second lead. | 정원

chapter 25.

xxv.

Day two, Temple and Grotto.

JUNGWON:
Where are you?

JUNGWON:
I just stared at a girl because
I thought it was you.

Jeon Mira was busy admiring the Bulguksa Temple in front of her she didn't realize the constant buzzing of her phone inside her coat. The atmosphere was much colder compared to yesterday and she wasn't sweating as much. Instead, she felt energized.

Mira went back to the notice board at the entrance, took out her phone, and snapped a picture of what the temple looked like hundreds of years ago back in 1914. She clicked off the camera app and noticed the new messages Jungwon sent a few minutes ago displayed on her lockscreen.

MIRA:
That's hilarious.

MIRA:
I'm at the entrance btw, why??
read, 03:28 PM.

After sending a quick text to him, the girl pulled out the itinerary and reviewed the contents while walking towards her next destination. Seokguram Grotto was nearby and was placed inside one of the temples, all she had to do was to find the right one out of many.

The brochure map that was given was a little confusing to understand from the small and detailed words but she was quick to find the location. There should be a large stairway leading up to a temple inside a small hill. It shouldn't be that hard to find.

A family of four sauntered past and one of the kids was babbling about the grotto. They were heading towards the said stairway and Mira decided to just follow behind them. The place was piled so she could only see a few of her classmates roaming around. They didn't care about the booklet and were taking pictures below colorful lanterns. She reminded herself to take some too later.

A gentle tap on the shoulder made her turn around as she came face to face with Jungwon. She gave him a small smile and pointed to the top of the stairs, "Have you seen the statue yet?"

The male shook his head, "I haven't. Are you going there now?"

Mira hummed and started approaching the stairway, climbing up the big steps with Jungwon following behind. Halfway through, she pulled out her phone to check the school schedule and scanned today's activity, "Nice, we're going home after this."

"Really?" Jungwon exclaimed happily and she nodded her head in response. "Finally. My feet are killing me," He grunted.

Jeon Mira observed the statue that was placed in between two pillars after entering the grotto. Some drawings of ancient men and women were carved on the beige walls. She looked around the cave and spotted a panel that has information about its history. She quickly snapped a picture of it, hoping it would be useful for the booklet.

A nudge on her shoulder made her turn to Jungwon who was cautiously glancing to his right, a nervous expression on his face. Mira stared at him in question, signaling him to tell her what was wrong so he leaned closer for a whisper, "That was the girl from earlier who I stared at."

Just then, Mira's phone started ringing and her mother's name appeared on the screen. She glanced at Jungwon whose eyes were wandering around the grotto to avoid any possible interaction before she took a glimpse of the girl, whose eyes were locked behind his head.

"Let's go," Mira ordered, noticing the way he was uncomfortable with the situation. She quickly pulled him away by taking his wrist and clicked the answer button on her phone as they walked past the random girl. "Hello?"

"Rara! Are you having fun with the trip?" She heard her mother's voice chirping from the other line.

"It's going well, mom. Why did you call me?" The whole time, Jungwon's gaze were on the floor.

"We just missed you. I wanted to see how my daughter is doing, you know?" The woman replied and Mira could practically feel the smile forming on her mother's lips.

The girl motioned for Jungwon to stay with Ni-ki, who happened to be taking pictures not too far away from them. The boy was obedient and approached the younger lad, leaving Mira alone to talk to her mother. She went to find a secluded corner where there were less people around to hear her mother better.

Mira was too focused on the call to realize a student from her school was listening to her conversation behind a wall. They had just got out of the restroom nearby and thought it would be fun to eavesdrop on the popular girl of Daehwi High's phone call. Who knows, maybe there would be new tea spreading on the school's gossip page.

"I'm doing fine now. What about you— Dad? Did you snatch mom's phone?" Mira frowned after hearing her mother's voice transitioning to her father.

The person behind the wall rolled their eyes. Her parents? Boring. They shook their head in dissatisfaction and was about to walk away if it wasn't for Mira to suddenly say something that caught their interest, stopping them from leaving.

"What? You stole her phone to ask me about him?" She chuckled in disbelief, staying quiet as she listened to the person talking on the other line. "Boyfriend or not you seem to be very fond of him, dad. It's like he's your best friend or something," Mira scoffed playfully.

Juicy tea.

The unknown person had their eyes enlarged at the new information. Jeon Mira has a boyfriend? That was a surprise judging from the way she rejected all the boys who confessed to her at school.

The person pursed their lips afterward, finding it useless to spread this on the school's gossip page because everyone predicted Mira to be taken already. Maybe that was why she dismissed those boys. It wouldn't be a surprise if she wasn't single, however, the rejected boys would feel upset about it.

For now, the person decided to just share this secret with their closest friends. It will come to use soon, hopefully.

a/n; fyi, the random girl and the person who eavesdropped are two different people. also, something might happen next chapter :) or maybe the next, idk? (: