The Real Us

. chapter 13 .

"Excuse me," a pretty girl with big doe eyes and dyed, wavy hair tapped on Jay's shoulder. The male turned around to look at the unfamiliar girl. She looked around their age, but didn't look like a student.

"I saw you from across the room and I wanted to tell you, you're totally my type." She flashed an innocent smile at the boy who stared back at her with a slightly flustered expression.

"If you don't mind," she continued, "could I have your num-"

"No, you can't." Choi Hyejin interjected as she stepped in front of the boy, separating him from the unfamiliar girl.

"And who exactly are you..?" the girl looked annoyed, but she attempted to smile, trying to maintain her appearance in front of the handsome male.

"I'm his girlfriend." Hyejin announced as she grabbed the male's hand.Both Jay and Hyejin seemed surprised at her sudden declaration, but the girl bit her bottom lip, trying to maintain a straight face. 

The unfamiliar girl eyed the duo's hands which now had their fingers interlocked as well. She scoffed and scrunched her nose in an almost disgusted expression before turning to leave the exhibit.

The two were left holding hands in the otherwise empty room. The male turned to the female, still wide-eyed from what he had just heard her say. "I didn't know you were my girlfriend. Since when?" he smirked as he teased her. Seeing her ears turn pink as she filled her cheeks with air, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

"Well.. I'm- I was just.. helping you get away from her.." The girl mumbled, but it was clear that that was not her real reason.

Suddenly the male grabbed her forearms, pinning them against the wall and trapping the girl. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

Choi Hyejin felt her heart beating out of her chest and she was sure the male in front of her was able to hear it. She suddenly felt bold as she met his gaze. "And what if I do?"

The male licked his lips as he leaned closer to her face. Their noses were almost touching and he could tell she was blushing, even in the room's dim lighting. He tilted his head as he caught her scent. Floral with a hint of citrus. 

The girl could feel his breath on her neck as he appeared to get closer and closer. Suddenly, they heard a tour guide enter to room and they separated as if they had both been electrocuted by the other. Thankfully, nobody had seen anything except for the two of them awkwardly avoiding looking at the other after pulling away.

-

When 5:00 rolled around, the students began to make their way back onto their respective buses. Sunghoon and Taeryoung who had finally met up again, but still were ignoring each other's existence, made their way onto the bus. This time they found themselves sitting near the back row.

As the two got comfortable in their seats, Taeryoung watched as her friend, Hyejin, and her partner sat down in the row just in front of them.

The girl was about to reach over the seat and tap her friend when she noticed something. Hyejin and Jay were holding hands.

The girl froze, shocked at how fast their entire relationship had unfolded, but she decided to leave them be to have their moment. 

-

The remainder of the trip passed in a haze. Taeryoung and Sunghoon continued acting as if they were complete strangers and other students were starting to notice.

The students had already loaded their luggage onto the plane for the trip back to Seoul and they were waiting for the plane to take off. The girl had thought she had gotten over her fear of flying the first time, but she was completely wrong. 

Her hands were all sweaty and shaky again and she felt as if every muscle in her body was tensing up.  She tried to hide her hands under her skirt as she felt her nails instinctively digging into her palms as they always did when she was nervous. 

She felt a jolt as the plane began to move. The girl felt her fists tighten more and more as the plane picked up speed.

But she suddenly felt a hand on her own. She remained staring at her lap as she felt the male beside her pull her hand towards him. He silently squeezed her hand and she felt herself relax a bit. Finally the plane lifted off.