second lead. | 정원

chapter 61.

lxi.

"They're dating?"

Yang Jungwon's panicked eyes looked straight into Ms. Jeon's, but the woman didn't seem to catch on. He side-glanced at his classmates and swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to think of a possible way to get out of this mess. On the other hand, the claimed girlfriend only avoided everyone's curious stare.

"Holy shit, so the rumors are true?? Dang, I should've known it was him!"

Their silence made the gossip louder, creating an uproar. Chatters were heard from every corner of the room regarding Jungwon and Mira's relationship and upon seeing this, Ms. Jeon finally realized her mistake. "Oh. Was I not supposed to say that?" She whispered to herself, not recalling them stating it was a secret.

"They're dating? No way!"

"Jungwon and Mira?!"

"So he wasn't lying when he said he was taken..."

"Oh God, I almost confessed to her boyfriend two days ago."

"Ms. Jeon wouldn't lie, right? She's literally Mira's relative."

"I don't know if I wanna be Mira or Jungwon at this point, to be honest."

"Jungwon and Mira are together?"

"Wait, it wasn't someone from another school?"

"Mira, is Jungwon really your boyfriend? Are you guys actually dating???" A female student with hair styled in a messy bun asked diagonally to her left, two tables behind Choi Yunseo's desk. Mira was unable to tell if the girl was curious, or perhaps jealous. Her eyes instinctively scanned for Jungwon around the room. She was starting to feel in dazed by the many stares directed her way.

Her breathing ragged, twisting her insides. The words just wouldn't come out of her lips, she can almost hear the slow thumps of her heart. Every breath felt oddly heavy as she remembered her childhood. Every time she had that memory played in her mind, she felt like she was reliving the past all over again.

The messy-bun-haired female was soon replaced by the comforting presence of the boy she grew feelings for, her senses gradually coming back. Mira looked up at Jungwon, ignoring the previous girl who was now gritting her teeth upon witnessing him with someone else. More whispers could be heard and Jungwon shot his classmates a warning glare.

"It's true!" One of the boys yelled, standing up from his seat with his hand raised. He quickly glanced at the couple before looking back at everyone. "I saw them together this morning. They were in the corridor, standing really really close—"

"Enough," Jungwon raised the volume of his voice, something he preferred to do rather than shouting and yelling. He gave the male student a look before pursing his lips into a thin line. "Hamin, can you give everyone the remaining papers for me? And Suho, don't make it sound like hugging is obscene," He opposed, pulling on his girl's forearm and going up front.

"They hugged?!" Someone whisper-yelled to her friend, hiding her growing smile. "I'd love to see that with my own eyes," She added, a big fan of innocent romance in real life.

"Ms. Jeon?"

The teacher snapped out of her thoughts when her name was called. She stared at Jungwon and Mira who now stood in front of the class, waiting for her next instructions. Jeon Jiheon muttered something under her breath as she placed a hand over her chest, heaving a sigh of relief.

"Wait! But is it true that you guys are together?" A different girl inquired just as Ms. Jeon was about to start explaining their assigned project. It was the same girl who accidentally made Mira's nose bleed a few days ago, Jungwon remembered.

Before the dimpled boy could give out his answer, a faint touch was felt against his skin. The feathery feeling of fingers on his wrist slowly traveled south until they reached the palm of his hand, proceeding to lock their fingers together. Hesitation was present for a short while, but Jungwon's only focus was their now connected hands.

"That's true," Mira admitted. She figured it was finally time to reveal whatever relationship she had with Jungwon, to everyone, whether their labels were lovers or not. She glanced at the boy, finding him staring at her.

Mira was someone who liked to assume things on her own accord. Sometimes, her thoughts could be right or wrong, but for both results, she would still need confirmation. "I like Jungwon." However, with Jungwon, it was different. From the day they fake-dated, halfway through it all he was never hesitant to tell people their status so she chose to do the same.

It made her wonder if he had always felt that way when they were getting closer through this mutual help. Of course, she was afraid her judgments would be incorrect like how she misunderstood Kim Sunoo's actions.

Mira smiled ever so slightly. Maybe there was nothing for her to worry about after all. The way he adjusted his hand so he could squeeze hers comfortably made her worries fly out the window. She also needed to get used to the teasing and commentary from other people so it was a good opportunity.

Audible gasps filled the entire class. Mira stiffened and exhaled, enduring the feeling. Even though it was nothing close to being teased (wrongly) or being made fun of, it had an identical sensation. She disliked them. And Mira knew very well their relationship would spread as quickly as lightning.

All she could do was prepare for the many queries once lunch break started.

Choi Yunseo examined the "newborn" couple before leaning forward a little, craning her neck to get a good glimpse of the item she saw on their wrists. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and squinted her eyes, propping her elbows down on the table. She shifted her chair to the right, squinting once more.

"Are you blind or something?" A deep voice uttered, but Yunseo dismissed it. She could feel her seatmate shuffling closer before a warm presence was taken notice of. The girl looked to the side and backed away, eyeing the platinum-blonde boy in disgust.

"You're invading my personal space," Yunseo scowled, pushing his shoulder with a finger. "Keep your distance."

The male rolled his eyes, moving his chair back to its proper place, "For your information, they do have matching bracelets," He suddenly spoke, eyes not looking at a now surprised Yunseo. A man with a few words he was, Park Sunghoon. Maybe it was because he was still irritated that he didn't graduate last year.

Yunseo raised her eyebrows, wondering how he knew what she was curious about. She turned to the couple in front of the class again, just in time to see the barely visible string bracelets on their wrists. "You knew about them did you?" She questioned, holding her own wrist out of nowhere.

Sunghoon looked up from his phone and hummed shortly, raising one of his thick eyebrows in interest. "You weren't surprised when Ms. Jeon accidentally revealed their relationship," She continued, turning her head at him, "For how long?"

Sunghoon remained silent as he darted his eyes back toward his phone. Through his scrolling of social media, he answered her question, "The day you bitch slapped Heeyoung. Her friend, Subin, kept looking at them too."

"You mean Park Sebin," Yunseo corrected, gaze not leaving the couple as she crossed her arms and sighed, "She's Heeyoung's... I guess you can say, follower or minion."

He hummed. "Park Saymin?"

"Sebin. Geez, know your classmate's name," She kicked his shin from under the table.