dancing with a stranger

VII

"we went to a cafe to 'discuss' what we were going to do but we didn't even conclude on anything. the only thing we kind of had in common was billie eilish. but the types of songs he listened to and the type of songs i listened to..... DIFFERENT" jaerim lamented to her closest companion, shuhua. 

although jaerim was a social butterfly and got along with almost everyone in her faculty, she was really only close to one girl. shuhua was moved to south korea from china to attend the university they were in since it was the best in the region for all things media related. she felt out of place during orientation and jaerim really helped her find her way through the school and their classes, although being a freshman herself. from then on, they became closest friends, although it had only been less than a year of knowing one another. 

"so the both of you sat in complete silence the whole time?" shuhua questioned, taking a huge scoop of the ice cream she was holding. the two went to get a sweet treat after they 5 hour long practical session. 

"kind of? it wasn't awkward though, for me at least. i wouldn't know about him but it was just so peaceful and serene. he offered to pay too but i still paid for my food" jaerim smiled to herself at hyunjin's thoughtfulness. 

"you make it sound like a first date" shuhua pointed out, which earned her a glare from her friend. 

"please... it was absolutely not. hyunjin isn't really my type" 

-----

"shes absolutely not my type" hyunjin rushed out. seungmin side-eyed the other boy and shrugged, "whatever you say dude. just sounded like a date more than an assignment." 

"i feel like theres absolutely no progress and i have no idea where and how to continue. she likes billie eilish though" hyunjin noted. just as he finished his sentence, jeongin walked up to the two boys who were sitting at one of the tables outside the convenience store. 

"im done with my shift!" jeongin chirped carrying a bag of snacks. 

"aww are those for your dearest elders?" seungmin joked while messing the hair of the younger boy. 

jeongin nodded eagerly and passed them each a bag of the newest chips in town. he was about to open one for himself but hyunjin stopped him. 

"you know you're not supposed to be eating all these junk food right? or at least don't eat it hours before your check up" hyunjin nagged. 

the mood instantly became sour between the three boys. "im sure a little won't hurt" seungmin rushed to lighten everything up which only caused hyunjin to walk ahead. 

jeongin simply kept his bag of goodies into his bag. he tried his best not to upset hyunjin, knowing that hyunjin too had a lot going on his mind. worrying about the younger boy should be the least of his priorities. 

"so how are you and jaerim doing for the assignment? any progress?" jeongin asked. 

"not really. we went out to eat but it stopped there" hyunjin flagged out a taxi that was passing. 

the three got into it, with seungmin taking the front seat, allowing the cousings to catch up with one another. although he wasn't related to the two, he tried his best to always be there for the two of them. 

"ask her out again but this time discuss on other things. or you can go to places to gain inspiration! like the museum or a theme park or the zoo-"

"those places sounds a lot like date places kid" hyunjin deadpanned.

"its only a date if you think of it as a date. i mean what other choices do you have? go out and explore the world and gain some inspiration while you're both at it" jeongin shrugged. he put in his airpods and got comfortable in his seat, signaling that he was ready for his usual nap to the hospital. 

hyunjin thought about it. going to the theme park was a hassle, he didn't like super crowded places or long queues in the sun. the zoo didn't sound appealing either. his only option left was either the museum, or going to another cafe to brainstorm. 

i mean, what was the worst that could happen? it was long since he last visited the museum and he did want to get to know jaerim more. she intrigued him, not like how other people did. he appreciated her eagerness to get to know people. something about it felt genuine and real. he could also use another friend. 

he took out his phone wanting to call her but realised that the enclosed area he was in would only cause the other 2 boys to make fun of him. he clicked the messaging app and searched for her name, only to realise he hadn't saved it. it still showed 'rimmie' on it. 

he typed in media major, jaerim but contemplated a second too long before clicking save. "that sounds formal...." he removed the media major before it and saved her contact details as 'jaerim'. 

just like that, he now had more than 3 contact names saved in his phone.