the situation she was in was purely pathetic.

she had called hyejin out for a night of drinking and fun at the new club that had opened in town under the ruse of drinking away her work-related stress and dancing away her worries of not meeting a deadline that crept closer everyday. but, here she was, slumped over the glass bar of a club with some terrible club music pounding in her head and a glass of overpriced alcohol in her hand.

hyejin had left her after her third drink, citing reasons that had something to do with some hot guy she had seen from across the club giving the eye. wheein could barely remember what hyejin was wearing anymore, her mind was clouded over by alcohol and only one thought swam about in her head. even if she could muster up some sobriety, she wouldn’t be able to find hyejin in the overcrowded club.

the main part of the club was packed to spilling point with a mess of sweaty bodies that were dancing against each other drunkenly and she wasn’t about to brave that just for the sake of finding her friend making out with her temporary lover. wheein raised her hand and waved weakly at the bartender as she pushed her glass in front of him and pointed at it repeatedly. “just a refill, please. thanks buddy.” she tried to smile but it probably looked like a sad mix of depression and intoxication. she lifted her head slightly and looked around the club. it was almost stupid for her to come here in her state. a place packed with people who were intoxicated and in love was a recipe for disaster. she should’ve just stayed home and cried away her misery over a tub of ice cream like a normal person. hell, she could’ve binged watched a whole season of a tv show by now. she dragged her left hand closer to her face and squinted as she tried to make the time on her watch more visible. the blurry face seemed to indicate that it was already 4am, but wheein couldn’t be sure.

as soon as she closed her eyes, the scene played over and over again in her head. the way she had been clawing on the other girl’s skin so hungrily, so eagerly. the way her lover had moaned so sinfully as she dragged her nails down her back and marked her neck with love bites. wheein had almost cried up in shock when she walked in on them. were those tears that welled up in her eyes as she ran out of the room? she couldn’t be sure. moonbyul had chased after her, her shirt askew as she yelled for wheein to stop running and hear her out. wheein couldn’t hear her over the way her heart pounded in her ears. her heart had sank to the bottom of her stomach and it felt almost as if she had been robbed.

sure, she and moonbyul never had anything between them but still, it felt almost as if they might have. roommates for two years and best friends for five, they were so close that some people would have thought that they were sisters, or maybe even lovers. they shared everything. their clothes, secrets that they had overheard, crushes, music tastes, food and even a bed. in fact, she had even seen moonbyul before. nothing was a secret in their relationship and it made wheein happy whenever moonbyul would acknowledge that fact. for the longest time, she had felt that maybe moonbyul loved her, deep down in her heart. there was no way that anyone would shower that much love and attention on someone they didn’t have feelings for. moonbyul with her warm hugs and her crisp airy laughter. moonbyul with her black leather jackets and her comfy woollen sweaters. wheein never truly felt at home when she was without moonbyul. there had been many nights when wheein had lain in moonbyul’s embrace just talking about her day as moonbyul smoothened out her bangs and hummed in response. it was moments like that which made wheein believe that maybe somewhere within moonbyul’s heart, she loved wheein.

to be fair to moonbyul, they were never an item. she had always laughed it off whenever their friends had suggested that they should date. it seemed absurd and uncomfortable for them to date, yet, it seemed so, so natural too.

as of late, she had noticed that moonbyul stayed out longer. she would come home late at night, calling out for wheein in the wee hours of the morning. moonbyul was never drunk or disheveled and wheein had to give her credit for that at least.

when wheein had confronted moonbyul about her late night situation over breakfast, she had merely laughed it off as she shook a slice of toast at wheein and told her to mind her own business. wheein had simply shrugged and sipped her orange juice as the pair sank into an uncomfortable silence. it irked her, to be honest. moonbyul never kept anything from her. why would she act so secretive now?

as the weeks passed, she had hoped that moonbyul would let slip any sliver of information on the situation but not a single whisper had left her lips on that matter. wheein knew moonbyul was just protecting her feelings but at the same time, she felt indignant and upset that moonbyul didn’t trust her enough to let her know what she was doing after work. she had tried all sorts of ways of keeping moonbyul home, from makin