"Why do you never talk to me? I could treat you like a queen," Taejoon sat by my side, sitting on my own as I scrolled through my phone, hoping to trap me in the world behind the screen, than be close to him.

I only twitched the corner of my lip in a smile that strayed far from reaching my eyes. My throat dried, as my mind abounded like the void in my chest then. My eyes remained on the device, each thump of my heart strangling my throat.

"At least look at me-"

"Don't bother her!" My sister bloomed into laughter, dwelling on the situation as if it lightened people's chests with a beloved humor. I darted my eyes to hers, the lift of her grin serving to tighten the strangle in my throat.

He moved away, a smile also engrossed on his face as he moved to sit by her instead. I spared a glace at the two, a slight tremble in my breath, and the movement of my hands as i scrolled through my phone. The two dived in their own conversation, but my mind yelled, it screamed and so it shouted for me to run away from the two, but I could only pretend to be normal.

I could only act as if his presence simply made me shy, and not set a deep tremor in the widened depths of my core at all times he so much as sit by me. I told myself, it will be safer soon, but my heart inquired back, with another tremble as it hammered, but when? will i ever be safe in this house?

I did not believe so, but as long as I sat in my own bubble, maybe I could dwell it into a fact.

-

"You know, I wanna be friends with you," Jisung spoke, his back pressed against the backrest of the chair, hands behind his head as he stared at the board ahead. "Like not just like this, you know, the talking for formalities and stuff. I want to know you." He turned his gaze to me.

I hummed, now I made it my turn to stare at the board ahead. "Maybe me too. You helped me that evening, and I still need to know what you like so maybe I can thank you in some way," I pursued my lips, the memory of the faded evening painting my sight. In a way, how he held me made me realize that maybe, just maybe, I only desired to be seen. To be acknowledged.

"Ay, thank me for what? Human decency?" He snickered, a sound I had not always caught from the class president. But I had never even caught the class president at all. "I just want to have a friend, you know. Some people in this class are... deranged, to say the least. You know of the Aecha incident."

I sighed, "I agree." Looking at the said girl, she still caused me to groan, or to sigh with more force than the last.

"You get me. I think you are the best of these people. I want to be close friends. Best friends, you know?"

At his words, my lips lifted from the corner, a smile that almost reached my eyes. "Best friends?"

He nodded. His glasses tipped off of his nose as he pushed them up with his index finger. "Best friends."

"You better not back out after."

He smiled, a sight that suited his small, yet plump lips with grace he effortlessly carried with him. He nodded once again, reaching out a fist in my direction, as he urged it in my direction. "I am the class president, I am literally not allowed to back out."

My smile widened, as I gathered my hand in a fist as well, coming in contact with his as we fist-bumped. I gazed upon the sealed deal of friendship, a flutter in my chest. Han Jisung was a person that my heart yearned to trust and to befriend, and now that he proposed the offer, I obliged.

"So tell me, Jaeeun, favorite color?"

[AUTHOR'S NOTE]

sorry for the excessive wait TT rhis chapter is kinda small but due to some stuff i havent had the time to write the fanfics lately 😭