shades of yellow » han seojun ff

29. oat

"WHAT DO YOU think of this?" Jugyeong asked, as she held up a lip tint.

Seojun's head snapped up. "What? Oh? That colour?"

She teased. "Where is your mind today, Seojun? Are you really that bored shopping makeup for your little sister?"

He ruffled his hair in annoyance. The reason he had called Jugyeong to help him buy Gowoon a birthday present was because he was so conflicted. Was he starting to like Yeonwoo? That was the only plausible reason why he had been so pissed when Hyungjin, that stupid baseball player, started acting all chummy with her. But no, he could not like her. He was not allowed to—he had made that very clear to himself when he first started getting involved with her.

She was the sister of his late best friend. Who Seojun wasn't able to stop from dying. She was off-limits.

But that girl—she always had a knack for reeling him in, didn't she?

Maybe having a 'date' with Jugyeong would clear his mind. Prove that Yeonwoo wasn't special to him in the romantic sense, that every girl made his stomach churn and cheeks warm up like she did.

"Ooo, what about this colour?" Jugyeong uncapped another lip tint and tried it on her lips. She pouted. "I can't see the shade because I'm already wearing tint. How about you try it, Seojun?"

When she leaned in, he jumped away. "W-What do you think you're doing?"

She held him firmly by the elbow and proceeded to dab the tint onto his lips. "Hold still."

And so he did.

—

Right when Yeonwoo was about to lose hope, a pair of hands clasped onto her shoulder and she shrieked in surprise. Turning around, she glared at the perpetrator.

"You're late."

"Sorry sorry, I had to shower before meeting you, otherwise I'd smell." Ryu Hyungjin flashed her his signature smile, half-hidden by the black face mask obscuring most of his face. He suddenly shook his damp hair at her face. "See?"

Despite the annoyance she felt—as she was a very punctual person—she was never able to resist Hyungjin's puppy-dog nature. She rolled her eyes affectionately and walked on ahead, leaving Hyungjin scampering after her.

It was the weekend, and Hyungjin had invited her out for lunch. He brought her to a rather obscure restaurant that sold Chinese cuisine, her favourite. She was pleased that he remembered.

Once a comfortable atmosphere had been achieved, Hyungjin dropped the bomb. "How have you been doing? Ever since ... " He trailed off awkwardly.

A dim sum that had been halfway to her mouth dropped back onto the plate. She looked at Hyungjin with wide eyes. "You never beat around the bush, don't you, oppa?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that while you were away, your grandmother kept telling us how worried she was about you."

Yeonwoo shrugged, trying to look indifferent. "It's hard, I guess. But I've been distracted lately, what with my studies and all."