SAVING MR. PARK | PJM

十五

↳ ❝WHAT IS THIS, sexy?❞

the slam on his desk that followed her remark broke him out of his sullen daze. he'd been too busy drowning in the musical resonance of a doting spotify playlist, one of his favorite ballads currently blasting out through his earbuds, that he hadn't heard her come in. for the past seven days, that's all he's been able to do—sulk in the most depressive of songs.

the blonde confusedly glanced up, eyes dilating and heart flitting at the sight of her face (as if believing her image to be a mere fantasy). when the bewitched man finally realized that his beloved was actually there, a lump formed in his throat and a drunken smile broke out on his lips from the bitterness in his heart.

"miss parker," he croaked out, fighting the achy dryness of his throat and pulling out his earphones. the dark circles underneath his eyes depicted his past sleeplessness, and jay's expression softened upon seeing just how gravely her absence had affected him. "you finally came," he whispered softly.

jay battled her emotions.

she so badly wanted to dash over to him, pounce on him, touch him, shower him with desperate kisses just to convey how much she'd missed him, but instead she bit her wavering lip and looked away.

seven days.

he spent seven agonizing days without once seeing her, and she spent seven exhausting days trying to avoid him as best she could.

throughout the past week, she'd been on the lookout for him and prayed to every superior deity known to man that she wouldn't bump into him in the hallways or something.

if she'd recognize his blonde hair from afar, she'd immediately sprint away in the direction from which she came and hide amongst the bodies of her peers. she refused to visit him in the mornings (the way she used to do prior to their fight), and she muted his number without a warning—though she secretly read the persistent messages that he'd send her.

her friends became aware of her unusual distance with them, and his students witnessed the way his energy gradually weakened in front of them.

without each other, they were nothing. they felt like nothing.

they desperately needed one another, but jay was too stubborn to answer him, and mr. park was too narrow-minded to devise a way to earn her forgiveness. he couldn't even contact her properly!

her current presence, in fact, seemed too surreal to him. he hadn't expected her to show up anytime soon, considering she made it her personal goal to stay clear of his classroom at all costs.

but she was here now, and his heart couldn't help but rejoice in the most nostalgic of ways as he breathed her in.

jay, however, did not smile back.

though she felt just as hollow and broken as he did, and though she was extremely relieved about being near him again, she managed to conceal her joy through the work of bold make-up and mirthless confidence.

it'd been the worst week of her life (because it was just so unbearable to stay away), but she pretended to be unbothered by the heavy load in her heart. she acted as though she hadn't just bawled her eyes out earlier this morning—a façade that ultimately gave her the greater advantage.

the only way she'd protect her ego was by believing that everything was fine.

she was fine. without him she could be fine ...