second lead. | 정원

chapter 01.

i.

Jeon Mira couldn't help but smile when she heard the school bell ringing, the sound echoing across the hallway and into the many classrooms, signaling that school was finally over for the day.

One of the reasons behind her smile and excitement was that she can go home and rest as it was Friday today. Just the thought of snuggling up with her blankets and pillows made her body relax.

The other reason was that she received a text message from her best friend about wanting to meet up because he had something to tell her. Mira would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous but the numerous ideas that came into her mind made her curious to know what he has to say.

Had he finally realized her feelings for him?

Her actions towards him were clear enough for someone to assume she fancied him. The fact that he chose the rooftop as a meet-up point was pretty cliché. From most stories she read, anything could happen on the rooftop, good or bad. She hoped it would be good.

Mira met the boy around freshman year, ninth grade. They got to know each other through a partnership project assigned by the teacher and they weren't sure what happened because the next second they had been stuck together like glue.

Judging from the way he treated her, he probably felt the same way. Whenever she felt lonely, he would sacrifice his time with his friends just to be with her, he would buy her ice cream to cheer her up, and he would sometimes wait for her after school. So there was no way she could be wrong. Or so she thought.

Jeon Mira clumsily put all her stationery and notebooks inside her bag before zipping it up. She threw her bag over her shoulder and rushed towards the rooftop, where he said he was waiting.

On the same day, at the same school, at the same time, a dark-haired boy who was in the same grade as Mira but in different classes had received a similar text message from his childhood friend while he was packing up his books.

Furrowing his eyebrows at the message she sent, she told him to meet her at the back of the school building because she wanted to ask something. Yang Jungwon was puzzled by her request but he complied. While walking towards the said location, he felt a gust of wind passing by only to find a girl he recognized from class two zooming towards the stairs.

His eyes wandered to the class next door, the same class he saw the girl came out from. He tried finding his childhood friend among the students who were still inside, but she wasn't there. She must be waiting outside already.

Jungwon opened the school's back door and caught sight of his childhood friend, Park Aerin, leaning against the wall with her hands behind her back.

"Rin," He called out, making the girl turn her head towards him, a small smile appearing. She gave him a short hug like she always did and due to the action, Jungwon found it strange how his heart was beating louder than usual.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" He questioned, gently pushing her away from the hug. The girl blinked twice before a shade of red colored her pale cheeks. "O-oh right... about that uhm..."

Aerin looked away while fiddling her fingers nervously, hesitant to ask. After a few moments of silence, she opened her mouth and faced him, "Jungwon, I..."

-

Jeon Mira opened the rooftop door and spotted her best friend standing by the railing. His hands were holding onto them as he stared out at the beautiful view the school roof provided from above.

From where she stood, she can see his side profile. From his disheveled pink hair to his pointed nose to his soft cheeks and his sharp jawline. She couldn't help but admire him from afar before snapping out of her thoughts when he called out her name.

With a smile, Mira jogged towards her best friend and stood beside him, also eyeing the wonderful view of the garden. The sun was about to pass the horizon before the moon will come up to do its duty. The sky being colored a tinge of red and orange as its rays shone on the two faces.

Mira breathed in the fresh scent of air nature gifted while closing her eyes before opening them again. The soft breeze grazing her skin and hair, making it flutter to its desired direction.

Kim Sunoo broke the silence. "Ra, I want to tell you— no, I mean I want to ask you something," He corrected.

The girl gave her attention to him as she raised an eyebrow. She wanted to make it look like she wasn't nervous despite her heart beating extremely fast at the possibilities flooding in her mind.

She had high hopes.

The boy made eye contact with her whilst parting his lips and the sight made her internally scream at how attractive he was doing simple things. But when the words finally flowed out of his lips, her expression faltered.

At the same time with the other two students behind the school building, Park Aerin had also asked a question to Yang Jungwon.

If this was a movie, the editors would split the screen into two and let both scenes play at the same time, their voices overlapping each other. With the pink-haired male asking a question equivalent to what Aerin was going to ask, before it switched over to Mira and Jungwon's reaction.

"You're friends with Sunoo right? Can you maybe... help me talk to him?" Aerin awkwardly chuckled, rubbing her neck nervously.

"What?"

"You know Park Aerin from your class? If you don't mind can you set me up with her?" He pleaded.

Mira for sure felt her heart dropping down to her stomach now knowing her best friend of three years already has someone else in his heart she failed to take.

With Yang Jungwon's surprised expression and a heartbroken one from Jeon Mira, both students stayed silent as they stared at their friends in bewilderment, watching as their cheeks slowly but surely turn red at the mention of their crush's names as they looked away embarrassed.

What were they supposed to do now?

a/n; first chapter is here! let me know your thoughts so far.