Stigma [Book 1]

Chapter 27 : Retrace Our Steps (Part 1)

Spoiler : A lot of fluff in this one. Remember these next few chapters take place solely in the past.

Tzuyu got back to the dorm late that night again, Jae Won's school I.D. and letter still in hand. Her members were all in their rooms as Tzuyu didn't even bother to return to hers. She slumped herself on the couch and reread the letter over and over again. Her heart was hurt as she covered her face with her hands.

"Why was I so stupid.... where did everything go wrong...?" she thought to herself.

Flashback

Tzuyu sat at her desk in school with her earbuds on. She was listening to music while doing some last minute studying. It was her last final of her Junior Year in high school. She skimmed through her notes a final time, confident that she would pass her finals with flying colors.

It was then that she realized someone was playing with her hair in the seat behind her. However, based on the way the hands felt, she could instantly tell who was the culprit.

"When did you get here Jae Won?" she asked.

She turned around to face him as he smiled at her, still holding onto her hair.

"Turn back around. I wanna see if I can braid your hair," he replied.

"The fest starts in 5 minutes!"

"I know," he said while smiling at her innocently.

She couldn't help but oblige to his request as she turned back around to face the front. She could feel his large hands work it's way through her long brown hair as he mended it into a braid. She could tell he was being careful not to pull her hair too hard and cause her any sort of pain.

In about 3 minutes, he finished his work. He moved back a bit to get a full view of his masterpiece. He clapped his hands in delight as he was satisfied with his handiwork. He carefully took her hair, now braided, and placed it over her shoulder. He quickly made his way to her front and picked up the Polaroid camera he always had strapped around his neck.

"Smile Tzuyu," he said as he prepared to take a picture.

She did a quick pose, eliciting a laugh from him as he took the photo. He shook the film after it came out and playfully kissed it.

"Wahhh, you always look beautiful no matter what Tzu," he said as he handed her the film.

She blushed upon his compliment as she viewed the photo herself. She was amazed by how good the braid looked on her.

"You must have had a lot of practice," she said.

He nodded as he smiled once more at her.

"You always seem to fall asleep on my lap whenever we're together, so I take the time to play with your hair. It's lots of fun!" he said.

She couldn't believe how innocent the boy was. He was just too cute. She often times found it hard to believe that he'd be graduating next year.

The teacher came in and announced that we'd be having our last final today. The test was passed out and we all began. The test was said to take approximately 1 hour to take. Tzuyu had designated certain time period she would give herself to finish some sections of the test.

Around 35 minutes in, Jae Won stood up and turned his test in. Everyone knew he was the smartest in the class. The only person in the entire Junior class that was smarter than him was Namjoon.

He sat back down and spent the remainder of his time observing Tzuyu. He smiled as his cheeks turned rosy red while watching her facial expressions. Her slight shift of excitement whenever she turned the page. The look of frustration when she encountered something difficult. He studied her expressions. He then dug into his back pack and pulled out a blank sheet of paper to which he began to sketch. He drew out every detail if her. Exactly the way she looked as she was seated. The braid in her hair. The detail on her face. The exactness of her school uniform. He made it as identical as possible.