because i remember | jjk

spinoff

soyeon laid in her bed, completely engulfed by the sheets.

her eyes were red and puffy from crying the previous night. she tried to find ways to get out of work that day, telling the boss that she was sick, and that her head was spinning.

and it worked.

jieun had called her many times to ask if she was okay, but soyeon had ignored her calls, instead choosing to send her a text an hour later saying that she had taken a nap and that she was feeling better.

she felt like a horrible friend. she knew that it wasn't jieun's fault that she was feeling like this, but in the back of her mind, there were whispers that blamed jieun. if she had never started worked at the bakery, she would've never met jaebum. she would've never gotten close to him. maybe jaebum would've noticed her instead if jieun had just stayed as the lonely girl in class.

but she realized that jieun was her closest friend, and that she, herself, had chosen to befriend her. she remembered jieun's reluctance to become friends, but soyeon's stubbornness got them to where they were today.

she exhaled loudly and decided to get up. the gloominess of her room did nothing but bring her down even more. 

she took a shower to wake her up and tied her hair into a high bun. soyeon opened all her windows to let in the fresh air and to illuminate her entire apartment complex.

playing some of her favorite music, she started deep cleaning her house. she found no better form of comfort then keeping herself busy.

after a few hours, her house was clean, but unorganized. she had bins of bottles that needed to be recycled, trash that needed to be taken out, and clothes she never wore that she wanted to donate to charity.

she paused mid-wipe as the doorbell rang. she threw the anti-bacterial wipe in the trash as she made her way to the door.

she peeped through the peephole and her heart stopped.

"soyeon? are you home?" the familiar voice said.

she turned her music down before opening the door slightly, only sticking her head through the small crevice she made. 

"hi," she said. "can i help you?"

"um, yeah. i wanted to take you to lunch?" he questioned, unsure if she was busy or not.

her heart pounded. "this is a first. may i ask why?" she tried to stay as calm as possible.

"i just felt guilty about what happened." he scratched the back of his neck. "and i wanted to make it up to you."

"oh," she said. she opened the door further and invited him in. "it's a bit of a mess because i'm cleaning. give me a couple minutes to get ready."

jaebum nodded and tried his hardest not to stare at the girl walking away from him. failing, he felt his cheeks turn red as his eyes landed on the soft skin of her exposed neck and collarbones, and her long, slim legs clad in cat socks as she walked into her room.

i'm think i'm going crazy.

◇     ◇     ◇    

they sat awkwardly across from each other in a pizza place.

"i think this is the first time i've ever been out with just you in the entire span of time that we've known each other." he awkwardly laughed.

she nodded and took a bite of her hawaiian pizza. "mhm."

soyeon didn't know how to act. she was usually easy to talk to and could make conversation very easily. but she couldn't find anything to say.

"i'm sorry." she said. "for making you feel uncomfortable."

jaebum shook his head. "i should be the one apologizing for being so ignorant of your feelings."

"how long have you... liked me?" he carefully asked. 

"since sophomore year of high school." she whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear.

jaebum's eyes widened. "oh."

"yeah," she laughed. "crazy, right?"

they sat there in silence before jaebum asked for the bill, demanding he be the one to pay it.

he walked her home after their meal, refusing to let her walk alone even if it was three in the afternoon. 

"soyeon," he said, stopping in front of her door. 

she looked at him.

"i wouldn't mind getting to know you better. i think i want to build our relationship as we get older." he said. "we've known each other since forever, but i don't even know your favorite color. it's pretty sad."

"really?" she asked, ecstatic that he wanted to get to know her better.

he nodded, smiling down at her. 

"i'd love that." she laughed, opening her door. 

"so, see you at work tomorrow?" he asked. she nodded and watched as waved a goodbye, before walking away.

"wait, jaebum!"

he turned around and he felt a hand on his shirt collar, pulling him down.

her lips connected with his for a brief moment before she pulled away.

"see you tomorrow." she whispered, before dashing back into her house.

jaebum stood there with flushed cheeks as he laughed.

she tasted like pizza.