LET ME - taehyun x oc

CHAPTER 5

VIOLET
Friday, October 15, 2021

"Hey, what did we say our conclusion was?" Chaewon, my lab partner, peeks over her laptop as I type up our abstract for our lab report.

"We said that the non-germinated peas consumed less oxygen than the germinated peas..." I mumble, staring at the word document on my screen as I type up the next sentence in my paragraph.

"Yeah, but what were the values?" she asks again, tapping her pen nervously on the table.

"Chae- give me one second..." I groan, feeling a bit frustrated at my lab partner. She's sweet but I feel like I have to do everything on my own.

Just then my phone vibrates on the table, jolting me out of my head. It's a call but I ignore it. Chaewon looks up, glancing at the vibrating device between us.

"Jaesung is calling?" she suggests, looking up at me timidly. I stop typing and glance at my phone. Jae's smiling face lights up my screen and I get this sinking feeling in my stomach.

I do my best to ignore it and continue typing, but he calls again.

"Are you gonna get that?" Chaewon offers quietly, noticing the irritated look on my face. "It might be important..."

I sigh loudly, closing my laptop and taking the phone before I get up and walk outside of the study room. The library is quiet, but I find a good spot by the bathrooms. I glance at the screen again, Jae's deep brown eyes looking at me.

I hesitate, but he needs to know it's over. I press the green button and bring the receiver up to my ear.

"Yeoboseyo..." I mumble, trying to sound calm, but my heart is beating fast.

"Violet- ohmygod, you finally answered me," his warm laughter echoes through the receiver and I feel like I'm being sucked into a spiral. But I take a deep breath in and gaze down at the tile floor.

"Hello, Jaesung," I say firmly, focusing on the straight lines between the white tiles. He greets me again, sounding happy and excited to finally hear my voice. He asks me how I'm doing, making small talk like he always did when we talked on the phone.

I reply curtly, allowing him the bare minimum. But I know this harsh stoicism is coming from a place of deep hurt and heartache. I want to scream and yell at him. I want to insult him and make sure he understands I never want to hear from him again. But that would be giving him too much. He doesn't get to have my anger. He gets the bare minimum.

But suddenly, I hear a change in his voice. He goes from casual and light to intimate and melancholy. I know that voice all too well.

"Vi, I miss you..." he whispers with the same sweet tones he would use when he laid in bed, calling me before going to sleep. My heart races at the words and I feel all the armor I had put on two minutes ago slipping off.

"Jae, I can't talk right now- I'm in the middle of something," I start, making sure he hears the frustration in my voice. "I have to go-"

"No! Please, wait-" he says suddenly, breathing loudly into the receiver. "Vi, I need to see you. I know I messed up, but please give me a chance to explain-"

"Explain what, Jaesung?" I whisper angrily, feeling the burning inside me. "I'm not interested in your excuses-"

"Vi, please- just one chance, please," he pleads, his voice breaking. But I don't give a shit about his feelings.

"Goodbye, Jae," I say firmly and hang up the phone. His face disappears from my screen and I see Taehyun's smiling eyes gazing at me through the icons on my screen.