neighbors︱𝐊𝐓𝐇 ‧ 𝐉𝐉𝐊

𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

"𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞"

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Her mother's warning rang in the back of her mind as she laid back, her long hair spread out on the short grass of the enormous field of Wihan High School. It had been something she'd heard several times for the past 10 months since it started. It meant trouble if she ventured to disobey this one order.

Jieun was sometimes grateful that her mother had late-night shifts at the hospital where she worked as a nurse. It gave her this sense of freedom— sneaking out to watch the stars wasn't exactly her way of acting rebellious but it was the closest she could get. It was frowned upon and dangerous.

The danger the outside world posed was one that she learned about her entire life, though she'd never seen it or felt it. Only heard of it. 

Her teenage years were almost over and criminals, well... they were everywhere. Life couldn't stop because of them. She would soon be in college, aware that her routine would be drastically taken over by books for the next four to six years. Jieun didn't want that for herself quite yet. There was a whole new world she needed to discover. Things she needed to do. Places she needed to be before turning back into this unsocial girl again. 

Friends. She opened her eyes, staring up at the thin night clouds passing over her head. I could start with one of those.

Jieun chuckled to herself at the silly idea. It was unfair to say such a thing when she already had two best friends who were her rescue on her first day in Wihan High three years ago. Eunjae and Yeju. Most of the beautiful moments she spent at that school were thanks to them both. They will be forever her special people.

Thoughts were suddenly disrupted when a shadow passed over her laying figure at her side. Jieun sat up slowly, surveying the field. Yards of grass. Nobody. Grandstand. Empty. 

She sighed, thinking she was probably tired, and tucked a hand inside her jeans pocket for her phone. Her mother was going to be out of work in half an hour but lucky for her, their house was only a ten-minute walk from school. 

She settled in calling it quits her moment of disobedience for the night because despite having turned nineteen during spring and having a part-time job at a coffeehouse, age wasn't a factor when it came to Mrs. Kim Misam—

Jieun shifted abruptly. Another shadow passed over her and she definitely felt it for real this time. Before she could stand, her ears picked up the sounds of something rolling; her head turned again to the other side and she finally saw it. A soccer ball landed right beside her hip. 

Brows furrowed, she looked up.

"You're in the way, little girl."

Holding her breath, Jieun started to lift herself up from the grass as she watched the strange guy approaching, hands in his pockets, fully clothed in dark, except for the sneakers that were white. She couldn't bring herself to speak just yet. He was handsome... extremely so and she wondered if he would be enrolling in her school or belonged elsewhere. He looked far too young to be anything else but a student.

"You do realize you can sleep at your house, right?" he asked, eyebrow lifting. "On an actual bed?"

Jieun chewed on the inside of her lip, recognizing the mocking tone. Her answer was stuck in her throat when new footsteps dragged her attention away from him. It was another one with a matching style; just as attractive.