Room 2129 (A 2yeon Fanfic)

Chapter 28: Jeongyeon

"Where are you going? It's not even midnight," I shout to Momo.

"We have classes tomorrow, Jeongyeon-ah," she shouts back over my ear, creating an itching sensation.

The music dips for a bit as the DJ hollers, "Y'all ready to go old school?" He suddenly starts to play the intro to GD & TOP's "High High".

I get off the couch and start jumping. "Come on! You know we have to dance to this," I scream, tugging Seulgi and Momo. They resist, staring at each other, then returning their gaze at me.

"Fuck you guys," I say, before taking another Jäger shot. "I'm going back down there."

The club's lighting makes going down a fucking pain in the ass. While we're at the topic of interiors, who thought that spiral staircases are a great idea?!

The thing about bangers is that, you have to make your way through the crowd. Get in the center, and ride the wave. And I do just that—get lost in the sea of bodies and sweat, barely opening my eyes and see people move frame by frame under the strobe lights.

Jeongyeon, forget about your problems. Forget about Yeri's restraining order. Forget about your missed classes. Forget about thrashing your apartment. Just feel the treble and bass coursing through your body. Just let this petite girl grind her crotch against your thighs. Float as the shots you took numb your senses. Forget about the months you spent looking for her, barely stopping at what's legally acceptable.

Forget Im Nayeon. Forget how she brought you way up with her "love" for you. She brought you down crashing, anyway. She's the worst—thinking she's so morally upright, saying she'll never leave you. You deserve to feel better, Yoo Jeongyeon. Fuck Im Nayeon.

***

I wake up with a smack on my forehead.

"Come on. Let's eat," Seo Yeon-unnie lifts me by the arm. Every part of my body feels like they're shackled to the sofa. With another forceful heave, she manages to get me on my toes, barely toppling the nearby lamp.

"Wow, you cooked breakfast for me?" I ask drily, my throat scratchy with a lingering taste of last night's concoctions.

Seo Yeon sits me down, and moves a bowl of porridge in front of me. Yuck. "That's your prize for not puking in my apartment," she says. My eyes adjust to see the glistening yolk on top of the rice. "But that doesn't mean you don't smell like shit and piss right now," she adds.

I take a whiff off my shirt, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes still lingering on the fabric. My dark jeans are like a work in progress of Jackson Pollock's—a wild assortment of stains.

"Man, looking at you brings back a lot of memories," unnie says while sipping her Earl Grey tea.

"What would you even know?" I ask, not looking at her, trying to force the warm sludge into my mouth.

Seo Yeon taps her fingernails, in a wave-like succession, on the marble tabletop. "Lucky for you that was just a failed relationship," she says. Why do people think it's easy to dismiss the pain of someone younger than them? It's really annoying. "Imagine calling off an engagement, and you have to pay for some of the suppliers," unnie adds.

What?! Engagement? I stare at her, before the spoon gets in my mouth. "You mean to say...?"

She nods at me and chuckles. "Yeah. This was before the whole promotion thing, when only you and I talked. So I guess that was the silver lining on the dark cloud."

Is it weird that I'm somewhat offended because I'm just finding about this now? For an engagement to happen, there has to be a relationship, right? So, why wasn't I informed as well?

"Shit," I mutter, unnie shooting me a look of disapproval. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

She curtly shakes her head. "No one knew—well, at least in our family."

I had no idea that my sister carried such a big burden, and we weren't there for her. Shit. "How'd you bounce back after something like that?"

Seo Yeon shrugs and purses her lips. "I don't know, maybe I'm just used to working on myself that I just treated it as a setback. I know that I don't owe that asshole my life, not that I'm saying I didn't wallow in sadness like you."

Like I said before, Seo Yeon and I are similar in a lot of ways—I'm just the factory-reject version of her. Damaged goods or whatever.

She flicks a grain of rice at me, returning me to my senses. "Are you even listening to me?" I don't respond; the way the light bounces of the marble enthralls me as she clicks her tongue. "Aigoo, no wonder Nayeon-ssi left."

I know unnie's merely joking, but hearing that name makes me glare at her.

"Sorry," she says as she takes a sip. "I just want you to know that it isn't the end of the world. Sure, you needed her push, but at the end of the day, you're the one who acted upon those choices. Mom, Dad, Seungyeon-unnie, and your studies...it's all you."

Hearing these words, I can't help but wonder: I am really this short-sighted? What is it with other people making my shit so simple?

"Besides, if the two of you ever see each other again, would you rather be a proud doctor, or a bum who's not even spending her own money to get wasted? Think about it."

"Sorry, unnie."

Seo Yeon gets up and starts washing her dishes. "Finish that up. You still have classes. And, for God's sake, please take a shower."

She's right—I don't need Nayeon anymore. I only need myself.