Swapped by fate

Chapter 22

Third person

Nami felt like her head was spinning as they came back from the walk. The weight of Hyunjin’s confession, mixed with everything else from the past weeks, was starting to pile up, and she wasn’t sure how to deal with any of it. The pressure, the confusion — it was all too much.

When they got back inside, everyone was still having a good time, laughing, being loud, and completely oblivious to the fact that Nami was barely holding it together. She stood awkwardly for a moment, feeling like an outsider, and before she knew it, she grabbed the nearest bottle of alcohol off the table and just… *went for it*.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Hyunjin’s voice cut through the noise, and he reached for her hand.

But Nami yanked the bottle away, shooting him a hard look. “Don’t,” she said, her voice rough. “I’m good.”

Hyunjin looked at her, his brow furrowed in concern, but Nami ignored it. She tilted the bottle back, taking several gulps like she was trying to drown out the noise in her head. The bitter taste burned her throat, but she didn’t care.

Hyunjin tried again, stepping in front of her. “Nami, stop. You said alcohol messes with you—"

“I *said*, I’m *fine*,” she cut him off, her voice a little louder than she meant it to be. She could feel her heart racing, and the warmth from the alcohol was already spreading through her chest.

But the more she drank, the blurrier everything became. Felix and Jisung were laughing about something in the corner, Seungmin was trying to stop Jeongin from knocking over a lamp, and the whole room felt like it was spinning faster and faster.

Hyunjin kept trying to reach for the bottle. “Seriously, Nami. That’s enough.”

But she just pushed past him, taking more gulps, letting the burn in her chest numb everything else. Soon enough, the room was swaying. Her vision got hazy, and she stumbled backward, bumping into a chair before falling onto the couch with a thud.

“Nami, stop,” Hyunjin said again, sounding more urgent, but his voice felt distant.

She blinked up at the ceiling, her thoughts spinning out of control. “Why does it even matter?” she slurred, her voice thick with alcohol. “Why do you all care? You don’t know anything.”

Hyunjin crouched in front of her, his expression serious. “You’re gonna get sick. Just stop for a second.”

But she wasn’t listening. Words started pouring out of her mouth — things she never intended to say, things that had been locked up deep inside. “You don’t know what it’s like,” she mumbled, her eyes unfocused. “Living with someone who doesn’t care about you. My stepdad... he’s a piece of sh—t. And my mom? She never f—cking did anything about it.”

Hyunjin’s face softened, but Nami was too far gone to notice. She just kept talking, the alcohol loosening her tongue. “All they do is yell at me... like I owe them something. I hate them. I hate them so much.”

Her words tumbled out without control, each one heavier than the last. “I’m just tired,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I just wanna get away from them. From everything.”

Hyunjin looked like he didn’t know what to do. He reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder gently. “Nami—”

Suddenly, Nami’s head started to spin violently, and she felt her stomach lurch. The room tilted, and a wave of nausea hit her so hard that she had to grip the couch. “I... don’t feel good,” she muttered.

Then, her nose started bleeding, red droplets dripping down her lips, and she groaned. “Sh-t, what the f—ck?” She wiped at her nose, but it just kept coming, and before she knew it, she bolted up from the couch.

Hyunjin was immediately there, grabbing her arm. “Nami, you need to—”

“I’m gonna throw up,” she mumbled, stumbling forward as her body lurched again.

She barely made it to the bathroom before she was hunched over the toilet, throwing up everything she’d just downed. Hyunjin followed, rubbing her back as she emptied her stomach, his face filled with concern.

“Damn it, Nami...” he muttered, his voice barely audible over her retching.

When she was finally done, she slumped back against the wall, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, her head spinning even worse than before. Her nose was still bleeding, and she felt drained — physically, emotionally, everything.

Hyunjin crouched next to her, offering her a towel. His expression was tense, but there was a softness in his eyes. “You okay now?”

Nami let out a weak laugh, even though nothing was funny. “I’m... such a f—cking mess.”

“You’re not a mess,” Hyunjin said quietly, pressing the towel to her nose. “You just need to chill. We’re gonna get through this.”

But Nami wasn’t listening. Her mind was still foggy, and all she could think about was how f—cked up everything had gotten. How much she wanted to escape. How hard she’d tried to keep it together, only to break down anyway.

“I’m so tired,” she mumbled again, closing her eyes as exhaustion washed over her.

Hyunjin didn’t say anything else. He just stayed there next to her, quietly watching as her breathing slowed down, and the chaos of the night finally started to settle.