21:00

The One I Love
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i've had good times with some bad guys
i've told whole lies with a half smile / cheerleader

There’s a bird that has taken to sitting on her window sill. It doesn’t do much. Every so often it hops around around the stone siding. Sometimes it taps curiously at the glass. But mostly it just… sits there.

 

Even with a light rain tapping at the pane, the bird sits outside her window.

 

Jennie watches the bird peck at its feathers when the sound of high heels on tile redirects her attention. She wonders for a moment if it’s Dr. Park, but the young doctor had told her she’d be going out of town for a conference.

 

“So you weren’t pregnant, huh?” Hayi walks into the room holding a teddy bear bought from the store downstairs.

 

The bear’s constricted pupils stare into Jennie’s soul, lifeless and yet all-seeing. On his chubby stomach covered in fur he wears a crop top that reads get well bear-y soon. Jennie glances up at the person holding the bear, doubting the sincerity of the sentiment.

 

“Are you here to watch me die?”

 

“No, I just thought I’d drop in and say hi.” She looks at the assortment of bouquets and sympathy gifts Jennie has received. Gingerly, she props the bear up against a vase. “Hanbin said it would be nice.”

 

Jennie lets out a little laugh.

 

“Are you bragging you didn’t come here by your own choice?”

 

Hayi ignores the question and instead moves a chair closer to the bed, sitting down. She sets her purse on the ground before looking back up with long black lashes and glittery eyelids.

 

Jennie can’t help but notice her hair looks shinier, healthier. Her dark circles have also faded. She doesn’t look as tired.

 

“You know your boyfriend got me fired from the club in a drunken rage.” Hayi speaks finally, hands folded in her lap. Even her nails are done.

 

“Sorry about that. Not my boyfriend, though.” Jennie says, but otherwise is not surprised nor apologetic. “Jaewon and I broke up.”

 

“Really?” Hayi raises a brow. “What a shame. Nice guy.”

 

“You know you’ve always been so damn sarcastic.” Jennie hisses non-maliciously.

 

“You bring it out in me.” The other girl sighs. She crosses one leg over the other. “Wanna know why I’ve always hated you?”

 

“Enlighten me.” Jennie answers sincerely. She had read the diary, but she never truly understood what had started it all.

 

“We’re the same, you and me.” Hayi says, and Jennie gives her a strange look. “When Minho and I first started dating he told me I should be more considerate of you, that your parents were gone all the time so you acted out like a brat needing attention.”

 

Jennie bites her cheek. How kind of Minho to have shared her personal information. She can’t be mad at him after all of these years have passed but something doesn’t sit right knowing Hayi’s impression of her was formed through those words. But the Jennie whose first love was Minho still feels a slight tinge of betrayal.

 

A thought comes to Jennie. Her eyes soften, but her lips are downturned and mean.

 

“And you felt like th

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okay just realized this is over 400 subscribers (A LOT for me omg) i'm blown away!! thank you so much everyone ❤

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Gracieihunna #1
Chapter 26: So did jennie end up with mino?
Number2elf #2
Chapter 26: Sometimes I feel like you thought about what's the worst that could happen and chose that, but in a sense I feel like the fact that these negatives were never ending was a light in itself. Hayi eventually came back, jaewon did, and their parents did.
Number2elf #3
Chapter 26: Reading this was almost cathartic, but it is art.
Number2elf #4
Chapter 13: This story hurts so much to read, but I keep reading. There's so much to find out
Kuro_Wol
#5
Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Oh my dear lord I've finally caught up with everything (I've been away from aff for the longest time). Gurllll this was just so beautiful omg I'm sobbing. I tell you think every time but I really loveeee your writing style (writing goals omg Dx) and you just have such a wonderful way of story telling, it wows me every time. I loved this and how you painted each character so well, they all have their distinctive traits and I admire how you wrapped up jen's relationship with every significant character in her life, and how it impacted her and the way she viewed/felt towards things that used to hurt her in the past. As always, a wonderful, wonderful job on this hfjdjsjff pls teach me how you master all these genres senpai xD
horatia
#6
Chapter 26: It’s hard to find a good story on aff nowadays but i’m glad i stumbled on yours. I finished this story in one day, too! The ending is so painfully beautiful. Love all the deep quotes you implimented. Thank you for the meaningful life lessons you poured into a really beautiful story. And your writing style is so unique and fascinating!
alcyonne
#7
Chapter 26: The ending is so beautiful that i'm just going to be optimistic and appreciate it as it is (because beaches as endings...mean a lot of things in my experience as a reader).
i like how you tied up her relationship with hayi, hanbin, jaewon + mino. nothing was left lacking, i think what we got was enough. jennie had many potential love interests here, but in the end, mino was still the focus. i love that it wasn't necessarily love pulling them along either and i'm just happy he wasn't just brushed aside. even if jennie finally found 'the one' in hanbin (that title drop though in 24:00, i may have squealed). speaking of 24:00, 'it's everything. it's everything she has ever wanted' really hit me. god, it's all jennie really wanted that i teared up. i felt that. the closure with hayi was really enlightening. again, we get another perspective and it was interesting to hear hayi's side and the parallels between her and jennie. maybe she has a point. they weren't really that different to one another. the part with hanbin made me so ughhghfjd. hanbin in here was just literally a ray of light. that's why the part about his scarred wrists punched me in the gut , then their confessions happened and i just couldn't. this story didn't let me breathe and i love it.
ah, jaewon the psychopath. he really gone and did it lmfao. it seemed he was the one lingering around. my goodness, did he do something to his tattoo of jennie's name? wouldn't be surprised though i find myself hardly sympathetic the moment he hit her. that line she said way back, rather dying than being with him for the rest of her life got me cheering lol. he's the closest to an antagonist we'll get here (tho jennie begs to differ) and again, i applaud his character implementation. all the characters here really came alive. your writing established that with a few simple sentences and interactions and it's amazing really. this is one of the few stories i've come across that relies heavily on sub-text. that's why your word count is so low in each chapter but never lacking! this is one of my goals as a writer which is why i'm marvelled with your work. this was a pleasant read and i enjoyed re-reading sentences to figure out their true meaning. also you know a story is good when it has you thinking and everything is almost quotable, LOL.
good luck with your future endeavours/writings! thanks for the effort and time taken to write this.
it was a painful but beautiful ride. until next time!
alcyonne
#8
Chapter 20: oh my god. my heart. idk what to feel. . i'm just gonna keep reading bc if i stop now idk what i'll do ajskjsjks.