[CONTENTID1] what's meant to be, lasts forever [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2] Seulgi slowly backed away, taking advantage of Irene's back facing her. She strongly twisted her wrist out of Kai's grip and ran away. She ran as far as her feet could take her. 

"Liar... liar... you damn liar!" Seulgi yelled to spite herself. Her voice rang through the rippling waves of the dark body of water before her. The sky was pitch black; she could not even see the water. She finally collapsed on the sand and hugged her knees to her chest, crying into her lap.

Suddenly she felt a person beside her. She expected it to be Irene, but to her disappointment it was Kai. She barely lifted her head and she could already see the shoes that were obviously a man's. Her heart sunk to her stomach. The delirious girl could only laugh at how stupid she looked, expecting Irene to leave Bogum for her.

Why would she choose her anyway? She's nothing special. She's just a woman who stupidly decided to love someone not only straight but also taken. Not to mention, she's also the one who chose to reject Irene before the latter could even make a move. Seulgi had no right to cry.

Yet, why was she crying an ocean of tears now?

"I knew it. You love her." Kai spoke lowly, his voice showing no anger whatsoever. His voice was despondent as it could get. He no longer spoke in the bubbly tone he naturally inhibited. Seulgi hated herself for causing him pain. She couldn't even lie to him. In fact, she couldn't say anything. All that was traded between them was silence.

"...I'm sorry." Seulgi apologized like it could help. In reality, it only crushed Kai's heart to the point that he couldn't hold back his tears anymore. He bit his lip and nodded, randomly picking up pebbles by his side and throwing them into the water. He lifelessly threw them, hoping that all of this would go away like the pebbles disappearing into the water.

He shook his head, "No. Please don't apologize." He told her, not wanting to accept the truth.

"I love her... but don't worry. I'm letting go of her... I'll eventually get over her." She spoke of determination. He wanted to laugh at how absurd it sounded. Instead, he just nodded, "I'll do my best. You won't need her. I'll be enough for you..." He smiled. 

Seulgi stared at him for a second before chuckling with a small nod, "You're more than enough. You've always been. It's just that... my heart doesn't want to listen." She spoke, slowly lessening the space between them. Kai knew before Seulgi could even tell him. He wrapped an arm around her and aggressively pressed his lips against hers.

However, it all felt wrong to Seulgi. She could not feel anything, no matter how hard she tried.

She slightly backed away, but Kai just held on longer. He forcefully entered his tongue into her lips, making her heart race in anxiety. This was so wrong... She secretly thought to herself. She didn't feel pleasure; all she felt through his kiss was pain and desperation to get her love back. No... no, I can't do this.

Just as she took another inch back, raising her hand to push him away, he grabbed her wrist and pushed her down to the sand, causing panic to arise in her heart. She quickly acted upon her reflex and pushed him with more force, but that only caused him to strengthen his grip.

"Kai, stop!" She helplessly shouted with her eyes closed, when all of a sudden she felt herself become free from his grip. Before she knew it, she was being dragged by another hand that tightly held her wrist.

"Don't... touch her." 

She looked up and to her surprise, she saw Irene glaring at Kai. Her eyes drifted down to Irene's hand protectively holding her wrist. Irene was now in front of her, guarding Seulgi against Kai.

Kai laughed sadistically, "Why, isn't it the girl who stole my girlfriend..." He spoke coldly, glaring back at Irene. She in return rolled her eyes and clenched her jaw.

"I'll let you off today, Kai. However, don't think that I trust you. I will never again let her be with you alone." She spoke in a monotone, displaying no sign of joking around. She turned around and pulled Seulgi away. 

Luckily, Kai didn't follow them and he just collapsed on the sand, feeling all sorts of emotions which included anger and guilt.

"I-Irene, it hurts..." Seulgi spoke after a while of following Irene's lead. The latter turned red as she noticed how harshly she had held onto the younger girl. She stopped and softly caressed her wrist, "I'm sorry..." Her eyes softened in realization.

They were now alone, far from where they left Kai. Since they were standing in front of an isolated and empty deck, Irene decided to sit down. Seulgi mirrored her movements and they sat there, silently trying to find out what the other person was thinking.

Irene glanced in Seulgi's direction and saw her broken expression despite her difficulty seeing in the dark. 

"Did he do this before?" She asked out of the blue. Seulgi softly smiled out of the irony. She shook her head, "No... just today when he found out that..." Her voice suddenly drifted away into the air. Irene expected her to continue, but she did not get anything else.

"...found out, what?"

Seulgi's fake smile did not disappear, "Did you say yes?" She asked, answering Irene's question with another. Irene knew her friend too well. When she avoided a question like that, she simply doesn't want to talk about it. As the older one, she respected that. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.

"I did."

The dumb bear started to chuckle like a mad woman. Irene always had trouble finding out if people were laughing or crying and at this moment... she couldn't trust her ears. She looked at Seulgi and as she noticed her glistening wet cheeks, her mind went blank. The poor girl was crying. Seulgi wasn't the type to cry over something so easily. She always held her tears, no matter how bad the situation was. Even when her grandfather, who always took care of her like a second father, died, she never cried in front of her relatives. She knew that by crying, she would display a weak side of herself... and boy, she did not like the idea of that. That's why when Irene saw her breaking down in tears, she knew that Seulgi loved her. She loved her more than anything else.

And it pained her because she did not love Seulgi enough to leave Bogum hanging. She did not love Seulgi as much as the latter loved her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not brave enough." Irene spoke sadly, not knowing what to do. She wanted to hug the crying girl next to her... she wanted to pat her back, or even... wipe her tears away. However, she was too weak to even do that. She couldn't display any sort of affection. She didn't want to give Seulgi the false impression that she loves her. But in her heart, she knew it would not be a false impression. She did love her. Until now, to this very moment, she loves her.

"It's alright. I wasn't either. Let's just... forget about everything." Seulgi deliriously suggested. She stood up and stared into a distance.

"Do you... really want to do that?" Irene asked, hoping Seulgi to say no.

However, fate plays a cruel joke on them.

"Yes," Seulgi says without hesitation. Once again, she runs away from the forbidden love that just keeps getting stronger.

Three months later, Irene and Seulgi meet again at a cafe. Bogum is with Irene, Seulgi notes. She sees the couple engagement ring still on both of their hands. She smiles, the feeling of heartbrokenness turning into a numb feeling that she has gotten accustomed to. She smiles behind the counter, greeting them just like every other customer.

"Hello, what can I get for you two today?"

Irene freezes as she hears the familiar voice. As she entered the cafe, she was talking to someone on the phone and has not even made eye contact with Seulgi. Bogum grins, without a slight