between the spolight - purinz ✧

bound by trust.

chaewon's pov —

without thinking, i found myself storming toward yunjin's dorm, each step carrying a mix of frustration, confusion, and a raw anger that simmered just beneath the surface. my feet moving faster with every step. i needed to see her, to look her in the eyes and hear the truth for myself. the memory of giselle's calculated concern, the pity in her voice as she told me about the supposed "kiss," made my skin crawl. i felt that awful twist in my gut, imagining yunjin with her, letting giselle close, even for a second.

i was at yunjin's door before i'd fully processed what i was doing, my fist hovering, shaking slightly. i took a shaky breath and knocked, each beat of my knuckles against the wood loud in the otherwise silent hallway.

a few tense moments passed, each one stretching longer than the last, and i was about to turn away when the door cracked open. yunjin's eyes, soft with sleep and confusion, met mine, her hair falling loosely over her shoulders. she blinked in surprise, the drowsiness of sleep quickly replaced by concern as she took in my expression.

"chaewon?" she asked, her voice a little hoarse, pulling the door open wider. "what are you doing here?"

i didn't answer right away. instead, i pushed past her into the room, my heart hammering as i tried to catch my breath. she closed the door, crossing her arms over her chest as she faced me, her confusion deepening. "what's going on?"

i turned to look at her. i could barely contain my anger, my voice cold and sharp. "i met with giselle tonight."

her eyes widened, her face paling. "what? why?"

"she messaged me, saying she needed to talk about you." i could hardly keep the bitterness out of my voice, mocking the concerned tone giselle had used to plant this lie. "she told me that you kissed her." my pulse hammered in my ears.

yunjin's expression twisted into shock, her mouth dropping open, and for a moment, she just stared at me, as if she couldn't believe what i'd just said. "excuse me?"

"apparently it happened recently, and she 'didn't know what to do,'" i continued, the words dripping with sarcasm. "she just wanted to 'let me know' so i wouldn't be hurt." i couldn't help but feel disgusted, remembering the subtle pity in giselle's voice.

a silence stretched between us as yunjin's shock slowly melted into anger. "you can't seriously believe her, chaewon."

my fists clenched at my sides. "i don't want to. but why would she lie about something like that?"

she scoffed, letting out a disbelieving laugh. "because she's obsessed with me! she's been trying to get between us since the beginning, and you know that. chaewon, you know me. do you really think i'd do that?"

i looked at her, searching her face for some kind of answer, but all i could see was the hurt in her eyes, a reflection of my own confusion. "then explain it to me, yunjin. why would she say that?"

she ran a hand through her hair, frustration clear on her face. "i didn't kiss giselle. she kissed me." she said, her voice low and hesitant.

i blinked, caught off guard by the bluntness of her words. "what?"

"it happened a few days ago," she continued, her eyes pleading for me to understand. "she was following me after rehearsal, trying to talk to me about things—stuff that i'd made clear i didn't want to discuss. she started going on about how she 'understood' me, and before i even knew what was happening, she leaned in and kissed me."

i felt my heart lurch at her words, a flash of anger rising in me again, but this time not toward yunjin—toward giselle, who seemed to keep crossing boundaries i hadn't even known existed.

yunjin's gaze was steady, even as she looked away for a moment, almost as if ashamed. "i pushed her away immediately, chaewon. but i didn't think... i didn't think she'd twist it around and tell you like that."

her words sank in, and suddenly, everything fell into place—the way giselle had spoken to me, the choice of her words, the sympathetic glint in her eyes as she spun her story. giselle hadn't just been trying to get between us; she'd crossed a line to create the perfect lie, a lie with just enough truth to make me question yunjin.

i clenched my fists, anger simmering beneath the surface. "but why would she do that?"

"because she's trying to mess with us. she's been watching me, showing up at my rehearsals, pretending to be some concerned friend. and now she's trying to make you think i'd betray you like that." her voice wavered, a mix of anger and something else, something more vulnerable.

i wanted to believe her. i wanted to believe that giselle was lying, that this was just another twisted game. but the doubt, the image of yunjin and giselle together, lingered, clawing at the edges of my mind.

"so she kissed you... and then turned around and made it sound like it was mutual?" i asked, my voice tight. "that she's gone this far just to mess with us?"

"yes!" yunjin's voice was sharp, her eyes flashing with frustration. "she's trying to get in your head, chaewon. she knows exactly what she's doing."

i swallowed, my throat dry. part of me wanted to give in, to let this all be some kind of sick misunderstanding. but the other part of me, the part that had been hurt by yunjin's secrecy and the weight of everything we'd gone through, was struggling to let go.

"why didn't you tell me she was getting this close to you?" i asked, my voice quieter, a hint of vulnerability slipping through. "why didn't you tell me she'd been around so much?"

she looked away, the anger in her expression fading to something softer, something pained. "i'm sorry i didn't tell you sooner. i just didn't want to drag you into her drama; i thought i could handle it. but now i realize i should have told you right away. i shouldn't have let it come to this."

i took a slow breath, trying to push past the tangle of emotions in my chest. the anger in me softened, shifting instead to a quiet understanding. the guilt on yunjin's face told me that she'd been carrying the weight of this alone, trying to protect us, even if her silence had nearly torn us apart.

yunjin stepped closer, her voice soft but insistent. "chaewon, please. i need you to believe me. i would never do that to you."

her hand reached out, hovering between us for a moment before she placed it gently on my arm. the warmth of her touch cut through the icy doubt that had settled inside me, and for a moment, i let myself lean into it, the hurt and anger fading just enough for me to see her clearly.

"you should have told me, yunjin. but i understand why you didn't. giselle... she's been manipulating this situation all along." i said my voice low.

her expression softened, a sadness settling over her features. she squeezed my hand. "i'm sorry, chaewon. i should have known she wouldn't just let it go. i'm so sorry for not telling you."

the sincerity in her voice and the pain in her gaze made me ache. i could see that she was as hurt by this as i was, if not more. "it's okay. i'm sorry i doubted you... even for a second." i swallowed, trying to steady my voice. "she's not going to come between us. not anymore."

yunjin looked at me, her hand tightening around mine. "we're in this together. i promise, i'll be honest with you from now on. no more secrets. no more letting anyone else control our story."

we stood there, our hands intertwined, a silent promise hanging between us. whatever came next—whatever giselle tried to throw at us—it wouldn't work. because now, we were in this together, with nothing between us but the trust we'd built.