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"siwoo. hey."
the sound of a mumbled voice was heard through the waves of music coming through her headphones. her head shot up, looking ahead of her at a familiar face.
the girl pried them out of her ear, slightly panicked, showing that she was listening. "hey!"
the boy smiled down at her with both his lips and eyes, causing siwoo's stomach to twist and turn in joy.
lee jeno.
undoubtedly the most popular boy in school, the one every girl crushed on. siwoo felt basic having feelings for the guy in her grade that quite literally every single girl had a crush on, but she swore up and down that hers was different. she and jeno had been childhood friends, and due to this, it didn't take long for her to develop feelings.
he always treated her like a princess, but he was so unbelievably clueless about her feelings, that siwoo never got the courage to confess. she was scared he wouldn't feel the same way, and their friendship would be ruined.
"you coming to the study group after school?" the boy asked, helping her up as she sat in the hallway, doodling in her notebook with her headphones in.
"uh.." she pondered, wanting to say no because she knew all of his popular friends would be there, "i was going to, but i think my aunt needs me at home."
jenos bottom lip peaked out in a pout for a split second, his shoulders dropping as if he'd began to sulk. "i was hoping you'd be able to make it, but that's all good. want me to drop you off quick?"
"no! no, it's alright. i can walk home, don't worry about it. get to studying."
jeno laughed at her playful attitude. "okay, i'll see you later. tell auntie i said hello."
the two said their goodbyes and went separate ways. siwoo felt her heart beating in her chest faster than usual, something that happened every single time she interacted with jeno. at this point she was surprised he hasn't picked up on it solely from just hearing how quickly her heart rate went up when she was around him.
siwoo placed her headphones back in her ears and began to walk home. she noticed her uncles car in the driveway, slightly frowning in confusion before walking through the front door. she took out her earbuds once again and set her bag down next to the front door, along with slipping off her shoes before approaching her uncle in the kitchen.
"hey, you okay?" she asked, setting a comforting hand on his shoulder as he looked to be stressed.
"siwoo," he breathed, turning his head to her and setting down the mail in his hand. he then fully turned his body to her, grabbing onto her hands gently.
"siwoo, i, uh... i lost my job. they laid me off. i wasn't going to tell you, but, you're old enough to understand. i'm sorry." the older man couldn't hold eye contact, as he felt too guilty.
