Hearts Entwined || PpoToz

CHAPTER 38

NO ONE POV

Weeks later, the long-awaited results were finally out, and the school was buzzing with excitement and nerves. The air was thick with anticipation as students gathered around the notice board, scanning for their names and scores.

Nakyoung was practically jumping up and down with joy, clutching her results to her chest. "I passed! I actually passed!" she squealed, relief washing over her face as she breathed out a laugh. "I was so sure I was going to fail!"

Xinyu, standing beside her, grinned. "Well, looks like my answers weren’t all wrong after all," she said with a playful nudge to Nakyoung, clearly proud of herself for surviving the exams.

Sohyun, calm as ever, smiled at her results. "I did great," she said softly, the weight of weeks of studying lifting off her shoulders. Her relief was more measured, but the pride in her eyes was clear.

Meanwhile, Seoyeon was over the moon. Her eyes widened as she scanned her results, and a grin stretched across her face. "I did it," she whispered to herself, before turning to the others with an excited shout. "I got the highest score among all the candidates!" She was practically glowing with pride, her excitement bubbling over.

As soon as she saw Yooyeon, Seoyeon rushed over, her smile wide and teasing. "I told you I’d beat you this time!" she bragged, waving her results in front of Yooyeon.

Yooyeon smiled softly, even though she came in second place. Her heart felt light seeing Seoyeon’s excitement. "Congratulations," she said warmly. "You deserve it."

Seoyeon, of course, didn’t miss the chance to keep bragging. "I’ll admit, Yooyeon, it feels good to finally be first," she teased, playfully bumping her shoulder against Yooyeon’s.

Yooyeon just smiled at her, finding Seoyeon’s enthusiasm endearing. She enjoyed seeing Seoyeon this happy, even if it meant losing for once.

As the day wound down, it was time to leave the school. The usual noise of students rushing out, celebrating, or sighing in relief filled the air. Yooyeon and Seoyeon walked together, Yooyeon accompanying her on the familiar route to Seoyeon’s house.

All the way, Seoyeon kept talking excitedly about how she finally beat Yooyeon. "I told you I’d do it! And now, I’m officially better than you in exams," Seoyeon teased, her voice bubbling with pride.

Yooyeon couldn’t help but smile, her heart warmed by Seoyeon’s cuteness. She listened quietly, watching the way Seoyeon’s eyes sparkled when she spoke, and how her smile seemed to light up the path they were walking on. Every word she said, every little tease, made Yooyeon’s chest tighten in a way that confused her. But she liked it.

When they finally reached Seoyeon’s house, Yooyeon stopped and turned to bid her goodbye. "I’ll see you tomorrow," she said with a small wave, about to head back to her own home.

But Seoyeon grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "Wait!" she called, her voice a little too urgent.

Yooyeon turned, her face showing confusion. "What is it?"

Without another word, Seoyeon stepped closer, and before Yooyeon could react, she felt a soft, fleeting peck on her lips. It happened so quickly that Yooyeon barely had time to process it before Seoyeon, now blushing furiously, turned and dashed straight into her house, her front door slamming shut behind her.

Yooyeon stood there, frozen in place, her mind racing to catch up with what had just happened. Seoyeon had kissed her—on the lips.

For a moment, Yooyeon didn’t move, still processing it all. But then, slowly, a smile began to creep onto her face, and her cheeks flushed pink. She chuckled softly to herself, Seoyeon’s boldness and cuteness catching her completely off guard.

But as Yooyeon turned to leave, her smile faded, replaced by a growing sense of anxiety. She knew she would have to go home and tell her father about her results—about how she had come in second, not first. Her heart sank at the thought, the warmth from Seoyeon’s kiss quickly replaced by the cold dread of what awaited her.

No matter what happened, Yooyeon knew she had to endure it. She squared her shoulders, taking a deep breath before heading back to her father’s house, her steps heavy with apprehension.

•••

Yooyeon entered the house, the door creaking slightly as she pushed it open. Her father was sitting in the living room, his face stone-cold, arms crossed as he waited for her return. The weight of the air felt unbearable. She could feel the tension rising as soon as their eyes met, her heartbeat quickening with each step she took toward him.

"You're late," her father said, his voice low but heavy with disappointment. "How did the results go?"

Yooyeon hesitated, her stomach churning as she tried to find the words. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. The truth felt too dangerous to voice. She knew what was coming. The moment stretched out in silence, and that silence was enough to tell him everything.

Her father's eyes darkened, and he slowly stood up from the sofa, the quiet anger simmering just beneath the surface now threatening to spill over. "You weren't first, were you?"

Yooyeon's mouth went dry as she stood frozen in place. Before she could say anything, his hand came down hard across her face, the sharp sting immediately radiating through her cheek. The room spun for a moment, and she tasted blood on her lip.

"How could you get second?!" he shouted, his voice rising in fury. "I told you, you had to be first. Always. What's the point of all this if you can't even be first!"

Yooyeon blinked through the tears welling in her eyes, unable to speak. She didn't know how to tell him. How could she explain that no matter how hard she tried, Seoyeon had beaten her this time? That it wasn't because she wasn't capable, but because... she didn't know anymore.

Her father seemed to have already decided what the problem was. His voice turned venomous. "It's that girl, isn't it? That Seoyeon. She's been distracting you."

Before Yooyeon could defend herself, he slapped her again, harder this time. Her head snapped to the side, and her legs wobbled beneath her. But the blows didn't stop. One after another, her father's hands came down, each strike sending her closer to the ground until she couldn't stand anymore. She collapsed onto the floor, her vision blurry, the pain in her face spreading through her body.

Still, her father didn't stop. "How many times do I have to tell you?" he yelled. "You don't get second. You don't get distracted by stupid things like friends-or girls."

Yooyeon stayed silent on the floor, her body trembling from both the pain and the fear. Her face was burning, her mind spinning, but the next words that came from her father left her colder than anything else.

"We're leaving," he spat. "Pack your bags. We're moving out. Tomorrow."

Her heart stopped. "What?"

"You heard me," he said, his tone final. "I'm not letting you stay here, where you can be distracted. We're leaving, and you're never seeing that girl again."

Yooyeon felt her world shatter in that moment. Moving out? That meant leaving Seoyeon, Xinyu, Sohyun, Nakyoung-everyone. Everything she knew, everything she had left that gave her comfort, was about to be torn away. All because of her father's anger, his obsession with control.

She lay there on the cold floor, too weak and too broken to fight back.