9 months later..

How did it even happen? That Hyejeong didn't have an answer for. It was a very peaceful day until her two other best friends, Yuna and Mina, came over to visit her, wearing nervous and urgent expressions. Hyejeong became even more uneasy – she was already uneasy and bewildered by Seolhyun's recent acts. But the moment the two spilled the bean about the fact that Seolhyun was cheating on her, she could see her whole world crumbling down right in front of her eyes. Sadly, she believed them, for she knows they're not ones to lie.

"Hyejeong I swear I'd be very glad if I was wrong but it's the truth. We saw her at a bar making out with an unfamiliar girl, and we thought you deserved to know." Yuna softly said, aware of the fact that Hyejeong might breakdown at any moment, and that saddened her immensely. "I'm sorry you had to hear this." She whispered, gently placing her hand above the unusually silent girl who was staring at the floor.

Hyejeong was able to see the troubled and sad expressions on the two girls from the corner of her eyes, Mina was tightly biting on her lower lip with a frown not knowing what to say while Yuna tried her best not to come out harsh with the truth. But, she didn't have any energy to at least ease up their emotions and pretend that she was okay, simply because she was not. Sure, Seolhyun was acting very weird which made Hyejeong anxious, but never did she imagine that the girl she knew more than herself, or so she thought, would actually cheat. At least, didn't she remember the promise? Or was it thrown away too just like Seolhyun threw her?

Her hands were shaking, clenching hard and nails were digging deep into her palms. She could feel her heart beating irregularly, her muscles were tense and she was suddenly sweating a lot. Her mind raced as it tried to find an answer as to why this always happen to her, there's only so much pain she can take. The two other girls looked at her worriedly as Hyejeong got up from her seat and walked around the suffocating room silently.

Hyejeong couldn't understand the emotions that were consuming her, but she felt as if someone was choking her, making fun of her misery. It was almost like she had drunk 4 bottles of alcohol in a minute, as if her mind itself was a fizzy drink. Negative thoughts that consisted of self-hate flooded her mind and suddenly she lost control over herself, punching the crooked old wall that was near her with a strong amount of force. The pain in her swollen knuckles wasn't enough to stop her as she punched it over and over again, letting out a cry of emotional pain. Her blurry vision didn't succeed in noticing her two best friends that were panicking by her sudden outburst, shouting a 'calm down!' which failed to reach her ears. They tried to get a hold of her but she kept on pushing them away and punching the wall again, not minding her bleeding hands.

The guards nearby got alarmed by the noises and broke into the room, forcefully holding her down until all what could be heard from her was soft sobs. Yuna was too shocked to even move and Mina had her hand cupping trying to suppress her own sobs. Hyejeong had always been the calm one among them, but seeing her today was something the two never wanted to see in Hyejeong. They were aware of the amount of love Hyejeong held for Seolhyun, and they resented the latter for playing with it.

The guards eventually managed to get Hyejeong back to her cell, after ordering the two girls to leave. To say the least, Hyejeong was worn out, exhausted.

--

Two girls sitting opposite of each other were having a quiet and intense staring contest, to the point where they started to lose count of the minutes that have passed. The sound of the cheap fan was the only voice going on in the tense atmosphere, even the awkward guard (who was ordered to accompany Hyejeong due to the previous outburst) was able to feel the tension, as he was looking back and forth between the black-haired girl and the red-haired one. Hyejeong had her jaws slightly clenched, whilst the other girl, whom he believed was Seolhyun, was staring back nonchalantly.

"It's been a while since you've visited, had it been 2 months already?" Hyejeong eventually voiced out, although coldly, the other girl stayed unfazed. "I had other business to take care of." The monotonous pitch Seolhyun had used even added more pain to the already painful answer, and Hyejeong suddenly found herself gritting her teeth in anger.

"Enlighten me then, it's been a while since I've seen what it's like outside." 

Seolhyun stayed quiet for a moment, to the point where Hyejeong doubted if she even heard her. But, for a second she was sure that a strange glint had appeared in Seolhyun's eyes, some sort of a longing glint. "Trust me, you don't know how beautiful it is in prison."

"Do you really think that staying in a cell for 10 months without knowing how's the weather outside or forgetting how life actually looks like, is beautiful?" Hyejeong asked in disbelief, slightly growling.

"No, it's something else that can only be found here, the only thing that can make me feel warm. At least that's how it is for me." 

Hyejeong crossed her arms, taking a deep breath. The person she was seeing in front of her was absolutely not the Seolhyun she once knew, the one whom she loved whole-heartedly. She started to suspect if that Seolhyun was dead already or if there was still a chance that she might be deep inside. No matter how many negative feelings she recently held for the girl, she still wished to see her coming back to her own self once again. Her feelings for Seolhyun were never erased, but was clouded by a strong wave of resent-ness.

"You've changed." 

"Is that a good thing?"

Hyejeong noticed the guard who was standing near the door looking at his watch indicating time's over, to which she silently nodded to. She averted her eyes back to Seolhyun who was blinking in slight confusion. Hyejeong stared at her features carefully, for the next time she would see her again is probably going to be 4 months later at minimum. She secretly hoped that the next meeting would not even happen, she was afraid that she would lose her temper if it ever happened, since she was barely holding it in this one.

"I'm not the one to be asked, rather, it's you who should be asked instead." 

The image of Seolhyun trying to avoid her gaze was the last thing she saw before silently walking away to the door. No kisses, no hugs, just plain coldness between the two.

As Hyejeong walked through the corridors, she stood in front of the closed door that lead to the cells, particularly staring at the door's reflective glass window. She almost didn't recognize her reflection, her tired, lifeless eyes, her pale skin and the frown that never left her face. The only thing that didn't change was the color of her red tousled hair, at least it was something that still managed to identify her. 

Violently, she pushed through the door and continued walking to her cell with clenched fists and flushed cheeks as one thought never left her mind.

It's all Seolhyun's fault.

--

Hyejeong looked at the people in the room perplexedly, totally caught off-guard. She had been unexpectedly called to a big room where some policemen and the man responsible for the prison were at. But what was more interesting was the fact that Yuna and Mina were there as well, wearing a soft smile on their faces. 

"Today you've completed an exact year, and the Board decided to release you due to the good behavior you have shown since you got here." One of the policemen had said, leaving her thunder struck. Did she really hear it right or was it just a hopeless dream?

"H-how? I mean, I killed a person so why am I being released?"

"Your sentence included parole, which means that we have the ability to release you before the completion of your sentence on the promise of good behavior. But I warn you Shin Hyejeong, if you ever do something else we will not go easy on you again." The mentioned girl nodded her head dumbly, not believing a single bit of what is happening right now, was this just a sick joke of life? Previously, she forced herself to accept that 5 years of her life will be wasted staring at the same wall everyday, all because of a worthless person. But, somehow life seemed to finally smile at her. She didn't even find any sense in giving a 5 years sentence to a murderer, what's more a year. 

The girl slowly took the bag that contained the items she had carried right before she entered jail, including her blood coated clothes and other things like her wallet and keys. Luckily, Mina had brought some clothes with her for Hyejeong to borrow, and the feeling of a comfortable smooth fabric over her skin felt so damn good, she was finally free from the orange hell she was constantly wearing. That orange fabric that had screamed to the eyes of people about a crime she didn't even make.

After signing some papers, she was following the guards to the door along with her two other best friends. The moment the heavy metallic doors were unlocked and opened, she could feel her eyes squinting from the almost unfamiliar natural light that penetrated part of the corridor. And when the cool breeze brushed its way through her hair, only then did she realize that this was real. She noticed her friends looking at each other with a grin, which finally made her realize the upward tug that was drawing its way on her lips. It felt so good to smile again.

The loud sound of the door closing behind her confirmed that her life was finally back again. And nothing felt more better than taking a deep breath of the fresh air that was dancing a