Forbidden Longings | Seulrene AU

Chapter XVIII (✓)

Seulgi sat in the back, her fingers tapping nervously on the floor under her as she waited for Joohyun to return. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, and the faint ringing in her ears had dulled but remained a constant reminder of the danger they faced. She glanced at the door for the hundredth time, hoping to see Joohyun walk through it.

Minutes turned into what felt like hours, and Seulgi's worry grew. She knew Joohyun was capable, but the uncertainty gnawed at her. With a determined exhale, she tried to gather her strength. She couldn't sit idle any longer.

Slowly, she stood up, her legs trembling slightly from the earlier strain. The ringing was faint now, more of an annoyance than a debilitating pain. She steadied herself against the table, taking a few deep breaths.

"I have to find her..", Seulgi mumbled to herself.

Seulgi made her way to the door, glancing around the empty restaurant one last time before stepping out into the bustling streets. The festive atmosphere of the Founder's Day event felt surreal, given the urgency and danger she felt. She moved through the crowd, her eyes scanning for any sign of Joohyun.

The ringing in her ears persisted, a constant whisper of caution, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. Her focus was on finding Joohyun and ensuring her safety. She wove through the throngs of people, her heart pounding with each step.

As she neared the main event area, she tried to blend in as much as she could to not raise any alarms. Then when she was at the center of the event, she tapped into her abilities and began sniffing the air with her eyes shut.

Now trying to censor out every other smell in the area to find Joohyun's natural scent that Seulgi fell in love with. After a few seconds of standing there in silence, she picked up the faint scent of the older and immediately opened her eyes with a small smile.

"There you are."

===

Joohyun and Yeri trudged deeper into the forest, the dense canopy above them filtering the sunlight into a mosaic of shadows on the forest floor. The path Yeri followed seemed to stretch endlessly, and Joohyun's doubt grew with each step.

"Are you sure this is the right way?", Joohyun asked, glancing around nervously.

"It feels like we're heading to a dead end.", Joohyun added shortly after and Yeri turned to her, her expression resolute.

"Trust me, unnie. The magic never fails us. We just need to keep going, the path hasn't reached its end.", Yeri responded and Joohyun nodded, trying to quell the rising anxiety in her chest.

She trusted Yeri, but the unfamiliarity of the forest and the dire situation made it hard to suppress her doubts. Just as she was about to voice her concerns again, something caught her eye.

"There!", Joohyun exclaimed, pointing to a small opening in the dense foliage.

Yeri's eyes followed Joohyun's finger, and they both saw it: a narrow staircase descending into the ground, almost hidden by the overgrown vegetation. Relief and curiosity washed over them as they exchanged a look.

"This has to be it..", Yeri murmured a sense of certainty in her voice.

"I can feel the connection with Krystal getting stronger. This is where the path ends.", Yeri claimed and looked at Joohyun with confidence.