“Yah, unnie! Where have you been? Why you did not pick up your phone?” Wheein, a puppy-like girl, pours down questions to Moonbyul as she shows up in class after almost two weeks of absence.

“Ewww, you reek of alcohol!” Hyejin adds up as she wraps her nose to prevent the smell coming in.

Moonbyul couldn’t care less about what her two best friends say. She jumps into them and hugs them tightly.

“I’ve missed you two kids,” she says rather cheerfully, trying to hide her painful emotion.

“Unnie, stop playing around. We know something was up,” Hyejin says as a matter of fact. “We always have your back. Spill it when you’re ready.”

Moonbyul hesitates at first, but she needs to lift the burden out of her chest.

“I-I’m breaking up with Yongsun.” Moonbyul bites her bottom lips. “She told me she was just playing with me all this time. And I’m fine, really.” She tries to compose herself. She has no tear left to escape.

Hyejin and Wheein looks at her pitifully.

“No, you are not fine, Unnie. You don’t have to push yourself to be fine, and it’s okay,” Wheein replies as she puts a reassuring smile.

“Ugh, that snake! How dare she hurt you, Unnie,” Hyejin slams a table with her fist.

“It- it was my fault. I was blinded by my growing love for her that I- I- neglected the fact that we had past. I deserved this.” Moonbyul lets out a chuckle to suppress her sadness.

“Stop saying things like that. Whatever happened in the past stays in the past, Unnie.” Hyejin smiles genuinely. She puts her arms around Moonbyul and embraces the older girl wholeheartedly then Wheein soon follows, so they are group-hugging. They stay like that for several minutes. At times like that, a comforting warm hug is what Moonbyul needs the most.

“Thank you,” Moonbyul mumbles. She is more than blessed to have Wheein and Hyejin by her side.

It is five minutes before the class begins and more students arrive. Moonbyul is not yet ready when a certain beautiful, blonde girl, walks past towards her. She hastily buries her face under her hood because the last thing she wishes is for the girl to notice her existence.

Yongsun.

Yongsun seems exceptionally fine to the point as if nothing unpleasant has occurred to her. She strides towards the class – unbothered by Moonbyul’s presence – while throwing smiles around, showing her cute dimples.

Moonbyul could hear her heart beating faster. However, instead of anger, the reason her heart reacts that way is the fact that she misses Yongsun.

She looks breath-takingly more gorgeous than ever. Moonbyul curses at herself. How could she let her mind thinking irrationally when she is literally hurt and torn apart by the girl?

Indeed, I am a worthless fool. I’m sorry my heart is so full of love for you that there is no space left for hate, my dear Yongsun.

“I did it.”

Yongsun fidgets uncomfortably in her seat.

“Hyun, I finally did it,” Yongsun repeats, more to convince herself.

“Huh? You did what?”

She gulps a big lump. “I ended things with her.”

There is a sharp pause slicing through the thin air. The only thing that can be heard is Yongsun’s heavy breathing.

Joohyun nods her head. “How do you feel now that your plan is accomplished?”

Yongsun darts her eyes outside the window. She raises her cup, sipping her long-forgotten latte. She wears an unreadable expression which leaves Joohyun confused. Her brows furrowed, carefully thinking the proper words to put up her feelings. She lifts her head to finally meet Joohyun’s gaze which is full of curiosity and… is it pity?

“Yong, are you ok--?”

“Numb.” Yongsun cuts Joohyun off sharply. “I feel numb and dumb.” She lets out a titter while her shoulders slumps forward. “You were right from the beginning. Revenge won’t make me feel any better, instead, it is beyond worse.”

Joohyun heaves a sigh. She cannot bear seeing her friend at her lowest point like this, again. She reaches for Yongsun’s hand and squeezes it softly, giving her the comfort she needs. Joohyun’s mind is constantly running as she considers dozens of possible scenarios which leads to Yongsun’s devastation on her well-planned revenge: that Yongsun would befriend Moonbyul in the most natural way, be Moonbyul’s everything that she loves the most, and then betray her so Moonbyul will suffer a great loss of her loved one, just like Yongsun’s painful trauma. Unless…

“I’m in love with her.”

Those words fall out of Yongsun’s mouth as a whisper, but it is loud enough for Joohyun to catch.

. Joohyun’s eyes popped out in disbelief after hearing her friend’s sudden confession. It is the last thing she wishes to hear from Yongsun. And even in Joohyun’s wildest dream, she never imagines that Yongsun will fall in love with the girl she seeks revenge from.

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life than this senseless infatuation!” Yongsun half shouts. She runs out of breath as she spills the truth she has been keeping secret. Yongsun is about to burst into tears, covering her face with her hands, probably regretting her own foolishness. Joohyun is quick to react by bringing Yongsun to her embrace, rubbing her back up and down.

“W-what should I do, Hyun? I-I never predict it will backfire.” Yongsun splutters, tears coursing down her face.

Joohyun understands best that Yongsun has ed up big time, but she is in no position to judge. Yongsun is always there for her, so she’ll do the same and support her as best as she could.

Joohyun softens her voice, “Calm down first, Yong. We’ll figure this out, okay?”

“B-but my mom—”

“Shhh. I’m sure your mom only wants you to be happy no matter what it takes. Love cannot be avoided, Yong. Even if it is against your own will.”

Upon hearing Joohyun’s reassuring words, Yongsun hugs her tighter and sobs even more uncontrollably.

02:21 AM.

What an exhausting day.

Yongsun is lying on her bed weakly. Her energy has been drained out of her body because she’s been thinking of pathetic love life too much. Even though Yongsun feels slightly better after sharing her concern with her best friend, Joohyun, she has attempted to sleep for hours without success. She fixes her position many times, tosses her body here and there, but seemingly her insomnia has gotten worse.

Earlier that morning, Yongsun pretended not to see Moonbyul who sat in between Hyejin and Wheein. The two girls shot her a death glare, but Moonbyul remained still, giving off a gloomy vibe. Although she tried her best to act cool and stuff, Yongsun could feel her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She felt a mixed of emotions battling inside: relieved (Yongsun thought Moonbyul might do something stupid due to heartbreak, but thank Heavens she finally showed up and alive!), devastated (because as much as she hated to admit it, she has been longing for Moonbyul), and perhaps frustrated (how dare she long for Moonbyul after hurting her?). During the class, Yongsun could not help but to steal a few glances at Moonbyul.

I’m sorry, Byul-ah. She shuts her eyes, letting a shed of tears escapes. Her mind starts wandering around layers of her miserable past, not letting her tired body to rest.

//

Flashback: three years ago.

It was a midsummer night.

Moonbyul was having the best time of her holiday, partying till past midnight at her friend’s house. She was 17 years old at that time, however, she couldn’t resist the temptation to chug down any alcoholic beverages available. It turned out that she was a light drinker as she felt the world started spinning as her face grew hotter. Although she could barely stand straight, she was stubborn enough to decline her friend’s invitation to sleep over after their drinking session and, instead, walked back home herself.

In the meanwhile, Yongsun was enjoying quality time with her mother. They just had an ice cream date earlier and were on the way home, linking their arms and laughing freely as if they have nothing to worry about. Yongsun’s mother had become the sole reason for her existence, especially since her father passed away even before she was born. She was way too naïve, her little world only revolved around her mother. Yongsun was beyond grateful to cherish those moments. She wished the memories would be imprinted in her mind forever. Little did she know, it might be their last memory together.

That was when it happened.

Moonbyul was not aware of her surroundings that a green light for pedestrians had switched into red. With her drunken state, it took her forever to cross the road. Then, suddenly she heard a loud honk and a screeching halt of tires. The last thing she saw was a blinding light of a car, ready to crash into her figure. She froze in her spot and closed her eyes, praying to God for some miracles. It was too late. She hit the cold ground, soon followed by bloods spilling everywhere. Except the bloods were not hers.

“Mom!”

Moonbyul opened her eyes slowly. Despite the pain due to her falling on the ground, she attempted to sit up. She turned her head to the direction of that voice. She saw a young girl around her age running frantically towards her mother’s motionless body which laid down a few metres away in front of Moonbyul, covered by bloods.

“Mom, wake up! Please,” the girl, who was no other than Yongsun, screamed and cried out loud, shaking her mother. No one answered her plea for only the three of them presented in the quiet road. The car driver had fled from the scene.

As her senses started to come back, Moonbyul could eventually comprehend what had happened before her eyes. She thought she was going to die, but God was too kind for her own good. She was saved by an old woman, the one whom the girl called as mother, who sacrificed herself to be collided with the car instead of her. After what it seemed like an eternity, Moonbyul managed to put herself together. She grabbed her mobile with her trembling hands and called an ambulance, trying her best to control her panicked condition.

Yongsun’s cries gradually subsided for it was of no use. Her mother was no longer breathing.

“You’re definitely paying for this.”  Yongsun stated as she bored a hole into Moonbyul’s eyes.

Upon hearing that, beads of sweats formed on her forehead and shivers ran down her spine as realization hit Moonbyul: she was the cause of the accident. She was the cause of the woman’s death – Yongsun’s mother’s death. Although it was a hit and run case, Moonbyul couldn’t deny that it was partly due to her recklessness. She was unsure whether it was a piercing pain, an ocean of guilt, or something else that overwhelmed her at that time. Moreover, she did not know what the girl meant, but one thing for sure: she was drawn into a strong gravitational pull toward Yongsun’s red bloodshot eyes.

End of flashback.

//

//

Flashback: a year ago.

“Excuse me, are you Yongsun? Hi, I’m Moonbyul,” a girl said in her deep husky voice while offering her hand for a handshake. “You were absent yesterday, so you might not know that the professor asked us to work in pair for our project.”

Yongsun could not believe her eyes. She blinked fast.

This must be her. I can’t be wrong.

“Hello? Are you listening to me?” Moonbyul waved her hand in front of Yongsun’s face.

“You look familiar,” Yongsun replied after coming back to reality. She wanted to check if the girl remembered her or not.

“Really? My family always tells me that I look like an idol,” she paused, “nevertheless, I don’t think we ever met before. Besides, I am not that famous to get recognized instantaneously by a pretty girl like you.” She smiled showing off her crunchy nose muscle while throwing off those cheesy words.

Yongsun cleared , unable to withstand such cheesiness, especially from a girl she despised the most. “Well, nice to meet you.” She accepted the handshake and plastered a fake smile.

The girl Yongsun had been looking for after … finally showed up before her eyes. God must be on my side, she thought. Even the girl really seemed not to remember me.

End of flashback.

//

Yongsun's mind is too simple to believe that the sweetest revenge is to destroy everything that one’s love the most. When she first decided to take revenge on Moonbyul, she had all well-planned. She would befriend Moonbyul in the most natural way, be Moonbyul’s everything that she loves the most, and then betray the girl. However, what Yongsun never calculates is the probability that the one whose life she is about to crash has gradually become her everything. If Yongsun wants to destroy Moonbyul, she has no choice but to destroy herself as well.

This is the cost I must bear, Yongsun murmurs to the darkness encapsulating her night.

A/N: Thank you everyone for your upvote/subscribes/comments to this story! It encourages me a lot to continue writing this chapter ;)
I'm sorry it takes me almost a month to update because I have come up with three possible scenarios regarding Yongsun's abrupt break-up with Moonbyul (one of which includes psychological aspect, but I decide to put it aside) and hopefully this one is acceptable (at least I hope it makes no non-sense). I am fully aware that angst might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I have decided since the beginning to make the story that way. Please bear with my selfishness lol. Anyway, I have planned two more chapters to conclude the story (if there is no future change), so please look forward to it.