second lead. | 정원

chapter 35.

xxxv.

"Sweetie, don't misbehave!" A mother ordered while pulling her five-year-old daughter with her by hand.

The child dug her heels to the ground, whining non-stop about not wanting to leave the theme park. She wanted to play the bumper cars again. "Soo-ah, let's go! Or do you want that lady to take you?" The woman said, pointing to Mira.

Mira, who had been standing in the same place for five minutes as she waited for her friends to get their food (which was ridiculously overpriced), was dumbfounded by the sudden mention. She looked down at the child, the little girl staring up at her with desperate doe eyes.

She didn't know what to do, but after taking a glance at the child's mother, Mira eventually played along, acting as if she was telling the little girl to come with her with a bad intention smile. The child scooted closer to her mother at the thought of a stranger separating her from her family, hiding behind the woman's legs.

Mira doesn't know why, but she enjoyed seeing the reaction of a terrified preschooler. It was funny to her and she was about to break out of character from the way the kid reacted. Was this mean of her?

"See? Now come with mommy and let's go home, okay?" Before the woman left, she gave a nod of approval and whispered a small thank you to Mira for helping.

Despite her being satisfied with the child's terror, the teenage girl couldn't deny that the woman's daughter was adorable. She needed to restrain herself from squishing the little girl's chubby cheek. The child's height just added more to the cuteness as she was short, reminding Mira of herself when she was her age.

Oh, how she wanted to go back to her childhood. Having her freedom, playing with her cousins, no stacked homework, no stress. As children, they couldn't wait to be grown-ups, and as grown-ups, they yearn for the innocence of childhood. It's a period that is free of all anxiety and worries — but Mira had to accept it, she won't be a kid again.

And the cycle continues.

A sudden cold sensation was pressed against her cheek making her jump. Mira held her cheek while looking back at the person who was now giggling, finding her reaction funny. Park Aerin held a plastic bottle in her hand, "Sorry, here."

She handed the older the water and Mira accepted, immediately chugging the contents from her thirst. Aerin smiled before looking around the park, rocking on her heels.

She found the rest of her friends still lining up in a hotdog stand. Jungwon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki were standing at the side, conversing, possibly waiting for Cheram and Yubin to finally get their food which would take a while as the line was long.

"Hey," Aerin started, "Can I ask you something?"

Jeon Mira wiped the excess liquid from her lips as she held the almost empty bottle in her hand, feeling refreshed. She hummed, signaling Aerin to continue. The latter looked at her for a few seconds before she cleared her throat and spoke,

"Are you perhaps... dating Jungwon?"

Hearing this, Mira's breath hitched — and just from her reaction, it was enough for Park Aerin to understand, "You are, aren't you? You can tell me, I'm just making sure." Aerin couldn't possibly ignore all the signs. She might be oblivious, but she's not stupid. Why else would she attend Daehwi?

"I'm not mad at all, don't worry! I'm happy he chose you," She reassured the older girl, who was having an internal panic in her system. "You're kind and considerate and if he's happy then I'm happy," She added, smiling softly.

Mira was lagging, so Aerin took her hand in hers. "I don't think you remember the promise we made, but I had asked you to take care of him for me back on the train. You don't have to do it for me anymore, do it for him," She rambled.

However, seeing as Mira was not responding to anything she had said made her doubt. Park Aerin's smile slowly faded as she stared at her in confusion, expecting a response but the girl was still speechless. That was until a thought hits her.

"Wait, was I wrong? Are you and Jungwon not dating??? Oh God- I'm so sorry, I just assumed!" Aerin did her iconic ninety-degree bow.

Curse her brain for thinking both her friends were dating each other. Jungwon was confirmed to have a girlfriend, and Mira had a rumored boyfriend. The information was announced almost at the same time so she connected the dots. Was it only a mere coincidence? Both their partners were untold so Aerin thought they were dati— she messed up, did she?

Was Mira gonna unfriend her now? So much for not jumping into conclusions, yet here she was.

"I hope your boyfriend won't kill me for mistaking him for Jungwon!" Aerin continued, biting her bottom lip anxiously while her gaze remained stuck on her shoes. She was still bowing by the way.

It was understandable for her to have thought like this. There was no other girl Jungwon was close with besides Mira and herself. He interacted with some girls at school but not as close as he was with Jeon Mira.

What happened at the ride earlier today only confirmed her suspicions. Jungwon was sulking when Ni-ki stole his seat, but Aerin wasn't confident as she was busy talking with Sunoo before. Did she misunderstand?

"Aerin, you're—"

"What's going on here?" Cheram entered the convo with a mouthful of hotdog. She looked at the two girls, finding their poses silly as she held in a laugh to not sprout any crumbs but ended up choking on it. Yubin instantly came and patted her back only to receive a slap on the hand.

"I need water you idiot," Cheram choked out.

-

Jeon Mira laid on the mattress. She listened to the soft snores emitted from the other girls in the dimly lit room they share, the moonlight seeping through the curtains being the only source of illumination.

After a tiring day at the theme park, Mira was exhausted. She swore she couldn't feel her legs half the day, and her eyelids were heavy during the ride back home. Now that she was comfortably sprawled on her bed, why couldn't she fall asleep?

The young teen heaved out a sigh as she sat up, scanning the room to find all her roommates snoozing. She slowly approached the door, making sure not to produce any sound of disturbance.

On the way, Mira accidentally tripped on someone's foot so she quickly balanced herself and winced quietly, looking down at the person below her nervously.

Her roommate shifted in her sleep, the action brought the covers down as she was now exposed to the cold. Mira gently pulled them back up before continuing her way towards the door, putting her slippers on, and leaving the room.