𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐬 | 𝐍𝐢-𝐊𝐢

EPISODE4

NI-KI P.O.V

I slumped into my chair a few rows behind them, pretending to be engrossed in the scribbles on my notebook, but I couldn't fool myself. My eyes kept darting back to Aecha and Jaehwan, the new student who seemed to be settling in far too easily. Each time they laughed, a bitter pang of jealousy tightened in my chest, making it hard to breathe. I had been trying so hard to keep my distance, to ignore Aecha after our fight, but seeing her with him, so effortlessly happy, felt like a punch in the gut.

Every smile she shared with him twisted the knife in my heart deeper, reminding me of how things used to be between us. The anger that had flared during our argument had long since fizzled out, leaving behind a heavy, aching sadness that I couldn't seem to shake. It gnawed at me, growing stronger with every passing day, especially now that Jaehwan was always by her side. He was charming and friendly, the kind of guy who drew people in without even trying. And Aecha... she seemed to be one of those people.

When Ms. Suhyeon asked me to help arrange some new books in the library, I was more than eager for the distraction. But the moment I stepped inside, my heart dropped. There they were again—Aecha and Jaehwan—laughing together as they flipped through one of the books. My hand clenched around the book I was holding, my nails digging into the cover.

I forced a laugh, a sound so hollow it almost hurt, and walked over to them. As soon as Aecha noticed me, her smile faltered, and the laughter that had been lighting up her eyes dimmed. That brief reaction sent a flicker of satisfaction through me, but it was quickly overshadowed by the hurt bubbling up inside.

Jaehwan must've felt the tension because he tried to defuse the situation with a joke, but I wasn't in the mood. I grabbed a stack of books, my gaze locked on Aecha, my eyes silently asking all the questions that had been swirling in my mind for weeks. Why him? Why now? Was I really that easy to forget?

We started arranging the books in silence, the tension between us palpable. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. The words spilled out before I could stop them.

"So, this is what you wanted, hmm?" I said, my voice colder than I intended.

Aecha froze, her hand hovering over a book, and slowly looked up at me, her eyes wide with surprise. I pressed on, the bitterness lacing my tone as I asked again, "Is this what you wanted, Aecha? To replace me with someone else?"

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out at first. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft, pleading. "Ni-Ki, it's not what you think—"

"Not what I think?" I scoffed, slamming a book down on the table. "You wanted nothing to do with me, and now you're here, cozying up to him like I never existed!"

Jaehwan tried to step in, his tone calm but firm. "Ni-Ki, this isn't the place to—"

"Stay out of this," I snapped, not even sparing him a glance. "This is between me and her."

Aecha gulped, her eyes reflecting the turmoil that matched my own. "Ni-Ki," she whispered, "you're the one who wanted us to pretend we didn't exist to each other. You're the one who walked away."

"I never did," I said, stepping closer, my voice shaking with the weight of the emotions I'd been holding back. "I never wanted to. But you made me feel like I was the problem, like everything was my fault!"

My voice cracked, the pain finally spilling over. Weeks of confusion, anger, and sadness—all of it pouring out in those few, raw words. Jaehwan placed a comforting hand on Aecha's shoulder, and something inside me snapped. Without thinking, I slapped his hand away, glaring at him with a fury I hadn't known I possessed.