Chapter VIII - Good Memories, Nightmares

One shot.

One kill.

To put it simply, all she did was utter her words and I was dead.

Not literally, of course, but it sure felt like it. There was now a fist sized hole in my chest where her words punctured me. I don't think I'll be able to recover from this. This probably goes without saying but Yuna will have to take responsibility now. Is death by happiness even possible? I'll probably be its first victim and doctors all over the world will call the condition after me.

A happiness I never wanted to disappear.

“I’ll wear this one then,” I agreed, after recovering that heart attack of a one-liner.

Yuna’s smile grew, teeth showing and eyes widening with glee. Our fingers were still intertwined and she started to hold it harder. I kissed the back of her hand to help calm her nerves.

A small pink stain was left on her pale flesh.

“We still have to find one for you though.” I continued.

“Hmm… I'm fine with this.”

She selected a frilly baby blue gown that had string straps that would show off her shoulders. The color was good with her skin tone and it was made of a really soft material. Weirdly enough, that was probably one of the first ones I tried fitting on her but I put back because it was too long. I wanted to find something that showed off her legs and thighs… At least the fabric was thin enough to make her hips accessible...

Am I over sharing?

“Alright,” I concluded, getting my head back on straight. “I'll change in the bathroom and wash up while you can get ready here. You can wash up after me?”

“Sounds like a plan, unnie.”

As I left her, I spun back around and quickly gave her a peck on the cheek before hurrying away.

“Wah!?” she squealed, putting a hand on her cheek. “Unnie~!”

“Don't take too long! Can't wait to see you in it,” I teased before skipping over to the bathroom.

There wasn't a real reason for the kiss, I just wanted to. It’s weird. The urge to do it suddenly welled up inside of me and I couldn't ignore it.

I the faucet and started washing up. Ah, the warm water was refreshing against my face. That was especially true with my sore neck and shoulder muscles.

I was a bit sad to wipe away the remains of Yuna’s markings on my body. I’m probably the only one to think this but the red stains were a bit y in their own macabre way. Plus, they were memories of a night I don't want to forget. Luckily, washing away the rouge revealed a long string of cuts and scars from her teeth that may take a while to heal. They didn't hurt much but their appearance left a smile on my face.

“I was right. You do look cute in that pink one.”

“GAH!?” I jumped.

In the mirror, a reflection of Yuna’s head suddenly popped into view. God, that scared the out of me. With her straight black hair fully down, pale white skin, and lips smeared with red lipstick, she looked like a ghost from a Japanese horror movie.

“Unnie! Sorry!” Yuna quickly came to my side, resting her hands on my shoulders. She gave me a worried smile in an attempt to comfort me. “I didn't mean to scare you like that.”

“Ahaha,” I found myself laughing. “It’s alright. You just surprised me, that's all.”

I turned around and hugged the girl before leaning back to take in the in view.

She. Was. Gorgeous.

It was almost a little unfair.

Yuna’s outfit during the party was cute but a loose fitting ensemble, highlighting her long legs above everything else. This nightgown however was tight around the stomach and chest areas, showing off her thin form and flat belly. She even had to tie the string behind her a couple times over just to make it fit right. And with the thin pattern and string straps, she was suddenly exposing more skin than before.

“Yuna…”

“Mmm? Does it look good?” She did a little spin like she was modeling the outfit. Her expression was hopeful. “I think so.”

“I'm starting to realize that between the two of us, you're the y one and I'm not sure if I can handle it.”

“What? How?” Yuna looked at me confused. “You've got more curves than me. Plus your way more confident in your own skin than I am.”

“So what you’re saying is that you were checking me out!”

“Y-yeah! So what? You’re hot too, Yerin unnie.”

Yuna's face went red, realizing she had said too much.

“Hmm, maybe I should just sleep only in my underwear then,” I as my hold on her body tightened..

She took a moment to respond, challenging me. “If you did, we wouldn't get much sleeping done tonight.”

Oh my.

I scrunched up my nose before descending into a laughing fit. The both of us almost doubled over, collapsing at our idiotic conversation.

“Hehehehe~!” I giggled. “Wow, one night here and you’re already as terrible as me. I couldn't be more proud.”

“Oh, here we go. Technically, it's only been a couple of hours. But hey, What can I say? I learned from the best.”

“Well, you’re very welcome~!” I gave a wink  Calming down was a struggle to say the least. I found myself unable to let her go as I pointed where everything was. “I’m sure you’ll find everything you’ll need to wash up.”

“Thanks, I shouldn’t take too long.” She caught me off guard, kissing me on the cheek as she ushered me out. “Don’t worry. I’ll still be this pretty after I wash up~!”

That one slayed me, I swear. I laughed all the way to the bed. Yuna started humming to herself as the faucet ran. I didn’t recognize the tune but it sounded pretty. As I waited, I did whatever a contemporary young woman would do when they had time to kill: mess around with their phones.

Sowon managed to get everyone out of the house and she assured me that only SinB and Umji were left.

She also told me not to ask her how she found out that they were still here.

Does she really think I won't?

“Oh, what the hell?”

“Something wrong, unnie?” I heard Yuna shout from the restroom.

“No, nothing. Just a bunch of wasted effort.” I finished reading Sowon’s messages and let my phone fall, too disappointed to continue looking at it.

Apparently, if I walked downstairs right now, I would find Sowon sleeping on the couch while Eunbi was still in the guest bedroom.

I spent all that time trying to set them up and she goes off and does that?

Sigh... Sowon. You innocent child you.

You see, when Yuna mentioned to me that she didn’t drink much, it reminded me that the university banned drinking at the on campus dorms. Given the lack of access to alcohol, Eunbi’s tiny BMI, and her excitable nature, I estimated that it would take about 2 to 3 drinks to feel buzzed or at most, fairly inebriated. Granted, there were things I was gambling on like family history or natural alcohol tolerance but the odds were still in my favor. My initial tests did bear fruit. After the first shot, I noticed the reddening on her cheeks and her movements becoming a bit more restrained. My estimate was starting to look real good. The thing with Sowon’s liquor was a bit of a calculated risk but I think the results speak for themselves. The contents of the Bacardi would have never made it into her bloodstream so Eunbi wouldn’t be out cold. She just needed to taste it.

What I expected to happen next was Sowon guiding Eunbi to the bedroom and after relieving some contents of her stomach, Sowon’s caring mode would flip on and Eunbi would be alright. After some small talk, alone in a nice bedroom, who knows what would have happened? Maybe they would hit it off!

But nope! I didn’t calculate Sowon’s exceedingly excessive innocence to break through and dash all my plans.

Sigh.

I think I ship it.

I’m sure Yuna would be disappointed too. It really looked like she was trying to help her roommate out too. Her assistance with convincing the others to take a shot of that alcoholic poison was unexpected but welcomed nonetheless.

Well, at least the other part of this game worked.

Yuna was here by my side and that’s what counted the most. Well, not literally by my side since she was still washing up, but you get my point.

Speaking of which…

“Yuna, hurry up. You’re unnie misses you~!”

No response.

“Yuna…?”

Nothing.

Just the sound of the faucet to greet me.

It suddenly occurred to me how dark it really was in my room. The purples, pinks, and blues that acted as a night light above us were off and my tablet wasn’t responding to my inputs.

A slosh of water. The sound churned my insides and caused my teeth to grind.

In the interim, slaps and claps of an object hitting the body of liquid echoed against the walls around me.

It was flooded. My entire room was flooded.

My head swung around towards the restroom and I swore but to no avail.

I couldn’t speak.

I didn’t even feel like I was breathing.

Yuna!?

There was no bedroom.

There were no walls.

Just an open sea and nowhere to go.

Standing on the surface was Yuna, giving me a look that burned itself into my mind.

A broken smile on her pretty face.

Tears ran down her face, creating long black streaks as they passed through some of her makeup. Her dress was torn to sunder, a black wound festering along her chest. A black ichor oozed from her, pooling at her feet before disappearing below.

The pain she must be in… Just looking at her made me sick to my stomach.

This isn't right.

I screamed.

I screamed again. And again.

Yuna! What’s wrong!?

Nothing came out.

My voice was empty.

She started to speak. moved. Weakly. Almost pained. It sounded like her larynx was ripped out of her neck.

“Sor… ry…”

I wobbled out of my bed towards her. But as I did, her body broke the surface and disappeared beneath.

NO!

My body flopped into surface, ice cold shards biting into my skin that I even started to bleed.

Yuna appeared below me, her body limply sinking. Her eyes were desolate and void of life. But still moved.

She was a mangled corpse talking.

『I closed my eyes for a moment...』

I got you. I got you.

『And yet… you’re still next to me... 』

Please....

『I like the shoulder that you gave me...』

I swam, but my fingers and arms were digging into what felt like knives. My lungs burned with the lack of oxygen and my vision was getting darker.

『I do believe in you...』

Come on! I’m almost there!

『You pat my small back...』

Faster and faster I swam.

『And with your touch...』

But the more I struggled, the more she sunk.  

『I lay down my heart...』

And the more she fell, the more broken her smile became.

『...and fall asleep』

And she was gone.

No longer there.

Fully consumed by the darkness below.

My vision darkened and my lungs strained to catch a breath. Dry and ashy, even if I was ingesting all this water.

I was losing consciousness.

“YUNA!” I screamed loudly, bolting up before going into a coughing fit.

My eyes strained against the sudden brightness, my vision blurred for some reason. I unconsciously wiped my face, sensing the moisture on my eyes and cheeks.

Was I crying?

I was in my bed. The room looked normal. Floor. Stuffed animals. Walls. Even above me, the faded dance of dark purples, pinks, and blues were above me. Through the thick curtains, I could see rays of light signalling the morning.

“...Unnie?”

I felt a thin body hug me from behind, her delicate arms holding me tightly. Even her legs. It was like she was placing her entirety on top of me.

“Are… you okay…?” whispered the voice that was currently dug into the back of my shoulder. “Did… Did you have a nightmare?”

I weakly nodded my head, an embarrassed smile on my face.

“What happened?”

“When I got out of the restroom, you had already fallen asleep. You were fine the most part but… you started moving in your sleep...”

Not another one… Not again...

“Did I scare you…?” My voice was a bit raspy. I had to cough a bit to clear my throat.

I felt her head nod against my shoulder.

“Ehehe… sorry.”

“Hmph, the great Jung Yerin. Apologizing? And here I thought I would never see the day.”

I started to laugh, my mood brightening thanks to her. The way I’ve , I deserved that.

“It must have been really messed up…” Yuna said in a more serious tone. Her fingers started fixing my hair as she rested her head on my shoulder. “If I’m able to help...”

“Were you just singing earlier?”

Yuna tensed up. Since she was behind me, I couldn’t read her facial expressions.

Surprised?

Embarrassed?

I wasn’t sure what it meant.

But I could probably hazard a guess.

“I heard you sing,” I smiled. “You have an amazing voice…”

“Thanks…” Her spoke quietly. “It seemed to calm you down…”

“Sing for me again… Please? If I ever get like that again…”

She moved her head up and down.

“Does it happen a lot?”

“No… Well, not recently anyway…” I was breathing a sigh of relief, seeing as she was a lot more calm than I anticipated.  “But you helped. So, thanks~!”

I rotated my head and gave a small peck on her cheek. It was starting to become second nature, this feeling.

Trading blows.

Back and forth.  

Giving and taking.

I let the silence linger a bit more, enjoying the feeling of being hugged by this beautiful girl. It eased the pain in my chest caused from the stress of the dream.

“You know… with you in this position, I could easily…” Her voice trailed off…

“Choi Yuna… You naughty girl…”

And before I knew it, I felt her on my neck. As she did, I felt a stinging sensation where she had kissed me before. She was retracing the scars. Parts of it hurt a bit but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Plus, the feeling of her lips against the skin eased the pain.

“You’re right,” she concluded. “These scars are pretty. Like a work of art.”

I let her play with me more as my hand wandered to her milky thighs.

“I think the artist… unngh… isn’t finished with me though...”

I let out another moan, incapable of finishing my thought as my mind went blank.

Perfection in the morning...

“YO, YO! Yerin unnie! Sowon unnie made some really good breakfast foods. Want some... thing… to-!?”

Full stop.

Like a computer powering down. I almost expected the Windows error message pop-up to appear on SinB’s face. Complete with the sound effects and maybe a blue screen.

As Yuna was making her way to a lovely spot behind my jawline that she had found last night, SinB opened the door to my room. Yuna was still holding me in her embrace. Our clothes and the bed was in various states of disarray. We must have been a sight to see considering how slack jawed SinB was.

She was usually so quick to give me crap.

“Now, I know what you're thinking,” I started, breaking the tension. “But if you think really hard about it, this isn’t the weirdest thing you’ve seen me do in my bedroom.”

SinB stayed silent, frozen with shock. Her eyes darted towards me, then Yuna, then back to me again.

“Am I really not the weirdest thing you’ve done in your bedroom?” Yuna asked, expertly removing words from her question.

Now there’s a thought.

“Actually, you might just be, my dear. Not sure. But you’re definitely the prettiest.” I winked at her.

“Hmm, I’ll take that as a win.” Yuna gave SinB a quick glance. “Though, we shouldn’t give away all the details, babe.”

SinB still didn’t react.

Her face was stuck in that disbelief look she would always give me. Where she’d raise an eyebrow and made a sideways “O”. A mixture confusion and shame.

“Okay, this is actually starting to freak me out.” I admitted, unsure what to do. “She hasn’t blinked since she got in here.”

Yuna took a moment to think of a response.

“Is your friend into voyeurism? Maybe she’s waiting for a show?”

“You think?”

“No idea,” Yuna shrugged, but gave me a knowing smile. “One way to find out.”

I felt my lips press upon Yuna’s mouth.

It was softer than last nights but just as energetic. Like she wasn’t holding back anything anymore but was now adjusting to my body.

“YAH!!!” SinB finally snapped, closing the door behind her. “YERIN UNNIE!!! OH MY GOD!!! UGH! BAD UNNIE!”

Well, there goes trying to keep this between just the two of us.

“Whoops,” I said, finishing our kiss. “That’s SinB by the way, my best friend. She's usually only that loud when we’re playing games or something.”

“She seems nice,” Yuna nodded. “I should probably introduce myself formally later.”

“Good idea,” I sighed. “Well. Guess I’m in trouble.”

Yuna leaned back and turned me around in her little cocoon for me.

“Correction,” she pointed at me with both hands before pointing at her chest and forming a heart. “You’re in me~!”

It was an awful joke but her laugh was just so infectious that I couldn’t help but join her. Almost heaven sent with the way it calmed me and soothed my nerves. I found myself holding on to her hand, playing with her fingers like it was the most natural thing to do.

Yeah… I was okay with this.

“Yuna.”

“Yes, unnie?”

“I feel like this is going to be the start of a terribly lovely relationship.”

“Hehe, I agree.”

“YAH! SOWON UNNIE!!! YERIN UNNIE IS WITH SOME WEIRD GIRL IN HER BED!!! GAH I CAN’T GET THE IMAGE OUT OF MY MIND!!! NO! MY IMAGINATION! MY IMAGINATION! ”

Man, that was fun~!!! Hypothetically killing a character like that was nice in a weird sort of way. Reminded me of older times. >___< Anyway, this chapter has a lot of things going on so I hope a lot of the details don't get lost. Also, with this slow change in Yuna, we are going to see a lot more interesting dynamics between her and Yerin and the rest of GFriend. Of course, this begs the question... 

Why did I use "that" song? ^___^ Forgive me. I swear I'm not trying to start a war. Hehehehehe~! 

This chapter also marks a fix to Yerin's characterization that I've been having a problem with that some of you know about. If I left the way things were, Yerin would have too much power in the relationship and Yuna would depend too much on her. I wanted to give some sort of problem to Yerin that Yuna could help with and tip the relationship more into balance. That would make for a more interesting story. Turns out that I had a problem for Yerin staring right in front of me and I didn't realize it. Yay past me~!

Anyway, please comment and I hope you have a nice day. 

PS: Just ignore the fact that I renamed the story... That's nothing~! I swear~! ^___^ 

PPS: Also, with the way I ended this chapter, I realized that it made it sound like it was the end. ALAS! TIS NOT THE CASE!!! Oh, we have a lot more things in store! This is just the beginning.