Strings & Stitches

Chapter 14

Bora spent a few more hours with Gahyun after what happened, before she needed to leave for work. The nurse said her sister needed to rest anyway, and Bora would see her right before the operation the next day.

She couldn't grasp how fast this day came, and she didn't expect to be this anxious. 50/50 chance of the surgery going perfectly... just the thought of that made her stomach twirl.

And even though she almost hated herself for having particular thoughts while her sister was in a situation like this, her mind also couldn't help but replay the kiss that happened in Siyeon's office.

It's not like the event had come as a complete surprise. There was always something special and weird about the doctor. But was this really the time?

She shook her head to get everything out of her head, not wanting to break down those thoughts right now. But when she was heading inside of the club, two more stressful things came to mind. The first being the bill for the operation that would eventually arrive and the second being that she'd meet Seungyeon as soon as she stepped inside the backstage area. Two things she wasn't particularly excited about right now...

She has been collecting money for weeks, and she did have enough for the surgery itself already, but after that Gahyun will be out of the hospital, and she will most probably need much more stuff, and the idea of swiftly changing this job without Gahyun noticing was suddenly out of the window.

She made her way straight up towards the changing room, not stopping by the bar nor saying anything else to Handong. The bartender probably had her doubts about what happened today, and if she wasn't even ready to think, she definitely wouldn't be able to talk about it.

The amazing thing about Handong as a friend was that she was good at reading someone. So instead of calling her out on not saying anything, the woman just let her be.

When Bora stepped inside of the changing room, the hope that Seungyeon was already working quickly disappeared. Her eyes landed on the back of a woman who was unmistakably Seungyeon fixing her hair whilst looking in the mirror. The same mirror they were now locking eyes in.

Bora cleared her throat, not liking the way she felt so awkward and uncomfortable all of a sudden. She has been really close friends with Seungyeon lately, and she never wished for that to change, but this whole situation was messing with her head.

She made her way to the table without saying anything and started to fix her makeup.

The silence was unbearable for the two women who were usually rather loud. Only Seungyeon was the first one to crack under it. "Are you angry at me as well?" She figured that was the case since she clearly took the blame for everything that happened.

Bora threw a glance at the woman who was now looking at her straight in the eyes, not from the mirror. She frowned, "I'm not mad at anyone"

"Then why are you being distant?" The least she could have done was greet her or say anything at all. But that didn't happen. "I already tried to apologize but you weren't picking up my call earlier."

Bora returned her gaze to the mirror, although the mascara stayed frozen in her hand, not moving. "I was with my sister, in the hospital," She said, sighing. "What exactly do you think you have to apologize for?"

Bora didn't have any idea about Seungyeon doing all of this on purpose, so for her, this was just an accidental awkwardness for all of them.

She still wanted to hear the explanation, though.

"For ruining the evening? I might've overstepped with Siyeon and that blew up in my face." The woman sighed, debating if she should just tell Bora the entire truth. Maybe it would turn things even more awkward, but she didn't feel good about lying to her friend. "I-... had a reason"