Luminous • Jisung

45 • Dead

quite the contrast between the title of the last chapter and this one ✋🏻

• Chapter 45 •

"Hyung." Haechan sounded exhausted as he leaned against the doorframe, waiting for Taemin to finish his phone call. 

The older indicated him to wait, which wasn't appreciated. 

"I have to go back tonight. I have class tomorrow," he complained. 

However, his nagging went almost unnoticed by the boy that hummed into his speaker. 

"Got it. We'll be right there," Taemin said at which Haechan widened his eyes in surprise. A moment later, he hung up the phone and was already walking towards the younger. 

"You didn't hear me at all, did you?"  

Taemin put his arm around Haechan's shoulder as he dragged him with him. 
"I heard you, but it's important." The younger glimpsed up at him doubtfully. "Baek wants to talk to us." 

"I thought he was overseas?"

Taemin nodded. "He was - but he came back early, just for us." Which caught Haechan's attention effortlessly. "Still want to leave?" 

Haechan sighed. "I guess we can stay a little longer." 

↷

"Class dismissed!" 

Cho-a exhaled in relief as she followed the other students out of the stuffy classroom. Next to the door, leaned against the dirty-white wall, waited Renjun patiently. She smiled when she saw him. 

Linking his arm with hers, they walked to the bus station together. He kept his grip firm but didn't look at her. 

"I worried you, huh?" she asked teasingly. Yet, considering his reluctance to leave last night, she guessed that she was right.  

Renjun nodded. "Of course," he said under his breath, then looked at the girl that was wearing a light-hearted expression. "Jisung was right. I shouldn't have been so strict. You didn't do anything wrong." 

"Oh my-" Cho-a gasped, put a hand on her chest, right above her heart. "Did the Huang Renjun really just admit that he was wrong?" 

At which the boy rolled his eyes. "I said Jisung was right." 

"And Jisung's opinion was the opposite of yours," she reminded him, then tilted her head to the side as she gave him a teasingly sweet smile. "Now let's connect the dots, Junnie."

Ignoring her, he hurried and pulled her with him to catch the bus that just came to a halt in its stop. Sitting down next to each other, they soon fell into the white noise of the chatter from the people around them. 

"By the way, did Kyung-soon bother you again?" Renjun asked, eyes glued to Cho-a who in return was staring out of the window absent-mindedly. 

She shook her head, pressed her bottom lip out thoughtfully. 
"Not since that day, no." 

Renjun smiled. "Good." And both let his smile die down wordlessly. 

Outside, the city passed by with people wandering through the streets, cars rushing one way or the other. The shop windows stood quietly, unmoved. The house facades were familiar but wore only faded colours. 

She couldn't decide whether she found the familiarity comforting or suffocating. So she stopped thinking about it altogether. 

"Did you see Haechan today?" she asked Renjun, turning to face him. "He usually comes to see me between classes but today he didn't. I thought he was back?"