The Reason ~ Chaerji

3

Third Person POV

The next few weeks were the same. But for some reason, to Chaeryeong, this same was... happy? She had never once since the accident gotten up, knowing the day was probably going to be the same as the day before and had actually looked forward to it.

Today, like any other, the girl drove to the dance studio and began warming up. But this time, something was on her mind. Soon after, Yeji walked in, and they talked.

"Hey! How was your day?"

"Fine," Chaeryeong muttered.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing... it's just... never mind."

"What? You can tell me."

"It's nothing, okay? Just forget it," Chaeryeong almost yelled, and she felt bad afterward.

"Oh, okay..." Yeji seemed kind of disappointed and walked away.

The two didn't talk the rest of class, and Chaeryeong felt tons of guilt. After class, she went up to the older in the locker room. Yeji glanced up at her.

"Yeah?"

She took a deep breath. Things like this were always hard for her. Not the apologizing part, Chaeryeong was great at that, but the approaching-someone-while-they're-mad-at-you part was a lot more difficult.

"I-I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier," She said. She was going to add more, but that would require her to tell the girl why she had been so angry earlier, and Chaeryeong couldn't do that.

"It's okay. You're stressed, I get it," Chaeryeong breathed a sigh of relief when the girl stopped. She wouldn't ask about-

"Can you tell me what was bothering you?" She asked. Chaeryeong sighed.

"I guess, but can we go somewhere where we're not surrounded by the girls?" Yeji nodded.

The girls finished getting ready, and they went to the parking lot under the awning. They sat down on the bench.

"M-me... me and my sisters, we're really close... and-and my sister's mad at me..."

"Why?"

"I-I..." She stopped talking and looked up at Yeji with pain-filled eyes.

"What is it? You can tell me, okay?" Yeji tried to reasure her.

"F-for... not eating enough..." She said finally, and the older rubbed her hand up and down Chaeryeong's back.

"She's right, yknow. You really should eat, and a lot, too. 3 meals a day."

Chaeryeong looked down nervously, biting her lip. "I-I... I just can't, okay?"

Yeji pulled the girl into a tight hug. Chaeryeong started crying her eyes out to her friend. After a little while, she calmed down.

"Why?"

"Wh-what?"

"Why can't you eat?"

There was a moment of silence. Then the younger spoke.

"Look at me, Unnie. I'm so fat, so ugly, I have stitches and scars everywhere. The only thing I can control out of that list it the fat part, and... if I just stop eating, maybe that will go away, then maybe everything else will."

Yeji's heart broke. Sure, she had known the girl for a few weeks, but this was the first time they'd had an interaction like that. She didn't know how hard Chaeryeong had it.

"Oh, Chaery, don't say that. Don't ever say that, okay? You're so beautiful, so beautiful, and if anything, those "scars" make you even prettier. You don't need to lose any weight, okay? You're beautiful just the way you are."

Yeji looked at the girl to see if she had taken what she said in, but her face was blank.

"What's wrong?"

"D-did... did you just call me 'Chaery'?'" Yeji paused. Had she made the girl uncomfortable?

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I will never-" Chaeryeong covered her mouth.

"It's okay, I-I like it... kinda," Chaeryeong gave Yeji her warm smile. Yeji loved it. I was a ray of sunshine reminding her to be happy every chance she got.

"Okaay, hey, listen to me," Yeji said, lightly pulling the younger's chin towards herself.

"You're not fat, and not ugly. You're so, so pretty and so, so perfect. Okay?"

Chaeryeong nodded. Yeji thought it wasn't enough. "And you will never starve yourself, never again, okay? You deserve to be happy, to eat carefree and because you enjoy what you're eating. Okay?"

Chaeryeong nodded again. It still wasn't enough. "Hmm, and you should come out to lunch with me on Saturday before class at the strip mall downtown. Just so that I know you're eating well enough, okay?"

Chaeryeong giggled and saluted Yeji. "Yes, ma'am."

Yeji giggled. "See you tomorrow, Chaeryeong!" She said and waved her goodbye, before getting up and walking to her car, admiring the beautiful scene in front of her that was the lake, already looking forward to her... hangout? With Chaeryeong.