Forbidden Longings | Seulrene AU

Chapter XXIII (✓)

Yeri had been moving around the house, checking on everyone to ensure they were okay given the dire circumstances. But something felt off. She hadn't seen Sooyoung in a while, and an unsettling feeling gnawed at her.

"Sooyoung?", Yeri called out, her voice echoing slightly in the house. There was no response.

She began to search each room, calling her name again and again. When she approached the garage door, she caught the faint sound of chanting and the unmistakable scent of something burning. Her heart raced as she opened the door to the garage.

The sight that met her eyes sent a shiver down her spine. Sooyoung was on the ground, surrounded by candles whose flames were growing larger and darker by the second. The fire had turned an ominous black, and the spell book in front of Sooyoung was flipping through its pages on its own.

"Sooyoung!", Yeri shouted in panic, rushing forward. She kicked the candles over, extinguishing the unnatural flames, and grabbed Sooyoung's shoulders, shaking her vigorously.

"Sooyoung, snap out of it!", Yeri exclaimed as she began slapping the older's cheeks.

Immediately, Sooyoung's eyes fluttered, and she gasped, her consciousness returning. Blood trickled from her nose, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. The book fell silent, its pages still.

The commotion had drawn the attention of the others. Joohyun, Seulgi, and Yongsun rushed into the garage, their expressions a mix of confusion and alarm.

"What's going on?", Joohyun asked urgently, kneeling beside the two and Yeri looked up, her face pale with fright and anger.

"She was messing with black magic again.", Yeri said, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and fury.

"She promised she wouldn't do this again!", Yeri added in frustration and Sooyoung pushed her hands away, her face set with determination despite her pale complexion and the blood still trickling from her nose.

"We need this to save Krystal.", Sooyoung insisted, standing up with a defiant look in her eyes. She clutched the spell book to her chest and started toward the door.

Yeri watched her go, a mix of frustration and helplessness etched on her face. She let out a long sigh and followed Sooyoung, her footsteps heavy with concern.

"Black magic?", Yongsun questioned as she looked at the other two.

"It's a long story.", Seulgi responded and went after the other two as Joohyun and Yongsun followed.

However, the trio reached the living room just in time to hear the heated argument between Yeri and Sooyoung. Both of them went back and forth as Yeri looked at the older in disbelief.

"Are you out of your mind?", Yeri shouted, her face flushed with anger.

"Black magic? Soo, we made a promise about this!", Yeri added as she raised her arms.

"I don't care! We're all trying to save Krystal, aren't we? So I found a way how to without us having to watch her die in front of us.", Sooyoung retorted, her voice trembling with both determination and fear.