LOSE YOURSELF ─ PTG/NCT AF

003

❐ GREAT HALL — SATURDAY
current time; 10:40 am

hyojung sat quietly, watching the enchanted ceiling reflect the gloomy outdoor sky. he separated from his usual bunch, all who were probably causing mayhem somewhere within the castle. the great hall was empty, leaving him in his perfect solitude. on the table, next to his uneaten apple, was his notebook filled with scribbles. some words were so messily written they were unreadable, but one wasn't. confundo.

he hadn't stopped thinking about the quiet, confusing, girl known as halla. their previous conversation left him with so many questions. why does she answer in riddles? does she do it so people won't talk to her? or is it to anger those questioning her?

"hyojung!" wooseok shouted, slapping his ever large palm down on hyojung's shoulder. "what are you doing here?"

"avoiding human interaction.. like usual." he shrugged casually. he noticed wooseok eyeing his notebook. as a sly smirk grew on the kid's face, hyojung sighed deeply.

"confundo huh? i believe that's a first-year spell." hyojung closed his notebook, grabbed his apple and took an agitated chomp from it. "or, sue me if i'm wrong, which i know i'm not, but something tells me you've met jung halla."

"possibly." hyojung huffed.

"and now you're curious. don't worry about it! we've all had a run in with her."

"she talked about sleeping and hours being different from others and it just doesn't make sense!" he expressed with an exasperated huff. wooseok nodded understandably.

"don't worry. one time she told me a carrot isn't what i think it is and i haven't slept the same ever since." hyojung couldn't help but chuckle despite wooseok's serious face. "i'm being serious, i still haven't figured it out."

hyojung shook his head. "well you came searching for me for a reason so spill it. what could i possibly help you with?"

"why do you feel like i only come to you when i need assistance? what if i just missed your presence?" hyojung raised a single brow. "yeah okay you're right." wooseok leaned in despite being alone in the great hall. "i overheard the professors talking and i think something bad is coming to hogwarts."

"like what?" hyojung asked, suddenly interested.

"something about a prophecy. professor donghae thinks history is repeating itself but with the newer generation... our generation." with how silent it was in the great hall, the slightest sound of someone sitting down on the bench caused the two to jump together staring at their fellow housemate with bewildered eyes.

"confundo!" hyojung accidentally shouted. "i—i mean halla."

"how much did you hear?" wooseok immediately asked.

"does it matter how much i heard or if i heard correctly?" she answered as a plate of crepes appeared from thin air. both boys shared looks of disbelief as she grabbed her silverware.

"now is not the time for your riddles!"

"i heard nothing of importance if that makes you feel any better."

wooseok sat dumbfounded. he couldn't tell if that was another riddle. "so..." he started slowly, "you heard what we said but didn't find it important to you so you won't say anything?"

"what?" hyojung asked, now confused himself. "did i hit you with that spell by accident?"

"i dunno... let's leave though." as the two were gathering their belongings, hyojung watched as halla picked at her banana crepe. dark strands fell over her face yet she had no desire to move them.

"halla," hyojung started hesitantly. any desire to speak left when she peered up through her hair. "never mind." when wooseok and hyojung were out of earshot range wooseok spoke first.

"what were you going to ask her?"

"if she was okay..."

☼

🦉 INCOMING LETTER FROM DONGYEOLS 💌
so i know this apply fic has been dead for like a year now and clearly i haven't written since (i've forgotten everything i had planned for this story) but since i'm being quarantined for a bit I decided to try it out and this small chapter took me two hours lol. i don't think i'll continue on but it was fun trying to get back into writing lol. maybe if i restart it with all new ideas (same characters) i can make it into something again but until then, how have y'all been? I missed this app and story. I feel like now is a time where i need to get my mind off of what's going on and pick up the things i used to love again.