My gentle bully

Between you and my drean

The school festival loomed, just three days away.  The comic club members were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work. Jungwon, the club president, sat alone, wrestling with the challenges.  He hadn't lost hope, however, and immediately contacted Won Young, asking if she'd followed his instructions to reconcile Danielle and Haerin.

Won Young remained silent.  Jungwon sighed, tried again, but met with the same silence. He gave up, deciding not to press further.

Jay, noticing Jungwon's distress, approached him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry too much," Jay said calmly. "We still have plenty of time."

Jungwon felt immediate relief, touching Jay's hand on his shoulder and offering a small smile. Jay's face flushed crimson.

"Thank you, my friend," Jungwon said, "but we can't be careless. We only have three days left."

"I understand, Jungwon," Jay cleared his throat. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"Are you sure?" Jungwon asked.

"Yeah," Jay said gently. "Let me handle this, and you get some rest."

"Fine," Jungwon agreed. "But make sure you bring Danielle back as soon as possible."

"Follow your command, Your Highness," Jay bowed, his mock respect making Jungwon laugh.  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to retrieve our prince, even if he is a big piece of shit."  His annoyed tone only made Jungwon laugh harder.

"You're mean sometimes, Jay," Jungwon said.  "Go get our prince. His princess and mistress are waiting to bestow their reward."

"(Bruh)"

High in a tree, Danielle contemplated the past few days, her restlessness fueled by Haerin's avoidance and the weight of her actions toward Won Young.  She knew she couldn't undo what had happened, so she tried to push it aside.  But the guilt over Won Young gnawed at her.  She hadn't been arrested, but she knew what she'd done was wrong.  She needed to apologize.

She climbed down and headed for the canteen, unsure what she wanted to eat.  Spotting Won Young in the corridor, she decided to approach her there.

"Hey! What's your problem, Danielle? Why are you pulling me?" Won Young demanded, irritated.

Danielle stopped and faced her, shyly asking, "Can you forgive me for what I did?"

"There's no need," Won Young replied. "Isn't it enough that I didn't report you and send you to jail?"

Danielle felt the lingering anger, and even though Won Young hadn't pressed charges, the guilt remained.  Her mind replayed the assault, the violation, the way she'd used Won Young to forget about Haerin.  She couldn't stop apologizing.

"No, I won't stop until you forgive me," Danielle insisted.

Won Young remained silent, wanting to put it all behind her.

"Please, let me make amends," Danielle pleaded.

"You're just messing with my mind even more," Won Young said, her voice trembling.

"But—" Danielle persisted.

"Please, just let me go," Won Young said, fighting back tears.

"No," Danielle said hesitantly. "You're my responsibility now. I touched you, so let me make amends."

Danielle wasn't sure why she'd said that, but she decided not to question it.  If Won Young could forgive her, so could she.

Won Young's heart skipped a beat.  She processed Danielle's words, her face flushing.

"You're only saying that because you want to touch my body again," Won Young said, irritated.

"I won't do that again, I promise," Danielle said, raising her hand.

Won Young hesitated, but seeing the sincerity in Danielle's eyes, she agreed.

"Alright, I'll forgive you. But first, you should go back to the club. They're waiting."

"Yeah, I'll try," Danielle said, noticing the sadness in Won Young's eyes.  "Don't keep them waiting, or I'll never forgive myself," Won Young added, almost irritated.

Danielle, nervous, nodded and ran toward the club.  Won Young remained, still blushing, battling her own internal conflict.

Me, her responsibility? No, stop it, Won Young! Remember, you're straight. You want a family. Don't pay attention to what she said, she scolded herself.

Jungwon was overjoyed to see Danielle return.

"Woah! You finally came back!" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," Won Young said, scratching her neck.  "I've been dealing with a lot of problems."

"It's fine," Jungwon said. "Haerin, come here."

Danielle looked toward Haerin.  When their eyes met, Danielle quickly looked away.

Danielle, you have the upper hand here. Don't lose yourself over a simple glance, she told herself.

"What?" Haerin asked.

"The clothes you're going to wear are in the drawer," Jungwon said.  "Can you take them out and measure them?"

The two girls nodded and went to retrieve the clothes, heading to the changing room.

"You go first," Danielle offered.

"No, you go first," Haerin replied shyly.

"I'm fine, I'll wait," Danielle reassured her.

"Okay, if you insist."

Haerin entered the changing room.  Won Young called out.

"Join her inside."

"Wait, what? But Haerin's inside!" Danielle protested.

"I know, but we're closing now.  Go inside and change immediately," Won Young ordered.

"And who said that?" Danielle asked suspiciously.

"Our leader," Won Young lied.

"Is this payback for what I did to you?" Danielle asked, trembling.

"I didn't say that," Won Young replied, expressionless.

"Fine, I'll go in."

Danielle reached for the doorknob, then noticed it was locked.

"I think we have a problem," Danielle said nervously.

"What?!" Haerin exclaimed.

"The door's locked," Danielle replied.

Haerin screamed for help, but there was no response.  They were alone.

"I think they left us," Danielle sighed.

"How did this happen?" Haerin asked, frowning.

"Sorry," Danielle said, "If I'd listened to Won Young, this wouldn't have happened."

"It's fine," Haerin said. "But you're not very smart. You let yourself be tricked so easily."

"Yeah, if I hadn't—" Danielle trailed off.  Haerin knew Danielle was about to confess her regret over running away that day.

"I love you," Danielle blurted out, avoiding Haerin's gaze.

Haerin's eyes welled up.  She wanted to confess her love, but it felt too late.

"Why did you run away that day?" Haerin asked shakily.

Haerin sighed. "As a child, I dreamed of a normal life—peaceful, with friends, a family. But I guess that dream won't come true now."

"When I met you, my life changed," Haerin continued.  "I had a good friend, a great life. I don't regret any of it. But facing reality, I felt fear and longing. I knew I'd only be a burden to you."

"Do you love me?" Danielle asked.

"I don't know," Haerin said, tears falling.  "I just don't want to hope."

"Why? Because we're both girls?" Danielle asked.

"It's not like that," Haerin replied.

"Then what is it?" Danielle pressed.

"I want to feel normal," Haerin said.

"And you think your life isn't normal with me?" Danielle asked sadly.

"No," Haerin said, "I just want to breathe properly. I love you, but I have to be selfish for my future."

"Even to yourself?" Danielle asked, her voice laced with sadness.

"Yeah, even to myself," Haerin replied.

Outside, Jungwon and Won Young walked.

"Where are Danielle and Haerin?" Jungwon asked.

"They're still at school," Won Young replied, a hint of jealousy in her tone.

Jungwon grinned.

"What?" Won Young asked.

"Are you jealous?" he teased.

"Me? Jealous? Never," she retorted.

"Hmm, who knows?" he teased.

"Shut up," she glared.

"Fine," he said, "But don't push things further."

She nodded. Won Young didn't understand her feelings, but she knew one thing:  she was starting to fall for Danielle, and that was a challenge she wasn't sure she could handle.

TBC🙄