Y/N's POV:
The neon lights of the city blurred into streaks of color as I walked beside Hyein.
The air buzzed with the quiet energy of a Friday night, the smell of street food and exhaust blending into a comforting, familiar aroma.
We were silent, the rhythm of our footsteps the only sound between us.
Usually, this quiet wasn't so heavy. We'd be arguing about a new game, or I'd be trying (and failing) to decipher her intricate web of metaphors, but tonight, everything felt different. A storm was brewing in Hyein's eyes, a storm I couldn't understand.
We'd been friends since kindergarten, a bond forged through shared playground scrapes and whispered secrets.
She was the epitome of perfection, or at least that's what everyone thought. Top of her class, effortlessly charming, and radiating an air of cool composure.
She was everything I wasn't — a star in a world where I felt like a dust mote, lost in the vast universe.
We were heading towards the abandoned warehouse where we usually spent our Fridays. It was our secret spot, a place for silly arguments and stolen kisses under the flickering light of the warehouse's single, dangling bulb.
Tonight, though, the air was thick with unspoken tension, the usual playful banter replaced by a crushing silence.
"What's wrong?" I finally blurted out, the question hanging between us like a lead weight.
Hyein sighed, her shoulders slumping like she was carrying the weight of the world. "Nothing," she mumbled, but her voice betrayed her, laced with a sorrow that tugged at my heart.
"Don't lie to me." I stopped walking, my hand reaching out to gently touch her arm. "I know how to read you, Hyein. You're a book with every page cracked open."
She pulled away abruptly, her eyes flashing with a fierce anger that was equally strange and terrifying. "It's nothing, Y/N," she repeated, her voice brittle. "Just... a bad day."
"What happened?" I pressed, my voice soft, desperate to break through her wall of silence.
Her gaze fell to the ground, her fingers fidgeting nervously. "Nothing you need to worry about."
The warehouse was looming in the distance, a shadow against the backdrop of the city's neon lights. Even though it was our sanctuary, it seemed to mock our silent struggle tonight.
"It does, Hyein," I said, my voice firm. "It's always about something with you. Don't try to shut me out."
She finally turned to me, her face a mask of pain. "I'm just a loser," she whispered, her voice barely a tremor.
My heart stuttered. I'd never seen Hyein like this, broken and raw, revealing a vulnerable side I hadn't known existed.
The girl who always had a plan, who never faltered, was admitting to her own imperfections.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice hesitant.
"I'm not perfect," she continued, her gaze flickering away from mine. "I'm just… a mess."
"Don't say that," I said, my heart aching. "You're… you're amazing."
She scoffed, a hollow sound that pierced my ears. "You think so?" She asked, bitterness lacing her voice.
"Yes," I said, my voice firm. "You’re brilliant, kind, and the most loyal person I know."
She looked at me, her eyes searching for honesty. "You just say that to make me feel better."
