(a/n: bingo 🤝 miscommunication/misunderstanding trope because i love the drama and the suffering all characters have to endure because i'm also suffering)

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"Walk, Walk, Just keep on walking, Eunji." The girl closed her eyes shut, breathing in deeply to not burst out into tears immediately.

She wanted to at least reach the big tree in front of her without crying, but she knew herself she would fail.

And the next moment her vision was too blurry for her to even see the trees in front of her.

She didn't even bother to run, knowing that no matter how fast she ran Jungwon would be able to catch up with her with ease anyway.

If he were to follow her.

All she could do was prepare herself to confront him and listen to what he had to say to her.

"Eunji!"

There was it. The girl could hear him calling out for her from behind as she felt her heart break a little further.

"Eunji, Please!"

Another crack.

That was it. She stopped in her tracks, her gaze directed to the ground stubbornly. Her hands were clenched. She was willing to listen to him nonetheless.

"Eunji." The boy stood in front of her, taking her hand in his, "Listen, okay? Listen to me before you leave."

Her eyes widened slightly.

Aren't you here to stop me? Eunji thought bitterly and didn't answer to him.

"What you heard back there...about—"

"About you approaching me because your dad told you to..?" Her voice was quiet, but she couldn't hold back the scoff escaping her lips.

"You—"

"Is it true?" The girl looked up, her teary eyes meeting his. They would widen.

"It's...a long story." He looked away.

"Is it true?" She repeated.

"Yes." Jungwon nodded, tightening his grip around her hand as if he knew she would attempt to leave him again.

Eunji didn't answer again, wiping her tears with her sleeve, "You...had to force yourself to hang out with me?" Her voice was small.

Was this how unlikable she was?

To the point where people needed to be asked to be her friend?

She couldn't believe it. The whole time she thought the feeling of happiness she felt was mutual.

"No, that's not it—" He vigorously shook his head, denying it, "I never had to force myself. Yes, I agreed to be your friend because of my father, but I never regretted—"

"If he didn't ask you, you would have just rejected my offer." Eunji concluded as she felt more tears flowing down her reddened face, "We would have never been friends. You and me."

"Yes." Jungwon couldn't help but agree with everything she was saying, feeling his heart sink, "But Eunji. Every second I spent with you was—"

"That's so embarrassing."

He stopped, looking into her eyes. The boy could feel her hand trembling in his and for a moment he thought about pulling her into his arms.

But he didn't.

"I'm so fucking embarrassed." Eunji covered her face in shame, feeling like crying her heart out.

"Do you know how happy I was? The day you asked me to be your friend again?" She cried and cried and all he could do is watch, "I thought you actually took a liking to me. I-I thought—"

"I did! Eunji, I did." He tried to reassure her, but they both knew it was to no avail.

"Who would have known that you were asked to be friends with me...?" She shook her head.

"Just because I was asked, doesn't mean our friendship is less genuine, Eunji." He put his hands on her shoulders, feeling his own eyes tear up.

"No." Eunji shook her head, "But it means I have to prove myself for someone to befriend and like me because no one would ever dare to be my friend if they weren't obligated and asked to."

"No, Eunji. You are wrong—"

"I am not, Jungwon. It's true." She smiled weakly through her tears, wiping her tears for the last time.

And so she started to walk past him.

Ready to leave him and the forest behind.

"Is it over?"

After 3 steps, Eunji suddenly heard him ask, causing her to look up again. Jungwon's voice sounded different. To her. To him.

It wasn't as clear as normally.

Jungwon sounded just as hurt, causing her to stop in her tracks.

No! What is there to be over? Eunji wanted to scream, but eventually decided against it.

Instead she couldn't bring herself to answer and just continued walking away, focusing on not crying till she would reach her room.

Which she would miserably fail to as soon as Jungwon disappeared from her sight.

_

"Eunji you are back!" Youngmin greeted the girl with open arms. Her smile would drop when she noticed her friend's puffy eyes and red face, immediately hugging her.

"Eunji, It's okay. Everything's alright." She quickly comforted her, leading them to their room where Eunji cried for the second time that day, "What happened?"

"He didn't stop me, Youngmin." The girl cried, hugging her friend tighter, "Even though I walked away from him, he didn't try to stop me. He doesn't care."

"Who?" She asked, when it hit her.

There wasn't anyone else Eunji could refer to.

"All I wanted him to do was to hug me and tell me how much our friendship meant to him." Eunji shook her head, "I wanted him to care!"

"He cares!"

"He doesn't." The girl was tired from all the crying, "Jungwon never cared about our friendship or me. He just wanted to satisfy his psycho dad."

Youngmin just quietly stroked her friend's hair, "I don't know what happened, but I don't believe that. Jungwon cares so much for you—"

"Then why didn't he stop me from leaving?"

"Because he knew he hurt you." Youngmin smiled warmly, "He wants to give you the time you need before you decide to forgive him."

"I don't want to lose him." Eunji confessed honestly, "This class trip was supposed to be the time of my life. Why am I laying in your arms crying because of a boy?!"

"That's what I'm saying." Her friend laughed wholeheartedly.

"I couldn't even confess my feelings to him..."

"I'm sure you will get the chance to." Youngmin nodded encouragingly, "The day has just begun. There is still so much time left till we go back."

"Do you know what?" Eunji sat up, wiping her remaining tears, "Ever since you got a boyfriend, you are so much more mature."

Youngmin chuckled, "Someone has to be the mature one among the two of us."

Eunji joined her laughing, tiredly laying down as she looked up to the ceiling. Her heart was too tired.

"By the way, Aurora was brought home this morning."

Eunji turned to her friend in surprise, sniffing "Why?"

"She was all paranoid and was screaming like crazy when she woke up." Youngmin shrugged, "She said there was a weird man walking around the campus, but we are pretty sure that it's just a weird dream. The surveillance's cameras only showed her passing out in front of her bungalow."

"A weird man?"

"She kept calling for her parents." Youngmin laughed at the memory of Aurora running around, wrapped in her blanket, "Saying she didn't remember anything except for the weird man."

"Woah."

That was a lot of information for Eunji to take in.

"Yeah, you missed a lot.."