stardust | park seonghwa ✓

41

BY the time I arrive back at my apartment building, my energy is clearly drained, my eyes droopy and I'm a little bit disoriented. The time was nearing midnight but I try to keep myself as awake as possible on the way home. Now that I'm safely back entering my building, I let my guard down and sigh in relief.

Finishing up took a little longer than expected. Getting back in the mood took a while after talking with Yerim. Do I feel a little bit better? Maybe just a little bit, there's no denying that there's still something heavy on my shoulders but at least now someone knows and I feel just a little... relieved?

I fumble around to find my keys as I step out of the elevator on the floor my unit is on. I swear it was in my left coat pocket.... nope, it's in my right pocket dammit.

My steps come to a halt when I see a figure leaning against the wall by my door. He hasn't noticed me yet, which means I can still turn around, go back downstairs and go back home to my parents' house then sleep with Hyekyung. Careful steps carry me backwards but my stupid feet had to land on a creaky floorboard, making him turn his head around and our eyes meet.

Yeosang's expression relaxes and from his posture alone, I can sense the relief washing over him. Although it doesn't apply the same to me; him being here means he could ask a lot of questions which would mean a confrontation which can lead do... me not being able to lie because I just hate being dishonest to Yeosang.

"Dammit, Hyeshin, why are you― why are you out so late?" is the first thing he asks, as if I haven't been ignoring him for the longest time yet.

"I-I..."

Yeosang snatches the keys out of my hand and pushes it into the keyhole, rolling his eyes. "You're sniffling, what were you thinking?"

He shoves me into the house, clicking his tongue as if he's disappointed in me―as he should―but for a completely different reason than he has to.  If Yeosang knows something, he definitely doesn't show it. He does everything he usually does; kick his shoes by the door and frown at it when it doesn't land as aligned as he wanted it to be and so he kicks it again, strolls casually into the living room and make a comment on how something was messy.

"What are you doing by the door, idiot, come sit here," he pats the empty spot next to him, signalling for me to take it.

Now, I'm really curious. Why isn't he questioning me?

Yeosang hands me a piece of tissue to which I accept gratefully and shove up my nose with.

"So... I didn't expect to you be out and about today," he begins the conversation, "what were you doing out so late?"

"Finishing my project?"

My best friend quirks a brow. "After a couple of days not going out of the house?"

"It's due tomorrow."

"Oh right," Yeosang nods slowly. "Why are you quiet?"

"Am not," I simply say, hoping Yeosang didn't catch the lying undertones in my voice... but I know he did. The efforts I put in to hide it isn't very great anyway.

He brings his legs up to his chest, giving me squinted eyes before letting out a long sigh.

Yeosang does that a lot, and when he does, he goes into the 'best-friend-Yeosang' mode. It's not that I hate it but it's like all my thoughts could be heard so clear to him, printed into an invisible script in big bold letters nobody else but he could read―I have nowhere to hide. I asked him how he knows one time when we were kids. He said something along the lines of the colour of my face and the angle my brows are arched. I couldn't keep up to what he was saying so I said okay and let it pass. I wish I paid more attention as of right now, I can't tell his next move and I'm curious to know.