𝓢𝓱𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓫𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓼 | 𝓑𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓴 | 𝓢𝓚𝓩 | 𝓘𝓽𝔃𝔂 |

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 2: 𝓑𝓮𝓽𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓵 𝓸𝓯 𝓕𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓹

The locker room was dimly lit, the air heavy with the scent of stale gym clothes and disinfectant. I had come here to collect my things after an exhausting practice, hoping to clear my head from the tension that had been hanging over me for weeks. But as I turned the corner, ready to leave, my steps faltered. There, just a few lockers away, stood Areum, talking in hushed tones. Her voice was soft at first, barely audible above the hum of the overhead lights, but as I moved closer, I caught the venom dripping from her words.

"They're such idiots. So fake, always pretending to be nice. I can't believe they don't even realize how pathetic they look, clinging to their popularity like it's everything," she sneered, her voice filled with contempt.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. She was talking about them—my friends, my family. Blackpink. The people who had stood by my side through everything, who had shared in my joy and wiped away my tears. How could Areum say those things about them, the same people she pretended to care about, the same ones she'd wormed her way into befriending?

My blood boiled as her words echoed through the small space. I wanted to walk away, to pretend I hadn't heard anything, but the longer I stood there, the more my anger surged. Areum had already done enough damage to my friendships. Now, here she was, ripping them apart behind their backs with the same smile she used to win them over. The sheer audacity of it made me feel sick to my stomach.

I had seen through her facade from the beginning, but they hadn't. They had welcomed her with open arms, oblivious to the poison she was spreading, too caught up in her charm to notice the subtle digs she made about me, the little lies she planted to twist their perceptions. But this—this was different. This wasn't just manipulation. This was cruelty, pure and simple.

Before I could stop myself, my feet moved of their own accord, carrying me into the locker room with a fury I couldn't contain. My heart pounded in my chest, and my vision blurred slightly with the red-hot anger coursing through me. Areum's head snapped up, her eyes wide with surprise as she saw me standing there, fists clenched at my sides.

"You don't get to talk about them like that!" I shouted, my voice trembling with rage.

For a moment, there was silence. The shock on Areum's face quickly turned to something else—something colder, calculating—but I didn't notice. All I could see was the image of her standing there, spitting venom about the people I cared about, tearing them apart with her words.

My hand moved faster than my mind could process, swinging out before I had the chance to think it through. The sharp crack of my palm connecting with her cheek echoed through the locker room, the sound bouncing off the metal walls. Areum's head snapped to the side, her eyes wide in shock. For a second, I stood frozen, my own heart pounding in my ears as the reality of what I'd just done sank in.

Her reaction came almost instantly. Her hand flew to her cheek, her eyes welling up with tears as she let out a soft, pitiful sob. The sight of her crying, her face crumpled into a mask of vulnerability, was so out of place with the sharp, cruel person I had just overheard that I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"You—she hit me!" Areum's voice trembled, her hand clutching her reddened cheek. Tears streamed down her face as she took a step back, her body language radiating fear and pain. "She slapped me because I was just talking to you guys!"

I stood there, rooted to the spot, as the adrenaline that had fueled my outburst quickly faded, leaving behind a cold sense of horror. My mind raced to catch up with what had just happened. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I hadn't meant to hit her—I hadn't meant to lose control. I had just wanted her to stop. To see the truth of what she was doing. But now, standing there watching her cry, I realized I had made a terrible mistake.