Moonglow Bay | ATEEZ

07. maniac

You never intended on making Seonghwa jealous. In truth, all you wanted was for him to leave you alone. The former just seemed easier to explain in order to get Wooyoung to play along. Too long had you put up with Seonghwa's antics. The morning of October 31 was the last straw. It was a typical October morning, though chillier than you would have liked, especially considering the night's upcoming festivities. You were bundled in a long wool coat, collar popped in an attempt to keep the crisp autumn breeze from freezing your nose. As you were walking through your courtyard, Seonghwa jogged up to meet you, glueing himself to your side.

"On your way to class, I see."

The comment put you on your guard, and you adjusted the positions of your bag's strap on your shoulder. After that initial near-miss with Yeosang, Seonghwa had shown an interest in you, often walking with you from class to class whenever he could or whenever Jongho wasn't around. Something about Seonghwa made your skin crawl; the way he'd managed to pick you out of a crowd without ever speaking to you topped the list of reasons why. As much as you tried, though, you couldn't find the courage to blow him off. You almost feared what would happen if you did.

"What's up, Seonghwa?" You asked, keeping your focus on the path before you, You hoped your annoyance didn't reveal itself via your tone.

"I was just wondering if you had any fun plans for Halloween tonight?" Seonghwa's own tone grew more sinister, and a chill ran through you. Maybe you were hearing things, but something in his question didn't sit right with you.

You could see your destination approaching over the horizon and felt relief warm your chilled bones. Seonghwa only ever walked as far as your building. Once you were inside, you would be free.

"Nothing really," you said, shaking your head. In reality, you knew Jongho would be dragging you out to every party he could find, but Seonghwa didn't need to know that.

As the two of you approached your lecture hall, you allowed yourself to look up at Seonghwa. He was, of course, already looking back at you. You weren't sure if you imagined it, but you could swear he was frowning for a brief moment once you focused on him. He'd replaced it with a cheap grin, though, the frown now lost to the world.

"Well, my roommate and I are throwing a party tonight. Maybe I'll see you around."

You nodded, letting the silence between you grow. He was the first to break it.

"I'll see you around then," he said. You saw the corner of his lip twitch down, as if he was threatening to crack at any moment. With a slight bow of your head, you said goodbye to the young man then dashed up the steps of Campbell Hall, You could feel his eyes on you for the entirety of your ascent, until the main door closed behind you.

Before approaching your classroom, you tugged your phone out of your coat pocket and typed a quick message.

I need a favor.

The reply came in seconds later.

What's up?

That night, Wooyoung accompanied you out and about, against Jongho's wishes.

"I don't see what the big deal is," you murmured to your friend. Wooyoung had skipped ahead of the two of you, scanning potential destinations on your party-hop.

"I don't get why you had to invite my coworker," Jongho whined. "Do you think he's cute or something?"

You felt bad for keeping your relationship with Wooyoung a secret, but you figured the less Jongho knew, the better, at least for the time being. It wasn't as if you were proud of yourself when you found out why Wooyoung was so familiar to you. Thankfully, your guilt didn't last long. Between Jongho's pout and his decision to dress up as Harry Potter, you soon burst into laughter.