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━━━  " 📂 " ‍..⃗. ༉

𝙍 𝙊 𝙈 𝘼 𝙉 𝘾 𝙄 𝙉 𝙂

! chapter seventy-one ─── ʚĭɞ

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It seemed that Seojun had been taken aback by the words, blinking away any tears that had veiled over his eyes. "Are you sure? And.. do you actually want to? It's not because I..." He trailed off, not wanting to finish his sentence.

Seojun almost didn't know how to finish his sentence. He was a mixture of emotions, a strange mash of feelings that he couldn't identify. Somewhere between anger, disappointment and jealousy.

"My gosh." Miyeon was shaking her head, and for a moment Seojun wondered if he had done something wrong. "Not everything is about you, Han Seojun. Why would I tell you because your upset, huh?"

"You scared me." Seojun sniffed, Miyeon averting her eyes knowingly and letting the boy take a moment to wipe his eyes. "We.. should go and talk then. Let's walk?"

"Sure." Miyeon nodded, taking the lead and walking ahead, pausing when she didn't hear footsteps behind her. Turning back, she saw Seojun stood in the same place, arms crossed over his chest and looking towards her. "You're not being serious? You said you would walk. Seojun this is serious!"

"You know what's serious - why did Lee Suho pick you up playing the newspaper game?" Miyeon narrowed her eyes at him, looking confused.

"To make Jugyeong jealous? Because you just picked her up?" Miyeon suggested, her voice softening. "If it's too much tonight then it can wait.. I just thought I would let you know that I'm ready to tell you."

"No.. it's fine. I'll get over it." Seojun looked over to where he had been crouched with Jugyeong, before stepping forward. "So was it performing that made you feel ready?" He asked, falling into step beside the girl.

"How did you know?" Miyeon replied, the pair beginning to walk up the hill that she had just came down. "It makes me happy - made me feel comforted in a rather strange way. It was the first time I'd properly sung since Seyeon died and I've moved out from my parent's house, I guess I just feel... alive."

"So alive that you decided you would tell me everything I needed to know?" Seojun asked. "This is all rather.. sudden. Are you sure?"

"If you keep asking me that I won't tell you at all." Miyeon countered, her shoulders jerking upwards in a shrug. "I was coming to find you after you disappeared so quickly. I didn't get to thank you, and then I stumbled upon that. I think I decided before I was ready to tell you, now it just can help as a distraction."

"I don't need distracting." The Han boy replied. Miyeon decided to ignore this, about to turn right when shouts and a low rumble of footsteps could be held.

She felt a hand tug her back, the two of them watching with wide eyes as a something dressed in white rushed past, a crowd running after it. "What was that?" Miyeon asked, the two of them peering after the group of students.

"No idea - but it looks like the stage is free. We can talk there." Seojun suggested, Miyeon agreeing and the two of them walking in mostly silence over to the stage they had performed on not long before.

Mr Han and the dean of students were still sat under the cover, talking amongst themselves, taking no notice of Seojun and Miyeon. The teen boy had predicted correctly and the stage was free, the fairy lights hanging below it turned off.

They settled on the stage, sat on the edge with their legs dropping off the side, Miyeon not stopping herself from kicking her feet back and forth like a little kid. But despite these actions, Seojun watched as she took several deep breaths in, preparing herself.

"It was at a family dinner - of sorts." Miyeon began, a mirthless chuckle leaving her lips. "I should say an investors dinner, because that's what it was. But I had been told it was a family dinner with some of my father's relative, and so I went."

"I got a phone call midway through. It was Seyeon, and although I tried to answer it l.. I was stopped." The emotion first showed here, just a faint trace of it. "My mom - she stopped me from answer. The scandals had just come out and whilst she didn't like him before, she hated him now. Told me I should block his number."

Seojun clenched his fists, trying not to react just yet.

"I didn't of course - I couldn't ever.. I still have it even now." Miyeon said with a sigh. "And when we were half way through desser.. well I looked up and he was stood at the window, crying."

She could remember it so clearly, the hurt displayed across his face so clearly. She had excused herself quickly, abandoning everything and rushing outside, greeting him with a hug.

'It's getting worse' He had told her between the tears, taking deep, rattling breaths as he tried to get it out. 'It just doesn't stop.. I can't - I can't deal with it.'

Miyeon was panicking slightly as she heard him speak, pulling him out of the way and sitting with him on a bench, all the while telling him comforting things that he needed to hear.

The tears were still appearing, rolling down his cheeks, and it seemed like his eyes, nose and lips would be stained red for ever, tainted by tears. But Miyeon wouldn't be able to comfort him anymore.

Yujin had come to find her daughter, wanting to know what was so desperate that she couldn't finish her dessert, that she had to rush off like that.

"She only ever cared about the stupid investors. It didn't matter whether Seyeon was crying next to me, didn't matter that I was his friend and I knew him, not the media." Miyeon gulped, fingers grasping the material of the bottom of her jacket and clutching it.

"My own mother shouted at me to get away from him - and she said something about him being a bully, so I don't remember what but.. the look on his face, the look on his face was just..." Miyeon let out a sigh, unable to finish her sentence.

Her voice seemed steady, but when Seojun looked over to her, it was almost as if she was recreating the scene she had described. Her eyes rimmed with red, cheeks stained with silent tears, nose a shade of pink and lips slightly swollen.

"And then.. he just left.. I had to watch him leave like that. I wouldn't - I wouldn't get to see him again." Her head dropped downwards, tears dripping onto her lap.

Seojun could only stare. He finally knew the truth. Even if the truth was something so awful to think of. And through telling him, Miyeon could begin to forgive herself.