shades of yellow » han seojun ff

02. tangerine

TWO WEEKS LATER, Yeonwoo hurriedly dressed for her first day at Saebom. She looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the look of her knee-high socks, short skirt, and neat maroon blazer.

Downstairs, her mother was brewing coffee while her father read his newspaper at the table. White sheets were still draped over their furniture. Ever since their return from the UK, they had been staying at Yeonwoo's grandmother's house in the mountains. They had only come back to their house in the city the day before.

"Today I'll clean everything up." Her mother told Yeonwoo, passing her a mug of green tea. "Heiran is coming over with Daesung to help out."

Yeonwoo's heart warmed at the thought of the cheeky toddler. "Aaah, my cute little nephew! It's been ages since we've seen him."

Heiran was Yeonwoo's older sister. She was already married, with a baby and husband of her own. Because her life revolved around her child, you could say she was dealing better with the aftermath of Seyeon's death.

Her parents had also come to terms with it, after a horrible time. Yeonwoo remembered how her mother used to cry deep into the night, moaning and wailing like a hungry ghost. Now, she seemed better. Time was the best healer, after all.

It was just Yeonwoo who still had trouble.

"Would you like me to drive you to school today?" Her father asked.

"That's alright. I'm riding my bicycle a little of the way, then meeting Kang Su at the corner." Yeonwoo was unable to stop a smile from stretching across her face at the prospect of seeing her friend again.

"It's good you've still kept in contact with Kang Sujin." Her mother nodded in approval. "She's a very good influence."

"She taught me how to kick people who annoy me. Not that I'll ever have to use that knowledge, but would you still call her a good influence?" Yeonwoo sipped demurely at her tea. "I wonder how many of our old classmates from middle school are in the high school?"

"You and Sujin can catch up on the way to school. Now go, or else you'll be late!" 

After kissing her parents goodbye, she left the house and put on her sneakers before doing a last check on her bicycle. The night before, she had wiped it free of dust, oiled it, cleaned its basket, and made sure it was spick and span and good to go.

Yeonwoo's bicycle was one of her prized possessions. She and Seyeon had received them for their thirteenth birthday. Her's had a yellow body, while Seyeon's was red. She loved the winds rippling past her, the feeling of freedom that came from riding her bicycle, and watching the world waltz by.

She retied her hair, then set off in the direction of Saebom High School. As she cycled along the pavement, numerous eyes followed her, intrigued by her flower-like beauty and the tinge of melancholy staining her hollow eyes.

After ten minutes, Yeonwoo finally reached the coffee van Sujin had told her to look out for. In front of it was Saebom High School. She immediately fell in love with its climbing ivy and sprawling grounds—she was a sucker for Pride and Prejudice.

"Yeonwoo! Over here." 

Sujin stood by the bottom of the driveway. Next to her was a petite, beautiful brunette with a timid expression. Sujin waved excitedly, barely able to contain her joy much to the embarrassment of Yeonwoo.