away from him, her friend from the side nudges her arm with a lopsided grin. when they arrive at the rooftop, hana wiggles her eyebrows and an excited giggle escapes her mouth. "i've noticed that you and yunho have been hanging out a lot."

"we're just catching up, that's all." the brunette shrugs before settling herself on the floor and grabbing her lunchbox. however, her lips betray her nonchalant response by spreading wider into a bright smile.

noticing the subtle change, hana smirks and nudges her once more. "you know, don't you?"

"i have no idea what you are talking about," eunbi says while plopping a clump of rice into her mouth. "there is nothing between us."

"you say that, but have you seen how he looks at you? it's as if you're his whole world!"

enubi's cheeks turn the color of bright pink cotton candy.

lately, she has been spending her free time with yunho, whether it is trying out the new menu at a fast-food restaurant, staying after school to watch him practice for finals, or talking on the phone late at night. nowadays, he picks her up from home to drive her to school and always escorts her to class as well as lunch. every time they depart from one another, they pull each other in an embrace before leaving to do their own things.

out of all the chaos she has been through, her rebuilt friendship has been the best thing that has been happening to her.

just thinking about this makes her heart race.

"you're probably seeing things," the brunette denies. "he couldn't have developed feelings for me right after breaking up with siyeon."

"girl, i'm pretty sure he likes you." the pink-haired girl flips her hair off her shoulder as she rolls her eyes. "trust me on this."

"whatever."

the door leading to the roof then opens and someone peers their head into the area. hearing the sound, the two girls turn their heads around to see who it is only for hana's face to be drowning in red.

"ah, hello." yeosang does a little bow before walking over to them. "am i interrupting anything?"

a smirk pulls on eunbi's lips as she pats the space next to her female companion. "nope! you came just in time! come sit here and enjoy lunch with us!"

once he sits down, he timidly initiates a conversation with hana, who shyly responds to his words. eventually, the two of them immerse themselves in their own world as they enjoy the moment together.

the brunette smiles at the sight unfolding in front of her as she finishes her lunch and places her box into her backpack. lying on the ground, she stays quiet for her friends to bond with one another and she watches the clouds decorate the blue sky. her skin basks underneath the sunlight and her eyelids press against each other for a brief moment.

deep in her thoughts, she can hear hana's voice echo in the emptiness of her mind.

"have you seen how he looks at you? it's as if you're his whole world!"

"girl, i'm pretty sure he likes you."

she knows.

it's so obvious.

it's so obvious that her first love has feelings for her.

the way he talks to her, the way he looks at her, the way he holds her, the way he smiles at her...

it's so obvious.

but, she can't return those feelings.

not yet.

not when he still roams her mind.

she opens her eyes to be greeted by the bright sky and her friends' voices once more. she lifts her head to see hana feeding yeosang some of her lunch, both of their sides pressed against one another. the lovely grins they wore remind her of the most beautiful moment of her life.

to be in san's presence.

a heavy sigh leaves her lips after the lunch bell rings throughout the school. everyone cleans up the mess they made on the roof before they begin their way down the stairs. hana and yeosang walk beside one another as eunbi lags behind, not wanting to third wheel at the moment. on the way, they meet a familiar light brunette male, who is making his way up to the roof.

"ah, there you are eunbi-nie!" yunho exclaims as he places his arm around her shoulders. "let's go to your class, shall we?"

in the corner of the girl's eye, she can see her friends winking at her, but she ignores them and flashes her friend a smile. "you know that you don't have to escort me to class every time. i can always go by myself."

"but i want to do this."

at this point, her heart is pounding against her chest.

she rolls her eyes as they continue their way in the hallway. "don't blame me if you're late to class."

"you know me; i run really fast." his hand gently holds onto her arm while he leans his head onto hers. "let's hurry though, so i don't have to sprint my way back."

she lets out a laugh as she pushes his head off her. "yeah, yeah whatever."

they start talking about their time at lunch after she stopped resisting his actions, laughing to their heart's content. once in a while, they bring up their fond childhood memories and embarrass each other with more of those memories.

they may not know, but their hearts are beating in sync.

she will eventually have to move on from the past, just like before.