𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧ˡᵉᵉ ʲᵉⁿᵒ

13

As much as it broke her heart, Jinhee wanted Jeno all for herself. Sure, the fake dating thing had been going on for a few weeks now and she finally realised her feelings for him stayed ever since she was rejected on Valentine's day. She barely figured why she liked him. Jeno was handsome, tall with a gleam of mischief hinting in his eyes and Jinhee was lean and beautiful, a perfect textbook couple. Ever since Jeno stepped into her little bubble she called life, she payed no attention to other important things. 

Thinking about him upset her gravely, and after she decided to leave her house at four in the morning without eating something, she regretted her choice. She should've just stayed in her room and continued to sleep. Doing anything else other than obsessing about whether Jeno liked her or not sounded better at that moment. 

As she drove in the empty streets, she peered down the road to check how far she wanted to go. She didn't know how many more miles she wanted to keep driving while trying to hold her tears in. It all felt useless. She felt useless.

Conversations she shared with her mother, father and Jeno started to pour into her mind. Her vision wobbled violently and her hearing became muffled, sounds then dropping out completely with a piercing high pitched ring. Jinhee examined her empty surroundings unsteadily, her heart pounding against her ribcage. Her breath caught in her throat as a sharp pain pierced through her heaving chest.

She saw lights, empty food stalls, closed restaurants which didn't look welcoming.

Her mind raced back to Jeno, him being the last person in her mind as she continued to bear the pain in her chest. She decided to peel off from her car and stagger to the nearest bench but before none of that could happen, she lost control of the steering wheel and crashed against a large cherry blossom tree, causing the almost bloomed petals to rain. The scenery mirrored a beautiful tragedy.

A beautiful girl dying in a beautiful car as the beautiful tree wept petals.

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Yuhwa was panicking, holding Jeno's hand tightly on her lap as she waited in front of the ICU room. Her heart hadn't stopped beating fast ever since she heard the news. The girl had to rush as soon as possible, not caring about the wall that was separating her and her former best friend.  

"How long has she been in there?" Jeno asked Jinhee's mother, who didn't show any emotion.

"Two hours." She answered and her voice didn't betray her either. Yuhwa had the urge to punch some sense into the woman and yell at her. But she couldn't even lift a finger.

It was like déja vu. A familiar scene repeating once more as she recalled the same incident that happened a few years ago to her dead best friend.

"She can't die...Jeno, if she dies—"

"Shhh, calm down. She won't die." Jeno whispered into her ear, pulling the girl into a gentle hug.

"I can't lose her too, Jeno. No matter how much I hated her, I still don't want her to die the same way Ivy did." Yuhwa sobbed, burying her face into his shoulder.

Jeno let her weep. "The doctors are doing their best. You need to put your trust in them."

"This is all your fault." A female voice thundered.

Yuhwa pulled away from Jeno and stared at Jinhee's mother, whose face still stayed emotionless.

"She must have been driving insanely somewhere. I forbade her from ever touching her car and she still didn't listen to me. You are at fault Yuhwa. You killed my daughter and her best friend." The woman spat. "You and your brother taught my child to use a car for wrong reasons and I will never forgive you for stepping into her innocent life."

"Mrs.Lee, we don't know why she crashed—" (Jinhee's last name is Kim btw)

"Jeno, sweetie. I suggest you to stay out of this." Her eyes trailed down to their intertwined fingers. "And stay away from this girl. She's trying to steal you away from my daughter."

Jeno took a deep breath. He hated parents who always bring useless arguments in situations like these. He didn't care how he looked infront of the woman he was supposed to respect, Yuhwa needed comfort and he was ready to offer anything she wanted. Even if it means he was going to blow up Jinhee's lie about them dating.

"Leave right now. I don't want to see a murderer." The woman whispered before walking back to her original seat.

Yuhwa stopped crying and stood up, peeling herself off Jeno and marching towards the exit. Jeno ran after her and pulled her into an empty corner, where no patients or doctors lingered.

"Are you alright?" A stupid question but he had to ask nevertheless.

Yuhwa shook her head and leaned against the wall slowly. She wasn't dead but she definitely looked the part.

"I don't want to go home. I don't want to go anywhere." She spoke, her voice hoarse from all the crying.

"I'll drive you to mine. Rest there until I come back, okay?" He asked, gently taking her hands in his and leading her towards the parking area. "I can ask Donghyuck, Chenle or Jaem—"

"No." Yuhwa shook her head. She didn't need them. They weren't Jeno. But Jeno was needed at the hospital, where he was supposed to be worrying about Jinhee. "I can stay alone. Just make sure to keep me updated about her."

"I will." He offered her a reassuring smile before starting his car.

As soon as they were in front of Jeno's house, he leaned closer to leave a small kiss on her forehead. If they were hanging out normally with no Jinhee drama, Yuhwa would've flushed like a tomato. But given the terrible situation, all she could do was nod before exiting the car.

"You know my code." Jeno said, still seat belted to his seat. "Go take a bath if you want, if it helps you relax. You can wear anything of mine. There's some fried rice in my fridge, make sure to heat it up before eat—"

"Thank you, Jeno. I'll take care of myself." Yuhwa couldn't bring herself to smile. "You should take care too. I'll see you soon, okay?"

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I've missed writing. Finally summer break so I can update more :)