written in the stars | yjw

18 | hello, nine letters

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

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chan haeri.

like the unanticipated guest, she pulls herself up from the seat and bows lightly.

"what a coincidence, lee seoyoon." her voice signifies a stoic feminine aura, causing the boy in the middle to turn around from his chair and copies seoyoon's action; he stands up also.

he never knew that he would be involved in triangular staring contest unexpectedly.

"we meet again, chan haeri." the other girl didn't seem to let her guard down easily at her appearance as she talks back slightly aggressive, the intensity of emotions are most likely to be fluctuating as her mind abruptly yanks her back to a caught memory of them linking arms behind her without even being noticed.

the sight of them once irritates her - a lot.

"perhaps you have an acquaintance by seeing this boy in the middle. won't you say his name in front of your friend?" haeri was pertaining to jungwon indirectly, both of their eyes oppositely reading the same room. jungwon didn't even know who haeri was, but he realizes that seoyoon knows her too, as well as the other one. a mutual friend, maybe, he thought - and by that thought, the acquaintance didn't seem bright as it should be, like meeting someone out of their sight for a while.

it's something different.

a friend my ass, she scoffs inwardly.

"alright." seoyoon answers, masking the irritation resurfacing in her eyes. jungwon notices an unusual activity exhibiting between them three, especially seoyoon's expression that he didn't find it good. the girl's gaze eventually shifts to him, looking straight into his eyes before directing back to haeri, "chan haeri, this is yang jungwon, a friend of mine back in highschool." she manages to talk casual despite feeling the heat on the soles of her feet, "and jungwon, this is chan haeri. a friend of mine." the last sentence leaves an acrid taste in her tongue, letting haeri puff a brief laughter.

a friend huh? she thought, i don't even know who the hell you are.

and why were you with taehyun that night?

the boy still haven't got an idea what's happening between them. he only stares at them cluelessly and gives his hand awkwardly to haeri for a handshake afterwards.

even him - feel something that seems not right.

seoyoon notes herself that it was the second time she met her this year. haeri's flawless figure didn't leave her thoughts, rather it lingers - she had that gut feeling about her. she'd like to know what she will do, even if it meant to meet together in the same path, or to be a part of the inevitable chaos that will soon befall.

but she chooses to be blind for the meantime.

"how long have you known each other, if you don't mind me asking?" haeri's sudden interrogation makes the other two to face directly towards her, glancing alternately. she finds it interesting when the other two has to look at each other significantly, like there's something between them, "or maybe how did you two first met?"

jungwon was about to answer her when the latter takes his place and replies instead, "almost three years, on a birthday event - his birthday rather." seoyoon fleets her eyes to him as she averts the other girl's mischievious stare, hitting the two questions in one sentence. the boy did not see it coming and thought she'll esconce the beginning of their history.

well, she did not.

"so that means you met him first before him."

the bitterness comes slowly out of hand as haeri's subtle attack acted a grenade that was thrown to her intently; with seoyoon's eyes dilating like walnuts when she realized she's talking to taehyun. although the boy had no idea what is literally happening by looking at his state himself - she feels herself getting anxious, not because of the scene they've caused;

jungwon didn't know that seoyoon is in a relationship with taehyun for almost three years already - five months after the midsummer night incident.

yes, she haven't told him that yet.

and might not be.

the lump on her throat furtively develops as she answers, "yes." expecting the boy letting his hearing gets loose for a moment. jungwon didn't hear that - kind of, and since his mind begin to drift like paper airplanes on the grassland, he becomes slightly less aware. probably.

"he might've known that." he did, or did he? recalling the exact remnant of her memory, seoyoon had once told taehyun about the incident. he knew what exactly happened almost three years ago, but little did they know - she never wanted to mention jungwon's name ever since it happened. his name tugs another string in her heart, aching the buried emotion up until now. she knew that haeri was doing suspicious; in few encounters, she have shown too much personalities. that mask of innocence she's using would've deceived her better.

"well, i guess he did." the other girl's expression sooner turns into a light frown after finding out that seoyoon forgets to respond due to reliving. the other one only remains silent throughout the situation, not even dared himself to barge in and turn the tables. silence helped him to reduce the tension, but silence also lead him to discern the other one who turned out thriving in disconcert.

i'm guilty for not doing anything, seoyoon-ah.

"anyway, it's nice meeting you two; especially you jungwon-ah." haeri switches the heating conversation by a farewell statement, glancing at the boy after she looks to her. calling his name hits different, to an extent that makes the boy a little uneasy. he was suprised at how haeri quickly proceeds to call him casually at the first meet. while his expression remains stiff and clueless, the girl takes a step forward and abruptly lean on seoyoon's ear to whisper a few final words,

"i hope he'll know the truth." she says, mouth being covered by one hand to avoid reading her lips, "you know that your relationship with taehyun means a lot than your - first love."

seoyoon subtly clenches her fist upon hearing the last word she never wished to hear it once again. yet despite the growing indignation - and the desire to tackle her, she let the silence mums herself, bearing each words escaping from her venomous mouth.

"i bet you haven't told him about it yet." she adds. the tingling voice on seoyoon's ears continues to breach through her eardrums, "truth will prevail, seoyoon. try to sink it in." after that, she instantly disappears from the shallow sight.

seoyoon was about lash herself from the repressed emotions triggered by haeri when jungwon slowly approaches her, peering on the other side of the bookshelf and glances at her, asking the general question that sums up his confusion and wonder,

"what the hell was that?"