Hearts Entwined || PpoToz

CHAPTER 12

NO ONE POV

Days turned into weeks, and Seoyeon found herself increasingly drawn to Yooyeon—not out of friendship, but driven by a relentless curiosity she couldn’t ignore. Yooyeon’s behaviour had changed drastically since her return, and Seoyeon was determined to understand why.

In class, Seoyeon would glance over at Yooyeon, noticing the way she seemed to shrink into herself, her usual confident aura now replaced with a quiet, almost defeated demeanour. She caught herself staring more often than she liked, her mind racing with questions she knew Yooyeon wasn’t ready to answer.

During lunch, Seoyeon took a deep breath and walked over to where Yooyeon was sitting alone, her tray untouched. “Hey,” Seoyeon said, trying to keep her tone light. “Mind if I sit?”

Yooyeon looked up, a flicker of surprise in her tired eyes before she shrugged. “Sure.”

Seoyeon sat down, fiddling with her chopsticks. She wasn’t sure how to start, but the silence between them felt heavy. “So... how are you feeling?” she finally asked, her voice tentative.

Yooyeon frowned, picking at her food. “Fine.”

“Really?” Seoyeon pressed, not buying the answer. “Because you don’t look fine. You’ve been... different since you came back.”

Yooyeon’s grip tightened on her chopsticks. “I said I’m fine, Seoyeon. Can we just leave it at that?”

Seoyeon sighed, frustration bubbling up inside her. “I just want to help. If something’s wrong, you can talk to me.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Yooyeon snapped, her voice sharper than intended. She quickly looked away, her expression closing off. “Just drop it.”

Seoyeon opened her mouth to argue but stopped herself, realizing that pushing too hard wouldn’t get her anywhere. “Okay,” she said quietly, “but if you ever want to talk, I’m here.”

Yooyeon didn’t respond, and the silence between them grew thick with unspoken words.

Later that day, Xinyu and Nakyoung cornered Seoyeon in the hallway. “What’s going on with you and Yooyeon?” Xinyu asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and concern.

“Yeah,” Nakyoung added, “you’ve been acting kind of weird lately. You never used to care about her.”

Seoyeon sighed, running a hand through her hair. “It’s not that I care, exactly. It’s just... something’s wrong with her. She won’t tell me what happened, and I can’t just ignore it.”

Xinyu frowned, crossing her arms. “But why does it matter? If she doesn’t want to talk about it, maybe you should just leave her alone.”

“I can’t,” Seoyeon admitted, her voice tinged with frustration. “I keep thinking about it, about her. She looks like she’s been through hell, and it’s driving me crazy not knowing what happened.”

Nakyoung bit her lip, glancing between her friends. She knew the truth about Yooyeon’s situation—knew about the bruises and the late-night fights with her abusive father—but she couldn’t say anything. “Maybe she just needs some space,” Nakyoung suggested, her voice hesitant. “You know, to figure things out on her own.”

Seoyeon shook her head, still unconvinced. “I don’t know. It just feels like there’s something more going on, something she’s not telling anyone.”

Xinyu sighed, her patience wearing thin. “Seoyeon, you need to let it go. You’re getting obsessed, and it’s not healthy. If Yooyeon wants to talk, she’ll talk. But if she doesn’t, you can’t force her.”