A/N: Hi y'all! Sorry for taking so long to update. Things are hectic at work and I mostly sleep during my days off so I didn't have the time to write. T.T Anyway, I think we'll be down to the last 3 or so chapters in the next two weeks so thank you for sticking with me this far! And 51 subscribers! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I can't thank y'all enough. So here's this week's update. Let me know what you guys think in the comments below! Again, thank you all so much! Have a great week!

 Word count: 2,524 words

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Wednesday.

Eunwoo looks so much like a kicked puppy as she sits by the water’s edge with her feet dipping in the spring water. Yebin’s sporting a deep frown as she sits not too far from her, her head resting on a blank-faced Minkyung’s shoulder. Im Nayoung who was previously very full of competitive spirit has been reduced to a stone-looking creature sitting by the rocks a good couple of meters away. And Jieqiong plays in the water by herself.

Nayoung can’t see her face so she can’t be sure of how she’s feeling about all of this so she turns to Sejeong, asks her with her eyes.

“I don’t think there’s anything more we can do, Nayoung.” Sejeong replies.

“How do you know?” Nayoung says weakly.

“Trust me, I just do.” Sejeong gives her a gentle pat on the knee.

“But it can’t be. There has to be something more for them.” Nayoung says, stubborn. “You told me, Sejeong. You told me we can get up and try again. Don’t tell me there’s a limit to that?”

“Nayoung, you have to understand that there are instances where the best thing to do is to give up. Like with you and Suhyun. Jieqiong doesn’t want it anymore. If we keep on trying to push them together, Nayoung will only end up getting hurt… she’s hurting enough already. You can see that, right?”

“You make it sound like it’s Jieqiong’s fault.” Comes a voice behind them. They turn their heads to find the other Nayoung standing there, frowning at the ground. “It’s not her fault. It was never her fault. It’s mine. It’s always been mine.”

“We don’t mean to be-” Nayoung starts, wants to apologize for intruding but the other Nayoung cuts her off.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to be sorry. If anything, I am grateful for your help.” Im Nayoung offers them a bittersweet smile. “We haven’t spent time like that in a long time. It was worth another shot but I think… it’s time to wave the white flag now.”

“So, you’re just going to give up?” Nayoung asks in a small voice.

Im Nayoung shrugs. “Not just going to give up. I…I don’t have any other choice. I’ve done everything I can. I-I love her still but I don’t want to force myself on her. I don’t want to hurt her again.”

“Again?” Sejeong frowns at the girl.

“I didn’t cheat on her if that’s what you’re thinking. I would never.” Im Nayoung says, looks up at the sunny sky. How cruel must it seem to her for the weather to be so nice on a day like this.

“So, what did you do?” Sejeong asks.

“Nothing. I didn’t do anything when I should have.” Im Nayoung looks down on her hands, opening and closing them for something to do. “I didn’t spend enough time with her when I should have. I didn’t see her hurting when I should have. I didn’t feel her missing home when I should have. I didn’t notice the hints that she was reaching out for me when I should have.”

Im Nayoung takes a deep breath, closes her eyes.

“You see, I have been too busy working. I have been too busy trying to be what I wanted to become for her instead of what she really needed me to be. And that hurt her. I ended up hurting her.” She takes her head in her hands, regret visible in her entire figure.

They fall into an uncomfortable silence, too immersed in each of their thoughts, too afraid to voice out their questions.

“I’m sorry for judging you and Jieqiong.” Sejeong speaks after some time. “It’s not what I thought it was. Sorry for jumping into conclusions.”

“Who was it?” Im Nayoung asks, looking up from her hands.

“Who was what?”

“Who did it happen to before that made you think you’re seeing it again with me and Jieqiong?”

Sejeong opens but no words come out so she closes it again. After some time, she finally finds the words to say, “My parents.”

Nayoung’s eyes lock on Sejeong who only looks into the space ahead of her.

“When I was ten, my mother found out that my father was having an affair with another woman. Instead of divorcing him, she played the martyr and tried to hold on to him, because she loved him still, because she wanted us to have a whole family. That went on for two years. In the end, he left us.” She explains, nonchalance coloring her tone.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Im Nayoung says.

“Don’t be. It’s not your doing.” Sejeong replies, shrugs it off.

At that moment, Eunwoo starts crying. Her wailing makes Jieqiong turn around and Im Nayoung get up and excuse herself to comfort her. Nayoung and Sejeong are left on their own again.

“I didn’t know.” Nayoung speaks, not sure if she should even be saying anything.

“Not a lot of people do.” Sejeong replies, pats her on the knee again. “Are we good now?”

“Huh?”

“I know you’ve been wanting to ask questions since this morning. I hope they’ve been answered by that.” She offers her a smile and Nayoung feels her heart break a little.

--

The trek and the ride back to the resort is filled with heavy silence. Upon arriving, everyone heads off to their rooms without much talk, only half-heartedly agreeing to meet at the dining area for dinner. The weight of the failure of their plans still loom over them like a dark cloud, coupled with their fatigue from running and speed-walking.

Nayoung falls face first on the bed, feels the other side of the mattress dip as Sejeong settles next to her. Turning her head to her direction, she meets Sejeong’s curious look. She still can’t push down the unsettling feeling in her stomach and it shows because Sejeong sees right through her.

“You still can’t let it go, can you?” She shakes her head at her.

“I really feel like we’re missing something here.” She says in all honesty. Sejeong nods, takes her time thinking.

When she finally speaks, she phrases her words carefully. “I think we’ve… already done enough. You heard what the other Nayoung said.” Her hand comes to rest up on Nayoung’s head, her fingers run through her hair once, twice. “Maybe it’s time to give it a rest, Nayoung.”

The gesture somehow causes confusion her instead of comfort and Nayoung’s eyebrows furrow as she looks up at Sejeong who sighs.

“I, for one, have an article to write or risk getting my handed to me by my boss.” She gets up to get her laptop and camera. “I’ll be down at the café if you need me. I suggest you take a look at the other amenities. You’re on vacation after all.”

Nayoung sits up on the bed. “Actually, I’d like to come with you… if that’s fine?”

Sejeong doesn’t reject her company and they head off to the café on the ground floor. The café’s empty and they claim the couch for themselves. Sejeong immediately gets to work while Nayoung orders for the two of them. When it’s time to pay, she realizes that she forgot to bring her wallet so she apologizes to the staff and makes her way to the door (to head back to their room and get her wallet). However, she stops in her tracks seeing a familiar face by the veranda. Stooped on a chair is Jieqiong, a duffel bag lies at her feet, phone held to her ear and… crying?

Sejeong catches her eye and without a word, they both draw closer to the door, pulling it open by a crack to try and catch what Jieqiong is saying.

“…probably doesn’t mean anything, Siyeon.” Jieqiong sniffles. “You know how she is when it comes to competitions but… for a moment… it felt like we were back to what were before all of this.”

There’s a pause and a muffled voice from the other line that neither of them can comprehend.

“Of course, it felt great. I-I was happy. She was happy.” Jieqiong’s shoulder rises and then falls in weariness and defeat. “But I don’t want to get my hopes up that things will be back to what they were before. Nayoung is… Nayoung. I love her still. I always will, you of all people know that, but… I’m scared, Siyeon. If I give her another chance, will things get better? What if things don’t change? What if I end up getting hurt again?”

“I want that too. I want her. But right now, I really just want to go home and see my family more.”

The pause this time is longer. Jieqiong just nods to what the caller is saying for some time. When she looks like she’s calmed down enough, she replies.

“Yes, of course, I can come see you before my flight tomorrow. I’m about to leave now. What? No, she doesn’t know. I’m not gonna tell her-”

Nayoung and Sejeong pull away from the door, plopping down on the floor side by side. The staff by the counter gives them a curious look but they couldn’t care less. The reality of their friends’ situation has hit them like a train - Jieqiong is leaving and the other Nayoung has given up hope on trying to get her to stay, worse she doesn’t even know about it.

“Oh, God, Nayoung, you’re right.” Sejeong exclaims, looking at her with wide eyes. “What do we do?”

Nayoung stares right back at Sejeong. “We don’t have much time left. We have to tell the other Nayoung.”

--

She realizes that she’s doing an awful lot of running today. Her muscles ache in protest and the stitch in her side is telling her to stop and slow down but she doesn’t have the time to listen to her body. She brakes with her heels and nearly slams face first into the elevator doors only to be pulled back securely into Sejeong’s arms.

“Careful now.” The girl says to her. Nayoung’s mind takes note of their position – her back pressed against Sejeong’s front, Sejeong’s arm around her shoulder, the other around her waist, and their faces so close together she can count the shorter girl’s eyelashes.

Nayoung swallows, ignores the fluttering feeling in her stomach, and pulls away.

“Seems like we just missed the elevator.” Sejeong mutters as if nothing happened.

“We don’t have time to wait for the next one!” Nayoung says, shakes off the crawling in her skin, and heads for the stairs. Sejeong follows her.

They run up some three flights of stairs (although to Nayoung, it feels like seven). They have to stop at the fourth-floor landing to catch their breaths and to formulate a plan but the other Nayoung makes an appearance, looking disheveled as they are (although it makes her look very attractive whereas Nayoung thinks she just looks pitiful).

“We were looking for you!” Sejeong exclaims in relief.

“Jieqiong is-”

“Leaving, I know. Minkyung just told me.” Im Nayoung says, cuts Kim Nayoung off.

“Well, what do you plan to do?” Sejeong asks.

Her face falls in confusion. “I-I don’t know. I want to stop her but I shouldn’t. I just know I have to do something.”

“Let’s go then!” Nayoung, despite her failing lungs and legs, leads the way back down the stairs.

It’s somewhere between taking the last step and pushing towards the door when Nayoung finally realizes it. Nayoung and Jieqiong are both victims of time, of too many chances that they let slip past. They’re both burnt out and tired. Because in between the spaces of ‘I love you’ and ‘Me too’ lied too many things left unsaid. The silent pauses of ‘Are you alright’ and ‘I’m fine’ carry so much yearning to just be held in the other’s arms without another word and now they won’t even say one word to sort things out.

As they get to the ground floor and push past the fire-exit into the lobby, Nayoung pulls the other Nayoung aside, letting Sejeong get ahead of them. With what’s left of her breath, she says

“Listen, I know you’re afraid of hurting Jieqiong again. We overheard her on the phone with someone and she fears the same thing. But… that’s the thing about love. You have to fight for each other, fight to stay together. You have to try.”

She remembers what Doyeon said. That love isn’t about who loves the other more or who loves the other less. It’s about fighting to stay in love. It’s about braving all the problems that will come their way. Jieqiong might have given up but Nayoung’s still fighting. And if one of them is, then there’s still a chance for them.

“You’re still in love with each other, that much we know. Eunwoo, Minkyung, Yebin, Sejeong, and me. All of us. So, for the love all that is beautiful, stop being so cowardly. Take this chance and get your girl! Go!”

She pushes the other Nayoung forward and watches her go. Falling behind, she allows herself to catch her breath for a minute before she goes to follow the other two. She finds them by the parking lot.

“What-”

“She left.” Sejeong says, looking defeated. “We… we missed her.”

Im Nayoung shakes her head firmly. “No. This isn’t over yet. I’m going to follow her. Back to Seoul. If not to stop her, just to let her know that I still love her and that I’ll be waiting for her.” She looks into the distance behind them where three figures with luggage appear to be running in their direction.

“We’re going with you!” Minkyung screams, waving her arms in the air.

“We got you your stuff too!” Yebin adds. Eunwoo stoops next to her, hands on her knees as she tries to regain her breath.

“Siyeon… she’s going to see Siyeon before she leaves.” She says.

Yebin perks up. “Oh, you two finally talked?”

“Don’t you dare go there, Yebin! This isn’t about me and Siyeon! This is about Nayoung unnie and Jieqiong!” Eunwoo huffs.

“It could be about you two, too, you know?” Yebin says, raises her eyebrows at the other girl.

“Enough.” Minkyung hisses.

Im Nayoung walks to their car and starts loading their bags. When she walks to the driver’s side, she turns to them. “I can’t thank you both enough.”

Nayoung say that they’re still not in any position to say such things since they still don’t know how things will go from here but she doesn’t say it. She wants to be optimistic about this for the sake of her friends’ happiness.

“You helped me realized that I really have to do something so no matter how things go from here, I’ll still be indebted to you both.” Nayoung finishes.

“Don’t say that. We’re happy to be of help.” Nayoung replies.

“Yeah. Good luck, Nayoung.” Sejeong adds.
 

The four of them enter the car and Nayoung and Sejeong watch them leave, wishing only the best for them.