"Happy Birthday.", Jubal greeted before leaving. It was now dark, way past dusk. Yunhee raised a brow. "It's your birthday?", she asked the boy whose eyes still lingered on the little gift Jubal gave him. A sticker she found in the book she had earlier.
"Well in that case...Happy birthday, Lee Suho.", her gaze softened slightly. "Sorry, I don't have a gift with me, considering that I very recently just knew that it was your birthday. But I'll make it up to you next time.", she jokingly said. "Now, lead the way home, mister.", sighing as she put her cap on. Yunhee had already accepted her fate that Mrs. Jung would've found out by now that she went elsewhere besides the neighborhood.
Suho's eyes remained on her for a while, possibly thinking of something, before finally leading the way. As they left the comic shop, he finally decded to speak up. The Lee boy stopped in his tracks. "You didn't have to wish me a happy birthday, nor make it up to me next time.", he said with a tinge of surprise in his voice, but his stoic demeanor didn't waver. "It's not like we're friends or anything.", he continued.
Ouch, that hurt, but fair enough, it was true. Yunhee shrugged casually, standing right beside him, "Yeah, well, it's just a common courtesy, right? Besides, it's not every day you find someone tormenting a poor girl on their birthday. So, there you go, happy birthday again." She smirked, teasing him about his earlier interaction with Jubal.
Suho grumbled but didn't argue further. He started walking, and Yunhee followed, sticking close to him. It was strange, Yunhee thought, how different Suho seemed when they weren't in the confines of their school. Outside, he appeared more human, more approachable. Almost less... intimidating.
As they walked side by side, Suho would occasionally spare a few glances at Yunhee from time to time. He also had the same thought in mind. The Park girl seemed to be more laid back outside of school premises. Based on his observations, she's one to be quiet at her desk and be an observer, unless someone starts a conversation with her.
Usually, the Lee boy would only witness her scowl, especially when he acts like a jerk to her new friend. But now, she looked more relaxed and was a tad bit more social than she would typically be. Who knew Park Yunhee could be this chill?
The two neared a bus stop. Yunhee was just minutes away from a scolding. In the meantime, she was overthinking. What if her parents would be home by the time she arrives again? She didn't want to hear any of their banters. So for the rest of the bus ride, she zoned out.
As the bus ride continued, Suho noticed Yunhee's distant expression. He didn't say anything, but he couldn't help but wonder what was going on in her mind. She seemed preoccupied, lost in her thoughts, and he didn't want to disturb her. He decided to let her be for now, allowing her the space she needed.
As the bus approached their stop, Yunhee snapped out of her thoughts and got off. Her house was now only a few minutes walk from the bus stop. She sighed and stuffed her hands into her hoodie's pockets. "Well, thanks for helping me get back here. And no I won't tell anyone about this encounter of ours, if that's what you're thinking. I must go now. Bye.", she said quickly, not letting Suho respond.
Yunhee started walking back home, but Suho seemed to be going in the same direction she was going. To her dismay, Suho was indeed walking in the same direction as her. Yunhee couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh. "Seriously? You live in this direction too?", she muttered, not expecting a response from Suho.
