Chapter One
Chapter One
Moon
The three fates, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos sat in front of their loom once more. A spool of the golden thread that’s been split in two was in their hands. The golden thread was given to them by the Goddess of Love and Moon, just a while ago after condemning the five Lycanthropes in their bodies.
The three fates used the golden thread to weave the life of Konstantin’s mate. They weaved the whole day as they mapped out various events in her life.
“She’ll be given beauty like her mother’s. A charming wit like her father’s.” Clotho said as her fingers roamed over the loom.
“A great power which we shall bind until the day comes that she can use it with responsibility,” Lachesis added.
“A pure heart, compassion, love, and understanding beyond compared.” Said Atropos as she sprinkled these fine qualities in the weave.
“But with a pure heart comes to the ability to be hurt easily, to trust fully and be vulnerable. . . Aren’t we too hard on her when Konstantin’s mate has destined a short life, but a pure heart too?” Clotho remarked with a hint of sadness. The three Fates’ fingers stopped moving across the loom as they regarded each other.
“A pure heart is rare, and it comes with many difficulties, but it is very rewarding,” Atropos argued.
“Then it is a good thing that her mate is strong and steady. . . Someone who will complement her and take care of her pure heart. Someone who needs her dazzling light to brighten up his curse.” Lachesis said as her fingers roamed over the threads.
Lachesis picked up a shimmering black thread and her sisters smiled at her. “Konstantin’s thread,” Atropos remarked.
“Yes. He is strong and powerful. He will protect her, and her heart will tame him. Because of her, he will be able to see the light through his curse. His strength will be her shield and her light will keep away the darkness in his heart.” Clotho said.
“Isn’t it too early to merge the threads together? Konstantin has not chosen a body yet.” This time it was Atropos who argued.
“No, sister. The time is perfect. The girl will grow up knowing that her heart belongs to someone. She will bear his mark once she is born. It is only with him that she will know what love is and that will save her from being hurt. On the other hand, he will always be there for her, and he will always protect her always.” Lachesis replied.
Atropos took the thread and it glowed brightly. The black thread complemented the gold’s brightness while the gold thread added beauty to the black’s stark appearance.
“Beautiful.” The three Fates said as they stared at the pattern in front of them.
Their eyes fell on the beauty of the black and golden thread that was intertwined. Starting now, two souls will be inseparable. Two hearts were already joined together. One will always feel the other.
“It is done.” The three Fates proclaimed in unison.
✱✱✱✱
That was like living through a nightmare. Her mother is cooking up one of their favorite meals while humming to herself. Her father was watching the news with his feet up on the coffee table. Her sibling, meantime, is lying on the couch, chatting on the phone with her pals.
In many ways, she feels like the course of her life was set three years ago. She received a lovely upbringing from both of her parents, who are both wonderful people. Her little sister was only a year younger, yet she was always there for her. She exemplified qualities that she wishes she possessed, such as courage, spontaneity, and bravery. She had the enduring impression that she was the baby of the family her entire life. She was a baby born of miracles, to put it plainly. Her mother informed her that she was so sick that doctors didn’t think she’d make it through the night, and that she spent most of her childhood in hospitals.
She did well in school, was praised for her efforts, and gained many friends. She had sporadic crushes on a few boys, but her true love was the anonymous man who haunted her nightmares. Because of what happened on that day many years ago, the once-perfect woman is now fractured.
After almost a year, she broke and retreated farther into her self-imposed prison.
She found solace in the idea that the fort’s walls would keep her safe from her tormentors.
It took her two years, but she finally decided to put herself out there and try making new acquaintances and going on dates. It took another year before she could engage and touch someone without feeling physically sick.
When she thought, her life wasn’t going in the direction she wanted, she thought of violence and revenge.
All of a sudden, she isn’t the fragile, impoverished young woman that everyone always thought she was. She diligently practiced self-defense, learning what she could until the sickness returned, and she had to stop.
The one remaining member of her family thinks a new beginning would be great for her but doesn’t realize that she is now cold and detached.
She still has her morals.
For now.
✱✱✱✱
“You new around here?” She instantly locked her phone screen and looked up at the male in front of her, her eyes quickly noticing his school uniform. “Haven’t seen you around here and I know everyone in town. Want some company?” The boy grinned.
With his masculine, daring, and clean look, she can only give him her fuck-off sweet smile. “I prefer eating alone.”
His attempt at flattery did not stop and continued to grin like a Cheshire cat. “I’m Jay, and you’re. . .”
“Not interested.” She said, looking away from him and quickly gathering her books from the table.
“Fine. I don’t want frostbite on my dick anyways,” He bit out, shooting glares her way. From the corner of her eye, she can see a group of high school kids chuckling at his attempt at a one-night stand.
Looks like I won’t be coming back here. She placed the bill on the table and quickly grabbed her backpack when she started noticing the rest of his friends advancing her way. Seeing that she will be attending the same school they are in, the last thing she wanted was drama.
She had just stepped out into the street when she felt a tight hold on her wrist. Her entire body froze over, her stomach plummeting and her senses numbing in an instant. She can only feel his skin against hers, and the sensation makes her want to scrub her skin raw. When she turned around, she saw a boy her age in the same school outfit.
As if sensing her discomfort, the boy instantly lets go of her wrist and shoves his hands in his front pockets. “Sorry about my friend over there. . . he does that to everyone who wears a skirt,” He sighed, carefully gauging her reaction, but Moon just gives him a kind smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“It’s alright, thank you for. . . apologizing for him I guess?” She chuckled, batting her hand as if it was nothing.
“So, you do laugh!” The boy’s expression brightened, grinning widely as if he has just seen a miracle. “I’ve seen you in the café for the past week, in fact, a lot of people noticed you, but we thought that you seem unapproachable and didn’t want to intrude. But, anyway. . .” He heaved a sigh as if catching his breath. “My name is Eunwoo. I just got here a month ago, so I’m pretty new to town. Even if, I think I’m pretty popular in school just in case you want to stick together so I can protect you.” Eunwoo puffed his chest at his attempt to air out the awkward atmosphere around them.
Moon bit her lip to hide the small smile threatening to come out of her cupid bow lips and held out a hand. “I’m Moon, and thank you for the offer, but I’m a big girl. I can protect myself.”
Eunwoo’s hand is warm as it clasped around her small ones, shaking it firmly before it drifted to his side. “Moon. . . that is an interesting choice of name.” He chuckled and shoved his hands back in his pockets again.
Moon shrugged at this, completely used to the reaction. “My mom had a dream of a giant wolf in love with the moon.”
“That is oddly weird,” Eunwoo grinned at this, finding it to be amusing causing the latter to smile in response.
“What can I say, I’m a weird girl. So just a heads up before your friends start noticing. I don’t want you embarrassed for talking to the weird girl.” She shrugged.
Eunwoo chuckled at this, “Then we must be the same because trust me, I know how it feels to be different.” Although his tone was light, Moon notices the seriousness in his tone.
After bidding goodbye to her newfound friend, she headed to the bus stop to head home. Did she just make a friend? She can’t remember the last time she made a friend, but that was years ago. She was in and out of the hospital and it was impossible to keep them.
Moon entered the home in front of her, where they were surrounded by lush greens and trees. Her aunt specifically chose this house for them, thinking that what they both needed was to be with nature. But she can see the lies behind that façade. She did it so they don’t have neighbors.
“Did you take your meds this morning before you left?” Aunt Gyuri asks as she placed the fried chicken that she had ordered for delivery. Her aunt rarely cooked at home, the woman was so busy with work and taking care of her that she didn’t have time to. Moon instantly felt the guilt creeping up and she welcomed it like a familiar friend.
“Let me cook next time, not just that, but let me get the groceries too,” Moon said, before adding. “And yes, I took my meds. You made sure that I don’t forget every minute.” She rolled her eyes.
Her aunt gave her a stern look before adding more rice to her plate, “What I need you to do is focus on school and your health.” More rice. “If you want to help out, I need you to do that, understood?” This time she’s piling more meat on her plate before Moon could stop her. “You need to eat more; you are getting skinny.” Aunt Gyuri said with finality and Moon can only nod.
She shoved a spoonful of rice in her mouth to appease her aunt. “How was your day today?”
Aunt Gyuri heaved a sigh before gulping down her wine. Her aunt rarely drank in front of her, she only did so when she was too stressed to notice.
“I was at your new school the whole day today. Since you’re starting school in the middle of the semester, I had to ensure that your teachers will understand that you may be in and out of class due to your appointments.” She said and added more food to Moon’s plate when she noticed that it was now half.
She suddenly felt sick.
Moon noticed that her aunt hasn’t taken a bite of her food, “I’m getting full.” she said and put her utensils down. Her hands lightly shook as she gulped down the rest of her water. “Thank you for the food mama. I’ll take care of the dishes,” She smiled at her sweetly before kissing her on the cheek and proceeding with her task.
“I haven’t heard mama in a while,” Her aunt smiled lovingly, before finally starting to eat. “So I was on my way home and passed the café you like to hang around in so much. I saw you talking to a boy. . .” She trailed on and stared at her with teasing eyes.
Moon can only roll her eyes, glancing back slightly as she started the dishes. Putting away the trinkets that were in her way. “I just met him there and he was just apologizing for his rude friend, that was it.”
Aunt Gyuri frowned at this, “Was someone rude to you? What’s their name?”
“It starts with a J something, but I got it covered. You made sure that I know how to defend myself,” she said, wiping her hands dry.
“If somebody bothers you in school, promise to tell me?” Aunt Gyuri says her expression is like that of Moon’s mother.
“If it gets out of hand and I can’t handle it, you’d be the first to know.” Moon smiled and kissed her cheek again. “I’m heading to bed early, goodnight.”
“Don’t forget that you have an appointment with Dr. Cho after school, I’ll get off work early to pick you up—“
“No need, I know how to get there. I spent the first day back in Ulsan making sure that I know my routes remember?” Moon lifted a brow at her.
Lies.
She spent all her day walking around and staying at the café she has come to like. She never wanted to admit that going to the hospital gives her anxiety, but her aunt didn’t need to know that. Her list of medical visits will just continue to pile on if she stated she’s suffering from panic attacks. . . again.
It has only been 6 months since she got off Prozac and her sleeping medication that had such a hard pronunciation, but then she remembered that those same pills were for people who suffer from seizures. Her sleeping problems were so terrible that her doctors had to give her what she described as chloroform.
Aunt Gyuri looks worried for a second before she wiped off with a lopsided smile. “Alright, promise to call me if something goes wrong, okay?”
“Promise,” Moon responded with a smile before bidding goodnight one last time.
When Moon finally got to her room, she didn’t spare a glance at the bare space and the boxes waiting to be unpacked. Instead, she rushed to the bathroom and coughed up all the contents in her stomach. Silently praying that the sounds of her sufferings were left on deaf ears.
✱✱✱✱
Moon could have sworn she was going to get up before her alarm like she usually did. Instead, the harsh morning sun danced over her face, toying with her, coaxing her to get out of bed and close the drapes she so desperately wanted to pull together.
“Moon, get up! You have to go to school, remember?” Aunt Gyuri said through the door, knocking on the door twice before the sounds of her footsteps faded.
“Yes,” She said softly, her voice croaking out hinting that her throat was dry from the retching she did all night.
She sighed as she walked into the bathroom to refreshen her body for the long day.
When she padded lazily into her bedroom with nothing but a towel, a cold gust of wind hit her wet skin and she shivered.
Strange. I don’t remember opening the window last night.
Thinking her aunt maybe had, she closed the window and walked into the closet, then picked out the uniform that was recently bought. She subconsciously tugged the skirt down in an attempt to cover the marks on her thighs, but when that didn’t work, she headed to the closet again and picked out the black tights, and wore it under the short skirt. She then grabbed one of her scarves to cover the marks around her neck, hoping nobody at her new school would question it. She would often wear a turtleneck to hide them, but since her school uniform was low cut, she could only pray that nobody would pay mind to it. After straightening her school cardigan, she brushed her long dark hair and barely glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Only looking at her outfit and ensuring that it was worn right.
Once she was ready, she checked for her phone and medications before walking towards the window and glancing at the forest of her backyard.
The tales she spun as she watched and analyze each and every tree, the tiny glimpses of the animals scurrying around the forest floor reminded her of the tales halmeoni had told her when she was a child.
With a final glance and a faint smile lurking on her lips, she walked downstairs and into the kitchen.
For the past week, she has become fond of her new home. As her parents passed away, a sizable insurance policy was left in her name, but she never bothered to use it. Though it was a modest house, they chose it because of the scenery. Moon headed out the front door and used her phone’s GPS to find her new school. The walk to Ulsan high was 7 minutes away and Moon had picked up a small booster juice at her favorite café on the way, one that she had finished within 2 minutes. The drink seemed to distract from the streets, momentarily.
She focused on the soles of her shoes and shuffled along the sidewalk, observing several other young women heading in the same direction. She tried to crack a smile, but no one paid her any mind. She suddenly recalled the times she and her sister used to walk along the shore in California’s bay area, where they used to live, and joggers would pass by, waving to them as they went by. It was very different in Korea.
She was on a broad concrete sidewalk with hundreds of people moving in all directions around her. Her hair was blowing furiously in the wind as she watched the many cars go past. She pushed through crowds of people, attempting to get away from the thousands of faces she couldn’t place.
Moon sped up as she spotted Ulsan High School across the street, entered through the massive gates, and saw hundreds of students milling about the schoolyard. Footballs were being thrown across the path, and groups of girls were handing out flyers from the perfectly cut grass. Some people smoked by the parking lot, while couples made out on the benches.
As she entered, her mind flashed back to the last time she attended. Although that happened many years ago, she remarked on how much the situation is the same yet changed now.
She took a few more strides up to the front path of the enormous structure and stopped there. She was feeling anxious as she stood in the courtyard surrounded by hundreds of teenagers. With her body temperature rising, her hands began to sweat profusely. Taking a deep breath, she set out toward the front door. As she proceeded down the walkway, she tried to avoid being seen by the curious onlookers who parted to let her pass. Her awkwardness at her new surroundings was immediate. To get out of there without drawing attention to herself, she grasped for the door handle, but it didn’t open.
“The doors don’t open until 7:45. It’s only 7:15.” A girl indicates proudly from behind her, causing her to turn around. “My name is Jisoo. What’s yours?”
The girl had pretty black hair, and her cheekbones pointed sharply. The girl was so beautiful and Moon would have thought she was a celebrity if not for her uniform.
“I’m Moon. I’m new here.” She said anxiously.
Jisoo giggled, her mood contagious. “Nice to meet you! I could help you around and stuff.”
“Thanks.” Moon smiled.
Was it this easy to make new friends?
While they awkwardly stood by the entrance, Moon took in Jisoo’s physical features. Her long, white legs contrasted with the rest of her porcelain complexion. Her nose is cute and she has rosy cheeks. She hadn’t realized the girl was tapping her foot nervously on the pavement. The rhythmic tapping made her tense up. She kept staring at Jisoo until she noticed her eyes widen and turn to gaze behind her.
“What?” Moon whispered shyly, noticing her change in attitude.
Jisoo slightly pointed behind her and Moon quickly turned around to see a bunch of girls approaching her, with their heels clicking against the path.
“Who are you?” The one at the front asked, her fake smile making Moon inwardly cringe.
The hostility in her eyes made it clear that she thought Moon was beneath her. In any case, she wasn’t one to pass judgment, so she shifted her gaze to meet hers respectfully. Even though she wasn’t intimidated, she was careful to avoid making a negative name for herself. She avoided drama like the plague.
“I’m Moon.” She nodded her head.
“Cool name. I’m Hana, but that’s not the point. Why are you talking to little Jizz-o here?” The girls say, glancing over at Jisoo causing the girls around them to giggle.
“Her name is Jisoo,” Moon responds quietly and Hana grins, her pearly whites almost blinding her.
“Well don’t catch STD new girl. That whore sleeps around with everyone,” Hana laughed, along with the girls behind her.
Moon almost let out a sharp gasp, turning to look at Jisoo. How could someone be so upright and blunt like that? She felt a rush of adrenaline running through her and she frowned in dismay.
“I didn’t say I was going to sleep with her,” Moon said. “She’s just a friend.”
“Oh, you have an attitude. This should be fun. Well, new girl, you’ll get in trouble with that scarf. Didn’t you see the regulations before coming here? I bet you’re hiding scars.” Hana smirked.
“I bet you it’s acne.” The petite girl in Hana’s group shuddered.
Moon felt a brick fall into her stomach, and she felt like throwing up. Her anxiety was kicking in, and she suddenly became scared for her life. These girls sounded like they were popular and were obviously more known than she was, which left her fending for herself. “Just leave me alone, please, and thank you,” She whispered.
“I don’t take requests, new girl. I’ll be seeing you around more. Oh, and by the way, don’t run into people you shouldn’t even be running into.” Hana scoffed, flipping her hair and turning on her heels.
Hana strutted away and Moon kept her eyes laid on her as she walked away. She finally recalled seeing her hanging out with Eunwoo when she was at the café.
Jisoo heaves a sigh, “You enrolled at the very wrong time. Hana used to be really . . . manageable until Eunwoo enrolled last month. She thinks that they are soulmates or something and that’s why she’s so bloody bitchy to every girl here. I mean! Eunwoo looks like a God, and I get it, but Hana is giving stalker vibes.” She explains, speaking carefully. “Ulsan High is small, but the rich control everything here, and I mean you’ll start to see every single stereotype here. I got to warn you though, Hana seems like an average mean girl, but she will fight you if you piss her off, and I’m not talking about bullying like shoving around, I meant the violent kind.”
Moon perked up at this, “Really? I’ll keep that in mind. Uhm, is it true. . . that you sleep around?” She asked, mentally slapping herself for asking such a question.
“I did last year. Just a phase that went through. They never stop bringing it up, and I’ve changed so much since junior year. I’m a senior now, everything’s different. I just ruined my reputation here and I kind of regret it sometimes, but I wouldn’t change a thing,” Jisoo defended herself.
Moon nodded, giving her a small smile. “I understand. People change like seasons.”
Jisoo smiled and giggled her expression lightening. Moon was taken aback by the unexpected ringing of the bell. She flinched since she hadn’t been to school in a long. She pulled on the door’s knob and it swung open, letting her walk right in. The school appeared to be enormous, with two sets of stairs leading to what might have been an administrative center. The room had pale blue walls and grey, glossy metal lockers that went on forever.
She remarked on the numerous paintings lining the walls, all of which were of museum quality. A beautiful chandelier hung in the center of the room, which was decorated with black marble. The structure includes lofty ceilings and a skylight. As soon as you walk in, you’ll see a receptionist desk with a Kiosk computer next to it. From the outside, it could have been mistaken for a five-star hotel.
“It’s big,” Moon mumbled, looking around.
“Yup, huge school. Let’s go.” Jisoo smiled and led me to the office up the grand staircase. ’Wait, let me see your timetable,” she says, grabbing the sheet in Moon’s grip and examining it.
“We have health together!” She grinned and Moon can feel a weight fall off her shoulder. Appreciative of the fact that someone was accepting of her.
The second bell rang, and the students hustled through the corridors as she said her goodbyes and entered the office through its double doors. She hurried into the room, slamming her bag into the wall and drawing stares from the workers within.
“Moon Gwon?” The woman in a pencil skirt behind an office desk asks. Her desk was made of marble with little to no trinkets.
When Moon nodded, the woman ushered her closer and handed her school ID card. “Welcome to Ulsan High.”
“Thank you.” Moon smiled, as she penned her name on a piece of paper for processing and then took her late slip. She shoved her ID card in her pocket and then resumed waiting for the rest of her inpro checklist.
She watched patiently as the woman typed on her computer, the sound of her tapping filling in the office. “I’ve already sent in a memo to all your instructors about your doctor visits. You’ll be required to attend counseling every week and we can put it in as your elective credits. Other than that, if you feel like you need anything else that can help you with your . . . issue, our office has an open-door policy.” She said with a little smile.
Issue.
Moon felt disoriented, but she managed a smile and a nod. She felt her eyes well up with tears as she said farewell and headed to her locker. She felt dizzy from the blue walls and halted her pace when she saw the absurdly long stairs. She climbed the draining set of stairs to her locker, which she promptly located but was having trouble opening. She locked across from her, and to the boy’s restroom. The woman in the office had told her it was by the boy’s restroom. She frowned and looked away from the blue doors, quickly punching in her combination once more.
She opened her locker to see all her books placed on the rack. She grabbed her L.A textbook and then a tot bag that read ‘Phys Ed’. Placing her keys and phone in, she hung up a mirror along with a picture of her family. Moon smiled as she stared at her dead family before closing the locker shut.
When she finally located her first class, she knocked awkwardly and pulled the doorknob.
“You are?” A man in his 50s sat up, the class silent as they watch her walk in.
“I’m Moon Gwon. I’m the new student.” She spoke. She can feel that all eyes were on her, but she refused to show them how anxious she was. Everybody in this school was so attractive, she noted when she finally skim her eyes at her classmates.
The teacher gestured for her to walk to his desk. Ignoring their stares, one boy whistled in a flirty tone as she walked past him. The smell of his cologne attacked her nostrils, and she let out a wry cough which apparently was hilarious because he let out a small chuckle. He sat up with his feet on the desk opposite of him and Moon can see a cigarette packet poking out of his hoody pocket, just waiting to fall out.
“Welcome to Ulsan High. I’m Mr. Kang, your English teacher. This is a full class, so I would have to grab you an empty desk from storage.” He said, his voice bored before walking out.
Moon nodded and stood at the front of the class waiting for Mr. Kang. Her head held high as she stared at the eyes of her classmates pinned on her. The whole room was silent until one of the girls whispered to another. The once-silent room then erupted with whispers and chuckles.
“You’re hot!” A boy called out from the back.
Moon stared at the boy who had made that remark and did not give a reaction. Patiently waiting for the teacher to come in and get the day over with.
After what felt like an eternity, Mr. Kang walked back and placed a single desk next to the person she did not want to sit next to. It was the same boy who called her hot.
“You’ll be sitting next to Jimin. He works well with everyone, so have a seat.” Mr. Kang pointed out and Moon gave her a smile before walking towards the back of the class and gently placing her book on her desk. She sat down without sparing Jimin a glance and reached for her book bag to pull out a few things. When she got back up, Jimin’s chair felt closer to hers than before.
“I’m Jimin,” He says, a smirk dancing on his lips.
“And nice to meet you Jimin.” She smiled, not glancing at him. She did not want to acknowledge his existence at this point or anybody else’s.
“And you’re beautiful,” He added.
“Thank you,” She muttered, and started writing on her notes. Maybe if she was short and sweet, he would leave her alone. She opened her textbook and pulled out the worksheet that lay in it, all perfectly ready for her to ruin. Unfolding them, she grabbed her pen and tried to pay attention to the teacher, even though her mind was completely elsewhere.
“So why are you wearing a scarf? Aren’t you hot?” Jimin whispered, shifting his chair closer to hers once again.
Moon lifted a brow, “Because.”
“That’s a bad reason,” He reasons, placing his elbows up on his desk.
“Well, it’s none of your business.” She said bitterly, getting annoyed with his consistent actions.
Jimin leaned back in his chair and kept his eye on her, his smirk fading. “Fair enough,” He muttered, looking up at the teacher for half a second.
✱✱✱✱
The rest of the block went horribly slow. Moon felt like she couldn’t do any work because Jimin asked her questions every 5 minutes. Every time she began to explain something, he would ask her a dirty comment and it would instantly make the knots in her stomach grow bigger. Then he’d laugh about it.
Finally, the bell rang and she quickly packed her stuff and headed toward the ginormous gym. Upon hearing Jimin’s goodbyes, she hesitated for a bit then continued onwards, ensuring that the boy was not following her. Moon navigated herself through the packed hallways until she found the gym doors. She was looking forward to Phys Ed, since it is something she liked doing. But since she was put on a profile by her primary care provider, alternate exercises were given to her. After putting on her Gym clothes, she stood by the doors as the whole class waited for the coach.
“New girl!” Hana interrupted her thoughts making her heart jump momentarily. Even though the pretty girl wore the same gym clothes as she did, Moon could tell that Hana was toned and athletic.
“Hi,” Moon whispered, backing even more into the gym doors. She didn’t know why she bothered her so much, or why she made the hairs on her arms stand up.
“I’m guessing you’re underweight so you probably can’t even run 3 laps around the track.” She smirked and Moon fought the urge to roll her eyes at this. One of the things she’s great at was running. She has attended BJJ, Taekwondo, and Muay Thai for the duration of 3 years and only stopped because of her sickness. But of course, she wouldn’t say this allowed. Still, how could someone be so arrogant?
Moon gave her a fake sweet smile, refusing to continue the pathetic conversation Hana was trying to start. Her comment did not bother her, yes she has gotten skinnier, thanks to the chemo and medications her body has to endure.
“Excuse me,” Moon said, turning her gaze from the girl to move to another area where she hoped she wouldn’t follow her. But instead, Hana planted her hands on her and pushed her making Moon fall right onto her butt, right beside the doors. Her tailbone collided with the hard tiles and she winced at the pain.
“I’m not done with you,” Hana said, watching Moon struggle to stand up.
“Hana,” A commanding tone had both of them freezing, especially Hana. Both of their gazes skimmed to the silent audience that now surrounded them until their eyes landed on Eunwoo.
Eunwoo wasn’t staring at Moon, instead, he stared at Hana with a hard look in his eyes and Moon can feel the tension in the air until Hana’s whimpers cut the silence.
“Whatever,” Hana mumbled, quickly walking away.
Moon wiped her palms on her leggings, from the dust of the Gym floor and looked up when she noticed Eunwoo standing over her with his hand stretched out.
Moon took his offer of help and mumbled, “Thank you.”
When Eunwoo didn’t let go of her wrist, she glanced at him and noticed that he was intently looking at the mark coiling around her wrist. Moon immediately detached his hand from his, and subconsciously tried to bring the cuffs lower until they covered the marks. She was wearing a long sleeve gym shirt that was provided by the school.
Eunwoo smirked at this, “You are beginning to interest me, Moon.”
She couldn’t help but blush at this. “What do you mean?”
“Something tells me there’s a reason why you’re here.”
