𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡 ;ʰˢʲ [English Version]

Chapter XXIII

"Believe me, sweetheart, Jewon will be very happy to see you."

Suho smiled at Aera's mother's words. The trio had been chatting a bit, mostly about the deals the woman had managed to close in that place since her arrival. However, that was left behind when a loud bang was heard in the place. Looking around to find the source of the noise, they looked at each other a second later and then began to walk toward the back of the shop.

The duo of teenagers moved to the storage room when the older woman did. The boys' eyes fixed on the two teenagers lying on the floor. Seojun's eyes met Aera's, who was holding her coffee in her hand, while Suho clenched his jaw as well as his coffee cup. "What's going on here?" The woman was the first to speak, capturing the attention of the group of kids.

Seojun's eyes widened in surprise, moving quickly, getting up from the floor and distancing himself from Jukyeong as much as he could, looking at Aera with terrified eyes. He didn't want her to think something had happened. "I...

"Fix this." Aera suddenly blurted out, surprising Jukyeong with the tone of voice she had taken. Turning around, she left the room. Suho looked at the brunette without saying anything, only giving her a hard look before turning around as well, following Aera's steps.

When the boy reached the main room, he saw how the girl placed the coffee cup on the counter, grabbed her purse, and started walking out of the shop. Sighing, the young man followed her, running after her. "Aera!" She stopped, turning around, and was about to say something to Suho before he spoke. "Let me take you home, it's late."

Reflecting a bit, she sighed, nodding after a second. "Fine."

***

"Listen to me before you ask me to leave, please," Seojun pleaded.

The boy was standing in front of Aera's house, who was grateful that her father had gone to a business dinner right after Suho finished talking to him, because she knew that seeing him there would be a disaster.

"Seojun... It's too late, what are you..."

The boy didn't let her finish, holding out the bouquet of flowers he was carrying in his hand. The girl blinked, focusing on the bouquet of chrysanthemums that he had managed to get, begging the flower shop owner to sell him something even after closing time. "Listen, I know it looked bad, I know..."

The girl diverted her attention to the car that was appearing down the street, recognizing that bright navy blue color, her eyes widening as she pulled the taller boy inside the house, closing the door immediately, not giving him time to take off his shoes. She made him run with her to her room.

Once they were both inside, the boy began to speak, confused, but when she suddenly put her hand over his mouth and pushed him, the boy fell onto the younger girl's bed, blinking as she brought her hand to her own mouth, signaling him to be quiet. The older girl ran to turn off the light, further confusing the boy.

"What's going on?" Seojun whispered when the girl climbed into bed beside him. She shook her head, pointing at his shoes. He took them off and crawled further onto the bed. "Baby."

"Are these for me?" she asked, taking the flowers the boy had left on the bed. Seojun nodded and caressed her hands, noticing how she admired the purple and dark pink color palette of the bouquet. She turned on a small nightlight, allowing her to see the colors better, smiling at the beautiful tones. "They're beautiful, Junnie."

"It wasn't what it looked like," he began. "I know it looked bad, but I was just trying to help her move a box, and we both fell, I swear." The girl looked at him. She trusted him, of course she did. He had never shown interest in Jukyeong, not at any point. In fact, she could swear that she even seemed annoying to him.