Hearts Entwined || PpoToz

CHAPTER 18

NO ONE POV

Days passed, and the weight of the leaked video continued to hang over Yooyeon like a dark cloud. The students still glared at her, their whispers sharp and cutting, but she had made a decision—she would pretend it was all okay. She moved through the hallways with her head held high, ignoring the snickers and sneers, determined to maintain her composure.

In class, the atmosphere was no different. The usual buzz of conversation had taken on a different tone, one laced with malice whenever Yooyeon was around. She heard Yoojin’s friends talking about her, their voices dripping with disdain.

“Did you see her today? She acts like nothing happened.”

“She’s shameless, really. After everything she did…”

Yooyeon sat rigidly in her seat, pretending not to hear, her eyes fixed on the notes in front of her. She gripped her pen tightly, trying to steady her trembling hands. She told herself that she didn’t care, that their words couldn’t touch her, but the gnawing ache in her chest told a different story.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Seoyeon glaring in the direction of Yoojin’s friends, her anger barely concealed. Yooyeon felt a strange mix of gratitude and guilt. She didn’t want to drag Seoyeon into this mess, yet the silent support was comforting.

Meanwhile, Nakyoung, sitting a few seats away, kept glancing at Yooyeon. Her eyes were full of concern and reassurance, as if trying to silently convey that she would always have Yooyeon’s back. Yooyeon appreciated the gesture, though it only added to her growing anxiety. She didn’t want her friends to suffer because of her past.

As the teacher droned on at the front of the class, Yooyeon’s thoughts drifted to Yoojin. There was something different about her lately, a subtle shift in her demeanour. Yoojin had always been a presence that commanded attention, but now she seemed more controlling, more domineering than usual. It was as if she had taken the chaos surrounding Yooyeon and used it to tighten her grip on those around her.

Yooyeon had noticed how Yoojin’s friends had become more submissive, almost fearful in her presence. Yet, everyone else seemed oblivious to the change, either unwilling or too scared to acknowledge it.

Yooyeon couldn’t shake the feeling that something was brewing, something darker and more dangerous than before. But for now, all she could do was continue her act, pretending that everything was fine, even as the world around her began to unravel.

•••

The next day, as Seoyeon walked through the school hallways, she couldn’t help but notice a disturbing pattern in Yoojin’s behaviour. It was subtle at first, but the more Seoyeon observed, the clearer it became—Yoojin was using her trauma as a shield, an excuse for everything, and a tool to garner attention and sympathy from others.

In every conversation, Yoojin would bring up her trauma, weaving it into the most unrelated topics. Whether it was a discussion about a class assignment or a casual chat about the weekend, she somehow managed to twist the narrative back to her past. Seoyeon could see how people’s faces would soften, how their guard would drop as they listened to her story with pity in their eyes. It was as if Yoojin was feeding on their sympathy, using it to cement her control over them.

What disturbed Seoyeon the most was how Yoojin behaved whenever she was near Yooyeon. Every time they passed each other in the hallway, Yoojin would flinch dramatically, pretending to avoid a hit that never came. She would cower as if Yooyeon was about to strike her, casting fearful glances that made others stop and stare. Yooyeon, for her part, kept her distance, her face a mask of indifference, though Seoyeon knew it was an act. The constant false accusations and theatrics had to be taking a toll on her.

Yoojin’s manipulation didn’t stop there. She had started to exploit her trauma to make others do her bidding. She would ask her classmates to do her homework, claiming that her past experiences made it too difficult for her to focus. The students, oblivious to her true intentions, would oblige, eager to help the girl who had suffered so much.

It wasn’t just her classmates, either. Yoojin would approach students from other classes, playing the part of the helpless victim. “Could you get me something to eat?” she’d ask, her voice trembling. “It’s just… after everything, I can’t bring myself to go to the cafeteria.” The students, caught up in her sob story, would rush to buy her food, using their own money without a second thought.

Seoyeon watched all of this unfold with a growing sense of unease. The way Yoojin manipulated others, the way she twisted her trauma into a weapon—it was sickening. She saw how easily people fell for it, how they bent over backward to accommodate Yoojin, never once questioning her motives. It infuriated Seoyeon to see Yooyeon suffer in silence while Yoojin basked in the attention she so cunningly orchestrated.

But Seoyeon knew better than to confront Yoojin outright. Doing so would only make her the next target, and she couldn’t afford that. Instead, she resolved to keep a closer eye on Yoojin, to see how far she was willing to go. Seoyeon knew that this charade couldn’t last forever, that eventually, the truth would come out. But until then, she had to be careful, had to protect herself—and Yooyeon—from the fallout that was sure to come.

•••

The cafeteria was bustling with students, the noise of conversations and clattering trays creating a familiar backdrop as Seoyeon sat with her friends. They were in the middle of a light-hearted discussion, bouncing from one random topic to another, when Seoyeon’s thoughts wandered back to Yoojin. The image of her manipulative behaviour was impossible to shake, and before she knew it, she blurted out the question that had been nagging at her.

“Have you guys noticed how Yoojin’s been acting lately?” Seoyeon asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and concern.

Xinyu’s eyes met hers, and she nodded, a knowing look crossing her face. “Yeah, I’ve seen it. She’s playing everyone like a fiddle.”

Nakyoung leaned forward, her voice dropping slightly as she chimed in. “Yoojin’s a manipulator, Seoyeon. She’s using her trauma to control people, and most of them don’t even realize it.”

Seoyeon felt a shiver run down her spine. Hearing her friends confirm what she had been thinking made the situation feel even more real, more dangerous. “I thought she was just doing this with the seniors, but… is she really manipulating everyone?”

Xinyu sighed, pushing her tray aside. “Worse than that. The other day, I caught her in the bathroom, threatening one of the juniors. She was telling them to do something for her, or she’d make their life hell.”

Seoyeon’s eyes widened in shock. She had suspected Yoojin was capable of manipulation, but threatening younger students was another level of cruelty. “I didn’t know she was doing that to the juniors too. I thought it was just us…”

“Yoojin’s slowly becoming worse,” Xinyu continued, her voice edged with frustration. “What Yooyeon did to her was wrong, no doubt about it. But Yoojin… she’s turning into a monster.”

Nakyoung nodded in agreement, her expression unusually serious. “She’s using her past to justify everything she does, and no one’s calling her out on it. I’m curious to see how far she’ll go before someone finally says enough is enough.”

Seoyeon fell silent, her mind racing as she processed everything her friends had said. She had known that Yoojin was trouble