Hi everyone! The story is back after such a long break T_T I didn't have any inspiration after posting it up - how terrible of me. For those that read the first chapter before, there are definite changes so I hope you'll give it another try. Sorry again~

“I think we should break up.”

The smile on Yura’s face didn’t last long as she tried to register the words that left his lips. “What?” Even in the state of shock, she was still able to utter the single-worded question.

The man before her sigh – the same man that once claimed he loved her so. 

“Youngjae, why?” Her question came out soft. Even though she wanted to know, she didn’t have the confidence to hear it and regretted it as soon as she verbalized it.

“It’s just –“ Youngjae begins once more. “ – We’re not right for each other.”

“I don’t understand.” Yura tried to hold back the tears that wanted to spill from her eyes after her initial shock. But, all she could do was blame her ignorance. She should have seen this coming. The constant avoidance of each other should have been enough reason to tell her.

“What is there to not understand, Yura?” Youngjae questioned in frustration. 

That’s when it all made sense to her and she froze at the thought. “Sunhwa.” She uttered the single name under her breath but it was loud enough for Youngjae to hear. And suddenly, a shock of hurt shook through her body. He betrayed her.

“Don’t make it about her.” He sternly tells her. 

“Then what exactly is it about?” Yura looked back up at Youngjae. “You’re leaving me for her.” She should have known. Her friends told her already that this was inevitable. But, she gave the man she loves the benefit of the doubt. She didn’t think he was capable of doing such a thing to her. 

At her question, he offers no reply.

Sunhwa was everything Yura wasn’t. The woman was beautiful. Always wearing designer clothes, her face done wondrously with makeup – just everything from head to toe, Sunhwa was the definition of beauty.

Her simple presence made every man turn and look at her. She made everyone man wish to have her. 

But, Yura always thought she was enough. At least to Youngjae, she was enough. 

“So, I’m not good enough to be with you?” Each question pricked at her heart but Yura didn’t want to leave any questions unanswered. “Am I not beautiful enough for you?” 

Youngjae’s jaw tightened. “Yura.”

“Just say it.” Why was he considering her feelings now? 

“No.” Youngjae’s honest reveal brutally reached Yura’s ears. And it felt like the breath was knocked out of her violently. “No you’re not. Women should like to dress up and look pretty but you…” He stopped abruptly. “You’re not anything I want anymore.”

Yura didn’t think that the day would come where her beauty would be the deciding factor whether she received love or not. Did physical appearance mean that much in this world? Should physical beauty be held above all else? 

Never did Yura think so until today.

***

That happened years ago and Yura was different now. Yura had become different in many ways. The way she looked and the way she thought. And, she had Youngjae to thank for that. 

Beauty.

Lee Yura’s life now revolved around that uncomplicated single word. The decisions she chooses to make and her choice in hobbies are influenced with her warped definition of the word, beauty – though if you were to ask, she would tell you otherwise.

This is what Yura felt beauty was – to walk anywhere and have heads turned and mouths widely gaped at her presence. 

And, that is the same word that has taken over Yura’s life, but was she complaining? No, not particularly. She personally allowed it to have that much effect on her life because she felt she had a valid reason for it.

Yura had learned from a very small age and later on in her life that pretty girls had the advantage over…less pretty girls. The pretty girls had the attention, the admiration from both boys and girls, and they seemed to always get what they wanted – love was no exception. And well, less pretty girls were disregarded and neglected. Any way she looked at it, Yura believed that with beauty came confidence, self-esteem, and happiness. If you wanted evidence, just look at her. She was living proof.

People would sometimes say, ‘your beauty will get you far’, so if beauty was this important and held to this high esteem, Yura had to be sure that she was the very existence of beauty. 

Yura had come to know what made her beautiful – what separated her from the many other girls. She made sure to own the expensive designer clothes, the beautiful makeup that accentuated her facial features, high heels that made her legs look thin and long, and perfume that complimented her.

But Yura also knew that these things weren’t always enough so she tailored the way she spoke. Men like quiet woman, someone that didn’t make them feel inferior. They liked women that were lady-like – not brash. After all these years of doing just that, by now Yura knew what to do and soon, she began measuring her beauty by the number of men who showed their interest in her. 

What was so wrong about that? She was only using her own looks and skills to her advantage. But well, that all seemed to change one unordinary night – where she met a particular person who caused her world, the only world she have known, to come crashing down in a blink of an eye. How she lived her life and what she believed in was so easily questioned and mocked by the stranger’s words.

Even now she could remember his name, Bang Yongguk.

All the skills that she developed until now were useless against him and Yura didn’t know how to act. Because men is where her confidence lie – so what made Yongguk so different from the others?

Whenever he spoke – it wasn’t like his words were harsh or mean…they just made her heart sink each time. 

***

Like any other Friday night, Yura liked spending her time in the presence and attention of others. She liked being in a place that allowed her to wear clothing as short as she wanted it to be without the judgment of others. She wanted to be in a place that was the usual hangout for men because who else would turn their heads and look at her with wonder?

Who else would hold eyes with desire in them?

Who else would continue to reinforce the idea that she only had worth if she was beautiful?

And whenever her eyes glanced around to find people looking at her, it made her love the attention more. 

Yura would occasionally dance with men and allow them to touch her. Though her boundaries weren’t strict, there were still limits. She didn’t kiss them and she didn’t go home with them. She never allowed the relationship to progress further than being strangers. That’s not what she was here for. 

Yura was only here for the attention and the praise – nothing more. 

She was always the charmer, not the charmed. And she definitely wasn’t an easy woman no matter how she let on and at this current moment, words were being whispered in her ear. Words from a man that she was dancing with on the nightclub’s dance floor. He called her beautiful – he said she was the most beautiful woman in this entire place and he wanted to take her home. 

She merely chuckled to herself. That was against her rules and after excusing herself, Yura headed towards the bar.  

***

“Dae, I still don’t know why you’ve dragged me here.” Yongguk looked around at the club scene, still unsure if he wanted to stay a second longer in such a row