second lead. | 정원

chapter 51.

li.

"Where's Mira?" Jungwon asked upon noticing the absence of two girls. "And Jihye," He added.

After coming back from accompanying Hyun to the restroom, the boy didn't see his sister and Mira anywhere which made him curious to know where they went. Did Jihye take this opportunity to hang out with his girlfriend alone? Jungwon scoffed at the thought.

His frown disappeared when he spotted two girls coming back to the restaurant, arms entangled with one another. Yang Jihye had a bright grin plastered on her face as she spoke animatedly to Mira, the latter nodding at every word she said. It would be a lie to say Jungwon's lips didn't curve up upon meeting her gaze.

However, he didn't get the chance to exchange a single word with her when his older sister sprinted past him towards her seat, grabbed her pouch, and turned around to leave whilst pulling Mira along. "Mom, I'll be going around the mall. Call me if you need me!" She clamored.

Before Jihye could exit the restaurant with Mira, Jungwon pulled the latter's elbow making her fall back as she felt his hands on her shoulders. Mira looked back and forth between the siblings, acknowledging the tension in the air. "It's my turn to spend time with her. You've had yours," He asserted.

His sister crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow as a challenge, "What? I'm just getting to know her. You'll see her every day at school anyway."

"We have different classes before. What if it'll be the same in two weeks?"

"Geez, am I not allowed to hang out with my little brother's girlfriend?" Jihye quipped, her bottom lip unknowingly sticking out. "I just wanna show her around the mall and have a nice chat with her," She attempted to pull Jeon Mira away from his hold but she was a second too slow.

Yang Jungwon had already wrapped his arms around Mira's neck as he took a step back, out of his sister's reach. In a way, it looked like she was being embraced from behind. "No, she's mine, not yours," He squinted his eyes, resembling an angry kitten.

Jeon Mira felt like a rag doll honestly, but she couldn't stop herself from blushing from his words and sudden embrace. He was so close she could smell his sweet scent. She swore she could also feel his heart thumping louder and quicker than its regular pace against her back, but maybe her senses were deceiving her. It must be her heartbeat.

Jungwon slung his bag over his shoulder—still having his arm around the girl— before he left the restaurant after greeting their parents goodbye.

This made Jihye sulk as she longingly stared at Mira's figure slowly leaving her vision. She could not believe her brother's behavior. Never in a million years did she expect to witness him act this way towards a girl. It was cringe, but adorable simultaneously. Love does change people.

The older girl felt chills running down her spine as she shivered in horror, hugging herself in an attempt to keep her body warm, "Mom... Is that really Jungwon talking? Why do I want to barf and coo at the same time?"

"Don't act like you don't do the same with Choi," The woman retorted.

On the other hand, Mira's mother was chuckling at the interaction, finding it amusing as she let Hyun rest on her lap. The little boy was feeling sleepy after a long day but it looked like they won't be leaving anytime soon. Hyunjoo didn't mind sleeping in public, as long as he could rest.

In public. That entire exchange between the Yang siblings occurred in public. They were so engrossed with their so-called argument they ignored the people watching the entire conversation.

It might not seem much because they were just mere strangers to them, but would it matter more if one of those strangers happened to be a student from Daehwi High? Not Choi Yunseo, not Jang Kyeri.

It was another witness from their grade.

-

"Jungwon?" Mira called out, noticing his eyes were glued on the first floor as they went down the escalator. She took a glance below out of curiosity, being met with an event she was uncleared of. The pair reached the third floor.

Truthfully, Jungwon didn't know where to go. He was walking aimlessly around, but instead of walking alone as he did before, he had Mira with him so if he gets lost, she would too. Anything to keep her and his sister away from each other.

"Have you ever wondered how cars get inside the mall?" The male inquired, breaking the silence as his eyes flickered down at the event once again, specifically on the vehicles on display.

"I'm pretty sure every single person must have thought about that at least once in their life," She chuckled, "There must be a larger door somewhere different from the ones we go through to drive them in," Mira continued whilst Jungwon listened, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "They'll probably bring them out at night when the mall is closed and bring them back early in the morning. Depends. Leaving the cars could be an option too but I doubt they do that."

Jungwon nodded his head with a hum, glancing at her from the corner of his eye as she continued to ramble. He knew the answer already, he just wanted her to share her thoughts. A small smile made its way to his lips as he faced forward before stopping in his tracks.

His sudden halt caused Mira to follow suit, her eyes looking to where he was looking before they widen in panic. Her fingers pinched his shirt, gaze pinned towards a group of familiar teenagers who stood a couple of meters away. She knew those people would recognize them within a glance.

Yang Jungwon initiated the first move as he got a hold of the girl's wrist and made them go the other direction, avoiding the group of jocks and cheerleaders who were favored in school. If he wasn't tripping, he swore he saw Zen Liu— the school heartthrob and one of the boys who liked Jeon Mira— among the group.

Their secret relationship shouldn't be exposed to more people. At least not yet.

Jungwon pulled Mira inside a random clothing store not too far away, acting as if he was interested in the jackets and sweaters on display. When he saw Zen and his group walking past, he swiftly stood behind a clothing rack, Mira doing the same nearby.

Zen was walking backward in front of his group as he spoke, hands stuffed inside his jeans pockets. He looked pretty smug, a visible smirk plastered on his handsome face. A cheerleader giggled before she made her way towards the boy, landing a hand on his chest. Zen responded by placing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close, not forgetting to wink at his friends walking behind him.

Seeing this only made Jungwon scoff, recalling the day when Zen claimed to like Mira. His words and actions don't seem to match.