𝖱𝖾𝖻𝖾𝗅 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍, 𝖣𝗂𝖺𝗆𝗈𝗇𝖽 𝖲𝗈𝗎𝗅

ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ⁹: ᵀᵉⁿˢⁱᵒⁿˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢʰᵒʷᵈᵒʷⁿˢ

Irene stood in the kitchen, nervously tapping her fingers against the counter. "Dad, can I invite Wonyoung, Yuna, and Ningning over for a sleepover? Just a girls' night."

Her father raised an eyebrow, clearly hesitant. "You promise it won't involve any drama? No talk about boys or any of that nonsense?"

"Yes, I promise!" Irene insisted, her heart racing with anticipation. "It'll just be fun, I swear."

After a moment's consideration, he sighed. "Fine, but keep it down. I don't want to hear any shouting or fighting."

"Thank you!" Irene beamed, feeling a rush of relief.

When the girls arrived, laughter and excitement filled the air as they settled into the living room with snacks and a movie. They chatted animatedly, but in the back of Irene's mind, anxiety about her relationship with Heeseung lingered.

Just as they were getting into the movie, Irene's phone buzzed with a message from Yeji. She picked it up, her heart sinking as she read:

Yeji: Irene, you need to know. Wonyoung and Jay set you and Heeseung up. It's all a big setup.

Tears welled in Irene's eyes, and she quickly wiped them away, but it was too late. Yuna walked in just then and noticed her distress. "Irene, what's wrong?"

Irene's voice trembled as she replied, "Yeji just texted me. She said Wonyoung and Jay are behind everything. They set us up!"

Yuna's expression shifted to concern. "Are you sure? Wonyoung wouldn't do that!"

"She must like Heeseung! Why else would she want to sabotage me?" Irene's frustration spilled over.

"Maybe we should just ask her," Yuna suggested hesitantly.

"No, I need to confront her now!" Irene stormed out to the living room, her heart racing with anger.

Wonyoung looked up, confusion written on her face. "What's going on?"

"I know what you did! You set me up to make me look bad in front of my dad!" Irene accused, her voice sharp.

Wonyoung's eyes widened, hurt flickering across her features. "Irene, I didn't do anything! I care about you!"

"Caring doesn't mean sabotaging! You must be jealous because you like Heeseung!" Irene shouted, her emotions boiling over.

As the argument escalated, Wonyoung's expression turned from shock to anger. "How dare you! I love Jay!"

"Then why are you meddling in my life?" Irene shot back.

The tension erupted into a physical struggle as the two girls began shoving each other. Ningning and Yuna rushed in, trying to pull them apart. "Stop! This is insane!" Yuna screamed.

But the fighting only intensified, with each girl fueled by their emotions. In a moment of desperation, Yuna pulled out her phone. "I'm calling Jake!"

Ningning quickly typed a message to Sunghoon. "We need help! Get here now!"

A few minutes later, Jake and Sunghoon burst through the door, their expressions a mix of confusion and concern. "What's happening?" Jake shouted, rushing to separate the two girls.

Sunghoon quickly moved to help, grabbing Wonyoung and pulling her away from Irene. "Stop it! You're acting ridiculous!"

Irene glared at Wonyoung, still breathing heavily. "She's the one who started it!"

"Both of you need to calm down!" Jake said, raising his voice. "You're letting someone else control you. This is so unnecessary!"

Sunghoon nodded, frustration evident. "You two should be working together, not fighting. We're all in this together, and you're both being set up!"

"Set up?" Irene echoed, her confusion deepening. "What do you mean?"

"Wonyoung and Jay are innocent," Jake explained. "You need to understand that. Heeseung and Jay even got into a fight over this!"

"Wait, what?" Irene asked, her anger wavering as realization set in.

Sunghoon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Let's all just calm down. We need to figure out who's really behind this."

Jake quickly pulled out his phone and began messaging Jay, Heeseung, Jungwon, Ni-ki, and Sunoo.

Jake: Emergency meeting. We need everyone here ASAP. There's a serious issue we need to address.

As the girls caught their breath, Irene glanced at Wonyoung, feeling guilt wash over her. "I didn't mean to accuse you..."

Just then, the boys arrived, looking perplexed at the sight before them. "What happened?" Jay asked, eyeing the girls, who looked messy with scratches and disheveled hair.

"Why do you all look like you just came from a fight?" Heeseung asked, concern flooding his voice.

"We... um..." Yuna stammered, trying to find the right words.

Jake quickly jumped in. "They got into a little... disagreement."

"Disagreement?" Jay raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "More like a brawl. You both need to stop this. It's ridiculous!"

Heeseung nodded. "You can't let this tear you apart. We're here to figure this out together, remember?"

Irene and Wonyoung exchanged glances, the weight of their actions starting to sink in. They both nodded, realizing the need to work together.

Jake then proposed, "Let's start brainstorming. We need to identify who's behind this, and I suspect it might be someone close to us."

Just as they began to formulate a plan, Irene's heart dropped as she heard her father's footsteps approaching the stairs. "He's coming!" she hissed in panic.

"Quick, out the window!" Sunghoon urged, and the boys scrambled toward the window, climbing out as quickly as they could.

The girls tried to act natural, arranging themselves casually on the couch just as Irene's father opened the door. "Everything okay in here, girls?" he asked, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"Yeah, Dad! Just watching a movie!" Irene replied, forcing a smile and hoping it looked convincing.

Her father studied them for a moment longer before nodding. "All right. Just keep it down. I'll be nearby if you need anything."

Once he left, the girls let out a collective sigh of relief. "That was close!" Ningning exclaimed.

"Too close," Irene echoed, her mind still racing. They needed to regroup and figure out who was behind the betrayal, but for now, they had escaped the immediate danger.

As the night wore on, Irene couldn't shake the feeling that the real battle was just beginning. They had to stay united if they were going to uncover the truth and protect what was left of their friendships.