Deus Didymus: Rend

Chapter Twenty-Five: Chaewon

Chaewon walked along the dirt road, humming with her hands behind her back. The sunny winter day cast a comforting blanket of light on the IZLand capital, paired with breezes that nipped at the nose.

She wore a white hoodie with navy blue sleeves and the words 'IZ*ONE' woven into the middle of her chest. The pair of drawstrings swayed in the wind, drawing her fingers to the woven fabric ropes.

Despite the chilling breezes, Chaewon wore a pair of denim shorts that stopped at the top of her thighs.

I wonder what the others are doing.

Chaewon paced down her path, blowing raspberries into the air. She giggled to herself whilst turning the corner, hitching her breath as she bumped into a larger figure.

"I-I'm sorry!" Chaewon bowed, "I wasn't looki--ng... Minho ya? What are you doing out here?"

"Taking a stroll." Minho replied as his eyes scanned the older's outfit. "What about you?"

Chaewon hugged the boy's arm, "Me too! How about we walk together?"

"Sure."

The radish girl beamed a bright smile, swaying her head with every step.

"So what were things like before you entered the academy?" Chaewon asked.

Minho shrugged, "Same as after I entered the academy. I didn't make many friends and just studied."

Chaewon kicked a rock from her path, eyeing it for her next kick, "Were you a good student?"

"I was an okay student."

"What does that mean?" Chaewon lifted her head, "What kind of grades did you get?"

"A's and B's," Minho replied, "I didn't try my best, but I didn't slack."

"Oh." Chaewon nodded her head.

"How about you?"

The radish girl took a deep breath before turning to the sky. She scratched her head, chuckling nervously.

"I wasn't a bad student. I tried my best, but I... also got distracted a lot."

"You're just like my sister." Minho chuckled.

"Liz?"

"Yeah. She likes to do everything but study and her homework."

The couple continued walking through the capital's main dirt road until they reached the academy building.

"Oh-" Chaewon giggled, "We came here on accident."

Minho scanned the field, "It seems like no one's here. Do you want to go chill in the field?"

"Yeah!"

Upon settling underneath the lone tree, Chaewon rested Minho's head on her lap. She leaned back, supporting herself on its stump while gazing into the clear blue sky.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that I used to have a really close friend group." Chaewon chortled, "It was Yena unnie, Yuri ya and I."

"Yuri...?"

"Do you remember that waitress from the lunch we had at the start of our first year?"

"Oh." Minho nodded, "Yeah."

"The three of us were really close. I just didn't show it at the restaurant because she asked me not to so she could work properly." Chaewon smiled. "After we were put in our individual teams and Yuri ya was kidnapped, our friend group kind of broke up..."

"Yena unnie and I are still good friends!" she continued, "But we don't interact as much as we used to--even though we live in the same neighborhood."

Minho slipped his hand underneath one of Chaewon's, bringing it to his chest.