doppelgänger

twenty-five 💙

( present day )

Jihyo tugged off her face mask, nose scrunching at the sight of blood on her scrub that she might never get off. Today was busy. A school bus had skidded over a large puddle of ice and had tipped over, terribly injuring over twenty students and most of them had needed to be sent straight to the emergency room. She hoped that the person who had shoveled the ice together in the first place would get a good talking to.

"Hey," someone called to her.

"What?" She groaned, tired as she slumped against the front desk, "What do you want, Yujin?"

The younger woman set down the tool that she had been sharpening her nails with, a smug smile resting on her lips. "I killed her friend."

"You what?!" Jihyo slammed her hand on the table, "I told you to get that girl. Not her friend! Why can't you just follow directions?" She whisper-yelled, fuming, "I'm going to get you in jail for this..."

"And how?" she brushed a strand of her short-length hair behind her ear, unbothered by Jihyo's threat. "If someone asks me any questions, I'm going to tell them it was you."

Jihyo scoffed. "Whatever."

Yujin smiled, her gaze fixed on somewhere in the distance. "Killing our target would be so boring. We have to break her."

~

( present day )

"Why?"

"Because we have to," Soyeon repeats stubbornly, trying to move the kitchen table on top of the couch.

Yuqi let out a frustrated breath. "Baby, why?"

Soyeon froze to look at her. "That dog."

"What dog? We don't have a—"

"Jihyo has one!" Soyeon cut her off, going back to moving the table.

Yuqi stopped her, moving her forcefully away from the table and trapping her in a hug. "Jihyo's not here, so why?"

Soyeon guiltily turned away and tried to escape. "Let me gooo!!!"

"Soyeon!" Yuqi yelled after the woman scurrying back to her bedroom.

"I gave it to her!"

"You gave what to her?"

Soyeon frowned, backing into a corner. "My key."

"Your..." Yuqi's heart dropped, "key to the apartment?"

Soyeon nods, her pout growing. "I'm sorry, I know–"

"I still don't understand why we have to move the table," Yuqi interrupts, wanting to move past the topic of Jihyo. She wanted that name out of her mind because it haunted her. She wanted Soyeon to never mention her again but she seems like a daily topic of conversation and it's driving Yuqi crazy.

"So the dog won't get our pizza!" Soyeon huffed in annoyance, walking past Yuqi to go back to the kitchen.

Yuqi, still confused, walked into Soojin's room. Well, Shuhua and Soojin's room. "Hey, Soojin," she called for her friend cuddled up in her blankets. Maybe she knows about whatever's going on with Soyeon.

(soojin's pov)

She looks up lazily. "Hmm? What is it Shuhu—" her breath caught in her throat as she saw Yuqi standing there, not knowing what to say. Should I tell her? Should I let her hear it herself? What should I do??

"Yah," Yuqi flopped down next to her, "are you even listening?"

I can't lie to this precious puppy who's been taking care of my best friend... "Yuqi..." She starts, losing her words, "uh, Minnie called me."

Yuqi chuckled. "What, did Miyeon break up with her and she's trying to date you because she doesn't know about you and Shuhua?"

Soojin can't even protest because it's too serious.

She takes a deep breath.

"It's about Tzuyu."