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hyerim was surprised to find a palm-sized slip of notepad paper slide out from underneath her desk. she unrolled the script and read the meticulously-written letters that were etched in deep blue ink on the thin yellowish paper.
"hyerim, come to the tree right after school. i have something very important to tell you. i'll be waiting for you. as always. — eunwoo."
she gulped at the solemn tone of the message. what was so serious that eunwoo had to say it to her in person? hyerim had no clue. she simply shrugged, before sliding the note into her skirt pocket.
at that moment, dahyun and chengxiao circled her like ravenous vultures attracted to a rotten corpse, making themselves comfortable in the seats next to her. "are you dating him?!"
the abrupt question made hyerim blink with subtle surprise. "...huh?"
"jeongguk!" chengxiao repeated exasperatedly, "he took your first kiss? are you dating him?"
"n-no? who's asking...?" hyerim questioned hesitantly, a little shaken by her friend's aggressive interrogation techniques.
dahyun shook her head, leaning towards hyerim's ear. "the whole school's asking," she whispered, gripping hyerim's shoulder with a manicured hand, moments away from clawing at her for answers.
hyerim felt red creep onto her cheeks, slightly embarrassed that the news about her "affair" with jeongguk had spread so quickly. the whole thing was a misunderstanding— jeongguk himself had said he had kissed her as a joke.
hyerim still could never understand that weird humour of his.
thankfully, she was saved by the bell. to thwart her friends' efforts to squeeze out more juicy details from her, she quickly exited herself from the classroom with her belongings while they weren't looking.
she found eunwoo by the big oaktree at the school courtyard. even from a distance away, she could easily recognise his tall, slender frame leaning against the sturdy oak, dark chocolate hair swaying along with the gentle breeze. his face looked stern as usual, mouth coiled to a side, as if he were deep in thought.
yet, like a lonely puppy greeting its owner at the front door, eunwoo's round eyes lit up at the sight of hyerim, immediately standing up straighter, fingers curling in nervousness. an unconscious smile slipped onto his face as he watched the petite girl run towards him, short hair bouncing up and down with every step she took.
he couldn't help but reach out his arms, wishing for her to run straight into his arms. wishing he could snatch her away in his arms and hide her from the dangers of the world(jeongguk). wishing she was his and his alone.
eunwoo could tell jeongguk had gotten attached to the enigma that was park hyerim. he wouldn't let jeongguk reach out to her heart first. he couldn't.
not when he'd spent years in love with her.
it all boils down to this moment, he gulped, as hyerim approached him, lack of breath shown through her panting and the way she held a hand to her chest.
"i.....shouldn't... have.. ran....!" she smiled, words barely escaping through her pants. eunwoo stared at her eyes, her beautiful eyes that sparkled with vitality despite her current tiredness. his heart swelled with love for this tiny girl.
"eunwoo?" she called, when he didn't speak. she waved a thin arm in front of his blank face. "hello? anyone in there-"
