Mixed Up | Yeonbin

18. lies

It had been a few days since the incident, and the tension between Yeonjun and Soobin was increasing by the day.

They weren't exactly avoiding each other, but there was an undeniable distance between them now. Soobin was hurting—he couldn't believe Yeonjun had taken Yuna's side without even giving him a chance to explain.

But what could he do? Yuna is his girlfriend, after all.

Yeonjun, on the other hand, was confused and frustrated.

Why had Soobin acted the way he did? Why did he seem so desperate?

The more Yeonjun thought about it, the less sense it made. But every time he tried to figure it out, he hit a wall, his thoughts spiraling back to that night.

✩ ✦ ✩

Yeonjun remembered driving Yuna back to her place after the whole mess. She had clung to him the entire way, her hands trembling as she recounted the 'incident'. But something about her story just didn't sit right with him.

As they pulled up to her apartment, Yeonjun cut the engine, turning to face her. "Yuna... what actually happened back there? Soobin wouldn't just—"

"Yeonjun, please," she interrupted, her voice shaky. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. It was awful, okay? He just... he snapped. I don't know why, but he did."

Yeonjun frowned, not convinced. "Snapped? What do you mean?"

Yuna sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "He started yelling at me, accusing me of all sorts of things. I tried to calm him down, but he... he grabbed me, Jun. I was so scared."

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Soobin did that? Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure!" she snapped, pulling away from him. "Why would I make that up? I know he's your friend, but... I don't know, maybe he's been jealous of us or something."

Jealous? That didn't sound like Soobin at all. The Soobin Yeonjun knew was quiet, reserved, and respectful—he wasn't the type to lose his temper, especially not over something like this.

But then again, Yeonjun hadn't seen him act that way before. Maybe there was something more going on that he didn't know about?

Yuna noticed his hesitation and quickly softened her tone, reaching out to touch his hand. "Jun, I just want to forget it. Please, can we not talk about him anymore? I just need you right now."

Yeonjun stared at her, his mind still racing with doubts. Something wasn't adding up, but before he could press her further, she leaned in, trying to distract him with a kiss. He pulled back slightly, still unsettled by the whole situation.

"Maybe we should just take it easy tonight. I've got a meeting with a professor later," he lied, needing some space to think.

Yuna pouted but didn't push it, letting him leave with a brief, almost dismissive goodbye.

✩ ✦ ✩

Now, back in their shared dorm room, Yeonjun couldn't shake the memory. He stood by the window, staring down at the courtyard where Soobin was sitting alone, smoking a cigarette. Soobin had been out there for the past hour, and the sight worried Yeonjun more than he wanted to admit.

He didn't like this. He didn't like how distant they'd become, how there was this unspoken tension between them.

Most of all, he didn't like the nagging feeling that maybe—just maybe—Soobin had been telling the truth all along.

As he watched Soobin take another drag from his cigarette, Yeonjun's doubts grew stronger.

Could he really have been wrong about everything? Was Yuna lying? The thought sent a chill down his spine, making him question everything he thought he knew.