V. Sudden Shower

she is beauty, and she is grace; but she will punch you in your fucking face . . . ☆★ ࣪.* unforgiven girlzz

( 𖦹 ˕ × ) ˚ . ｡ do you think i'm fragile? ☠️ ࿔

like the moodboard? it's a teaser for an upcoming fanfic! make sure u follow me and stay tuned! thank you, bye!! <33

oc by: @the-one-and-only-delphi

⁺　ׂ　　⋆　 t-t-touch me, and you'll never be alone ☆

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CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE ─ expect the unexpected.

❛ and it feels like the start of a movie i've seen before, but you're not here ❜

Ryu Sunjae's Perspective

I practically ran down the stairs, my heartbeat drumming on inside my chest as I felt a new kind of giddy excitement to meet Eunyoung. I had always felt incredibly happy at the thought of her, but this was different. With all that had happened yesterday, it felt like all the puzzle pieces fit perfectly and we were together at last. Everything in my life seemed to lead me here, to Eunyoung.

To my disappointment, on descending the last stair, instead of seeing Eunyoung's smiling face greet me, I saw her sister, Yumi waiting impatiently. Before I could speak, she turned around suddenly, making me jump a little. She was glaring at me with a kind of resentment and disgust that made me feel sick. I took a step back, cowering before her.

"You know, I wanted to be happy about you and Eunyoung," she said menacingly, "But now I'm thinking that you're all kinds of trouble."

"What did I do?" I asked, furrowing my brows in confusion.

"Last night, you guys must have had your rom-com moment in the rain," she started, "But now Eunyoung is lying in bed with a 100 degree fever."

"What?!" I yelled way too loudly, my eyes widening and my heartbeat quickening, "Eunyoung is sick?!" It made me mad. Guilt seemed to be gnawing at my heart as I realized it was my fault. Before I could get a response from Yumi, whose rage had been replaced by surprise at my exaggerated reaction, I began running to Eunyoung's front door.

"I wouldn't go in if I were you," Yumi said. I stopped in my tracks. She continued, "Mom's been up all night taking care of her and her opinion of you is not exactly favorable."

Narrator's Perspective

By the time Sunjae and Yumi had reached school, there was a strange awkwardness between them since Eunyoung wasn't there to play the mutual friend. But when Yumi considered the situation in her mind and concluded that it would be a lot worse if Eunyoung had been with them, because then it would have been Yumi third wheeling with a couple who was so obnoxiously sweet she would have vomited. So, she sat there with Sunjae, feeling grateful for the awkward air that had settled between them.

"So, are you in the school play?" Sunjae asked her out of politeness. He had begun to get a little restless because of the silence. He had imagined his bus ride to college a lot differently. He thought it would be romantic with Eunyoung next to him. But instead he was forced to deal with Yumi; He knew by instinct that she was just tolerating him because of Eunyoung, and honestly he felt the same way.

"No, I'm not," she said without looking at him, "I don't even want to get into all this festival nonsense. I'm the last person to do a thing like a school play. And they chose a Shakespeare play? Forget it."

You ask a simple question... Sunjae sighed internally, "I just thought you would audition- you know, since your boyfriend is in the play."

I guess Eunyoung hasn't told him... This made Yumi feel a little at peace; The fact that Eunyoung was guarding her secret well was a comforting thought.

"Do I seem like the kind of person to humiliate myself on stage because my boyfriend i decided to do it?" she asked formidably.

"I guess not," Sunjae said, giving up on making pleasantries, "I gotta go anyways." He practically ran away from her.

💿

The auditorium was filled with playful banter and friendly conversations. The cast of the Shakespearean play As You Like It that had been casted so far were gathered there for the very first practice. The actors crowded the stage, discussing their roles and reading their scripts. The director and writers responsible for translating the play into Korean occupied a table with various sheets of paper stacked and a microphone to maintain some order.

"Excuse me ! Everybody! May I have your attention please?" asked the girl who was given the role of director. The chaos settled down, slowly but surely, "Thank you. Is everybody here? Or is someone missing?"

"Eunyoung isn't here," Sunjae answered promptly. His comment was followed with some girls eyeing him and whispering among themselves.

"Oh my gosh!"

"Do they like each other or what?"

"I swear there's something going on since the field trip!"

Sunjae wondered if he was being too obvious but chose to ignore the gossip.

"What's her character?" asked the director, looking down at her list of participants.

"Rosalind," he answered. He could hear more whispers.

"Rosalind?!" she repeated, taken aback, "Our Rosalind is absent? Why on earth would she miss the first rehearsal?"

"Uh, she's down with fever!" Sunjae told her, "Pretty bad, actually- hundred degrees. Her sister told me." He ignored the giggling that followed his rather enthusiastic answer.

"Oh, dear," said the director a little calmer than before, "Well, tell her to take care, then. And tell her that absenteeism will not be tolerated except for health related reasons. I'll let her off the hook this one time."

Sunjae heaved a sigh of relief. The writer sitting next to the director whispered something in her ear. Her eyes went wide, "She's one of the writers too? That is... unfortunate."

"Could you be any more obvious?" Taesung sneered.

"Shut up," he snapped, "At least she's in the play."

"Ouch," Taesung said defensively, "Damn, Sunjae didn't think you were stingy like that."

"By the way," began the director, addressing Sunjae, "What's your character?"

"Orlando," he answered plainly.

"Good," the director smiled. The students began hooting and screaming with excitement.

"Okay, settle down," said the writer. He took the microphone from the director, "We don't have an actress for the role of Celia. Does anyone have any suggestions? Anybody wishing to audition?"

A lightbulb suddenly lit up in Taesung's head, "I know someone who could play the role."

"Do they have a name?"

"Uh, yes," he answered, the palms of his hands feeling sweaty, "Choi Yumi from the Practical Music Department." Once again, people began ooh-ing and ahh-ing. 

"Bring her to rehearsal tomorrow to audition," said the writer in a matter-of-fact tone. Taesung smiled ever so slightly. Now he would get to spend some time with her...

"Okay, so since we don't have Rosalind or Celia, we can start with act one, scene one..."

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nana's notes: yumi is literally ready to fight sunjae

delphi's notes: don't mess with yumi

xiv. the space between us

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN ─ the space between us.

❛ our secret moments in a crowded room, they got no idea 'bout me and you. ❜

Narrator's Perspective

Sunjae and Eunyoung sat silently in Eunyoung's living room, the sound of occasional hiccups or sobs breaking the silence. She reached for his clenched hand, gently squeezing it as an acknowledgement of the agony that he felt as if to say, "I'm here for you."

"How did you know?" Sunjae asked quietly, trying to conceal the spark he felt at her touch, "That I got hurt."

"I realized you never showed up the the bus stop, so I asked your friend," she answered, "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" he countered, "Even though we haven't known each other for long, you've been here for me like a pillar of support. You always seem to say the right thing at the right time. I feel comfortable with you. You've got nothing to be sorry for. In fact, I'm the one who should be sorry. I should have listened to your advice."

His words seemed to melt her heart like ice cream on a sunny day as her face began to feel warm, "It's not your fault, Sunjae. I should have tried harder."

"No," he said firmly, taking both her hands as she gazed into his glassy eyes, "You tried to warn me, but I was too stubborn. You can't possibly blame yourself for what happened to me. Maybe fate has other plans for me."

His words echoed in her mind; all she could do was sit and stare at him because she was the only one who knew what destiny had in store for him.

Their eyes locked as both of them desired to look nowhere but at each other. The air seemed to grow heavy with words they had been holding back since their first meeting. Eunyoung's breathing became slow and the sound pierced through the silence. As she continued to stare at his perfect face, her gaze shifted from his pillowy, soft lips to his eyes, moist from crying, then fixed on his lips, unable to look away. Sunjae, slowly, in a moment of realization, became aware of where Eunyoung was looking. Eunyoung's breath hitched ever so slightly as he leaned towards her, the action filled with hesitation. Their lips were a whisper apart, a secret yearning about to be fulfilled.

The doorknob rattling filled the air as they pulled away abruptly. Sunjae let go of his grip on Eunyoung's hands, startled at the rude interruption. Both their eyes began blinking rapidly, looking everywhere but at each other. 

As Yumi entered the room she stopped in her tracks, trying to make sense of what they were doing. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What are you two─ have you been crying? What happened?" Her voice was now laced with worry, oblivious to what she had walked in on.

"It's nothing," Eunyoung said sharply. A hiccup escaped her mouth as she sloppily tried to cover up the situation. 

"I'll leave you two alone," said Yumi, although as she walked to her room, her eyes seemed to convey a message to Eunyoung, as if to say You're telling me everything later.

Sunjae and Eunyoung were left alone once again and the silence felt louder than ever. Tension filled the room as she avoided his gaze. A tangled web of emotions and unspoken desires hung heavy in the air, a barrier that was both thrilling and terrifying.

💿

The newspaper room of Jagam High School was usually a lively place to be. The place always buzzed with heated discussions and the sound of busy fingers typing. However, at this moment only Hyejin and Yerin sat lazily in their designated chairs, gazing out at the bright summer day through the single, huge window in front of them. Yerin's cellphone buzzed, breaking the silence.

"Hey, look Mrs. Hong just messaged," she told her friend, who peeked into her phone, curious as to what their teacher had said, "The meeting is shifted to tomorrow."

Hyejin groaned, "The one day we show up early the meeting gets cancelled. Great."

"It's so unfair," Yerin grumbled.

"By the way, did you hear from Jiwoo? How's she doing?" Hyejin asked after a few moments of silence.

"I spoke to her yesterday," answered Yerin, "She's supposed to be discharged from the hospital this weekend. I can't believe she got chicken pox; It must have been so painful."

"Who wrote her article about the swim team?" Hyejin inquired.

"Don't you remember the teacher praising Eunyoung about─ oh yeah, you weren't there," she realized suddenly, "Do you know Choi Eunyoung?"

"Yeah, of course I do," she answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world, "She's probably the prettiest in our grade─ or maybe in our whole school."

"Well, she's the one who wrote the article," Yerin said, "She wrote it well, honestly. All the teachers like her."

"The people in my class said that Jiwoon sunbae likes her," she remembered suddenly, "He tried to get close to her and stuff last year. They're saying he's planning on confessing his feelings to her."

"Really?" Hyejin exclaimed, "I saw her with Ryu Sunjae on the bus the other day─ I thought they're going out. He kept her head on his shoulder and all. It seemed kind of serious if you ask me."

"No way!" Yerin remarked, shocked, "She's like─ really pretty, though. She and Sunjae would look good with each other. I've heard she's kind of reserved, so I don't think she would go out with someone for fun. I know so many people who tried to speak to her, but she gave them the cold shoulder and was really formal."

"Ugh, I hate girls like that. They always turn out to be so bitchy," she grumbled, "She has a sister who she's close with; but I don't think she has many friends. It's so high-and-mighty of her."

"Have you ever spoken to her?"

"Can't say I have."

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nayoung's notes: the first scene of this chapter is literally just a product of my intrusive thoughts lmao. i randomly came up with it and ended up keeping it. hope you liked it!

delphi's notes: yumi's got no idea what she walked in on 🫢

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

( 🥂. ) let the only flashing lights be the tower at midnight . . .

lvii. by the seashore

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CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN ─ by the seashore.

❛ we never played t by the numbers, baby but we were making it count ❜

Narrator's Perspective

"This is our ride?!" asked Eunyoung, pointing at Taesung's little teal colored car parked in front of them. While they were planning their weekend trip to Inhyuk's village to coerce him into going through with the Eclipse performance for the university festival, Taesung had mentioned that he could take the four of them in his car; The four of them being Sunjae, Yumi, Eunyoung and himself. However, he never told them that it was half the size of a normal car.

"Does it even work?" asked Yumi as a frown surfaced on her face and she squinted her eyes, as if trying to find the potential in the car.

"Do you guys want to go or not?" Taesung asked impatiently. He felt quite offended by their light-hearted comments because he had been saving up to buy the car for a long time, and he was proud of it; But he couldn't help but agree with them a little bit, because the performance of the car was questionable...

*many minutes later*

"Choosing to drive this car is like wearing vintage heels to a dance marathon," Eunyoung sighed, "And we all know how well that worked for Lorelai Gilmore."

"Only you could find a way to make this about fashion," Yumi rolled her eyes.

"Don't take it out on me, your boyfriend is to blame for this pleasant situation we're currently in," she countered, "Just when I was starting to think you were an alright person."

Turns out the best word to describe Taesung's car was slow. A bicycle and a bunch of children had zoomed past them in the last hour. It was quite humiliating for everybody in the car, except Taesung. His heart was still full of admiration for his precious car he had lovingly named "Sunny."  

Yumi sharply turned to eye Eunyoung after she used the word boyfriend, as if to say "Are we still keeping this up?" 

Sighing, Eunyoung turned to Sunjae who was sitting beside her, "Also, since you're here, I may as well tell you that Yumi and Taesung aren't actually dating."

"What?!" Sunjae said looking visibly shocked by this news, "But... why?"

"That's an excellent question to ask," Eunyoung said sarcastically, "They originally did it so this sorry excuse of a guy would leave Yumi alone, but why they're still at it is beyond me."

"This is so not the time," she said, gritting her teeth and glaring menacingly at Taesung. His eyes were still on the road, which she could see through his sunglasses.

"Can't it go any faster?" Sunjae asked in desperation.

"No. It can't" answered Taesung curtly. Everyone in the car groaned irritably.

"We would have reached in half the time if we just took a train," Sunjae whined, "Maybe less."

"I'm hungry," Eunyoung complained.

"I have an idea," Yumi said spitefully, "Let's cook Taesung using the fire we make by burning his car." He didn't reply, but anyone could tell he was scared for his life.

"Thanks for taking away my appetite," said Eunyoung with disgust.

Choi Eunyoung's Perspective

After god knows how many excruciating hours in Taesung's car, we had reached Inhyuk's village in Busan at long last. He was quite shocked to see us, and took us to his parents house. Inhyuk's parents gave the four of us a warm welcome, after which we visited the beach. Taesung and Sunjae talked to Inhyuk privately, and managed to convince him. Yumi and I felt as if a weight had been lifted off our backs as we realized that we hadn't made any fatal mistakes when it was our last chance to travel back in time.

Things were going well- almost suspiciously so. We were eating ice cream while sitting at the beach, gazing at the ocean. When Yumi and I time travelled from 2023, it was winter- a cold, biting winter that cut through my skin and sent aches through my body every time I thought of Sunjae's nearly inevitable fate. But here, in 2009 it was the peak of summer. And though sometimes the scorching heat made it feel like steam was coming out of my head, it was comforting. Flowers bloomed everywhere, and the world seemed as if somebody painted it with vibrant watercolors. Even now, the sea looked so majestic- deep blue, extending towards the horizon and water glittering like diamonds had been scattered everywhere. 

It all felt so serene, so calming. And for a brief moment, my worries about my dad seemed to fade into the background as my ears filled with the call of birds I'd never seen before and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. I stole a quick glance at Sunjae, only to see that he was already looking at me with a fond expression on his face. I felt warmth creeping up my face as my lips stretched into a smile. He promptly smiled back, placing his hand on mine, his touch soft and gentle. Sunjae always had the most comforting feeling about him, and whenever he was around, all my fears seemed a little less scary, and I felt a little bit  braver.

But of course, something had to happen to interrupt this moment we were sharing. Suddenly, Yumi called out, "Look! It's Taesung's car!" All five of us turned to look at where she was pointing. To my horror, I watched in pure disbelief as Taesung's car slowly but surely drove itself into the sea. It's slow pace made the entire scene look rather ironic and comedic. I couldn't suppress my laugh that slipped out, which was reciprocated by Sunjae as we giggled uncontrollably.

"This isn't funny! How are we going to get home?" Yumi snapped, her tone sharp and worried. Her seriousness made the whole thing seem a lot funnier. Inhyuk just seemed amused by the situation and smiled to himself cockily.

Taesung, on the other hand looked absolutely devastated that his precious car was going to sacrifice itself for the mighty ocean. He fell to his knees and placed both his hands on his head and cried out dramatically, "Sunny!" His tone sounded so hurt and pained that for a moment I almost felt sorry for him. 

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I had to press pause on my laughing fit to see who it was. I froze for a second when I saw that it was Detective Kim- Taesung's dad who was calling. "I gotta take this call, I'll be right back," I said to Sunjae, who was still laughing. He nodded and I quickly moved away from everybody before accepting the call.

"Hello," I said urgently, "Did something happen? Are there any developments?"

"Yes, actually. We've discovered your father's location," he said, and I could hear the hesitation in his voice, "He's currently hiding in Busan."

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nana's notes: and the plot thickens

delphi's notes: poor sunny :"(

xxiv. the start of something new

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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR ─ the start of something new.

❛ you know i want you bad,  show me mercy ❜

Narrator's Perspective

"Where were you last night?" Eunyoung asked Yumi as they got on the bus. She couldn't shake off the feeling that she had been kept in the dark about something. Yumi choked out a mock cough to cover up her gasp. She was really hoping to avoid any confrontation- because she hadn't decided how she would deal with it.

Yumi remained silent till they took their usual seat at the back of the bus. Her eyes blinked rapidly, darting from one side to another, frantically trying to come up with an alibi.

"I had plans, so I ate out," she said vaguely; but she knew it wasn't a satisfactory answer.

"Plans with who?" Eunyoung chuckled mockingly, "Since when did you have friends?"

"How nice of you to say that," Yumi snapped sarcastically, "I do have friends now; times change."

"Sure they do," Eunyoung mumbled. It was just a playful comment, but Yumi's words stung more than they should have. After all, there had never been secrets between them. Curiosity grew in her mind as she pondered what could possibly be the secret that Yumi was so determined to keep from her.

💿

"Hey, Eunyoung!"a familiar voice called out to her as she was heading to the newspaper room. She stopped, then turned to find Kim Harin running towards her. It was like a reminder that she had travelled back in time, and hadn't seen these people in ages. It made her reminisce of all the people she once knew, but didn't keep in touch with; and she couldn't help but feel sorry that there was a point where they weren't a part of her life anymore.

Harin had been Eunyoung's closest friend, apart from Yumi, who worked at the newspaper just like her.

"God! I haven't seen you in ages!" she chirped, walking alongside Eunyoung towards the newspaper room, "But it made me realize that I have a popular friend."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you know?" she asked inquisitively, "People gossip about you all the time. I heard about how you rejected Jihoon sunbae. Someone sitting behind me was going on about how she wondered where you got the audacity from. Honestly, I'm glad you did it. Someone had to put him in his place."

"I didn't know people made such a fuss," said Eunyoung, gazing blankly at the empty corridor before them, "But then, again, nothing ever happens around here."

"I know right?! They're just desperate for entertainment," she agreed enthusiastically, "Enough with the gossip, now. I read your article on the swim team and it was fabulous! I can't imagine anyone who could have done it better."

"Thanks," said Eunyoung with a wide grin, "I'm so glad you liked it. I'm also grateful that someone appreciates my writing. You know it means a lot, right?"

"Of course! But I was only stating the facts; There's no one better than you on our team," she beamed.

I couldn't hide my smile as I entered the newspaper room. God knows for how long I was grinning; But one thing I know for sure, is that my childhood was a magical time.

💿

Choi Yumi's Perspective

My feet felt rooted to the ground as I stood before Kim Taesung's front door. It was as if I was paralysed. A million questions swirled through my mind; Was this really a good idea? What would Eunyoung say if she knew what I was up to? Why was I here? Every cell in my body was screaming at me to run away- go home! But I just couldn't; I couldn't take a step forward either.

Suddenly, my hand reached up to slap my face lightly. I realized that what I needed to do was start acting sane. This wasn't a big deal. I was just learning something new, and a friend of mine was helping me out. I heaved a sigh at my odd behaviour and pressed the doorbell.

I cracked my knuckles nervously as I heard footsteps nearing the door. I nearly fell backwards when the door swung open to reveal Taesung's face that stretched into a dimpled grin on seeing me, "You're here, piano girl?"

"I sure am," I said, trying to hide the awkwardness in my voice. It was at moments like this that I realised that among Eunyoung and I, god gave all the social skills to her; even though we weren't related.

He stepped aside, "Come in. And unclench your fists while you're at it. It makes me feel unsafe."

💿

"Put your index finger here."

"Here?"

"Yup. And then your middle finger here- yeah."

"Now?"

"Your ring finger has to be here."

"Is this right?" I asked Taesung. I had lost track of time as minutes slipped through my fingers while I sat in his living room. The silence that was once deafening at the start of our guitar lesson had now turned comfortable. The room would go silent every time we stopped talking and the room would be filled with the soft sound of our breathing. 

Just as I was getting less jittery, I looked up at Taesung who was already looking at me with his beady eyes. We were sitting so close. His arm held the guitar in my hand, brushing against my back ever so slightly. In my determination and focus, I never batted an eye at our proximity and I suddenly became conscious of it.  I felt my breath hitch as a warmth crept up my face. Once again, an unnatural stillness settled in the room. The both of us seemed to be holding our breaths, waiting. 

I tore away first, fixing my gaze on the coffee table in front of the couch, letting go of the guitar. He lunged to prevent it from crashing to the floor, "It's only your first lesson. I think it's a bit early to break the guitar so soon, don't you?"

Any reply I may have come up with me disappeared on the tip of my tongue.

"It's six-thirty already, should we call it a day?" he asked, looking at the clock.

"Yeah..." I replied, wide-eyed, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Unless you run away," he said, "And considering that look on your face, I would say it's very likely."

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nana's notes: eunyoung having her nostalgia moment and then yumi's having a quarter-life crisis.

delphi's notes: a cookie to the person who guesses where the lyrics are from.

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

◎﹒⊹ ﹔ . . . feels like we had matching wounds, but mine's still black and bruised and yours is perfectly fine.

like the moodboard? it's a teaser for an upcoming fanfic! make sure u follow me and stay tuned! thank you, bye!! <33

posting this in light of gojo's birthday yesterday!!

(psst... @the-one-and-only-delphi she's defrosting)

happy late birthday to our wonyoungie! i wasn't active on the 31st, but i still want to say that she inspired me on so many levels. wonyoung motivated me to make a beautiful life for myself, to focus on myself, i began my journey of loving myself thanks to her. i will always be grateful to wonyoung. i will never forget the joy i get from watching her videos. we might be far in distance but you are so close to my heart.

TOWARDS YOU

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TOWARDS YOU ─ lovely runner.

❛ i might not get up, i might stay down bad ❜

jang wonyoung as choi eunyoung

❛ have i known you twenty seconds or twenty years? ❜

byeon wooseok as ryu sunjae

❛ you are a gift, given by the sky ❜

kim minji as choi yumi

❛ without ever touching his skin, how can i be guilty as sin? ❜

song geonhee as kim taesung

❛ don't forget to kiss me, or else you'll have to miss me ❜

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nayoung's notes: delphi and i went through so much watching this show lmfao. i just wanted her to watch this show because i thought she would like the plotline but she became so obsessed and convinced me to write another fic with her. i'm thrilled with how TOWARDS YOU unfolded. i hope you enjoy reading this as much we(I) enjoyed writing it! also, sorry if we scammed you lmfao new chapters ever friday and saturday!

delphini's notes: to be completely honest, this show was a wild ride for me and I didn't expect us to come as far as we have but well; sit back and enjoy the show. ;)

chapter list here

@the-one-and-only-delphi