𝖱𝖾𝖻𝖾𝗅 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍, 𝖣𝗂𝖺𝗆𝗈𝗇𝖽 𝖲𝗈𝗎𝗅

ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ²⁴: ᵀʰᵉ ᴿᵒᵃᵈ ᵗᵒ ᴾᵃʳⁱˢ

Karina sat in her room, feeling the weight of guilt pressing down on her. She pulled out her phone, scrolling through her contacts until she found Yeji's name. With a deep breath, she hit "call."

When Yeji picked up, her voice was tentative. "Hello?"

"Yeji, it's me. Can we talk?" Karina said, her heart racing.

"Karina... I don't know if I want to," Yeji replied, her tone defensive.

"I know I messed up," Karina admitted. "I miss you. I miss my best friend. I'm sorry for everything I did."

There was a long pause before Yeji responded. "I miss you too. But you hurt a lot of people, Karina. Especially Irene."

"I know," Karina whispered, tears stinging her eyes. "I want to support Heeseung and Irene. I really do. Can you help me fix this?"

"I... I'll think about it," Yeji said slowly, her tone softening. "But it's going to take time."

After hanging up, Karina felt a little lighter, though she knew it wouldn't be easy to rebuild the trust she had broken.

Later that day, Jeongin found Heeseung sitting in the school courtyard. Taking a deep breath, he approached him. "Hey, Heeseung. Can we talk?"

Heeseung looked up, surprised but guarded. "What do you want, Jeongin?"

"I wanted to apologize. I was jealous. I always knew Irene loved you, even when she was upset with you. I shouldn't have tried to come between you two."

Heeseung studied Jeongin's face, searching for sincerity. "I appreciate that, man. It wasn't easy for me either. But let's put this behind us."

"Yeah, let's," Jeongin replied, relief flooding his features. They shook hands, sealing their newfound understanding.

That evening, Heeseung met up with Irene's friends to discuss a plan. As they gathered at Wonyoung's house, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement.

"Irene's in Paris," Heeseung said, chuckling to himself as he remembered the promise he made to take her there. "I was supposed to take her."

Yuna perked up, teasing him. "Ooo, the city of love! How romantic!"

Wonyoung chimed in, a playful grin on her face. "You need a grand gesture, like that one Barbie movie! You know, the one Ken did for Barbie!"

Heeseung rolled his eyes, but a smile crept onto his face. "Thanks for the suggestions, but I don't know if I can live up to that."

Ningning interjected, "We can contact her aunt! She could help us with the plan!"

"Great idea!" Wonyoung exclaimed. "And I'll ask Jay to book the tickets for you. You need to do this alone, Heeseung."

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Heeseung hugged Wonyoung and the rest of the girls. "Thank you so much! I'll go pack right now!"

As he rushed out, Ningning and Yuna laughed, "Just like Ken and Barbie, LOL!"

Wonyoung quickly messaged Jay about the idea, her heart racing with excitement as the plans began to take shape.

The next morning, Heeseung felt a mix of anticipation and anxiety. He had his ticket in hand, ready to embark on the journey to Paris. But as he made his way to the airport, everything that could go wrong, did.

First, he almost lost his ticket while wrestling with a group of energetic kids at the airport. After managing to retrieve it, he rushed to the boarding gate, only to be delayed by heavy traffic on the way.

Then, just when he thought he could finally breathe, the rental car broke down just a few blocks from the terminal. Frustrated, Heeseung kicked the tire and sighed. "Of all the luck..."

Determined not to let anything stop him, he flagged down a taxi and hurriedly explained his situation. "I need to get to the airport, like, now!"

As they sped through the streets, Heeseung couldn't help but think about Irene. She was waiting for him in Paris, and he was going to make this right. No matter the obstacles, he would reach her and show her just how much she meant to him.

As the taxi pulled up to the airport entrance, Heeseung threw a handful of cash at the driver, rushed out, and sprinted inside, ready to board the plane that would take him to the city of love and a second chance with the girl of his dreams.