the forbidden embrace

8

miyeon set the first aid kit aside, slightly turning nicha so that she was facing her.

"please be honest with me min.. no more lies okay? i don't care what it is... i'll get through this with you." miyeon pleaded, tearing up slightly too, holding nicha's sweaty palm in hers.

"i'm sorry..." nicha inhaled, rubbing away her tears. she didn't even get why she was crying so much. was she upset that she ruined their friendship? or maybe potentially ruined it? or was she sad miyeon was injured because of her? she didn't know herself too.

with the encouragement from miyeon, who was gently caressing her hand, she finally began talking.

"minnie is just a name i use, my real name is nicha yontararak... i... i'm part of the yontararak clan..." all the lies that nicha had initially thought about telling miyeon was all gone.

"and well, my father thinks highly of me, so i'm second in charge of well you know..." nicha's voice considerably lowered. she avoided eye contact from miyeon. she expected miyeon to run away when she said it, but she needed her to know... "our mafia business..."

"the people you saw, they were our competitors for a drug deal... i don't take part in drug sales... i stay out of it.. i swear yeon..." the younger girl had already begun hyperventilating in fear, and miyeon was heartbroken. sure, she was confused, scared of how their friendship would play out, upset and angry at the same time.

nonetheless, she brought nicha closer to her, engulfing her into a tight hug. "i'm sad nicha... no i'm upset... we're friends... i thought this was the bare minimum. you trusting me... apparently you don't, and that hurts me so so much." miyeon was crying a little too, emptying her tears on nicha's shoulder.

"but at the same time, i love us. i won't give up what we have now. even if it means you're a mafia. i want to be friends with you forever. i won't forsake you now just because you're in trouble... trust me min, or should i say nicha?"

nicha nodded into the hug, as miyeon smiled a little, resting her head on nicha's.

the two just remained in that position, nicha's soft sobs still audible. miyeon wasn't afraid at all by the fact nicha was from the mafia. she was definitely upset, but she wanted to be there for her friend, like how she was always there for her.

she held onto nicha tightly, just like how nicha did whenever she cried to her. nicha must have been so brave. it probably wasn't easy to be a mafia, or rise so high in ranks for a mafia. she must have went through so much.

"i'm here for you min, you can count on me..." miyeon's words were touching to say the least. this just made nicha cry even harder. she didn't feel like she deserved this saint.

nicha was laying against miyeon's chest, sitting between both of her legs, while the older caressed her hair gently.

"how is it like to be a mafia min?" miyeon asked softly, taking one of nicha's hands into hers. she wanted nicha to open up. she wanted her relationship to be about the both of them, and not just her.

"scary. very scary. i don't know when my clan might offend somebody, and if they do, i don't know when i would be killed. but i never dabbled in the prostitution, human trafficking and drug trafficking part... i killed a few people before, but that's because they killed tens or hundreds of my people. i never take the first blow..."

"when i was young, my father trained me up for this. my elder brother bambam, he was supposed to take over, but he had nothing like a mafia would have. he couldn't fight, he didn't think quickly, he did try, but father never acknowledged him. i don't know why too, but i did very well when i was young, so father deemed me as the next in line after him..."

"i used to like this line of work. i felt in control. yet i had no friends. i was always so.. i don't know.. frustrated easily. my line of work and me being at the top of it all made me kind of complacent. i was easily upset at anything... and so nobody got close to me..."

"but it changed when i met you... i don't know why too. i just liked being with you, if that isn't weird?"

"and even that time, when you thought i got hit by your car, i didn't... i was just beaten up by some other gang, and my legs lost its strength... i didn't tell you because i was scared you would leave.. you would push me away too... i'm sorry yeon..."

miyeon was taking everything in much better than she expected. she felt pain for the younger girl. she hated how minnie had been through so much but she didn't show the slightest indication of it. she never showed her fragile side to miyeon, and had to deal with all the little rants miyeon gave, which was probably nothing to the life she led.

her ray of sunshine. her protector. she felt happy that nicha was finally opening up to her. she wanted to be the one to protect nicha this time. to stand by her, to love her like nicha did with her.

"i'll never leave you min... even if you told me to, i would never... you've been through so much. i wish i was there with you then, but i'm here with you now. you can count on me, nicha." hearing her own, real name made nicha even more touched. she really didn't deserve miyeon.

she turned, hugging miyeon tightly, as miyeon hugged back, patting her back while leaving kisses on her head, mouthing many "i got you"s, as nicha slowly calmed down.

"thank you..." nicha whispered through tears, while miyeon gave a hum of acknowledgement.