The Other Woman→𝙆𝙏𝙃

[Three; Proposal]

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[TAEHYUNG]
[AGE TEN]

"Illy, please don't go."

She looks at me, her eyes glimmering with the same, if not more, desperation than mine. I grip the edge of our treehouse window, trying to hold onto something familiar. Ila stands across from me, her small suitcase beside her, a stuffed bunny poking out from the top.

"I don't want to go, Tae," she says softly. But I can't bring myself to believe her. The stubborn part of me clings to the bitter feeling of betrayal, convinced that it was too easy for her to leave me. That she didn't fight hard enough to stay.

I huff a breath. "I'm mad at you."

Her bottom lip trembles, and she reaches out to grab my hand. "No, please! Don't be mad."

Seeing her on the verge of tears breaks the madness swirling in my head. The last time I let the insanity take over was at Mum's funeral. And the first time I learned how to control it was when Ila fell off her bike, pushed by her hellion of a twin during her mid-tantrum. I never liked that girl, I only try to for the sake of Ila. But, she never fails to remind me every time exactly why we don't get along. 

She's insufferable.

"I'm not mad. Don't cry."

She shakes her head cutely. "You are. But I promise, Dad said we'll come back in two years! Time will fly, I promise!"

Two years feels like forever to me. It feels like a lifetime without my best friend. "Two years is too long, Illy."

She squeezes my hand tighter. "But we'll write letters and call, and I'll send you pictures. It'll be like I'm not even gone!"

I look down at our joined hands, trying to imagine a world where she's not here every day, where our treehouse is just mine and not ours. "It's not the same."

"I know," she whispers, her voice breaking. "But it's the best we can do. And when I come back, we'll have so many stories to tell each other."

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Promise me you'll come back. No matter what."

"I promise," she says, her voice firm despite the tears. "I promise, Tae."

She didn't keep her promise. 

The next time I saw her was six years later. And nothing was ever the same. 

And I blame one person for that— Y/n Sorve.

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[Y/N]
[PRESENT]

Ila hasn't been the same for the last two days. My twin intuition is buzzing, telling me that something is definitely wrong, but I can't quite put my finger on it. 

We came home from our parents' house an hour ago. It was our weekly dinner as a family, one I attended with great distaste. Normally after returning, we'd cook together or order takeaway while binge-watching Netflix. But today was different. Ila went straight to her room and locked herself in, leaving me with an unsettling silence and utter confusion. 

She's definitely keeping her distance from me. Otherwise, Ila never ignores me like this. 

What the hell is going on?

Ila is the type of person who likes space when things go south until she feels composed enough to talk. Most of the time, she seeks me out first when she is ready to confide in me. But I can't wait till she willingly comes to me. I'm done giving her space; it's been two days, for fuck's sake.