JUVENILE | kim sunwoo ✔︎

CHAPTER TWENTY

Y/N POV

Twirling spaghetti around the metal twigs of my fork, I've never been so distracted from my food as I was when I was sat opposite someone like Sunwoo.

Whether it was the midnight black scorpion, tattooed on to his right hand or the complexion of his honey-like skin dazzling in the ceiling lights that were beating down on to him. He looked like the type of boy my Mom always told me to stay away from, his thick silver rings coating his bruised fingers, shaggy brunette locks falling over his face in wavy strands. In reality, he was like soft teddy bear, warm and considerate - apart of me wondered what he was like before prison - how I always wanted to ask why the other boys would yell "why are you such a grouch now?" , "you've changed." What exactly was it about Sunwoo Kim that could have changed so much?

"You know a photo of me lasts longer, than your food will stay warm." He looked up his words falling out sarcastically, as I giggled in embarrassment.
"Sorry." I looked back down at my food awkwardly, taking a bite before glancing back out the window.
"You don't have to apologize. It's not like I haven't been looking at you all night." He smirked cockily, finishing his plate and leaning back into his chair.
"You have a way with words Kim." I rolled my eyes as he laughed to himself gleefully.
"You know it's been a while since I've felt this happy and been sober during it." He said bittersweetly, a small grin still glued across his features.
"Maybe that can become a regular occurrence then." I replied softly, setting down my cutlery with a small clatter that signified I was finished.
"If you stick around, then maybe." He smiled back at me, as I looked up surprised at the comment. "Do you wanna go on a walk?" He then asked before I could reply, standing up from the table and slipping out his lighter.
"Sure." I responded with a jovial sigh, getting up from the table myself and slipping a 3 dollar tip on the bill. I threw my hoodie over my arms, since I'd brought it to avoid the freezing temperature drop the night rolled on.

Outside the restaurant, an effervescent night had greedily submerged the elegance of the sunset. A dark obscurity fell over the sky above, each star engraved in the navy blanket, twinkling in happy skips. I smiled at the pretty appearance, Sunwoo beside me looked up and then to me - smiling to himself as he lit a cigarette between his lips.
"Where are we going then Mr. Kim?" I looked at him expectingly as he composed a quick reply.
"I don't know, why don't we see where the night takes us?" He responded, exhaling the smoke between his lips away from me - preventing me from directly breathing in any of the toxins.

Linking my arm through his own, Sunwoo knew already the heels I wore wouldn't withstand the winding cobbled paths ahead.
"You need to start wearing sneakers when we go out." He chuckled holding me upright, he didn't have a problem with walking linked - it's not like it was the first time we had - all those nights ago when he walked me back to my dorm after the bar encounter.
"I guess I do." I chuckled as we approached the center of the village, packed with small café's lit in amber, their chimney pipes billowing with steam that ejected on to the streets in small puffs.

Sunwoo stopped for a second causing me to turn to him in confusion, unlatching his arm briefly and fiddling with neck of his shirt. Unclasping one of the silver chains from around his neck, he brought his hands over my collarbone and swept my hair out of the way. Clipping it at the back, I held the small pendent on the end - it was another scorpion.
"Why do you have so many scorpions?" I asked inquisitively, just expecting an answer such as: "Oh they're cool." However I was shocked when he replied with insane amounts of detail and intellect.
"They symbolize protection, passion and dominance. They're defensive, silent, they keep peace whilst also intimidating and killing their predators." He explained, looking down at his hand tattoo before back up to me in thought.
"So they're like you?" I chuckled, he nodded in reply with a small snicker.
"You could say that." He replied as we began walking again, myself still happily observing the silver scorpion pendant on the chain around my neck.

We found a wooden bench perched beneath a magnolia tree that hung over the area - its branches cascading down as frail petals fell and drifted in the wind, scattering themselves across the pavements below. Sitting beside Sunwoo, a comfortable silence fell upon us both as nature churned in the distance. Broken by a quick exhale from the brunette boy beside me.

"You know, you're too good for me Y/N. Don't you?" He sighed, not meeting my eyes completely as they stared ahead at anything he could find across the square of the village.
"Why would you think that? You're an amazing person Sunwoo." I furrowed my brows, shaking his leg in reassurance before he began again.
"A stupid college student with a crippling nicotine addiction and criminal record?" He sneered, chuckling slightly, "Yeah sure."
"No that's your friends, just add crippling drug addicts to that one." I retorted making him laugh slightly to lighten the mood.
"But seriously, you could do far better, I mean you're intelligent, pretty, never touched drugs or alcohol in your life. You don't need someone like me." He replied with a solemn sigh, wiping his hands over his trouser legs nervously.
"Sunwoo, you could be doing hardcore meth and if you were still the person with the same morals that I know. The same Sunwoo, I would still need someone like you." I stopped him from withering away in his own conscience, his doe eyes glistening attentively as I spilled the truth to him.

Bringing his lips to my own once again, it felt right in the moment to seal the heart-felt conversation with a kiss - I'm not sure exactly what our relationship status was. I'd call it: Hell yeah friends who kiss! But as I felt Sunwoo Kim pour his heart out in his lips, apart of me that was so desperately missing restored itself. Love. A mutual feeling that brought our two opposite hearts to knock at our chests in synchronized thuds that could probably be projected from every city in the world..

Interrupting the moment, my pocket buzzed irritably - my phone screen lighting it up from the inside in a bright white glow.

Incoming call..
Ashley ♡︎..
Accept or decline

I sighed swiping the screen across in a slightly annoyed slide of my thumb - thinking it was just going to be an ask of where we were.
"Y/N, get Sunwoo back quick." She sounded distraught, panic resonating in her tremulous voice.
"Why?! What's wrong?!" I shot up from the bench awaiting her answer, Sunwoo getting up in concern as I held the phone against my ear. Putting it on speaker so he could hear the conversation.

"It's Eric." She sighed, as a ruckus could be heard in the background - multiple voices of what sounded like the other boys, either arguing or panicking just as much as her.

"We'll be right there." I hung up the line, not really caring whether I was wearing stilettos or not - I'd probably beaten my track record as we sprinted back to the Cabin site as fast as we could on foot.

——

AUTHORS NOTE

uhoh.. what's going down back at the cabin site?.. :00 ignoring the elephant in the room, sunwoo's character and his scorpion agenda everyone ! ♡︎..

i hope you've had a lovely day per usual ! come through friday.. i hope you're enjoying the book too.. i'm working really hard to update these whilst i have the time on my hands ! so i've been writing so much and i hope it's paid off ♡︎..

sending my love always..

clover <3