#byeon wooseok headers

[sailorjisunq]

변우석

[seugkwa]

변우석 + 김혜윤

[editfandom]

Byeon Woo-seok Instagram

[lunedits]

[userstuf]

★ BYEON WOOSEOK USERS ★

• byeonqr

• seokbfr

• woofv

fav/reblog if u save or use ♥︎ dont repost it

[iheart-nana]

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR ─ expect the unexpected.

❛ you're so lovely, when you cry, it hurts me ❜

Narrator's Perspective

Sunjae rang the doorbell and stood nervously before Eunyoung's front door, anticipating someone to open the door. All day, only thoughts of Eunyoung occupied his mind. Worry clouded his thoughts as he kept wondering how she was doing, would she be okay, would she miss him? A few moments later, just as he was about to leave because he thought no one must be there to open the door, Eunyoung's mother opened the door, glaring down at him spitefully.

"You must be Sunjae," she said unblinkingly, "I've heard a lot about you."

"I'm here to see Eunyoung," he blurted out, swallowing his fear, "Yumi said she was sick."

"Wait here."

And she disappeared into the house. Sunjae took off his shoes and stepped into their living room. He was met with a sense of familiarity, recalling the day he found out he could never swim again, and Eunyoung was there for him as a pillar of support, offering priceless comfort and kindness, as she always had; And they had been moments away from kissing. The moment had been fleeting, almost as if they imagined it all. Now, they were together at last, nothing holding them back. Eunyoung had brought happiness back into his life after he was forced to give up on his dream. Thinking back, Eunyoung was his only reason to keep going...

"She's inside," Eunyoung's mother told him, her previous cold demeanor had thawed, seeing his worried frown and nervous behavior, "You can go and see her."

"Thank you," he gave a quick bow and entered the room Eunyoung's mother had pointed to. It must have been Eunyoung's room, and he paused for a brief second taking it all in. A couple of picture frames of her with her family and a couple of bookshelves lined with various books. A subtle sterile scent of medicine had settled in the room, along with the aroma of some kind of soothing balm. He finally laid his eyes on Eunyoung, sitting on her bed with a white blanket draped over her body. A bowl of water with a napkin was placed at her bedside table with care- presumably by her mother.

Eunyoung's face melted into a warm, welcoming smile as her eyes met Sunjae's. He smiled back, and it was like honey dripping from his crescent-moon-eyes. He quickly took a seat on the chair beside the bed, "I was so worried," he said, taking her hands, caressing them softly as he spoke, "Yumi said you got a hundred degree fever."

"Oh please!" Eunyoung exclaimed, trying her hardest to ignore the heat on her face when he held her hands, "She must have said that to make you feel guilty. My temperature has gone down now. I'll be fine by tomorrow. It's nothing to worry about."

"How could I not worry about you?"

Eunyoung's face turned a bright red, her eyes widening.

"Your face looks flushed, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned, placing the back of his hand on her cheek, "You're so warm! I can leave if you need to rest-"

"Don't go!" Eunyoung called out as he stood up, grabbing a hold of his hand. It was now Sunjae's turn to blush like a fool. His heart swelled with the warmth of Eunyoung's touch. He slowly turned back and sat once again, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Eunyoung answered with no hesitation, "I want you here."

💿

"YOU DID WHAT?" Yumi bellowed at Taesung. Taesung shrunk back, his ears left in pain from the unexpected power in her voice.

"Shhh!" he hissed at her. They were currently at the bus stop, and people turned to look at them.

"Oh, look they're having a lovers' quarrel!"

"Young love, oh!"

Taesung felt his face flush as he leaned closer to her. "People are looking," he muttered under his breath, trying to deflect the growing attention.

"I can see that," she snapped back, her arms crossed in frustration, "But how the hell did you in your right mind enroll me to act in a Shakespeare play? Did I seem like that kind of girl to you? Because I'm not!"

Taesung stayed silent for a few seconds. He couldn't find the words to tell her that he wanted to spend more time with her. They had been separated after that horrible accident, and he finally had an excuse to see her. It made him feel at peace again. Like a part of him that had been forcefully taken away had returned to him. Now he had no choice but to hold on to her for dear life, praying that she wouldn't leave again.

"I'm sorry," was all he could mutter.

Yumi's heart sank watching his posture droop and his eyes focus on the ground. She hadn't meant to be that harsh, she was just shocked at his sudden decision, "No... I'm not mad. Just surprised... It's okay. I can do it. We get some kind of participation reward too right? I'll do it."

A flicker of life returned to Taesung's eyes at her reluctant acceptance. "You don't have to if you don't want to-" he began, his voice lifting slightly with hope.

"No, it's fine," she assured, waving her hand in front of her face. She didn't want to hurt him. Not again. Not after everything they had been through, "I'll have a bad image if I back down, anyways. And it could be fun, right?!"

"Yeah, Sunjae, Eunyoung, Inhyuk are all there," he replied, his face lighting up with an enthusiastic smile that always had the power to melt her defenses. Watching him, Yumi felt a warmth spread through her chest, the tension easing as memories of their past together flickered in her mind. Despite the rough start, she couldn't help but feel a spark of hope rekindling between them.

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nana's notes: sunjae and eunyoung are literally so precious i cannot even-

delphi's notes: yumi's soft spot for taesung is reviving my will to live

list of chapters here! next chapter: friday

[sientemefragil]

I ♥️ my bf.

[gongchanida]

record of youth headers.

like or reblog.

[kimfilmss]

Kmovie — 20th Century Girl

Kim Yoo Jung as Na Bora & Byeon Woo Seok as Poong Woonho

Movie available on Netflix and other drama websites

like or reblog if you save ♡

[sailorjisunq]

변우석

[sailorjisunq]

ภาริตา + 변우석

[iheart-nana]

xxxvi. those eyes

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX ─ those eyes.

❛ we got nothing else to do, and nothing else to lose ❜

Choi Eunyoung's Perspective

Time seemed to be rolling by as I tried my best to help Sunjae with algebra. His dread had considerably reduced, and I thought it was good enough. I had given him a few problems to solve on his own, and I was sitting with my back turned to him. I couldn't help but stare at the pictures on the shelf of Sunjae at his swimming tournaments. So many of them decked the walls. It made me realize just how huge his swimming career must have been. I could almost feel his hurt when he was forced to quit. It filled me with a strange determination and protectiveness. I wanted to save him so desperately.

Then there were other, rather trivial and silly thoughts racing through my mind. Even with wet hair sticking to his face, he looked as handsome as ever. The teenager inside me seemed to be staring at his astonishing figure. I had never realized how incredible his proportions were. Wide shoulders with a torso that tapered towards the waist. I quickly looked away, hot-faced.

I shifted my gaze to my bedroom window which I could see from Sunjae's window. They were so close by. My mind couldn't fathom how all these years, I had been so close to Sunjae; If I had just opened my eyes and sought him out...

Fate had brought us together by some miracle that even I couldn't explain. It was magic. Like some kind of supernatural forces were working to bring us closer. My heart yearned to hold onto the hope that destiny would do it's part and Sunjae would get the happy ending he deserved. Every night was me shutting down the self-doubt that I didn't have the power to change anything.

My eyes fell on the clock, and that was when I realized we had been studying for more than two hours. I quickly shifted back to where Sunjae was sitting, and found him sleeping silently with his head resting on his hands. A smile surfaced on my face. You've worked hard, Sunjae. I placed my two hands on the space next to him and rested my head in a way that I could look at him. My eyes examined his features, as if I was trying to memorize every little detail on his face. His eyes were shut softly, his face showing no signs of discomfort or pain. This is how I wished him to be forever. At peace. The moment my gaze landed on his lips, it was as if a magnetic force prevented me from looking away. Perfect, pillowy... they looked so soft. My mind wandered back to the time we had almost kissed- maybe that was my imagination? I had no idea.

Then, his eyes opened slowly, blinkingly. I was taken aback, but I remained motionless, unable to divert my gaze. At first, I witnessed a confusion in his eyes and then we seemed to melt into each other's gaze. In that moment, our eyes seemed to be delivering professions of love our mouths could never have the courage to voice.

To shatter the moment, the turn of the doorknob sounded in the room, and we weren't nearly quick enough to pull away when Sunjae's dad entered the room. We were suddenly jerked awake, back to reality in an instant. I sat up completely straight, blinking rapidly. 

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry, I-" Sunjae's dad trailed off, a smirk appearing on his face. He backed away, closing the door, leaving me and Sunjae in a state of awkwardness.

"Talk about bad timing," Sunjae muttered, in response to which Eunyoung forced out a chuckle. Did he really have to walk in at that moment? 

"I should get going then," I said, rubbing the back of my neck and gathering my books, "It's been, what, two hours? Let's continue next time?"

"Yeah," he said. Neither of us seemed to know what to say or how to act, "What about the practice problems?"

"Homework?"

He laughed, and it almost sounded genuine. I smiled at him.

"Thanks," he called out just as I was leaving, following me down the staircase, "Thanks for doing this for me."

"Anytime."

When we came down to the living room, it was almost as if his dad had been waiting, smirking this whole time. I didn't have it in me to say anything to him, so I gave him a quick bow as I made my way to the front door, Sunjae close behind me. Just before I went home, our eyes met once again. Our lips stretched into a smile, as if it was instinct. And then I was off. 

Despite my evident embarrassment, the moment in Sunjae's room had made one thing astonishingly clear. I was in love with Ryu Sunjae, and there was no going back.

💿

On reaching home, I was met with a full on interrogation by my mother. Her flushed face and eyes wide with rage made me realize that she must have fought with Yumi. A sense of guilt washed over me because I couldn't help Yumi as much as I hoped to.

"Where were you?" she asked me, her voice irritable.

"I was at Sunjae's house," I explained calmly, "I'm helping him study."

She went quiet, and sat down on the couch. I took the seat beside her and grabbed her hand, "It's not Taesung's fault, you know," I said gently.

"I know..." she whispered.

💿

I sat in my room, deep in thought as my mind replayed todays events over and over. I had the most trivial anxieties racing through my brain. I sat staring at Sunjae's window, trying to make sense of the mess in me. I could practically see Sunjae's eyes staring into mine. I didn't want to get my hopes up by thinking that Sunjae replicated my feelings. At the same time, the fear of losing him crept in my mind, gnawing on my self- doubt.

I scribbled another note on a piece of paper- "If you ask for flowers, don't be surprised if it starts to rain. The hardships you're facing are only temporary. Happier days are coming."

The moment after the paper airplane landed on Sunjae's window, my phone buzzed, interrupting my train of thoughts. It was a text message from my father.

Eunyoung, I want to meet you, I've missed you.

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

nana's notes: this chapter was a whole rollercoaster ride tbh

delphi's notes: someone check on yumi pls

next chapter: saturday (out now!) list of chapters here!

[iheart-nana]

xi. strings of fate

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

CHAPTER ELEVEN ─ strings of fate.

❛ i'm so in love that i might stop breathing ❜

Narrator's Perspective

The bus ride back home was a quiet one by all means. Sunjae's friends had offered to take him home but he refused and chose to go with Eunyoung. His father had run off to make arrangements to celebrate his son's victory. Not only had he won a gold medal, but he had also beaten a record. It was a groundbreaking milestone, which his father deserved to be proud of.

Sunjae fidgeted with the medal, looking around, not knowing what to say after the rather intimate moment they shared after the match. The scene replayed in his mind; It was almost as if he was reliving the moment again. He could still feel her warm touch against his cool skin and the thumping of his heart had not calmed since then.

"I'm proud of you, Sunjae," Eunyoung spoke with a gentleness and warmth in her voice that melted Sunjae's heart.

"After everything you said about my shoulder, I think I deserve to say ❛I told you so❜," he said cheekily, "I told you I'd be fine."

"I'm sorry I doubted you, Sunjae," she chuckled. The elegance and beauty of her laugh resounded in his ears, pulling at his heartstrings effortlessly. She always seemed to know what to say at the right moment. He turned away, trying to hide his flushed face.

The soft pitter-patter of raindrops against the bus window diverted their attention outside. The rain fell in a light drizzle outside while the sunlight dimmed and clouds began to appear in the once-clear sky.

"It's raining an awful lot lately," Sunjae observed curiously.

Little did he know, that it wasn't just rain; it was the universe pulling them together.

💿

"By the way," Yumi asked Eunyoung at dinner that night, "Where did you run off to today? Who goes out that early on a Saturday morning?"

"Sunjae's swimming match was today," she answered, trying to hide her excitement, "He won a gold medal and broke a record."

"Tell him I said congratulations," she told Eunyoung.

"And me," their mother chimed in.

"I sure will," Eunyoung smiled.

"Speaking of which," their mother began, "What's the deal with him? You ran off to give him the umbrella last night too."

"What're you asking?" Eunyoung asked in confusion, "I thought he would need it since the rain was kind of heavy─ but how do you know that, Mom?"

"I came to see where you were after you said you were going to return Sunjae's umbrella," she explained, "And I ran into his father. He's the one who told me."

"Oh."

"Oh, cut the crap, Eunyoung!" she snapped, "If you're dating just tell me!"

"It's not like that!" Eunyoung said defensively, "We barely know each other. We're just friends I swear."

"His dad knew your name."

"So what?" she looked up from her plate, "I have a memorable name!"

💿

Yumi stood at the bus stop, her eyes wandering lazily with no thoughts in her mind. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, which did nothing to drive away her boredom. Each passing moment felt like an eternity, and waiting five minutes for the next bus seemed tiresome after piano practice. She felt increasingly exhausted on that particular Monday, despite the clear, cloudless skies and warm weather. Her shirt stuck to her skin and the humidity irritated her to no end.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone crouching in the bushes behind her. The boy wore a light blue biker jacket that shone brightly in the afternoon Sun. As she was about to turn away, he stood up revealing a rather familiar face that was Kim Taesung's. For a moment, she was stunned. He seemed to have a knack for showing up when she least expected it.

"What were you doing in the bushes?" she asked as he looked at her with the same amount of surprise.

"Why are you always showing up randomly?" he said, as if he had read her mind.

"I could ask you the same thing," she retorted.

As he stepped towards her, moving away from the bushes, she spotted a little black and white kitten where he was crouching. This seemed to be an answer to her earlier question. An uncontrolled gasp of adoration escaped her mouth as she smiled at the sight of the kitten. She advanced towards it, but found that it was eating something.

Upon seeing her contagious smile, Taesung's lips stretched into a smile as well.

"I feed her sometimes," he told her casually.

"This kitten always runs away from me," Yumi complained, "My biggest goal in life is to pet her."

"Look, I'm no expert, but if you run towards her like that she's going to get scared," he explained gently.

"I'll try a calmer approach next time," said Yumi thoughtfully, "But it'll be tough for me. I get really excited when I see cats."

"You like cats?"

"I love them."

💿

Knock knock.

"Come in," Eunyoung answered. It had been several hours since she had looked up from her desk. Loose sheets of paper were scattered everywhere─ on the floor and even on her bed. Some papers crumpled by her sheer agitation lay lifelessly in the dustbin by her foot. Eunyoung's hair was tied into a ponytail that was slowly falling apart as strands of her long hair fell messily on her face. She didn't bother to fix them; All that mattered at that moment was the article about the swim team.

Taking her first step into Eunyoung's room, Yumi stopped in her tracks, glancing at the room from a distance. "This place looks like a war zone." She looked at what Eunyoung was scribbling at her desk, "Oh, is this the article about the swim team?"

Eunyoung only answered with a grunt. Yumi took it as a sign of her focus and determination. She distinctly remembers how Eunyoung became a total wreck while writing articles in high school. Her justification had always been "The chaos on the outside contradicts the organization inside. It's called balance." Yumi never understood it, but it seemed to work so she never questioned it.

Yumi flopped down on Eunyoung's bed, making herself comfortable, "I'm almost done," Eunyoung told her. A few moments later, she finally put her pen down. Her neck made a loud cracking sound as she looked up.

"Dear God," Yumi exclaimed.

Eunyoung chuckled, gathering all the papers around her. She tossed some into the bin and placed some of them in her folder, which she kept in her school bag. "Okay, I'm really done this time."

"Your tape recorder is here," Yumi held up the little device with white headphones dangling.

Eunyoung took a seat beside her, "Yeah, just leave it there. So, how come you're here?"

"This is my house."

"No, I mean here," Eunyoung emphasized, "Here in my room."

"Why, can't I be here?"

"That's not what I said."

"Then?"

"Don't make me hit you."

Yumi burst out laughing, slapping Eunyoung's shoulder playfully, "I'm kidding. I just came to hang out. We haven't talked much lately."

"Aw you missed me?" Eunyoung hugged Yumi, "Tell me, what do you wanna talk about?"

"You remember that cat near the music club?"

"The one you always like to pet? What about it?"

"I think I know how to get it to like me," Yumi told her excitedly, "I got some advice."

"From who?" asked Eunyoung curiously.

"Taesung," Yumi's voice was reduced to a whisper as she said his name.

"Taesung, as in the guy with the motorcycle?"

"Yeah."

"Hmph."

"Don't be so judgy!"

"I didn't even say anything!"

"You didn't have to!" Yumi said, laughing, "Dont be so hard on him. How's it going with Sunjae?"

"Don't even get me started."

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

nayoung's notes: taesung feeding the cat is such a funny crossover to me, it's like cat meets cat. eunyoung's mom is such a mood lmfao. hope you liked this much needed taemi content lol.

delphi's notes: taesung was definitely (nayoung- definitely what? complete ur sentence byotch)

next chapter: saturday (out now!) list of chapters here!

[iheart-nana]

xx. heart to heart

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

CHAPTER TWENTY ─ heart to heart.

❛ i'm not easily distracted, but you're pulling me in like a magnet ❜

Narrator's Perspective

"Eunyoung!" her mother called out to her.

Both Eunyoung and Sunjae turned around on hearing the sound. They weren't doing anything wrong, but it felt as if they'd been caught. Eunyoung was about to walk with Sunjae to his house, wanting to be by his side for just a little longer.

Eunyoung's mother emerged from the nail salon, her eyes widening as she spotted Sunjae standing beside her daughter, "Who's this?"

"Oh! I haven't introduced you two," Eunyoung exclaimed, "Mom, this is Sunjae. He lives next door─ his dad owns that Galbi restaurant. Sunjae, this is my mom. She runs this nail salon."

"It's nice to meet you," Sunjae smiled, managing a shaky bow.

"Likewise," her mother flashed a polite smile that resembled Eunyoung's. She stole a quick glance at Eunyoung, raising her eyebrows and Eunyoung made a mental note to ask her about it later. She turned to her daughter, "I'm sorry to ask you this honey, but this girl inside just came in. I have another appointment in ten minutes. Do you mind covering for me?"

"Sure, mom, don't sweat it," Eunyoung agreed, "What do I need to do?"

"Just simple, white french tips," answered her mother, "Thank you, angel."

"There's no need to thank me," she beamed.

Sunjae's lips stretched into a grin. Eunyoung's smile was like a communicable disease. 

"I gotta go," she said, turning to Sunjae apologetically.

"It's fine," he assured her, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Take care of your shoulder," she said, glancing nervously at his sling before waving goodbye. She was taken aback on seeing her mother's expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Eunyoung questioned, taking a step back.

"Are you that thick-headed?" she asked, taking a step closer to her, "He looked at you with hearts in his eyes! And on top of that, he's extremely good looking!"

"What are you babbling about?" Eunyoung stammered, feeling her face getting warmer despite the cool summer breeze, "Isn't a customer waiting for you inside?"

"Hmph," her mother scoffed, "This discussion isn't over!"

"As you say, mummy," she rolled her eyes as the two went inside.

Choi Eunyoung's Perspective

The girl waiting on one of the chairs, fidgeted nervously with her clothes, her eyes darting across the room. As the door chimed, she turned sharply to see who it was.

"Hello," I greeted her with a smile.

"Hi," said the girl, her voice barely a whisper.

Why does she seem scared? I remember the first time I got my nails done, I was so excited that I was shaking. But, then again, my mom did them for me so I didn't feel very nervous.

I led her to the nail station, where she placed both her hands on the table. She bit her lower lip, her posture erect and awkward.

"First time?" I asked, trying my best to make her feel comfortable.

"Yeah," she replied, her voice a little louder this time, "Can you tell?"

"It's alright," I assured her, "What's your name?"

"Jieun."

"You have such a pretty name." I beamed, "I'm Eunyoung. Do you want nail extensions?" I asked, observing her neatly cut, short nails.

"Yeah," I was glad to hear her becoming more relaxed.

As I began working on her nails, we sat in complete silence for the first few minutes. Then, I heard her remark, "You're really pretty. That boy outside... is he your boyfriend?"

I let out a rather weird sound like a muffled gasp. I chuckled at her sudden confidence as well as at my own reaction, "No, it's not like that," I replied, "We're just friends. He recently had shoulder surgery and was discharged today. So, I wanted to give him a gift to cheer him up."

I realized how I was rambling on. This is so unlike me. I thought to myself. I usually kept to myself, not sharing much personal information. But here I was, babbling on about Sunjae.

"You like him, don't you?" she asked, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

For the first time, I found myself unable to deny her implication. I opened my voice to answer, but the words disappeared on the tip of my tongue. My face felt hot and I focused on painting her nails, evading the question rather awkwardly.

"The two of you look cute together."

Choi Yumi's Perspective

"Yumi!" I heard Inhyuk call out to me one day while I was preparing to leave after piano practice. I turned to answer him, "Hmm?"

"Taesung and the others left early, so I wanted to talk to you about Taesung's birthday," he began, "Where do you think it should be?"

I was a little taken aback that he had taken my careless words so seriously, "I don't know... d'you have any ideas?"

"I thought we might do it in a restaurant," he started, "But it could turn out to be chaotic. I don't think any of us have the money for that either."

"How 'bout his house?" I suggested.

"That's actually a good idea!" he cried, "Gosh, I knew that if I asked you, I would be able to figure it out. But the thing is, no one knows his address."

"Hmm," I began thinking, "We might have to break into the school records."

"You're onto something!" he exclaimed, beaming. I only meant it as a joke, but he seemed to take it literally. The idea made me uneasy when I thought of executing it.

"I was just joking," I explained, but he was already convinced, and nothing could stop his enthusiasm.

"No, we can actually do that," he insisted, "After school closes is a good time."

"You do realize we'll be breaking and entering?" I could hear the panic in my voice, "And those records are confidential. If we get caught, god knows what the consequences will be. What if they drown us in the swimming pool or hang us on a streetlight?"

"Don't be so paranoid," he said, waving his hand in front of his face, as if to fan away my concerns, "We won't get caught."

"What if we do?"

"What if we don't?"

"But what if we do," I emphasised, stomping my foot on the ground. I chuckled to myself as he took a step back.

"Look," he said, getting over the initial shock, "We'll be careful. And if we do get caught, I'll take full responsibility."

"Fine," I gave in, "But I swear to god-"

"I'll tell the others!" he ran off.

I can't believe I was his fan. I laughed at myself. He's such a goofy fellow.

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

nayoung's notes: yumi's doing it for the plot 💪

delphi's notes: the inhyuk and yumi dynamic is amazing lol. Something crazy is going to happen i swear.

next chapter: friday (out now!) list of chapters here!

[iheart-nana]

lvi. on and off-stage drama

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX ─ on and off-stage drama.

❛ i swear i don't love the drama, it loves me ❜

Choi Eunyoung's Perspective

"What?!" I breathed out, "Inhyuk's going back to his village? Taesung and Jay are quitting Eclipse? What- what do you mean by that?"

"Exactly," Sunjae nodded remorsefully, "They're saying that they'll finish this festival performance one last time and then quit. But Inhyuk's already left. He's staying with his parents in his village."

It felt as if my entire world was falling apart. I couldn't let this happen. I was supposed to change the future for the better, not create a bigger mess. I had to fix this, by whatever means necessary. 

"Well, we gotta stop this," I said decisively, "Let's talk to Taesung after rehearsal."

"It's a plan," Sunjae said, smiling. His face twisted into an expression of shock when he looked at his watch, "Oh! We're ten minutes late!"

Narrator's Perspective

"What language is this, even?" Yumi exclaimed looking at the script, "Thou lovs't me not with the full weight that I love thee? This nutjob has written the entire play like this! How did I even pass the audition?"

The other students who were part of the cast sat and watched the 'couple' in adoration instead of revising their scripts. They whispered and giggled uncontrollably, much to Yumi's irritation. Taesung, however, was not-so-secretly enjoying it. He was basking in the attention, and the fact that people thought he and Yumi were a real couple made his heart swell with joy.

"You'll do fine," he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. His touch still made sparks dance across her skin. He leaned towards her face and gave her a smile, "We've got plenty of time, hmm?"

"What's your role anyways?" Yumi asked, looking anywhere but at his face.

"Oliver," he answered, not shifting his gaze.

Yumi began furiously flipping through the pages of the script. All of a sudden, she gasped, "Seriously?"

"What?" Taesung asked, sitting next to her, peering into the script.

"Oliver and Celia get married at the end?" she scoffed, but her flushed face said otherwise, "On the basis of what? I swear Shakespeare was on crack each time he picked up his pen."

"How could you say such a thing about him?" Eunyoung said. She had just gotten there along with Sunjae, "Why hasn't rehearsal started yet?"

"Well, the director suddenly fell sick so the writers told us to revise on our own for today," Taesung explained.

"Oh, we ran here for no reason," Sunjae said, chuckling while shooting a knowing glance at Eunyoung. Eunyoung smiled back, "I know right?"

"Ooooh, damn are you two a thing now?" asked one of the girls sitting close to them, eavesdropping.

"How 'bout you mind your own business?" Yumi sneered with hostility.

"How am I supposed to ignore it when they're flirting right in front of me?"

"Maybe you need a lesson on personal space?" Yumi said, taking a step away from her. 

The girl rolled her eyes, then picked up her things and walked off, muttering under her breath.

"You seem to be in a mood today," Eunyoung observed.

"You can thank Shakespeare for that," Yumi replied.

"I don't know why you hate a man who died several centuries ago," Eunyoung uttered.

"I don't know why you like a man who died several centuries ago," Yumi countered.

"I don't like the man, I just thing his work had a timeless element to it."

"And so here we are."

"Okay, okay, stop the bickering," Taesung said waving his hand between them.

"We're not bickering," Yumi shrugged.

"That's just how we get along," Eunyoung agreed, giving Yumi a small smile.

"As long as there's no bloodshed, I'm good," Taesung said.

"How's the prep for the Eclipse performance going?" Yumi asked eagerly. Her question was followed by a long, awkward silence. Taesung stared at Sunjae, Sunjae glanced at Eunyoung, and Eunyoung looked at Yumi nervously.

"I guess you don't know," Sunjae said as gently as he could, "Inhyuk left for his village, because he wanted to help his parents out... He's also planning on dropping out."

"What?!" Yumi exclaimed. Heads turned to see what the commotion was about. She stood, completely stunned for few seconds, "What's going to happen to your band?" She shot a worried look at Eunyoung, as if to say What is happening? Is this our fault?

"Taesung, didn't you-" Eunyoung gestured him not to mention it, shaking her head as subtly as she could. She didn't want to give Taesung and Yumi a reason to argue again. Sunjae covered up his blunder, "Didn't you say you were going to call him?"

"Um... yeah I was," said Taesung, glad that they hadn't mentioned to Yumi that he was going to leave the band, "He didn't pick up."

"So, Sunjae and I were thinking," Eunyoung began, "That we go and visit his village and bring him back to his senses. What do you think?"

"I'm in," Taesung said, looking at Yumi, his eyes full of expectation.

"What if we can't convince him?"

"Oh, you pessimist," Eunyoung groaned, "If he doesn't agree voluntarily, then we'll kidnap him, okay? Are you in or not?"

"I'm in," she said, realizing she wasn't left with much of a choice.

"Good," said Sunjae, "We leave tomorrow?"

"Yeah," said everyone in unison.

There were a few minutes of silence as they all went back to reading their scripts. A moment later, Eunyoung looked up, "Hey, Taesung?"

"Hmm?"

"I had to ask you about that..." she trailed off.

Taesung frowned with confusion, but the realization hit him soon enough and she said, "Oh,  right. Of course," he said, getting up, "We'll be back."

Yumi and Sunjae watched them get up and go outside the auditorium.

"That was weird," Yumi said, furrowing her brows.

"Breathe if you're jealous."

💿

"Any updates?" she asked Taesung, "About my dad? Was the information I gave conclusive enough?"

"Yeah, they've started the investigation," he answered, "My dad said that considering his history, he'll most likely get a life sentence. He wanted me to ask if it's okay with you."

"Yes, absolutely," Eunyoung said decisively. 

Taesung blinked a few times, "Okay, if that's what you want."

"It is."

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

nana's notes: bet u didn't see that one coming

delphi's notes: yumi and sunjae are such an awkward duo lmfao 

[iheart-nana]

xxviii. the aftermath

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT ─ the aftermath.

❛ once the flight had flown, with the wilt of the rose ❜

Choi Yumi's Perspective

The surroundings seemed familiar. My mind was clouded with confusion, I couldn't understand what had happened. Moments ago, I remember being on my way home on Taesung's motorcycle, and then we...

"Yumi?" called out Eunyoung's voice which seemed to reflect my puzzled state. That's when I realized where we were. It was our shared apartment in Seoul and we were back to the present. I turned to look at her with furrowed brows, "Check the date quickly!"

She reached for her phone, and the screen displayed 00:02, 1st January, 2023 as the time and date, "What's going on?" she whispered, sounding lost, "This... this means we really time travelled."

"Yeah," I breathed. We had really gone back to the past, to 2008, and now we were back. I stood up to look at the CD player. It displayed 2:00 now instead of 3:00, "What does this mean?" Before I could sit back down, I caught a glimpse of my face in Eunyoung's vanity above her desk. A huge scar on the right side of my face, stretching from my cheek down to my chin. I ran my fingers over it, but there was no odd texture, "W...What's this thing on my face?" I whispered in horror.

I don't quite remember what happened...

❪ flashback ❫

I couldn't make any sense of anything. Where was I? How did I end up there? I had no clue. I could hear loud chattering, someone screaming, the sound of cars passing by in the distance. Then a blaring siren and someone taking me away. What happened after that? I had blacked out completely.

When I opened my eyes all I could see was a white ceiling above me and then the scent of antiseptic hit my nose. Soon, I realized that I was lying down, and my eyes scanned my surroundings. I was wearing a white robe- or was it like a nightgown? I don't have any nightgowns. There were white curtains around the bed I was laying on and that's when the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I was in a hospital.

The needle piercing through my hand sent a sharp, shooting pain up my arm as I noticed it was there, making me wince. There was a huge white bump I could see on the right side of my face- bandages.

The rest of my memories were in a blur. I could still hear people's voices in the back of my mind.

My mom's voice, screaming, "KIM TAESUNG YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

Eunyoung's panicked voice and sobs, "Yumi, I'm so sorry..."

My own voice, yelling, "Look what you've done to me! This! This thing on my face is thanks to you! I'm going to have to live with this all my life. So, I'm sorry if the scar on your shoulder is an eyesore. Because that's too fucking bad."

❪ end of flashback ❫

"Don't you remember?" asked Eunyoung after a long pause, "Taesung was dropping you home... and... and then you..." her voice sounded choked and she closed her mouth, realizing it was too painful to remember.

"I think I remember," I said, spacing out. My hand reached to touch the scar again.

"You swore you hated him," added Eunyoung, "You guys had a huge fight. Screaming in the hospital and everything."

"It must have been quite the scene," I bit my lip, recalling the embarrassing memory.

"Yeah," she said. We both sat in the painful silence that hung in the air. The snow pattered against the window, as if it were knocking, asking to be let in.

"I'm sorry," I told her gently, "I'm sorry for all the horrible things I said to you."

"I'm sorry too," she said, reaching for my hand, "It wasn't my place."

"No, it was! It absolutely was!" I cried as the strength returned in my voice, "You're my family and you had the right to be worried. And you were right! He was trouble! And and... and he-"

"Shhh, it's fine," she said, noticing how my voice shook as I spoke, squeezing my hand, "It's over now. It's all forgiven."

Her eyes moved to her phone screen, showing the news article that Eclipse's Ryu Sunjae had passed away. Her eyes widened, then became moist, "It's... I couldn't do anything..."

I could do nothing but gaze painfully at her state, "Look at the display on the Cd player. I'm guessing it means we have two more chances. Two more chances to set things right."

Narrator's Perspective

Waking up and going to work the next morning seemed like too big of a task for me. From the moment the harsh sunlight streaming through the window entered my room, to the shower, it was as if the melody of sonaki rang in my head as tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. It was completely unlike me- I had never felt so pathetic and depressed in my 34 years of living, and I was feeling it now- all at once.

"Adulting is so hard," I grumbled under my breath as I left the house, wearing black because I was grieving. It had barely been a day since I had returned, but my heart ached with desperation and longing. I already missed my daily bus rides with Sunjae, our carefree, almost meaningless conversations. His smiling face and eyes that seemed to me dripping with honey occupied my mind the whole car ride.

"Teenage life was so easy," I muttered to myself as I parked my car and made my way up the elevator.

The moment I opened the door, I saw a sea of people- employees, all clad in black from head to toe. For a moment, I felt a sense of pride. I had made this happen; a team of people who actually gave a damn about journalistic integrity and not just nosy busybodies who wanted to pry into the lives of the rich and elite. A smile almost surfaced on my face when I thought about my slightly dramatic rise to power as I overthrew the previous CEO of The Seoul Daily.

"Ms. Choi," someone called out to me. A familiar face appeared before me as we bowed and exchanged greetings, "Kang Seoyoon, the head of the entertainment department released the article regarding Singer Ryu Sunjae's death because she lives near the hospital he was taken to. Would you like us to start research on the cause?"

The words felt like icicles against my skin- they were too official, so cold that it almost sent a shiver down my spine. I cleared my throat, trying to pull myself together; I then said to her, mustering up all the professionalism in my voice, "Yes, please get started. Tell Seoyoon that it was extremely prompt of her to write the article even though it was after work hours. Thanks."

With a brief nod and bow, she ran off. "You're all doing a really great job!" I cried out to all the hardworking people sitting withing earshot, plastering on my best fake smile, "Keep up the good work and report to me after the front page placements are done."

The news that I heard a while later felt as if someone ran a knife through my heart. Sunjae's cause of death- it was suicide.

☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩⋆｡° ✮

nana's notes: i guess listening to sad kdrama osts makes me work faster 🤧😭

delphi's notes: sunjae needs to get his death pass revoked frfr :(

next chapter: friday (out now!) list of chapters here!