Let's Not Falling In Love (1st Book) (FIXED)

Fake Love

​“We can’t, Chaeyoung—you’re two-timing me with my own best friend,” she said, her voice sharp with anger.
​“How could I ever be happy with you while she was suffering? I saw her crying over a guy who was just playing her. I’d rather you leave us both,” she added, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
​“I was only attracted to her... forgive me, Sana-yah. I love you.”
​“I’m not coming back to you. Let go of me!”
​He tried to force a kiss upon her lips while she fought desperately to push him away.
​“I love you.” Hearing those words from his mouth, a fraction of her heart longed to give in, but the rest of her wanted only to weep.
​Before anything else could happen, Jeongyeon kicked him, sending him sprawling into the wreckage lining the alleyway.
​“To hell with your love, you jerk!” Jeongyeon shouted at him. She glanced down at Sana. “Are you alright?”
​Sana’s wrist was already bruised red from his grip.
​“Who the hell do you think you are?” He scrambled to his feet, though a tremor ran through him as he realized Jeongyeon easily towering over him.
​“It doesn't matter who I am. Just leave her alone.”
​“Sana, you won’t come back to me because of this person, right?” He grabbed the hem of Jeongyeon’s hoodie.
​“Don’t touch me!” Jeongyeon landed a sharp punch to his face, then hauled him out of the alley with Sana trailing behind.
​“Mina!” both of them gasped in unison as they reached the entrance. Mina was standing right there.
​“So... you left me for this slut?” Mina spat at Chaeyoung, pointing an accusing finger at Sana.
​“Hey, watch your—” Chaeyoung tried to defend Sana, but Jeongyeon cut him off before he could finish.
​The red-haired girl turned her venom on Sana. “And you... all this time, you badmouthed him just to make me stop loving him—all because you wanted him for yourself. You really are a snake.”
​Without waiting for an answer, she turned and ran back toward the dorm. Sana pursued her immediately, tears streaming down her face.
​Mina doesn't understand, Jeongyeon thought, watching them vanish. She only saw Sana and Chaeyoung together and jumped to conclusions. If she knew what a scoundrel he really was, she never would have said those terrible things.
​Jeongyeon exhaled a weary sigh, threw Chaeyoung one last lethal glare, and strode confidently past him toward the dorm.
​When she arrived, Sana was leaning her forehead against a closed door, pleading softly. Mina had locked herself inside. Nayeon and Momo stood nearby, looking drowsy and bewildered.
​“Why are you two up?” Jeongyeon asked, secretly wishing they had remained asleep so they wouldn't get dragged into the mess. Too many girls only make things more complicated.
​“Mina kicked me out of our room while I was sleeping,” Nayeon grumbled with a frown.
​“And then she woke me up,” Momo added, gesturing toward Nayeon.
​“Hey, Yoo Jeongyeon... what happened? Is this your doing?” Nayeon demanded.
​“This has nothing to do with me,” Jeongyeon replied, her eyes widening in protest.
​“If not you, then who?” Nayeon pressed, unconviction written across her face.
​“Ask her.” Jeongyeon gestured toward Sana and rolled her eyes.
​“She won’t answer! That’s why we’re asking you,” Momo chimed in.
​“Then I won’t answer either,” Jeongyeon said, tilting her chin up cockily.
​“God, you are exasperating!” Nayeon ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
​Sana continued calling out through the door, desperate to untangle the misunderstanding.
​“You should go to sleep for now,” Jeongyeon gently advised Sana. “Leave her be for a little while. You can talk sense into her when both of you are calmer.” Sana nodded in weary agreement.
​“And where am I supposed to sleep?” Nayeon asked, giving Jeongyeon a doleful look.
​“You can take my room.”
​“Huh?” all three girls murmured at once. Nayeon’s expression shifted into a playful, teasing smirk.
​“I’ll take the couch,” Jeongyeon clarified, nodding toward the living room furniture.
​“Why? I don’t mind sharing a bed with you,” Nayeon murmured, playfully nudging her arm.
​Jeongyeon offered only an icy, unamused glare.
​“Okay, okay... goodnight.” Nayeon lowered her head, taking the hint. The three of them dispersed—Nayeon into Jeongyeon’s room, while Sana and Momo retreated to theirs.
​Jeongyeon sank onto the couch, but sleep eluded her. Her mind spun; the past few days had held far too much drama.
​Soft footsteps near the front door snapped her alert. She opened her eyes to see Mina slipping out, carrying two heavy suitcases. She was trying to leave without ever settling things with Sana.
​Jeongyeon intercepted her, quietly taking the suitcases from her hands.
​“Where do you think you’re going?” Jeongyeon asked softly, blocking her path.
​“None of your business,” Mina replied, her voice cold as ice.
​“You need to hear her out first. Stay, please.”
​“I don’t need to hear anything from a girl I called my best friend while she was behind my back with my boyfriend.” Mina stared directly into Jeongyeon’s gray eyes, her own brimming with tears. “I can’t stay here... I can’t live under the same roof as that snake, Jeongyeon-ah.”
​“Don’t do it for her, then. Stay for me. Just stay long enough to resolve this.” Jeongyeon set the suitcases down and stepped closer, gently taking Mina’s hands in hers while offering a tender, pleading gaze.
​“For you?” Mina pulled her hands back slightly, letting out a bitter laugh. “What can I expect from someone who doesn’t even believe in love?”
​Jeongyeon froze, staring at the floor in disbelief. “How... how could you say that?”
​“I heard you talking in your sleep last night,” Mina said, turning her head away.
​“They were just words, Mina-ah... You say you love me, yet here you are, completely undone because your ex-boyfriend betrayed you with Sana.” Jeongyeon spoke without emotion, but the words hit home. Mina gasped, a sharp ache striking her chest as she realized how deeply she had just wounded Jeongyeon. Tears began to trace down the red-haired girl's cheeks.
​Jeongyeon let out a long sigh. “Do as you wish. I only wanted to stop you from doing something foolish in the name of love—like throwing away a real friendship.” Without looking back, she turned and walked out.
​“We should have warned her about Jeongyeon from the beginning. She only makes things worse,” Momo murmured, stepping out into the hallway alongside Sana and Nayeon. They had overheard the entire exchange.
​“I’d better go after her,” Momo said, leaving the other two behind.
​Nayeon and Sana approached Mina, who stood shattered by the sudden cascade of heartbreaks.
​“Unnie... I hurt her,” Mina sobbed into Nayeon’s arms, forgetting her anger toward Sana entirely. “I said I loved her, but my actions proved otherwise.” Nayeon held her close, trying to soothe her, while Sana looked on with deep concern.
​Upstairs, Momo pushed open the rooftop door and spotted Jeongyeon sitting alone on a bench, gazing up at the twilight sky.
​“Jeongyeon!” Momo called out.
​“What is it?” Jeongyeon turned her head, her expression guarded.
​“I was afraid you might... do something drastic. Jump, or something,” Momo confessed, sitting down beside her.
​Jeongyeon raised an eyebrow. “Why on earth would I do that? I’m not that fragile.”
​“I thought... maybe you were, because you’ve given up on believing in love,” Momo admitted, her voice trembling slightly.
​“You overheard that too?”
​“Don’t worry, I’m not judging you. That’s your choice. Besides, I wasn't entirely surprised... when we shared a bed that one night, you had a bad dream. You said something in your sleep.”
​“What did I say?” Jeongyeon asked, genuinely startled.
​“You whispered, ‘Let’s not fall in love... I’m afraid.’ Then a tear slipped down your cheek. I thought you were just guarded because of some old scar, not that you didn't believe in love at all.”
​“It’s not that I don’t believe in it,” Jeongyeon sighed, leaning back to stare into the expanse above. “I just think it’s simpler not to fall in love. That way, nobody gets hurt.”
​“I know you were deeply hurt by someone who meant everything to you, and things feel overwhelming right now,” Momo said softly. “It’s okay, Jeongyeon... even the smallest wound needs time to heal.”
​Jeongyeon looked at her in quiet awe; she hadn't expected such gentle wisdom from the blonde girl.
​“Maybe one day you’ll heal,” Momo continued, “and open your heart again.”
​Jeongyeon suddenly leaned in close, searching Momo’s face. “Do you have feelings for me?”
​Momo flinched slightly at the proximity, looking away. “Why should I? I don’t feel anything for you.” She rolled her eyes playfully.
​“Thank goodness.” Jeongyeon pulled back, letting out a breath of genuine relief as she looked back up at the sky.
​Momo caught her breath, feeling a sudden pang in her chest. “Am I really that dreadful to you? That you’d feel relieved to hear I don’t care for you?” Tears threatened to gather in her eyes, but she held them back, sensing the shadow of fear lingering in Jeongyeon’s gaze.
​“No, it’s not that. I just got nervous,” Jeongyeon said quietly. “Like you said, I need time... and I don’t know when that time will come. I don’t want you to expect things I can’t promise. And more than anything, I don’t want to lose you or hurt you before things get too deep... Can’t we just stay like this?”
​Momo swallowed the lump in her throat and managed a reassuring smile. “Yeah. I’m happy with how things are right now. Sorry I got emotional.”
​“Thank you,” Jeongyeon murmured, a genuine smile softening her features.
​A sudden gust of wind blew across the roof, and Momo wrapped her arms around herself, shivering in her thin sweater.
​“It’s freezing out here,” Jeongyeon noted, pulling Momo’s cold hand into the warm pocket of her thick jacket.
​Momo eyed the jacket wistfully.
​“What? Don’t look at me like that—I’m not giving you my jacket. I only have a t-shirt on underneath,” Jeongyeon said with a wry smile.
​“But I’m cold, Jeongyeon-ah,” Momo pouted, tugging gently at the fabric.
​“You can always go back inside.”
​“No. I want to stay here with you.” Momo rested her head on Jeongyeon’s shoulder, a gesture that seemed to melt through Jeongyeon's cool exterior.
​“Sit on my lap,” Jeongyeon offered gently.
​Momo’s eyes went wide. “What?! No! We can’t do that out here!”
​“What were you thinking, you pervert?” Jeongyeon laughed, giving Momo’s shoulder a light, affectionate slap.
​“Ouch!” Momo feigned injury, pouting.
​“Just sit down. I’m not going to do anything.”
​Momo complied, settling sideways across Jeongyeon’s lap. Jeongyeon unzipped her heavy coat, wrapping its wide flaps around Momo to shield her from the wind.
​“I just wanted to keep you warm,” Jeongyeon said softly.
​Momo smiled, resting her head against Jeongyeon’s chest and closing her eyes. She felt like a small child sheltered safely in Jeongyeon’s arms. “It’s so cozy.”
​Gazing down at her, Jeongyeon smoothed a thumb across Momo’s cheek, watching the slight smile play on her lips. “I hope I never turn that smile into tears.”
​Momo opened her eyes, locking her gaze with Jeongyeon’s. “We don’t need to call it love. Just let me help fix what's broken, Jeongyeon-ah.”
​Jeongyeon looked down at her with a gentle, affectionate gaze, then softly nodded. Keeping her arms wrapped tightly around the blonde girl, she leaned down and pressed a quiet kiss to her forehead.