K-pop Idol Imagines

Never Let Me Go (Karina)

Y/N stormed out of the house, her steps loud and sharp against the cheerful chatter of the people inside. Her heart ached in a way that made it hard to breathe. Her eyes stung with unshed tears, and her fists clenched as if trying to grasp something that wasn't there.

She walked and walked until she found herself in the backyard. The silence there was unsettlingly still, a harsh contrast to the chaos inside her head.

She sat down on the bench and took a deep breath to calm herself.

Everything hurt. The fact that Karina was inside, laughing and talking with him—it was like a nail being driven into her chest. Y/N knew there was no chance in hell that if she confessed, her feelings would be reciprocated. But the very thought of seeing Karina with someone else had always been too much to bear.

And it was all her fault for feeling this way. It wasn't like Karina belonged to her. They had known each other since childhood, nothing more. Their parents were friends, and so, naturally, Y/N knew Karina.

But the way Y/N knew Karina was vastly different from how she imagined Karina saw her.

Still, she felt they had grown closer over the years. Going to the same high school as Karina had been the highlight of Y/N's days. And when Karina started talking to her first—inviting her to things, like friends did—Y/N didn't know how long she could survive in that beautiful bubble.

The bubble of Karina's warmth and generosity sent her mind into disarray. Every second with her felt unreal.

However, there were always people who reminded Y/N that she didn't belong by Karina's side. And she never denied it.

She'd known it since they were kids.

Karina had always been the popular one. And once she grew into a beautiful woman, more people began to swarm around her like bees to a flower.

Y/N was content to watch her from the sidelines if it meant she could still see her. Just knowing her felt like enough. But human emotions are greedy, and Y/N's heart longed for more.

Just a little more. One more second. Another stolen moment.

If anything, Y/N would say she worshipped Karina. It went beyond love. She had admitted it to herself more than once—what she felt was deeper than romantic affection.

It was devotion.

Y/N buried her face in her palms as the night breeze brushed against her feverish skin.

Coming to this prom after-party had been a ridiculous idea. She wasn't the type to attend gatherings, but she'd gone to every one because Karina would be there.

And she hated how jealous she felt when she saw Karina with others. She had no right to feel that way, but over time, she'd started becoming possessive.

And she hated herself for it. It made her feel like she was doing something wrong.

So lost in her spiraling thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps that had followed her after she'd slipped away from the party. But a branch snapped nearby, pulling her attention up from her hands.

She turned her head toward the sound and saw Karina.

In that lavender-purple dress that matched her heels. The necklace her father had gifted her for her birthday adorned her neck, and her wrist wore the watch Y/N had given her for graduation.

"Karina...? What are you doing out here?" Y/N's voice cracked as she straightened on the bench. Karina walked over and sat down beside her.

"I should be asking you that. Is the party too boring for you?" Karina asked, her voice as soft as Y/N remembered it being the day they met, though now a bit deeper, fitting for a woman like her.