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Dahyun sits quietly in her seat, looking out the window to look at the open field where she can see the Senior High School students practicing for their graduation march, she wasn't paying attention to the teacher doing a lecture in front of the class, lucky for her she sits at the very back and with her short height, teachers can barely see her with the number of students blocking her figure.
She pays close attention to the Seniors on the field, specifically, Im Nayeon, the girl she has had a huge crush on since the moment she stepped into her high school life. Dahyun still remembers the day she first saw Nayeon.
~
It was a warm sunny day, a day where Dahyun opens another chapter in her life, high school, to say excited was an understatement, Dahyun literally can't wait to go to school despite the new environment she was entering. "New school, new me!" She said one night at dinner.
And when I said Dahyun literally can't wait to go to school, she arrives at 6:30 am sharp where her first class doesn't start at 8 and teachers are just arriving.
She enters the all too empty campus (the guard at the gate is a bit surprised to see a freshman arrive this early but still lets her in) and observes the area. Since she was a tad bit too early, she decided to walk around campus to at least get familiar and know her way around the campus.
She first starts off outside the campus, a bit amazed by the facilities, an open field big enough to hold major events, she hears on to her right some students - probably athletes - playing basketball in an indoor court (now she's ecstatic to join clubs)
Once she was done outside, now she enters the main building, being in awe of how big it is inside too. Being a bookworm herself, she first searches the library, the map that was given to them days prior was still confusing her, and since there weren't any students on sight, she couldn't ask for directions.
Dahyun was walking up the stairs, not paying attention to where she was going because she was too focused on reading the abstract map, she was about to turn a corner when she bumped into someone going down the stairs.
She lost her balance and fell on her butt, her backpack saving a bit of her fall. "Ouch," Dahyun winced.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," A voice said and Dahyun looked up, and like a cliché rom-com scene, her background blurs and the most beautiful girl she's ever seen is looking at her - with a worried look - her mind stops for a second.
"Hey, are you okay? Are you hurt?" The girl said and reached out her hand which made her come back from her music video-ed mind and tried her best to form a complete sentence. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, sorry, I wasn't- ow" When Dahyun held the girl's hand and pulled herself up, she felt a sting in her wrist.
"You sprained your wrist," The girl said, still holding her hand. "Yeah, it stings a bit, but not much so I'm fine" The girl looked up to make sure the girl wasn't lying, and she noticed her necktie.
"You're a freshman?" She asks looking at Dahyun's yellow necktie, she nods. "I'm a bit early it seems" Her statement made the girl smile and Dahyun felt her heart race. "I'll bring you to the clinic, pretty sure you don't know where that is" The girl teased, leading her way to the clinic still holding her hand but Dahyun doesn't even feel the sting anymore.
“Are you that excited for school? It’s my first time seeing a freshman this early, let alone a student” The girl says, starting a conversation while they walk, Dahyun shrugs. “I’ve always liked school, I don’t understand why some hate it,”
“I guess that just varies from person to person, for me, sometimes I like it sometimes I just wanna quit”
“Is it hard in high school?”
“Hmm… I’d say it’s pretty average so far, I heard college is way worse and I’m scared of that” The girl chuckles. “I’m Im Nayeon, a junior by the way, sorry for the late introduction” She turns to look at her and smiles, Dahyun’s heart leaped.
“Kim Dahyun, freshman, nice to meet you, unnie” She smiles back, thinking of wanting to shake her hand, and only realizing now that they’re still holding hands, she noticed how big Nayeon’s hand was compared to hers.
Arriving at the clinic, Nayeon opened the door only realizing the nurse doesn't come in until 8, she had no choice but to treat the freshman herself. "Just sit on one of the beds, I'll get the medkit" Dahyun did as she was told and once she sat down on the bed, Nayeon walked right up to her and sat on a stool in front of her.
She lays a cold compress to avoid swelling and hands her pain killers. "Here, so it'll heal quicker later" Dahyun thanked her and got her water bottle from her bag to drink it.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Nayeon wrapped a bandage around her wrist to prevent possible swelling and straining when she moves around. "There, good as new" Nayeon smiled, feeling a bit proud doing a good job. "You do it better than any nurse I've encountered with, Thank you, unnie," Dahyun said chuckling.
"I guess it's a perk of being in a cheer team, we get these types of injuries often" Nayeon shrugs, she stands up from her chair and looks at her watch. "It's only 7:15, where were you headed to?"
"I was trying to find the library, but the map is so confusing" Dahyun scratched the back of her neck with her uninjured hand. "I get what you mean, I was like that in my freshman year too" She shrugged
"Still wanna go? We still have a lot of time, I can show you around" Nayeon offered and Dahyun said yes without a second thought.
Somehow, Dahyun’s heart fluttered, just the thought of a kind upperclassman treating her nicely made her feel special.
~
"Ms. Kim? Ms. Kim, Kim Dahyun!" Dahyun snapped out of her thoughts when her friend, Chaeyoung, nudged her with her elbow and stood up facing the class, all their eyes looking at her.
"Y-yes, Mrs. Song?"
"I would like you to answer my question," She said and crossed her arms.
"May you please repeat the question, ma'am?"
"Seems like you weren't paying attention"
"Sorry..." Dahyun lowered her head down, her face heating up in embarrassment. "Remain standing, anyone else who paid attention, would like to help Ms. Kim?" Once the teacher focused on someone else, Chaeyoung tugged on her skirt to get her attention.
"Dude, you alright? You've been spacing out for a long time," Chaeyoung whispered so Mrs. Song wouldn't hear, Dahyun shook her head and gave a tight-lipped smile. "I'll tell you later"
~
At lunch, the two went to the cafeteria and sat at their usual spot at the far corner by the entrance.
"Is this about Nayeon unnie again?" Chaeyoung cuts straight to the point, Dahyun could only sigh and rest her head on the table. "I just can't believe she'll graduate on Friday, life is so unfair"
"Why don't you just confess already?"
Dahyun snaps her head to Chaeyoung sitting across from her.
"Like hell, I would, she'll just reject me and I'll ruin our barely existing friendship we already have" Dahyun grimaced her face, her heart feeling heavy at the thought.
"You won't know unless you try right? Plus aren't you in the same literature club as her? How are you two not properly 'friends' at this point"
"She hardly gets to join because of her cheer dance thing, and we don't really do a lot of things in that club anyway," She said dejectedly. "And we're basically in two different worlds, like why would she, Ms. Pretty Perfect Campus Crush Im Nayeon would hang out with me, Ms. Kim Dahyun who couldn't answer a simple math question earlier"
"You're exaggerating it" Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. "Don't act like you two don't wave and greet with big ass smiles when you pass each other in the hallways"
And right on cue, a loud chatter entered the already bustling cafeteria, Nayeon's friend group entering, and the said girl they were talking about was looking around the area, once she spots Dahyun and Chaeyoung - mostly Dahyun - she waves at them with this beaming smile. Dahyun waves back with a stupid grin even when Nayeon had already looked away.
Chaeyoung looks back at Dahyun with a dead stare. "See what I mean?"
"Well, that doesn't mean anything anyway, just a simple greeting" Dahyun got back to her sulky attitude but still looked at Nayeon's figure moving along the cafeteria.
"Yeah, a simple greeting where she gives the effort of finding where we sit and waving with a blinding smile at you, yeah, simple"
"Oh shut up, don't get my hopes up dude" Dahyun stops looking in Nayeon's direction when the girl sits down, her back facing her, tables away with her friends. "She's just being nice to me, she's nice to everyone"
Chaeyoung doesn't like to look at her friend like this, so she comes up with a plan.
"How about this," Chaeyoung leaned in, in case people could hear their conversation. "Be her secret admirer" Dahyun looks at her, a bit interested.
"What do you mean?"
"Since she's graduating on Friday, why don't you give her gifts or letters 'til then? Then on the final day you get to see her, it's your choice if you want to reveal yourself or stay anonymous forever, at least you gave her something meaningful before she graduates"
"But... but what if I revealed myself and got seriously rejected like the others?"
"At least you got to tell her how you feel, and in my opinion, it's way better than keeping it to yourself and to find out probably years later she felt the same way"
Dahyun thought hard and considered Chaeyoung's idea. Maybe it is time to make an effort.
They come up with different plans and also brainstormed what kind of gifts Nayeon would like, since it was Tuesday, Dahyun only has 3 days left to do this.
“Wait before we continue with this, how am I going to give it anonymously?”
“Don’t worry bro, I got you”
“I don’t trust that”
“C’mon! I swear I know what I’m doing”
“And that’s the part I don’t trust,” Dahyun mumbled.
“You said something?”
“No no! Nothing, so what should I give?”
“I’m not even her friend, how am I supposed to know?”
“Uh, I’m not her friend either?”
“You don’t stalk her socials or something”
“... Sometimes?”
While the two were closely huddled up, on the other hand, Nayeon looked behind her and saw Chaeyoung now sitting beside Dahyun too close to her liking. “You’re gonna bore a hole on one of their heads if you stare like that” Her friend, Momo, said beside her. Another friend across from her, Sana, laughed. “Are you getting jealous again?”
“I’m not jealous!” Nayeon quickly retorted, facing back to her food, but she lost her appetite. “Just… annoyed” She mumbled her last words. “Isn’t that the same thing?” Sana said. “Why don’t you just confess to her already?” Momo said as she took a bite of her sandwich.
“No way! I don’t wanna scare her off, we barely know anything about each other too” She said dejectedly and started poking on her food. “Aren’t you club members with her or something?” Sana said, slapping Nayeon’s hand to stop playing with her food.
“Y’know coach doesn’t give me a break, I’ve always wanted to go when I found out she was a new member but the only time I was free, the club isn’t open” She frowns. “So, are you going to make a move? I mean, I think she likes you too” Momo said. “How can you tell?”
Momo shrugs. “Just a feeling,” Nayeon sighs. “I can’t move with ‘just a feeling’ Momo” The latter shrugs again. “If I were you, you should give it a shot, we only have a few days until graduation”
~
“Bro, I don’t know if I can do this” Dahyun said nervously, it’s Wednesday and it’s day one of Dahyun giving gifts - secretly - she planned on giving her some snacks that Nayeon had posted on her Instagram and some of Dahyun’s personal favorites too, with a small post-it in the paper bag that says “Hello! :) This is for you, I hope you have a great day. From, your secret admirer”
“C’mon you can’t back out now, give me the bag and I’ll hand it to someone I know who’s close to Nayeon,” Chaeyoung whispered shouted, they were by the gate and students were starting to enter the school premises. “But what if she already finds out it was from me a-and makes fun of me?”
Chaeyoung sighs and places both of her hands on Dahyun’s shoulders. “She’s not gonna do that to you,” Since Dahyun was facing away from the gate and Chaeyoung can see who was entering behind her, she saw Nayeon walk in, she and Nayeon made eye contact, and with a seemingly bad idea to confirm her assumption, Chaeyoung pulled Dahyun in for a hug.
“H-Hey what’s with the hug? People can see us” Dahyun tried to push Chaeyoung away but she had a tight grip, Chaeyoung still kept eye contact with Nayeon, and the girl stopped in her tracks and avoided eye contact quickly and briskly walked to the school’s door, her sour aura can be felt when she walked passed them. Chaeyoung then pulled away and patted Dahyun’s shoulder.
“I thought a hug might calm down your nerves” She shrugged and held her hand out. “You ready now?” Dahyun took in a deep breath and exhaled, she slowly handed the paper bag she was holding to Chaeyoung’s waiting hand. “You better not mess this up dude, I’m trusting you on this” Chaeyoung smiled and wrapped her arm around Dahyun’s shoulder.
“You’re such a worrywart, you’ll have a girlfriend in no time” She dragged her into school. “W-What?! You’re being ridiculous” Chaeyoung laughed. “Ridiculously right”
~
“Woah, did you have a lemon for breakfast or something, Nayeon?” Sana teased as Nayeon sat down with force on her seat, not even looking at any of her friends or saying a word. “Hey, did something happen? Do you wanna talk about it?” Momo said sitting in front of her, she wordlessly shook her head, she got her phone and earphones out of her bag and plugged her ears listening to music, purposely ignoring them. “Let’s leave her be,” Sana said.
Her peace and quiet didn’t last long when someone stood by her desk, she looked up and saw the most annoying person in the world - Jeongyeon - holding something, she rolled her eyes and faced the other way, thinking it was one of her tricks again. Jeongyeon carefully placed the paper bag in front of her and Nayeon’s eyebrow twitched, not having anything Jeongyeon was doing. Sana and Momo watch the scene in front of them unfold.
“Leave me alone, Yoo,” Nayeon said, annoyed. “Damn, unclench a bit?” Jeongyeon said as she rolled her eyes. “I’m just dropping this off, Im, someone is giving this to you,” She added, Nayeon’s ears perked up at that but she still had her guard up.
“And why would I trust anything you say? Cut to the chase, what is it this time? Termites?” Jeongyeon scoffed. “Termites would’ve eaten the bag at this point, Im”
“Whatever” She rolled her eyes, Sana and Momo suppressing a giggle, silently agreeing with Jeongyeon’s point. “Anyway, enjoy” Jeongyeon left without another word, going back to her friend group.
Momo looked at Nayeon, the latter gestured to her that it was fine to open the bag. Momo stood up along with Sana and opened that bag, surprised to see it was full of snacks. “Woah, snacks!” Momo exclaimed in excitement. “Aren’t these your favorites?” Nayeon raised her eyebrow, she briefly looked back in Jeongyeon’s direction and the girl was busy chatting with her friends.
“Hey, Nayeon, there’s a post-it and an envelope here too,” Sana said and handed her the sealed envelope, it was cutely designed with bunnies and hearts. “Hello! Smiley face, This is for you, I hope you have a great day. From, your secret admirer” Sana read the post-it note aloud and the three looked at each other baffled.
“SECRET AD–” Nayeon quickly covered their mouths with her hands before they could shout the next words coming out, she looked around and their other classmates were looking at them weirdly. “What’re ya’ll lookin at?” The others quickly went back to their own business, she looked back to her friends. “I’m gonna slowly remove my hands and both of you are gonna keep your mouths shut until lunch, alright?” The two nodded in unison so Nayeon slowly retracted her hands, wiping them on her skirt.
On the other hand, Dahyun has been awfully quiet the whole morning and that’s because of the nervousness knowing her gift is probably given to Nayeon by now, a lot of thoughts are flooding her head right now, possible scenarios that may happen and how Nayeon would react if she found out it was from her.
Is she gonna get weirded out? What if she noticed it was my handwriting? But she doesn't know what that looks like, but what if she does? Oh my god, I should’ve just printed it out, I'm screwed, I need to move to a new city and change my identity and-
“Dude!” Chaeyoung whispered shouted and nudged her side. “I can hear you, you’re saying your thoughts out loud dumbass,” Dahyun sighed and rested her head on her arms propped on the desk. “Sorry, I’m just really nervous,” She said softly, Chaeyoung gave a lopsided smile. “It’s okay, let’s talk about it at lunch, okay? Focus on the class right now, you don’t want Mrs. Song jumping on you again,” Chaeyoung joked and made Dahyun smile for the first time that day.
~
“Do you still wanna talk about it?” Chaeyoung said eating an orange slice, offering one at Dahyun. “No, thanks, I’m good” She shook her head and smiled.
“With what? The talk or the orange?”
“Both”
“Oh, okay,” She eats the slice she offered to Dahyun. “So what’re you gonna give her tomorrow?” Dahyun thought for a bit. “Maybe… a flower,” Chaeyoung nods. “Not bad, I bet she would love it”
“Really?”
“Mhm, what kind of flower anyway?”
“A sunflower, it symbolizes adoration, dedication or dedicated love, and pure thoughts” Dahyun smiles as she draws a sunflower sketch on her notebook where she writes scratches of her letters. Noticing Chaeyoung wasn't replying, she looked up at her.
“Why’re you looking at me like that?” Dahyun asked, Chaeyoung smiled and shook her head. “Nothing, I just didn’t expect you to be a romantic type, it’s really sweet” Dahyun blushed at the comment, it is her first time showing this side to anyone really. “Are you sure it wouldn’t be too much?” She scratched the back of her neck.
Chaeyoung shook her head. “If that were me I would’ve fallen in love with you immediately,” She joked. “Too bad I already like someone else” She quickly added, Dahyun choked on her drink and had a coughing fit. “You what?!” Chaeyoung laughed at Dahyun’s face.
The two were busy talking, they didn’t notice Nayeon and her friends entering the cafeteria, she was about to wave at Dahyun, but the girl was too busy happily talking and laughing with her friend, feeling her heart prick she decided to look away, her mood becoming sour again.
The three of them sat at their usual spot and, Sana and Momo started to interrogate Nayeon, both of them sitting across from her, their hands clasped on the table, leaned in, if you added a lamp and turned off the lights it would look like an actual interrogation as if Nayeon did a crime.
“Did you know about this secret admirer?”
“No”
“Did you think you had a secret admirer?”
“No”
“Have you had a secret admirer?”
“No”
“She’s a tough nut to crack”
“I know”
“Have you opened the envelope yet?”
“... no”
“Well, girl, what’re you waiting for?”
“What if this is a prank?”
“I don’t think it’s a prank Nayeon, the person knows your favorite snacks and gave you some new snacks too,”
“The cute post-it note too! The handwriting was cute, I bet it’s a girl”
“Guys can have cute handwriting too though,”
“Well if it’s a dude, Nayeon will definitely reject it”
“You’re right, you’re right”
Nayeon shook her head at the two, she sighed and got the envelope from her pocket, she observed the envelope, at the front was bunnies and hearts, she flipped it around and there was this cube with a “>◡<” face and with rainbows and flowers drawn. Sana and Momo leaned in more to see. “Yeah, it’s definitely a girl,” Momo said. “Told ya,” Sana said.
Nayeon opened the envelope and saw a neatly folded paper inside, she opened it and was met with a lengthy letter, Sana and Momo tried to lean in more to read but Nayeon hid the letter to herself, getting the hint, Sana pulled Momo back to have her privacy.
Hello, Nayeon unnie, you must be surprised? Or maybe upset? I’m sorry if you are :( but I want to take this chance to give you something, at least something you can remember before you graduate, and I also want to take this chance to make you smile in different ways :) I love seeing your smile and it makes me smile too.
For a short description about me, I’ve liked you since the day I saw you, I know it sounds so cheesy, but my feelings are true, I thought you were really pretty and that caught my attention, but when I saw a bit of your personality, it caught my heart and I liked you even more.
But with our busy schedules and my shy personality around you, I could only look at you from afar. It makes me quite sad you’ll be graduating because it means I can’t see you in school anymore, but it also makes me happy because it means you’re following your dreams and I think I would love to see you become successful in life :)
That’s all I have for today, I hope I made you smile with the snacks I bought, I got them from your Instagram account (I’m sorry if you find it creepy but I only checked to see the snacks you posted! I promise) and also my personal favorites are there too.
I’m going to keep my identity hidden for now, and if I finally have the courage, I’ll reveal myself after your graduation, but if I don’t… I’ll be a memory you may forget.
P.S. Wait for something tomorrow too :)
From,
Your secret admirer
Nayeon doesn’t know why, but her heart is beating really fast, and her face is turning blush pink, no one has said or done any of these efforts before, and it really makes her feel special, and feel genuinely loved.
“Nayeon?” Sana called out, the said girl looked up and met with awaiting eyes. “What does it say?” Momo said next, Nayeon takes a while to think of a response.
“I-It’s very… touching”
~
“Chaeng!” Dahyun waved her hand at Chaeyoung who entered the gate, the said girl waved back and jogged towards her. “You seem to be in a better mood than yesterday”
“Yeah, I’ve done a lot of thinking when I got home, and I thought I should be more confident with what I’m doing now since this is my last shot,” Dahyun said, Chaeyoung can already feel the shift in Dahyun's attitude, and it makes her kinda proud. She wrapped her arm around her as usual and they headed inside.
“Are those the sunflowers inside?” She pointed to the paper bag Dahyun was holding. “Oh, yeah, here” Dahyun handed the bag. “I also made some paper cranes last minute when I was browsing through youtube and saw a tutorial” Chaeyoung smiled and ruffled her hair in amusement. “What a love bird”
“Hey! I had a hard time fixing my hair this morning, c’mon bro” Dahyun said, annoyed, she was about to take revenge but Chaeyoung was already running away.
“Here’s today’s delivery,” Jeongyeon said and placed the paper bag in front of Nayeon, she was about to walk away but Nayeon held her wrist to stop her. “Wait a minute, I need some answers from you” She let go of her wrist and crossed her arms.
“I’m being paid free lunch to keep my mouth shut” Jeongyeon beat her to it. Nayeon sighs. “Do I know this person?” She looked Jeongyeon in the eyes but the girl didn’t budge. “I told you, I’m keeping my mouth shut”
“Okay, okay,” Nayeon raised her hands. “Do you know this person?” She looks at her again. “C’mon at least answer that” Jeongyeon sighs. “I only know a little” She answered vaguely, Nayeon still isn’t satisfied. “What year?” Jeongyeon put her fingers on her lips, gestured a zipper closing her mouth, and walked away.
Nayeon huffs, getting impatient to know this secret admirer. “It’s okay, Nayeon, Tomorrow is the graduation, you might meet her then,” Momo said. Nayeon didn’t respond, she grabbed the paper bag and opened it, her eyes went a bit seeing three beautiful sunflowers.
Sana and Momo stood up from their seats to take a look. "Wow," Sana said. "That's really nice of her," Nayeon looked past the flowers and saw a number of paper cranes inside too, she got a blue one out and placed it on her desk.
"Awe, that's so cute!" Momo cooed and was about to grab the crane but Nayeon slapped her hand before she could touch it. "Meanie," Momo pouted. At the bottom of the bag was an envelope, she reached for it and pulled it out, it was the same design, with bunnies and hearts at the back, and the cube with a smiley face and rainbows.
Good morning, unnie, or maybe good evening or afternoon? Whatever time you're reading this hehe, did you like the flowers? I bought them thinking of you :) Sunflowers are my favorite, it symbolizes adoration, dedication or dedicated love, and pure thoughts. It's a really special flower to me and giving it to you means a lot to me, so I really hope you like it.
I also made paper cranes, it was a sudden, last-minute gift so I'm sorry if it's a bit scuffed and crumply, I tried to make as many as possible so you can give some to your friends if you want too ^_^
Are you doing well these past few days? I saw you a bit grumpy yesterday and wondered if there was something bothering you. I hope it's resolved so you can smile again, it suits you more :)
Tomorrow is your graduation and sadness is an understatement for me, I wish I could've been more confident and asked you to hang out before, but being close to you felt like I was gonna melt in a matter of minutes, but with a lot of thinking, I'm mustering up the courage to face you and properly say what I feel.
I'll patiently wait for you at the 3rd-floor stairs, a place somewhat special to me.
From,
Your secret admirer ♡
"I'm gonna meet her tomorrow," Nayeon said but it sounded a bit hesitant. "Well, isn't that great?" Momo said. "Yeah, aren't you excited to finally know?" Sand said next.
Nayeon sighed and put the letter back into the envelope. "I'm just gonna hurt her feelings, and I don't want that since she did all… this" Nayeon gestured to the paper bag. "I'm gonna feel like such an asshole for… I don't know, taking advantage of her efforts?" Sana and Momo stayed quiet, thinking Nayeon does have a bit of a point.
"Wouldn't it just be better to show up and properly tell her you don't feel the same way?" Sana says. "It's better than leaving her hanging, y'know, that'll feel way worse in my opinion" Nayeon sighed again, looking at the paper crane on her table.
~
"Are you still not gonna tell me about your crush?" Dahyun said. They're back at their usual spot at the cafeteria and Dahyun is doing anything to make Chaeyoung talk about her crush which apparently has been half a year since the girl started liking this someone.
Chaeyoung hummed in thought, trying to prolong and add more anticipation for her next words. "Nope," She said as she popped the letter "p" Dahyun pouted and crossed her arms. "You're so unfair," Chaeyoung could only chuckle. "We've been friends since last year and I already treat you as my bff and you're keeping secrets from me," Dahyun added.
"Woooow, guilt-tripping are we now?" Chaeyoung also crossed her arms but with a smile. Dahyun groaned and uncrossed her arms. "Gimme a clue? Pleaseee?" She clasped her own hands together and gave her best puppy eyes, and Chaeyoung would be lying if she said she didn't find Dahyun cute like this. Hell, she's cute when doing anything she thinks.
"Okay, okay, stop that" Chaeyoung finally gives in. "I'll give you three free questions ONLY to ask, so use them wisely"
"Okay, uhm… uh… is it a girl or a b- actually- it has to be a girl, you're gay as hell…" Dahyun placed her hand on her chin.
"Says you," Chaeyoung rolls her eyes.
"Then, is she in our year?"
"Nope"
"Oh, crap, so it's either someone younger or older… hmm"
Dahyun in her peripheral vision saw Nayeon entering in an instant, she lost her focus on Chaeyoung and looked at the girl's back, as she stared longer, Nayeon turned and looked around, sensing someone was looking at her, and to her assumption, it was Dahyun, staring. Nayeon smiled - but not reaching her eyes - and waved, the latter did the same thing but with more feeling.
"Your eyes are quick, I didn't even see her," Chaeyoung teased. "I'd like to say it's sort of a feeling," Dahyun shrugged. "Oh! Back to the questions"
"You have two more left," Chaeyoung says, briefly looking up at Dahyun from her phone.
"This is really tough, I don't have a lot of options," Dahyun huffed. "You can always save it some other time" Chaeyoung stretched her arms and stood up from her seat. "Oh, right, I can't walk home with you later, some library duties and stuff,"
"Wo-Woah- wait where are you going? Lunch isn't finished yet"
"... library duties and stuff," Chaeyoung shrugged. "I'll be in class don't worry, we can talk about your girlfriend later, just give me a call" Chaeyoung patted Dahyun's shoulder as she walked away.
"Can you stop with the girlfriend agenda?"
Chaeyoung waved her hand and exited the cafeteria.
~
The school bell rings, indicating school is finally over. Dahyun stretched her arms and groaned.
"I'll see ya, tomorrow buddy," Chaeyoung already got up from her seat, slinging her backpack on her shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, stay safe" Both of them waved each other goodbye.
Dahyun packed her notebook and pens and exited the classroom, she walked down the hall, saying goodbye to a few of her schoolmates from last year.
She suddenly got lost in her thoughts. Tomorrow's the day I'll reveal who I am. Wait, I'm suddenly nervous- crap, she'll just reject me, isn't she? Dahyun groaned internally, shaking her head to get rid of the negative thoughts. Just do your best Dahyun, at least you tried.
"Dahyun! Wait up!" Dahyun's train of thought got cut by a sound of a voice she hasn't heard in quite a while, but a voice she'll never forget. She turned around and her world slowed down, focusing on the person catching up to her.
Nayeon.
"Glad you stopped," Nayeon said, panting as she reached her. "Are you walking alone?" There was a sound of hope in Nayeon's voice, something that passed Dahyun's head, she nodded wordlessly, functioning even less when Nayeon smiled (quickly going away as it appeared) her mind short-circuiting.
"Is it okay if I walk with you?" Now the look on Nayeon's face had hope - more of a subtle plea - And Dahyun would never say no to that face. "Y-Yes, of course," She doesn't trust herself to form a whole sentence. Nayeon grinned and led the way, Dahyun following behind her like a cute duckling.
Once out of the campus, Nayeon noticed Dahyun was only trailing behind her, she stopped from her tracks to wait for Dahyun, but the latter did the same thing. After a few seconds of them not moving, Nayeon walked towards Dahyun instead.
"Walk beside me, I don't bite, don't worry" She teased, and Dahyun felt her face heat up but did what she was told. They started walking side by side, shoulders almost touching, hands an inch away from holding. "Are you taking the bus?" Nayeon struck a conversation.
Dahyun shook her head. "I'll be walking, y'know for- uh- exercise," Dahyun said more like a question, she knew that was a lie, her house is more than blocks away, but she wouldn't exchange it if it meant walking with Nayeon. I'm also saving money so yeah walking's fine.
Nayeon hummed in response, the air getting a bit awkward, she tried again. "I think this is our first time walking home together?" Dahyun hummed. "Yeah, probably our last too…" She said without thinking, she only meant the last line to herself. Nayeon gave a tight-lipped smile and nodded.
"W-What course will you be taking, unnie?" Dahyun initiated this time, trying to lighten up the mood. "I'll be taking a film major, I think that's what I'm passionate about," Nayeon said. "Or maybe because I just love movies?" She joked and made Dahyun chuckle.
"What about you? Have you thought of what you'll take in college?" Dahyun frowned and shook her head. "I'm still unsure, I don't know what I'm passionate about yet" Nayeon had to resist pinching Dahyun's cheeks, the girl looked too cute.
"That's okay, you still have time. Think about something you enjoy doing, that's a start" Nayeon unconsciously patted Dahyun's head, making the latter look her way, she quickly retracted it when she realized what she was doing. "S-sorry" Dahyun blushed and looked down, suppressing a smile creeping on her lips. "It's okay,"
She noticed Nayeon was holding the paper bag she gave, it suddenly turned on her fight or flight instinct, fight majored in and her curiosity got the best of her. "Unnie," Dahyun said to get her attention. "What's that bag?" She pointed at the one she was holding, pretending it wasn't from her.
"Oh? This?" Nayeon looked down at her hands. "It's nothing, just a gift from someone" She shrugged, Dahyun isn't sure if she should be disappointed because Nayeon looked like she didn't like it or be relieved her identity hasn't been found out, yet.
"You seem a bit… upset about it?" Dahyun carefully chose her words, avoiding giving away too much. Nayeon shook her head adamantly. "It's not that I'm upset about it, I'm happy with the gifts they gave… it's just something else" Nayeon quickly defended. Dahyun started to get anxious, but she chose to keep her mouth shut to avoid revealing herself and a possible heartbreak she wasn’t ready to hear.
There were a few minutes of silence when Nayeon saw a convenience store in the corner of her eye, she thought of an idea to break the ice between them. “Hey, Dahyun, you want some ice cream? My treat” She offered.
“Really? Is that okay?” Dahyun asked cautiously, Nayeon nodded adamantly, the younger being whipped, she nodded and followed her inside.
They looked through the ice cream and Dahyun chose the vanilla flavored bar from the cooler, she looked around to find Nayeon, noticed she was on the other side, she walked up to her as Nayeon pulled out an ice cream cup. “Good to go?” Dahyun nodded and gave the ice cream to Nayeon, the older walked towards the counter and paid.
“Here ya go,” She gave the ice cream back. “Thank you,” Dahyun bowed a bit and exited the store. “Is vanilla your favorite?” Dahyun shook her head. “I usually eat chocolate, so I switched up the flavor this time,” Dahyun smiled sheepishly. “Is green tea yours?”
Nayeon shook her head too. “It’s something I haven’t tried before, so I went for it”
“Is it good?”
“Mhm, wanna try?” Nayeon asked nonchalantly and scooped an amount from the cup and offered it to Dahyun, now for some reason, her world turned into slow motion, like a video game where choices that’ll affect your entire story popped up in front of her.
○If you say yes and take a bite, it’ll be an indirect kiss
○If you decline, the mood will be awkward again
You have 5 seconds to choose. 5, 4, 3, 2-
●If you say yes and take a bite, it’ll be an indirect kiss
“Sure,” Dahyun opened her mouth and Nayeon fed her the ice cream, she savored the taste. “It’s… sweet and bitter,” She said slowly. “Good, right? Perfect combo” Nayeon said, Dahyun could only nod and smile. The rest of the walk continued with Nayeon asking various questions until their ice creams were gone.
A comfortable silence dawns on them as the sun slowly sets, Nayeon subtly looks at Dahyun, and her breath hitches, the sun’s hue perfectly bounces off Dahyun’s smooth and pale skin. Her heart skipped a beat, it was a sight to see. The reason why she called out to Dahyun is that she wants to ask the younger out on a friendly date, throughout their walk she came up with different ways how to approach her and at the same time build the courage to ask her out, but with the view in front of her now, she mind seems to be going against her.
Nayeon has always been confident, that’s why she’s the leader of the cheer team, she leads and guides her members with ease like a professional, but ever since the day she met Dahyun, there was something about her that makes her shy, in all honesty, the time she was putting a bandage on Dahyun’s hand, she had to resist every fiber of her body to stop shaking. Something in Dahyun felt different, maybe it’s her kind smile, her cute pinchable cheeks, her respectfulness towards others, or maybe just the pure aura radiating off of her.
“Unnie? Nayeon unnie?” Dahyun waved her hand in front of Nayeon’s face and she snapped back to reality. “Y-Yes?”
“I go this way,” She pointed to the street next to her.
“O-Oh… uh- sure,” Nayeon stuttered. Dahyun bowed. “Thank you for the ice cream,” She smiled and waved goodbye.
“Ah- Dahyun?” Nayeon called out, the said girl turned around and tilted her head, signaling her to continue.
Come on, say it! This is your last chance! - but I can’t - yes you can! Hurry! Nayeon argued with herself.
“What is it, unnie?”
Nayeon sighed to herself, she shook her head slowly and smiled. “It’s nothing, get home safe,”
Once Dahyun turned a corner, Nayeon slowly crouched down and hid her beat red face. “God, you’re so stupid, you lost your chance, you looked like an idiot, stupid, stupid, stupid” She repeatedly told herself. A few seconds crouched down on the sidewalk people probably staring at her (nothing beats the embarrassment she felt in front of Dahyun) she sighs and stands up and looked up to the sky, taking a deep breath. “I guess that’s it,” she sighed again. She didn’t even congratulate me.
Nayeon looked down at the bag she was holding. Why do I have to meet you instead of her?
As Dahyun turned around the corner she purposely hit herself against the wall and slid down slowly. “Oh… my… god, my heart is gonna explode” She put her hand to her mouth to hide the smile she’s been holding off and started to giggle like crazy. “She’s so pretty, did she get prettier?? Oh my god,” She abruptly stood up and slapped her face with both of her hands. “Get a grip, Kim! Don’t get your head up in the clouds too much, tomorrow might change everything”
~
The graduation anthem can be heard from all around the school, other students have the whole day to themselves, so Dahyun and Chaeyoung took this chance to give a motivational pep talk. The two were staying in their classroom looking out the window to watch the ceremony from afar, Dahyun scanning the area to find Nayeon, but alas, with all the seniors wearing the same thing garments, it was hard for her to find her crush with her “eagle” eyes
“This is it, bro, it’s your time to woman up and ask her out” Chaeyoung massaged Dahyun’s (stiff) shoulders as additional support and to calm her nerves down. “I can do this, I can do this” Dahyun kept repeating to herself.
“You got your letter ready?”
“Ready,”
“Gift?”
“Here,” She said as she got a keychain out of her pocket, it was a fluffy baby blue ball with a crochet paper crane with it, Dahyun remembers from their walk yesterday that Nayeon’s favorite color was baby blue and a lot of her friends says she looks like a bunny (which Dahyun totally agreed with) but Nayeon said she's afraid of bunnies which Dahyun thought was really cute.
So the time she got home, she quickly searched for a crochet tutorial on YouTube and spent her whole night doing it, the next morning she then bought one sunflower on the way to school.
“Practiced speech?”
“Uh… I’m gonna save that for Nayeon unnie”
“Okay, fair enough,”
The two just watched from the window, and each minute that passes, Dahyun can feel her heart pumping out of her chest in anxiousness, she feels like throwing up.
“Chaeng, I feel like I’m getting sick,” Dahyun moved away from the window and held her head. Chaeyoung looked at her and saw her pale face. “That’s your nervousness getting to you,” She walked up to Dahyun and gave her a hug, the latter hugged back. “I promise you, bro, things will go well, trust me,” Chaeyoung patted her back, Dahyun could only sigh, but felt a bit of relief thanks to the hug. “Thank you,”
"How 'bout I give you a clue about my crush?" Chaeyoung suggested. It's a way to distract Dahyun from her nervousness. "Really?!" She asked in excitement. "Okay, okay, calm down," Chaeyoung chuckled. "She's part of the basketball team," She admitted. Dahyun widen her eyes and a teasing smirk crept up on her face.
"Then is she younger than us?" Chaeyoung nodded, albeit hesitantly, her cheeks growing a bit red. "Aha!" Dahyun exclaimed. "There's only one freshman that got in the team and that's none other than Chou Tzuyu!" Chaeyoung suppressed a smile but nodded anyway. Dahyun cheered, happy she got it right.
The two heard shouting and howling outside, they both rushed to the window and saw all the seniors throw their toga hats in the air, they looked at each other and Dahyun nodded. Chaeyoung gave her one last hug.
“Cheering for you, Dub,” Dahyun hugged back tighter, “Thank you for helping me, you’re the best” Chaeyoung smiled, and patted her back. “Go get her,” Dahyun tore away from the hug and they did their handshake. "Better update me with Tzuyu soon," Chaeyoung could only roll her eyes.
“I’ll be back!” Dahyun ran out of the classroom with her flower and waved her best friend goodbye.
~
Dahyun just arrived at the meetup spot and she can hear her heart beating through her ears.
It’s now or never
She sat down at the stairs, taking deep long breaths while waiting. After 5 minutes, she could hear someone coming up the stairs. Each step the person takes, her heart beats at the same time.
Dahyun stood up from the stairs holding onto the flower with both of her hands, but she didn’t face the person yet, and her hair was covering her face, so when the person reached the same level as her there was a moment of silence. She takes in one last breath and reveals herself.
Shock was an understatement when Nayeon saw the person who turned to face her, her heart was beating erratically in her chest, she could feel her ears blocking any sound and her background started to blur and focus on Dahyun like tunnel vision.
Dahyun can’t tell what Nayeon is feeling with the look on her face, but this is her chance to tell what she’d wanted to say for a long time, she reached for her back pocket and shakily handed her the letter. Nayeon slowly reached for it - their hands brushing lightly - and looked at Dahyun, the latter nodded, telling it was okay to open it. Nayeon carefully opened the envelope, the same envelope she’s been receiving, and pulled out the letter to read carefully.
Hi Unnie :) Are you surprised? Because I’m extremely nervous right now, despite that, I’m doing my best to show you how much I like you.
For the longest time (or should I say a year) I’ve had a crush on you, remember this place? The place where we first met, when I bumped into you because I wasn't looking at where I was going, too busy mapping out the place, where I sprained my wrist and you treated me at the clinic. This place to me is something special because it’s a place where I found out love at first sight existed, and that’s you.
I've always looked at you from afar, sometimes losing hope when I don't see you around, but then you suddenly pop out of nowhere like God was saying I shouldn't give up on you.
And with the last bit of courage I have, I decided to become your secret admirer for the last days of this week. It was a fun and new experience for me and maybe for you. Did it leave something memorable in your mind? In your heart?
That’s all I have to say, here’s a sunflower and a small gift from me.
From,
Kim Dahyun ♡
Nayeon looked up and Dahyun was already holding up the sunflower and a keychain. She was looking down but her face was clearly bright red. Dahyun peeked a little bit but put her head down again when Nayeon was looking at her. “C-Congratulation on your graduation, unnie” Dahyun did her best not to stutter. “It’s okay if you don’t like me back, I just wanted to say what I-”
In a blink of an eye, Nayeon threw herself at Dahyun to give her a bear-crushing hug, the both of them almost fell down but Dahyun stood her ground, but still utterly shocked, confused, flustered, and happy all at the same time.
“You’re such a dummy,” Nayeon said but isn’t sure whether to Dahyun or to herself, she pulled away and Dahyun was taken aback when she saw tears in Nayeon’s eyes.
“I like you too,” She said and hugged Dahyun again, this time the latter hugging back, burying her head on Nayeon’s neck with the biggest smile she’s ever had.
~
"Wait, you're jealous with who??"
"I'm not gonna say it again!"
"You're so cute, you know that?"
"... shut up,"