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Yujin groaned in exasperation, throwing her head back and staring blankly at the cracked ceiling above her. No matter how hard she tried to push her thoughts away, her mind was still plagued with Eunhyuk and the heated argument they just had.
Being so deep in thought, Yujin didn't even realize when she had arrived at the door of the game center. Taking a deep breath, her knuckles collided with the metal door in a soft knock before she twisted the doorknob open and peeked inside.
Hyunsoo was sitting on top of the pile of green crates, his knees hugged to his chest while staring blankly ahead of him. He didn't have much facial expression, but he looked almost as if he was... in pain.
Yujin's soft eyes lingered on Hyunsoo, noticing the dried scarlet bloodstains all over his face and shirt, the dark circles that engulfed his puffy eyes, his trembling body.
Yujin felt pity for the poor boy, she couldn't imagine how scary it must be for him to go through all these horrendous events just in the span of one night.
Having a box cutter shoved in his face, almost being kicked out of the building, fighting off his inner demons as every agonizing second passed by.
He really was a poor boy.
"Hyunsoo," she called out as her body stood in the doorway, catching the attention of the boy slumped in his seat who was too immersed in his own thoughts.
Yujin's voice resonated through the dimly-lighted room, causing Hyunsoo to instantly snap his head to look in her direction.
When their eyes met, Yujin could notice how startled and distorted Hyunsoo had looked, fear painted across his pale face. However, Hyunsoo's look of distress quickly faded away into a tight-lipped smile as he realized that it was only Yujin, his friend.
Yujin walked further inside the room and peeked around, catching sight of the supermarket owner laying unconscious on the couch. "You alright there?" she asked softly, careful not to startle the boy even more. Hyunsoo hastily nodded and straightened up in his seat, averting his gaze on the ground.
With a few hesitant steps forward, Yujin made her way next to Hyunsoo and sat on a vacant spot next to him. She looked to her left, keeping her gaze on Hyunsoo but the boy had his head down the whole time.
"Hyunsoo," she voiced, hoping that the boy would turn around and look at her. To no avail, Hyunsoo's gaze remained glued on the floor and his head hung low, avoiding Yujin's eyes at all cost.
A loud sigh escaped Yujin's lips before she gently reached for his jaw and turned it, forcing him to look at her. Hyunsoo's eyes widened in shock, their faces merely inches apart as Yujin stared straight into him.
Hyunsoo gulped at the sight of the girl, the close proximity making his breath hitched. "Are you afraid of me?" Yujin asked him, her eyebrows becoming furrowed while her intense gaze almost pierced into his soul.
The boy remained speechless for a few moments before vigorously shaking his head, "No!"
Yujin's eyes immediately softened. "You know that I won't hurt you, right?" she asked with her head tilted slightly to the side, her voice soft as velvet.
Hyunsoo nodded at her question, his lips pressed together in a thin line as he whispered, "Thank you."
"For what?" "For standing up for me."
The sudden confession caused a soft chuckle to escape Yujin's lips, her laughter echoing through the game center and brightening the atmosphere almost immediately. Hyunsoo hastily turned his head towards her, his wide doe eyes staring at the giggling girl.
Yujin had a bright and genuine smile plastered on her face, quite a huge contrast to the current grim situation.
It was refreshing to see such a radiant smile appearing on Yujin's face considering how the girl always had on a quite unfriendly scowl. To see her smiling so brightly, was definitely something new, almost comforting to Hyunsoo as well.
"It's cool," Yujin spoke with a small smile, her fingers reaching for Hyunsoo's cheek before lightly pinching it.
The boy widened his eyes in shock and quickly pulled away, feeling totally flabbergasted by her sudden actions as a faint blush coated his cheeks.
He looked away in a hurry and quickly covered his face with his palms in an attempt to hide the fact that he was blushing so intensely.
Hyunsoo's shy reaction earned himself an amusing laugh from Yujin, her eyes squinting and turning into the shape of two crescent moons as she continued giggling at the boy.
As Hyunsoo slowly peeled his hands off of his burning face and snuck a peek at the girl, his head was empty, and only one thing was on his mind.
What a pretty smile.
/author's note/
i'm sooooo sorry for making you all wait so long for the new chapter!!!
i had just finished with all of my exams and i'm finally freeee :) thank you all for bearing with me for the past few weeks!
anyway, hmmm what is this between Hyunsoo and Yujin? is this purely friendship or is it something more? let's see...
