KALEIDOSCOPE, l. jeonghyeon

✯ ONE

"Yena, no."

"Please! I think I'm falling in love with him."

"What does that have to do with me?"

Yena made a face of distress as she pulled Ahram's arm. "Mun Junghyun won't date me because you and his best friend hate each other!"

Ahram blinked. "Again, what does that have to do with me?!"

"Well... I don't know, be nice to him!" Yena yelled back, and Ahram's posture sagged.

This was how it happened. Her best friend's crush wouldn't date her because his best friend had an issue with Ahram. Now, Ahram had to try and get along with him for Yena's sake.

Fun. 

With a long, bitter sigh, Ahram rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands and shook her head. "Why do I have to be nice to him? It's not like he ever attempts to be nice to me."

That was an understatement. Lee Jeonghyeon was the devil incarnate.

The two met in their first year at university, where they were both put straight into Geometry (typically a second-year class). One of the introduction questions for the class was to demonstrate a special talent, and both Jeonghyeon and Ahram excelled in the Rubik's Cube. More specifically, the time it took to solve it.

Of course, their teacher thought it'd be a great idea to make them race. Ahram lost by 0.6 seconds, and Lee Jeonghyeon never let her live it down. It didn't matter that she graduated first in their class in maths, he never let her forget those 0.6 seconds.

Shaking her head, Ahram turned toward Yena with a sad attempt at a smile. "Look, I know you like this guy, but I don't think I can try to be nice to Lee Jeonghyeon if he's just gonna keep—"

"What's up, Acorn Head?"

Ahram felt her body visibly shudder with a cringe. She grit her teeth together as she turned on her heel until coming face-to-face with the grinning imp once behind her. "Chameleon Boy," she spat.

Jeonghyeon stood a head taller than Ahram but always made a point to lean toward her whenever she was speaking to her, mocking her for being shorter than his 6-foot-tall self.

"My ears were burning. I could only assume it was you two talking about me," he raised a brow and cast a flick of a glance across Ahram before returning his gaze to her face. "You're so obsessed with me, Acorn."

Ahram scoffed in his face. "Me? Obsessed with you? Please, look who approached who in this situation, buddy." She took a daring step forward. "You just couldn't stay away, could you, Chameleon?"

"Actually," he started in a smug voice that made the vein in Ahram's jaw pulse. "I'm here for Yena. Munjung wants her."

On cue, Yena perked up from behind her best friend. "Junghyun wants me?!" Her face was suddenly covered with a bright, beaming smile that made Ahram wince. "Where?!"

"Marketing and Finance hall—" and Yena was booking it in that direction, leaving the two rivals alone.

The tips of Ahram's ears felt hot as frustration bubbled up inside of her. She understood that her best friend was in love, but to abandon her with her arch nemesis? Really?

Jeonghyeon, who had followed with his eyes as Yena ran off toward his best friend, turned back to face Ahram with a smirk. "Guess that leaves just the two of us, hm, Acorn?"

Ahram felt queasy but forced a tight smile. "Nope. That leaves just you."

She spun on her heel and started in the opposite direction, but his presence behind her was overbearing. His steps got closer and closer as she walked away, refusing to turn around until he stepped on the back of her shoe and nearly took the whole thing off.

Ahram turned, and she could feel her nostrils flare when she was met with an innocent smile. "Why," she said with a harsh sigh, "are you following me?"

"'Cause it's fun watching you get all mad," he said matter-of-factly.

"God, you are so infuriating, you know that, right?"

Jeonghyeon grinned again. "Actually, everyone else thinks I'm a pretty decent guy." He let out a long, dreamy sigh as he leaned against the wall to his right. "Everyone else is boring."

"Wow," Ahram threw a dramatic hand over her heart. "Careful there, it almost sounds like you're trying to compliment me."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? Look who's obsessed with who, now."

Ahram focused on keeping her heartbeat steady because if she didn't focus on something, she was convinced she'd punch the smug bastard in the face. "I swear to god, Chameleon Shit, if you don't walk away right now, I will drop you."

Jeonghyeon rubbed his jaw. "'Chameleon Shit', wow. That's a new one."

"Trust me, I have much worse things to call you."

The boy opened his mouth, ready to tease her, but he was cut off by the sound of their names. Ahram turned to find Yena and Mun Junghyun walking arm-in-arm toward them.

"Hey, guys! Getting along?" Junghyun greeted them with the famous smile Yena could not shut up about.

Ahram had to physically fight back a grimace when Jeonghyeon tossed an arm casually around her shoulders. "Yep! Isn't that right, Acorn?"

The girl sidestepped out of his grasp. She forced a tight-lipped smile when she met Yena's expecting eyes. "Right."

A part of her still wanted to kick the boy beside her where the sun don't shine, but if it made her best friend happy, she'd pretend she could tolerate his presence.

At least until Yena and Junghyun were official.

•
i kind of love their dynamic 😭