The Reason? - Yoon Jeonghan

Chapter 35 - 2/2

Jeonghan was breathing hard, his heartbeat erratic.

He couldn't get to her fast enough.

He was worried, he had expressed his worries even the day before to his team. Yet they just told him to let time do its things. Well, time did its thing and now Ophely was at school, by herself.

The car was going too slow. He wished for it to go faster, so he could care for the girl faster. But he wanted to get there safely, so the car going too slow was the best for him. However it didn't make him worry any less than he did.

He was still breathing deep and irregular breaths, and his heart was still hammering away in his ribcage.

When the car finally came to a stop in front of the crowded school entrance, Jeonghan couldn't cover himself quick enough to find Ophely in the throng. As he left the vehicle, covered with a mask and a bucket hat, nobody paid him much mind, most of the attention was brought to the hunched over brown haired teenager pushed by another girl her age further through the crowd.

He, too, pushed through the horde to get to the figure. He could easily recognise Ophely as the hunched figure. His heart was all he needed to follow to be sure. It ached as he saw being squished, people had yet to understand that she was the figure they were looking for.

Jeonghan ran towards her, his hand outstretched for her to grab on as he called out her name.

Ophely looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. Jeonghan stood a few paces away from her, half hidden by the bodies of the crowd.

For a second Ophely was running towards herself in the mob of people outside her school, and when she caught onto her hand, she was back to seeing Jeonghan in front of her. Hammering in her ribcage was her heart, stressed beyond her imagination. It had never beat that fast, even when she was at the end of her life practising with the boys.

He pulled her closer to him, pushing aside the bodies that had separated them. Ophely sighed in relief as Jeonghan brought her into a tight embrace, yet leaving enough space between them so she could more easily breathe in enough air. She collapsed into him, hands trembling from nerves and heart slowly calming down its erratic beating.

But people had started to see them, at least Ophely, for who she was. Cameras turned their ways. And as much as Inyeong was trying, she couldn't stop that many people from flashing their lens at the couple.

"It's going to be okay." He told her quietly, rubbing her back soothingly.

She hummed back a response but sunk down to her knees, the flashing lights surrounding them hurting her eyes. Jeonghan immediately took out a mask from his pocket, followed by a cap for her to cover her with. He helped her as her hands trembled too much to be efficient. This was all new to her.

They hadn't prepared her for an event like they did.

They shouldn't have had to prepare her for this.

But that was the fact, Ophely hadn't been prepared for an event like this. However, she was there, in the middle of the bustling mass. The centre of attention of tens of camera lenses and more than double the amount of eyes.

"The car is not far, can you stand up?" He murmured to her, trying to keep as much privacy between them as they could. She gave him a nod, and then stood up.