Street Racer || Yang Jungwon

°•♡•° / 52

—— Jungwon

A pounding headache greeted me as I opened my eyes. Disoriented, I quickly realized I had fallen off the couch. With a groan, I pushed myself up and rubbed my temples, trying to alleviate the intense hangover.

As I sat up, my eyes fell on Seori, who was asleep at the end of the couch, her head resting awkwardly on the armrest while she sat on the floor. Confusion and a mix of emotions surged through me. What the hell was she doing here?

Ignoring the questions swirling in my mind, I stood up slowly, trying to steady myself. I needed water and a painkiller. Stumbling into the kitchen, I filled a glass with water and grabbed a couple of pills from the cabinet. As I gulped down the water, I heard Seori stir behind me.

"Jungwon," she called softly, her voice still heavy with sleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, clearly disoriented. "You're awake."

I didn't respond, focusing instead on taking another sip of water. I didn't have the energy for this, not after last night.

She got up and approached me, her eyes wide with concern. "Jungwon, I need to explain about the picture—"

I cut her off, my tone sharp. "I don’t want to hear it, Seori."

She blinked, taken aback by the harshness in my voice. "But it’s not what you think. Jiyeon—"

I slammed the glass down on the counter, the sound echoing in the quiet kitchen. "Now I know how your 'coffee meetings' look like," I snapped. The image of her and Daejin 'kissing' burned in my mind. Betrayal and anger coursed through me, overpowering the remnants of my hangover.

Her eyes filled with tears, and she took a step closer. "Jungwon, please, listen to me. Jiyeon has been blackmailing me with that picture. She set it up to look like we were kissing, but I swear I didn’t kiss him."

I crossed my arms, leaning against the counter. "And I’m supposed to believe that?"

She wiped her tears away, her voice trembling. "Yes, because it’s the truth. Jiyeon has been threatening to send that picture to you and my mom if I didn’t break up with you. I was trying to protect us."

"Protect us?" I scoffed. "By hiding things from me? By letting me find out through a fucking picture?"

She flinched at my words, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "I was scared, Jungwon. I didn't know what to do."

I turned away from her, staring out the window. "Maybe you should’ve trusted me enough to tell me the truth from the start."

A heavy silence fell between us. I could hear her sniffling behind me, but I didn't turn around. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, each one more confusing than the last.

"Jungwon," she said softly, her voice broken. "I love you. I never wanted to hurt you. Please, believe me."

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push away the pain. "I need time, Seori. I can’t just forget what I saw."

She nodded, though I couldn't see her. "I understand. I’ll go."

I heard her footsteps retreating, and then the door closed softly behind her. The silence in the apartment was deafening.

I sat back down on the couch, my head in my hands. I had no idea how to process everything. Part of me wanted to believe her, to trust that she was telling the truth. But the other part, the part that felt betrayed, couldn't let go of that image.