Enchanted (Bbangsaz)

50

"I cheated on you."

The words hit Hanni like a slap to the face. For a moment, she couldn't breathe. Her mind refused to process what Minji just said. She looked at her, eyes wide, heart hammering in her chest. "What?"

Minji looked down, her hands trembling at her sides. She couldn't bear to look at Hanni, not after what she had said. Not after the everything. "I'm sorry," she whispered, voice breaking. "I—I didn't mean for this to happen. I— I cheated on you."

Hanni's head spun. Her heart raced. She took a step forward, but the words felt too heavy, the air too thick. "Wait... wait, what are you talking about?" Hanni's voice barely rose above a whisper. "Cheated on me? Minji, you... you're telling me you were with someone else?"

Minji swallowed hard, the guilt gnawing at her. She closed her eyes, fighting the tears that were threatening to spill. "I am so sorry, Hanni," Minji said quietly. "I... I heard you and Danielle on the phone. Talking about Jake. And you— you were talking about him kissing you."

Hanni's breath caught. She didn't understand. This couldn't be happening. "Jake? Are you seriously saying this is about a kiss with Jake? A kiss I didn't want? You— you went and cheated on me because of that? Just because of that?"

Minji flinched as if the words hit her like a physical blow. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out for a moment. Finally, she whispered, "I... I didn't know how to handle it, Hanni. I was jealous. And I was hurt. And... I don't know. I went to Sullyoon. I made a mistake."

Hanni's heart raced faster, now mixing confusion with rising anger. "Wait... you went to Sullyoon?" Her voice shook. "You mean you kissed the fucking Sullyoon? Is that what you're saying?"

Minji shook her head slowly, tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to disappear. "It wasn't just a kiss," Minji whispered, looking away. "We... we spent the night and the day together."

Hanni's stomach twisted violently, the words ringing in her ears, but she still couldn't quite understand. "What do you mean, 'spent the day together'? What the hell are you talking about?" Her voice cracked as the reality slowly set in, but she refused to believe it. "Tell me it was just a kiss, Minji. Tell me it was just that one mistake, and we can fix this. I don't care. I want you back. I just want us back."

Minji's heart shattered. She wished she could take it all back, but she couldn't. "It wasn't just a kiss, Hanni. I—I'm so sorry," she said, her voice full of regret, her words barely audible. "We— we slept together."

The ground seemed to fall out from beneath Hanni. She froze, her body going cold. Her brain struggled to keep up, the reality of it too much to bear. "You... slept with her?" she whispered, barely able to speak. "You— you fucking slept with Sullyoon?" The words felt wrong, like they weren't even coming from her mouth. Her heart was breaking, piece by piece.

Minji couldn't bear to see the pain in Hanni's eyes. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, but it wasn't enough. She knew it would never be enough.

Hanni shook her head, taking a step back, her hands clutching her chest as if she could physically stop the pain from spreading. "How long, Minji? How long did this go on? How long did you—" She paused, her throat constricting with emotion. "How long did you sleep with her, Minji?"

Minji looked down, her hands trembling, and Hanni could see how much this was destroying her too. "I don't know," Minji said softly. "A few times. After I found out... after I overheard you and Danielle talking, I— I didn't know what to do. I didn't think, and I— I didn't want to hurt anymore. I thought... I thought it would help, but it didn't. It didn't help anything."