I'M (NOT) MARRIED || YUCHAE

THIRTY-FOUR

chp. 34

A day had passed, but Yuna couldn't get Chaeryeong off her mind, and neither did Chaeryeong.

Since Yuna had set boundaries once again, they were no longer sharing the same bed, and that intensified the feelings of emptiness and regret consuming Yuna's every waking moment. She missed Chaeryeong's warmth beside her, the way they used to entwine their fingers as they fell asleep, and the beauty she would wake up to.

Yuna found herself staring up at the ceiling, ignoring the calls from Kazuha about her upcoming events and fundraisers she had to attend. She no longer had the motivation to work, not this week.

She could feel the regret urging her to make things right, but the overwhelming fear held her back.

After a few more moments of sulking, her door swung open with force. At first, she thought it was Chaeryeong barging in to confront her, but that seemed unlikely. Yuna was surprised to see Jisu and Ningning at her door.

"Jisu? Ningning? How did you guys unlock-"

"I can lockpick, you know," Ningning smirked, showing the bobby pin in between her fingers before she stepped in and closed the door.

Meanwhile, Jisu stood there with her arms crossed, wearing a stern expression. She almost resembled her mother. "Care to explain your situation?"

"The photo isn't real, right?" Ningning lifted a brow, slowly approaching the model sitting on the bed, dumbfounded. "You wouldn't do that."

Yuna's eyes darted to Jisu, expecting a response from her, but she remained silent. The actress let out a sigh, swung her legs off the bed, and let them touch the cold yet comfortable carpet on the floor. Her gaze fell downward.

"Yeah."

Jisu groaned and quickly walked toward Yuna. She pushed Yuna's head back with a finger. "Then why didn't you tell Chaeryeong? She's devastated!"

Yuna flinched at the forceful contact from Jisu, her eyes filling with guilt and remorse. "I... I didn't know how to face her. I was jealous, and instead of talking to her, I pushed her away. Like I always do," she muttered the last part.

The other two were slightly taken aback from her honesty.

Ningning crossed her arms, her expression softening slightly. "Yuna, you know better than anyone that communication is key in any relationship. Keeping silent and assuming things will only lead to misunderstandings and hurt."

Yuna exhaled and waved her hand in the air, her mouth hung open as she tried to find the correct words to deliver what she felt, but she failed to form a simple sentence.

Jisu noticed how stressed and drained the usually-well-organized model looked, sent Ningning a knowing look, then sighed out of sympathy.

"Maybe you need a break."

——

"I thought a break would mean an actual break?" Yuna muttered under her breath, squinting from all the camera flashes directed at her and her best friends.

Ningning raised a teasing brow and playfully nudged her. "You should feel lucky that we're both coming with you."

"Enough talk, let's get going before the next car pulls up," Jisu hurried them, pushing them toward the entrance.