Lines Crossed - Volume 1 Chapter 46 Remembering The Cherry Blossums
I stepped past the threshold of the large mansion-like apartment. It was almost perfectly spotless, like every place Seungwoo existed in, his perfection extended out from himself painting the world with its simple elegance.
The beautiful white stone walls were interrupted by a large feature wall that held a beautiful hand stitched embroidered wallpaper filled with a beautiful scene that looked to be out of a fairy tale book. A beautiful Sakura tree dropped its blossoms to the ground as the colors of red were muted rather than glaringly bright. I watched it for a moment. My entire heart aching as I was pulled back into my memory.
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~ 5 Years Ago ~
“Miran someone is waiting at the office for you.” I looked up from my stretching and pulled up the sleeves on my soft red long-sleeved shirt of the gym uniform.
“Me?” I asked, surprised.
“Yeah, a really beautiful guy.” The class president gave me a nod as a way of permission. I nodded my thanks back and followed Hyewon who was my senior and in charge of running errands for the school council.
“Is he your boyfriend? If he isn’t can he be mine?” Cha Hyewon said cheekily.
“I dunno who you could even mean right now?” I said, following her down the halls and towards the teachers’ lounge.
Yeongsan High school was a private institution that Mark’s had helped her get into and since he was a regular donor to the school, everyone knew him by name In fact most people thought they were a real family. So the only person who it could be was Jaemin since he came so rarely that most didn’t even know that she and Jaemin were related at all.
There were plenty of people who looked down their noses at her for having a non-influential background.
If Mark were not working so hard to help her be the best she could be to retain everything she wouldn’t have agreed to come here at all.
“Is it my brother?”
“Mark? No, it’s not.”
I rolled my eyes.
“No, not Mark. Jaemin.”
“Oh, that one? I dunno. I only saw him for a second. I can’t remember what he looks like.”
“You have seen Jaemin for more than a second. In fact, didn’t you say you thought he was good looking and if there wasn’t such an age difference, you would date your precious oppa in a second?” I said, turning around to look at her and walking backwards.
Hyewon opened her mouth to say something, but I stepped onto something lumpy sideways and fell backwards. My full weight slamming into someone else. I yelped out in surprise. Before jumping up quickly and turned around while bowing repeatedly.
“I’m sorry. So very sorry.” I mumbled politely.
“It’s okay, I am not fragile.” The creamy voice I could never forget ran across my skin electing a delicate wave of bumps in response to the voice I never thought I would hear again and hadn’t heard in months.
I looked up, blinking at him in shock.
“Seungwoo.”
Seungwoo stood there, his extensively long legs looked even longer in the faded dark wash jeans he had chosen. They were a trendy on market brand right now, ones she knew for a fact cost a lot of money. They were a European brand that had the word Self Respect printed on the side of it in big bold black English letters. He wore a white shirt with a long striped blue and white oversized button up sweater over top of it. His hair was brushed back gently but not styled stiff like he normally wore it. Small pieces of the long dark brown hair fell gently onto his forehead and cheek. I had never been so jealous of hair before.
It was what people would call the perfect boyfriend look. He raised an eyebrow as I stared at him stupidly.
“Kim Seungwoo.” I said, bowing out of the proper respect I should have shown him, but more to hide my flushed and embarrassed face. My shorts creased and I fingered the material awkwardly before rising again.
“What.. Why are you here?” I asked.
‘And why did you have to come when I am stinky and sweaty from gym class? Why did you have to come when my hair is pasted to my skull and my makeup hasn’t been renewed in hours?’ I felt incredibly self conscious in front of my crush.
It had been six months since then.
But I still could never forget. I didn’t think I ever could. Not because I had a perfect recall, but because in that moment I felt that moment Mom had always talked about with Dad. How they just knew they were right for each other. That there never could be anyone else for them in this world.
I had done my best to do any research I could on him normally, but even I knew that if you searched my Naver history, the search was pretty darn incrimitive.
Maybe a bit borderline on the obsessed side.
“I need your help.”
I stared up at him, blinking.
“Me?”
“Can you come with me?”
“I already asked your teacher and he gave me a pass for the next class off.”
“Ah, oh okay.” I said stupidly. He motioned for me to head out the door first.
I nodded like an idiot glancing back at him repeatedly still unable to wrap my head around who it was who had come to the office for me. Even though I was staring right at him.
Hyewon giggled at me, raising her eyebrows before waving bye to me gently.
I sucked in my bottom lip and clenched my teeth together feeling infinite amounts of regret that I haven’t washed my pretty gym clothes I normally wore when I wanted to look cute during exercising.
‘Why do crushes always seem to show up when you would never want them to see you.’ I glanced at him, wondering where we were going as he led me through the halls and back outside.
‘Can’t you think of anything to say? Like talk to him.’
“Yah, Kang Miran!”
I looked up at the sound of Jeung Siwon calling me. He pointed excitedly at the football in his hand. Then seemed to notice Seungwoo and his face soured,
I waved at him gently but then made an X sign with my hands signaling I wasn’t coming back.
Seungwoo looked at the game, his face a mixture of stoic and frustrated and maybe something else I couldn’t quite place.
‘Why do you seem upset?’
“You like football?”
“Ah, yeah. It’s fun. I am on a team.”
“And you play with the guys?”
“Sure, I mean, why not?”
“Hmmm. Do you want to go back? I can come back later.”
“No!”