Caramel Popcorn

57

Caramel popcorn [Caramel popcorn]

57.

...

...starting again, huh.

Jaehyun, who had somehow moved over next to Yeonjun, flipped through the camera screen in front of Yeonjun's face.

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명재현

"This one?"

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최연준

"No, the next one."

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명재현

"This one?"

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최연준

"Yeah."

Yeonjun looked at the screen for a long while, then nodded.

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최연준

"You took it well."

Yeonjun gave a small laugh.

Then Jaehyun nodded along too.

I was really curious what photo they were looking at, but I was also worried about what kind of spark might fly again, so I decided to just stay quiet.

...

Thankfully, the meeting wrapped up quickly.

Instead of following one person the whole time, they decided to naturally switch the student appearing whenever the location changed.

It would go from receiving a ball on the sports field, to the club room after passing through the hallway, and finally to the auditorium following the students preparing for the festival.

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김지우

"We can film the scenes without people in them first."

Jiu put the paper with the locations written on it down in the middle.

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김지우

"Like the sports field view or the hallway."

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김지우

"The back stairs too."

Jaehyun said.

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명재현

"What Yeoju filmed earlier was pretty good."

I glanced at the camera.

The stairs where sunlight fell through the leaves.

It definitely seemed like it would look pretty on video too.

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김지우

"Then let's shoot that tomorrow."

Jiu wrote the stairs next to my name.

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오여주

"We can go around before sunset, right?"

When I asked while looking at Jiu, Jiu nodded, then suddenly seemed lost in thought and pressed their lips shut.

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김지우

"Um... but I have something to do right after school tomorrow, so I think I'll need someone to go with Yeoju..."

"I'll go."

Yeonjun's voice cut in the moment Jiu finished speaking.

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김지우

"You?"

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최연준

"Yeah. I don't have anything tomorrow."

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김지우

"Great. Then go with Yeonjun."

Jiu clapped their hands and wrote Yeonjun's name beside mine.

Then, from across the table, Jaehyun stopped rolling his pen in his hand.

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명재현

"Should I go too?"

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문서윤

"You have the broadcast room tomorrow."

Seyun cut him off right away.

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명재현

"...It's after class."

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문서윤

"Then are we supposed to film during class?"

Jaehyun looked disappointed for a moment, then turned to me.

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명재현

"Get some good pictures."

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오여주

"Of course."

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명재현

"And make sure to bring the camera."

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오여주

"...Hey."

Jaehyun laughed.

I laughed too, in disbelief.

It felt like I had just earned a lifetime of teasing for leaving the camera behind once.

But weirdly, I didn't hate it.

Until just a few days ago, we'd all awkwardly hesitated every time we tried to bring up even one thing to say.

And before I knew it, that kind of thing was slowly disappearing.

...

Yeoju's POV

...

When the meeting ended, people one by one started leaving the club room.

I slowly packed up my bag and looked toward Yeoju.

Yeoju, who had been laughing with Jaehyun.

Tomorrow they said they'd go with Yeonjun to film the stairs alone.

Strangely, I didn't feel angry first like before.

More precisely.

I already knew what happened when I got angry.

'Let's stop, Youngseo.'

Yeonjun's voice from that day came back to me again.

At first, I thought it would be enough if Yeoju were gone.

I thought if we went back to before Joo came, everything would return to its place.

So I pushed them away.

But strangely, the more I pushed, the closer Yeonjun and Jaehyun got to Yeoju too.

I was the one who drifted away.

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오여주

"Youngseo."

When I looked up, I saw Yeoju.

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오여주

"Aren't you going?"

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이영서

"...Yeah. I'm going."

I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked over beside Yeoju.

Since apologizing a few days ago, Yeoju had slowly started talking to me again.

It still wasn't as easy as before, but this amount of change was enough.

As we left the club room together and walked down the hall, Yeoju spoke first.

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오여주

"We're going to film the stairs tomorrow."

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이영서

"Yeah, I heard. You and Yeonjun are going."

Yeoju looked at me for a moment.

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오여주

"...Yeah."

I didn't miss that brief hesitation.

They probably thought I would mind.

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이영서

"Have a good shoot."

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오여주

"Are you okay?"

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이영서

"With what?"

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오여주

"No... just."

Yeoju gave an uncertain smile.

Only then did I realize.

Even if I didn't get angry, even if I didn't say anything, Yeoju was already thinking about me.

They had been like that before too.

Ever since they thought I liked Yeonjun, Yeoju had been the first to check between me and Yeonjun.

It was the same when I got close to Jaehyun.

A kid who couldn't easily pretend not to care if someone else might get hurt.

Watching Yeoju like that, I gave a small laugh.

"I'm really okay."

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오여주

"...Yeah."

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이영서

"I won't make you uncomfortable like that anymore."

Yeoju's expression stiffened just a little.

A face full of apology.

The moment I saw that, I suddenly thought.

Did I really need to push them away?

Did I need to make them angry, fight, and hate me...

If I just stepped back.

Maybe Yeoju would step back first instead.

Right.

Let's stop.

Forcing them apart.

Holding on.

This time, I'll just wait.

Until Yeoju distances themself on their own.

And then I can go back.

To when Yeoju didn't know Choi Yeonjun or Myung Jaehyun.

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자까

Are you all enjoying Chuseok~?

"Happy Chuseok!!"

"Happy Chuseok to you too^^"

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