"Unnie, drink these vitamins first," Chaeyoung said, offering Jeongyeon a handful of brightly colored capsules.
Jeongyeon took them with a grateful murmur, washing them down with water. "You'll be out tomorrow morning," Chaeyoung smiled.
"Yeah, can't wait! Oh, bathroom first," Jeongyeon said, hopping out of bed.
Chaeyoung turned to organize Jeongyeon's medicine bag, the cheerful mood abruptly shattered by a sickening thud. "Unnie!"
Jeongyeon lay unconscious on the bathroom floor. Panic seized Chaeyoung as she frantically summoned the doctors.
Half an hour stretched into an eternity. Jeongyeon remained still, her stillness a heavy weight in the room. The doctors, after pronouncing Jeongyeon stable, departed, the cause of her collapse a mystery.
Chaeyoung sat on the bench outside, her mind reeling, when Mrs. Son stormed in. Before Chaeyoung could speak, a stinging slap landed across her face.
"You never learn, do you!?" Mrs. Son raged, her voice echoing through the hall. Slap after slap followed, each one a searing blow. Chaeyoung's lip split, blood welling up, painting her chin crimson. Mrs. Son, her fury spent, abruptly left, leaving Chaeyoung dazed and bleeding.
Dizzy and weak, Chaeyoung stumbled towards their apartment, her vision blurring. Mina appeared, her face etched with concern. "Chaey—what happened!?"
Before Mina could reach her, Chaeyoung collapsed, her body giving way to the exhaustion and trauma.
Chaeyoung awoke in Mina's room, surrounded by a sea of penguin plushies. The memory of the events hit her with the force of a physical blow. A bitter chuckle escaped her lips. "So I fainted again," she muttered.
The door opened, revealing Mina, carrying a first-aid kit. "Hey, are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, just anemic… What's that for?" Chaeyoung asked, watching Mina approach.
"Your lips…" Mina gently applied ointment to Chaeyoung's split lip.
Chaeyoung touched her lip, the bleeding stopped, but the wound remained a stark reminder of her ordeal. She tried to close the first-aid kit, but Mina's hand stopped her.
"Just let me do this."
Chaeyoung felt weak, her body trembling beneath Mina's touch. She hissed at the sting of the cotton, a small sound lost in the quiet room.
"Don't act tough when you're clearly in pain, kiddo," Mina teased, her voice soft yet firm.
"I'm not a kid," Chaeyoung retorted, but a wince escaped her lips as Mina dabbed the cotton more firmly.
"Arrgh, what the hell, Unnie!"
"Pfft, sorry. Come here, I'll be gentle," Mina chuckled, cupping Chaeyoung's face.
Their eyes met, inches apart. The air thrummed with unspoken feelings. Mina leaned in, her breath warm on Chaeyoung's face. Chaeyoung, however, ducked, their foreheads touching instead.
Mina watched, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes, as Chaeyoung bit her lip, her gaze downcast.
"Um… I guess that's enough, Unnie. Thanks," Chaeyoung mumbled, breaking the charged silence.
Mina, her face flushed, quickly gathered her supplies, leaving the room, the near-kiss hanging heavy in the air. The unspoken possibility lingered, a bittersweet echo in the quiet room.
____________
"Lalalalalala lalalalala lalalalala let's dance the night away🎶"
She tiptoe her way to the hall listening to the music in her ear.
The hall was dim-lighted, it was already night.
she walked around for a bit and decided to go back to her room, but to her surprise,
Her legs weakened as she held on to the iron bar beside her.
Her body plop down making her sit on the floor.
She winced feeling the excruciating pain in her legs.
She felt paralyzed for she can't even move her legs because of how painful it was.
She bit her lips trying to endure it.
The hall was empty, and no one was there to help her.
"What are you doing!?" She yelled as she purposely smack her legs.
"You're my legs, why are you betraying me!" she punched her legs as her tears flowed out of her eyes.
"Please... Stand up you idiot" She bites her lip as she continues to smack her legs again and again.
Her nose began to bleed again, she touched her nose feeling the blood gushing out.
She chuckled bitterly.
She harshly wiped it with her shirt.
She tried to stand up holding back her groans and winces, every step she take felt like she was walking on nails and broken glasses.
Her legs shaked, forehead damped in sweat as she tried to walk back to her room.
Her lips bled because of how hard she bit on it.
When she arrived at her door, she passed out.
_____________.
"Oh Mina~" Nayeon exclaimed, engulfing Mina in a bone-crushing hug.
"Unnie… my bones!" Mina protested, struggling to escape.
"Sorry," Nayeon chuckled, her smile fading as she noticed Mina's pale complexion. "Wait, you're so pale. Are you okay?"
"Eh? Maybe it's cold," Mina replied, her voice slightly strained.
"Hmm, maybe. Oh, by the way, wanna watch us rehearse later?" Nayeon asked, pulling Mina along.
"Oh, sure. But is it okay? I mean, that's a different department, right?" Mina questioned.
"Well, yeah. But I just wanna show you, y'know… maybe I can also pursue you to dump our department," Nayeon grinned, winking mischievously.
Mina rolled her eyes, letting Nayeon lead her into the building.
"Tada, we're here!" Nayeon announced, entering the music room.
Mina surveyed the vast space, filled with instruments.
"Wait, where's Chaeyoung?" Nayeon asked Jihyo, who turned around.
"Oh, you're here. Hi Minari," Jihyo greeted, setting down her headphones. "Chaeyoung's not here. She texted me earlier that she still has errands to run."
Mina nodded, avoiding eye contact with Jihyo. The near-kiss with Mina lingered, a silent weight between them. She watched Jihyo and Nayeon rehearse, the afternoon stretching into evening, Chaeyoung's absence a silent presence in the room. Later, Mina went to her own practice, the memory of Chaeyoung's pain, and their almost-kiss, a lingering ache in her heart.
YOU ARE READING
Home
FanfictionChaeyoung a girl who beams the brightest smile that could even light up a whole town, but behind those smile hides the deepest secrets that Mina would later on find out. How will this story ends.
