stranger ‣ y.jw

039

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          Jungwon looked at Jihee, whose head rested on his shoulder as they rode the bus to school.

After speaking with her about the choices fate gave him, she kept her silence about the topic. She didn't discuss anything with him, and he couldn't bring himself to raise the case because he was too afraid to say anything. He was too young to decide something with this magnitude, but his parents made it clear that they supported him with whatever he chose to do.

Something inside him wanted to select his stranger side, go out there and travel the realities the same way Jihee does but a part of him couldn't leave the life he already had. It was a decision between complexity and simplicity; both had what he wanted. The simple life has his family, while the complex one has Jihee.

Upon arriving at their stop, he let her go first, and he trailed behind her as they got off the bus. She pushed her hair back and glanced in his direction, looking at him as if she wondered why he was standing there.

"What's wrong?" She asked him; after five seconds or more, she soon guessed that he was thinking about the big decision he had to make. "Did fate give you a time limit?"

"I'm guessing as long as you're still in this reality." He said, following her as she began to walk. "So three months." He hated admitting the truth, and he wanted to remain ignorant that the remaining time they had left was decreasing day by day. The only way for those three months to turn into a lifetime was if he went.

She smiled sadly, refusing to acknowledge that she would soon be forced to leave. "After your practice, let's meet on your family home's roof?" She suggested, but instead of a reply, he put his arm on her shoulder, causing a chuckle to escape her lips. "I'll take this a yes."

He was never a fan of intimacy, but with Jihee, he wanted to be close to her all the time. Similar to how his father acted with his mother. Perhaps his mother was right. Everything about his character came from the qualities of his father. Arriving at school, Jay welcomed them, whose smile was over the roof just by seeing the two together. Oblivious to the fact that time was ticking fast for the two strangers.

Sometimes Jihee would make it very obvious that she has a crush on Jay, so Jungwon always tends to cut their conversations short. He hated being jealous and petty, but what could he do? He was in love, after all. After that, they went on with their day, meeting each other at lunch while Sunoo and Jay sat with them.

By the end of class, she had informed him that she was going home first and she'll see him at their meeting place. She wasn't asking for his permission, so the only reply he could give her was a stay safe.

His game was off after that resulting in multiple scolds from Coach Min. He realized how nervous he was about their conversation later as he sat on the side. It came to the point that he wanted to call in sick and ignore everything again. Following an hour or less, the coach finally dismissed them. As soon as he bid goodbye to his teammates, he immediately left the gymnasium, almost bumping into Byeol.

"Woah, you're in a hurry." Byeol chuckled as he backed away from him.

He smiled and muttered a sorry. "What are you still doing here? Study session?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm here to look for Jihee. I thought she would be watching you. Guess she's not." She pouts as she glances at the gymnasium, where the only people left are Sunghoon and Jake. Her gaze remained a little longer on Sunghoon.

"Why are you looking for Jihee?" Jungwon asked her, and an eyebrow raised upon remembering the two weren't friends, nor were they acquaintances.

"I recently found out that she sent some medicine when I was sick. It was the only one that worked for me, so I want to thank her. Despite our awful relationship, she still helped me." Byeol smiled. "So can you tell her I want--"