The boy opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, Gaeun linked arms with Hana and said, "Let's go now."
Hana quickly found an excuse and said, "Yeah, we're going to walk. See you!" before walking away with Gaeun.
Aerin stayed at the bus stop a little longer, but her gaze kept following Hana and Gaeun as they walked away.
As they walked down the street, Gaeun smiled slightly. "You're getting popular, Hana."
Hana took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. "Ugh, no. I'm still so embarrassed."
Gaeun shrugged. "Who knows, maybe that boy really liked you."
Hana laughed and shook her head. "I don't think so at all."
Gaeun tilted her head and looked at Hana. "Well, what do you think Hyunwoo thinks?"
Hana suddenly stopped. "What do you mean?"
Gaeun smirked. "He was totally checking you out earlier."
Hana blushed slightly. "Don't be ridiculous, he was just looking."
Gaeun burst into laughter. "If you say so..."
They walked a little longer. When they reached the halfway point, Gaeun said, "I'm turning here. See you!" and disappeared into her street.
Hana walked home alone, thinking about everything that had happened. Today had been a bit too eventful.
When she opened the door and stepped inside, she put her bag down and sat on her bed. She picked up her phone.
There was a message from Hyunwoo.
Hyunwoo: "Did you get home?"
Hana smiled slightly.
Hana: "Yes, I just got home."
Hyunwoo: "Good. Who was that guy earlier?"
Hana stared at the screen in surprise. Why was Hyunwoo asking this?
Hana: "I don't know, I've never seen him before."
There was no response from Hyunwoo for a few seconds. Then, a new notification popped up on her screen.
Hyunwoo: "Let me know if he bothers you."
Hana couldn't help but smile. Was he jealous, or...?
She turned off her phone, feeling a small wave of excitement. Today had truly been an interesting day.
When Hana arrived home, she let her tired body sink into her bed under the soft glow of her room's lights. The day's events kept replaying in her mind. She tried to quiet her thoughts, but she was so used to analyzing everything that it was impossible to stop.
She picked up her phone and checked her notifications. A few tagged photos on social media, a couple of likes, and messages from the group chat. But her eyes got stuck on one notification: a message from Hyunwoo.
Hyunwoo: "Today was a little weird, wasn't it?"
Hana frowned slightly as she read the message. There was something unusual in Hyunwoo's tone. It didn't feel like his usual warm and relaxed self. His hesitation in the message made it clear that he was holding something back. At that moment, certain moments from the day flashed through her mind. Hyunwoo's attitude had been different. Normally, things felt effortless between them, but today… today, there was an invisible wall between them.
She stared at the phone screen for a while. Should she respond? Or should she wait for him to open up more? Taking a deep breath, she finally started typing.
Hana: "Yeah, I guess it was. Is something wrong?"
After sending the message, she put her phone down and stared at the ceiling. The soft breeze outside made her curtain sway. The room was silent, but Hana's mind was stormy.
As she waited for Hyunwoo's reply, she picked up her phone again, but the message was still unread.
Just then, a notification from the group chat startled her. It was Sera and Eunwoo.
Sera: "Hanaaa! What happened today? Who was that guy?"
Eunwoo: "Yeah yeah, spill the details!"
Hana sighed. She didn't really want to think about everything again, but she couldn't ignore her friends' curiosity. Running a hand through her hair, she started typing.
Hana: "I don't know, really. He just asked for my number, but he seemed weird."
Sera replied instantly.
Sera: "Did you see Hyunwoo's face? He looked seriously pissed."
Hana paused. Yeah, she had noticed Hyunwoo's expression, but she hadn't thought much of it at the time. Now, everything was starting to make more sense. Why had Hyunwoo been so upset? Was it jealousy, or something else?
At that moment, her phone vibrated with a new message from Hyunwoo.
Hyunwoo: "Sometimes, when I look at you, I see someone different. I mean, not the popular 'new' Hana that others see… but I wonder who you really are."
Hana's heart skipped a beat. Those words touched her in a way she didn't fully understand. But why? What was Hyunwoo trying to tell her?
She gripped her phone tightly, resting her head against her pillow, and reread the message multiple times.
"He thinks about who I really am," she mumbled to herself.
What exactly did Hyunwoo mean?
She almost started typing, ready to ask, "What do you mean?" but her fingers hesitated. She didn't want to force him to open up. Sometimes, people needed time to figure out their own feelings.
A new notification popped up. It was Sera again.
Sera: "I think he's just jealous. Who knows, maybe seeing you with someone else messed with his head!"
Hana rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the small smile forming on her lips. Could Hyunwoo really be jealous? But would that explain why he was acting distant?
Eunwoo sent a more serious message.
Eunwoo: "If he's acting cold toward you, something is definitely bothering him. It might not even be about you. Sometimes people just need to sort things out on their own."
Hana took a deep breath. Eunwoo might be right. Hyunwoo wasn't usually the type to keep things to himself, but lately, he had seemed more distant.
She started typing again.
Hana: "Do you think he's being cold to me?"
As soon as she sent it, she saw three dots appear at the top of the screen. Hyunwoo was typing. Hana's heartbeat quickened. But after a few seconds, the dots disappeared. He had stopped typing.
That only confused her more. Why did he start writing and then stop? she wondered. Maybe he didn't know what to say. Or… maybe he was avoiding something.
Just then, Sera sent another message.
Sera: "I think he's just confused. But if Hyunwoo likes you, why is he keeping his distance?"
Hana stared at the message for a moment.
"Hyunwoo likes me?"
She had never asked herself that before. Hyunwoo had always been by her side, always supportive, but it had never been something spoken out loud.
A strange feeling settled in her chest. What if things were really changing?
She put her phone down and buried her face in her pillow. Her heart was beating faster. Were these thoughts making her excited… or just more anxious?
For a few minutes, she closed her eyes and just listened to her own breathing. But then, she picked up her phone again and sent a message to Eunwoo.
Hana: "Eunwoo, maybe you're right. But it still feels weird, doesn't it?"
Eunwoo's reply came back quickly, calm and thoughtful.
Eunwoo: "Sometimes people struggle to express their feelings. Who knows, maybe even he doesn't fully understand what he meant by 'different'."
As Hana read the message, she let out a deep sigh. Yeah… maybe even Hyunwoo didn't know what he was feeling.