second lead. | 정원

chapter 38.

xxxviii.

Things have been awkward. After the incident (not sure if it was appropriate to be called an incident), both Jungwon and Mira have been avoiding each other which confused their friends. Especially Ni-ki.

The young boy was somewhat puzzled by their actions. One day they were glued to the hip, the next they were not speaking to each other. A large contrast between the first day and the last. Even during the train ride on the way back to Seoul, Jungwon was looking out the window while Mira was on her phone.

Ni-ki frowned at the sight. He had seen the dimpled boy stealing a glance at the girl a couple of times before looking down at his lap. His palms were sweaty (knees weak, arms are heavy) as he rubbed them on his jeans.

Ni-ki could only assume something might have happened between the two that he wasn't aware of. He shrugged it off, thinking it wasn't his business to interfere, and believed they would go back to normal eventually.

But boy, was he wrong.

It had been a week and they were still not talking. Yu Cheram was the second person after Ni-ki who noticed their actions as she informed her close friends, who believed her after seeing Jungwon and Mira pretending as if the other didn't exist.

Park Aerin was specifically worried if this would go on until finals which were in two weeks. A few words exchanged between them would satisfy her wants and she was hoping to find her answer behind their behavior by asking Ni-ki and Sunoo. These two males were close friends to Jungwon so she figured they would know the reason.

But boy, was she wrong.

Sunoo was completely clueless and Ni-ki finally decided to tell Aerin regarding his gut feeling about Miwon during the school trip. The girl proceeded to text Jungwon to meet her behind the school building after dismissal, and Kim Sunoo did the same thing with Mira on the rooftop on the same day in favor of Aerin.

They shared a similar approach to help mend the relationship between Jungwon and Mira by straightforwardly asking them the reason behind their sudden avoidance. They figured it would be better to get a jig of their situation if they asked them quickly without stalling.

But boy, were they wrong.

Jeon Mira was flustered when Sunoo asked her the question, which was confusing for the latter as he did not understand why she was slowly turning red. "Ra, what's wrong? Do you have a fever? Want medicine?" He offered the vitamins he kept inside his bag, a worried expression on his face.

Jungwon, on the other hand, was too embarrassed to tell Aerin about it as he avoided the subject by changing it into something else. The first attempt was a failure. So were the second and third attempts. Fourth, however, was a success as he managed to turn it around by asking about her current status with the boy she likes. Aerin got distracted pretty easily.

Yang Jungwon recalled the softness of Mira's lips. Every night, he found himself blushing over the fact that they kissed while hovering a finger above his bottom lip. He even memorized the details of her facial features and the expression she made.

He also struggled to hide the way his cheeks would turn rosy all of a sudden in a family dinner, and Jungwon knew his older sister might catch on soon.

The result he got after initiating a bold move was avoidance from Mira herself. The girl whom he was in a fake relationship with. The girl whom he lost his first kiss with. The girl who he possibly stole her first kiss with. The girl from class two with the name of Jeon Mira. The girl he probably ruined their relationship over.

What an idiot.

That one kiss just released a hidden feeling.

That one kiss made him realize.

Despite Jungwon being a confident young teenager who stood higher than most of the students at school, he was a coward deep inside. He couldn't even approach Mira to apologize for his actions as he found it difficult to even be two meters from her.

This was his fault — if he hadn't done what he did, they would be interacting like normal. Certainly, he ruined whatever was between them by acting stupidly and doing something he wasn't thinking of. His body moved on its own and he scolded himself for that.

Yang Jungwon silently watched the girl leave the school premises alone, heading towards the bus stop. It was Friday today meaning he wouldn't be able to see her for two days. Exams were coming too so he needed to focus on his studies.

Maybe he could regain his courage after finals? It would be better if he could talk to her before summer break.