Jung Wheein has had a fear of the dark ever since she was little. No one questioned it as she was growing up; kids all had their own wild fears, but people started to realize that it was more than that. 

Wheein's fear has lasted her from childhood to now, and she's done nothing to combat it. She can't do anything to combat it. It's not a fear of the dark per se, but a fear of being in the dark alone. She can combat her fears as long as she has someone with her.

And somehow, that someone had always ended up being her best friend, Ahn Hyejin. Hyejin was with Wheein for her whole childhood; the two were practically inseparable, never letting go of eachother.

If one were to go somewhere, the other would always be right by her. Nobody found it strange. They just thought they were close friends, which they were. Little did they know, the two were more than that. Their friendship had a deeper meaning to it, but they couldn't find out what it was.

When Wheein and Hyejin were 12 years old, they talked about their future under the stars. They were having a sleepover at Wheein's house and the two of them waited until their parents were both asleep before sneaking out to the park just near by, so that they could rush back quickly. 

It was 1 AM when they had both left. Wheein had set out her favorite Mickey Mouse blanket she had gotten for her 8th birthday for the two of them two lay on. "What do you wanna do when you grow up, Hyegi?" The older asked as she counted all the stars in the night sky.

"I don't know, Whee. I've always wanted to take showers with my partner." Wheein's head turns at the word 'partner', "You mean like your husband?" Hyejin shrugs in her restrained state. "Maybe it'll be a girl."

When they're walking back home, Hyejin could swear she heard the shorter mumbling about what she had said earlier, but she pushed it away.

What did she mean by she wishes she was that girl? 

 Wheein was 15 Hyejin realized that her fear of the dark was permanent. Sure, she had found it a bit strange that when they were 13 she was still scared of the dark, but she still never questioned it. After all, there's a lot Wheein has kept from Hyejin. 

“Whee,” the younger chirps, “You never told me why you were so scared of the dark.” Wheein hums as she sketches in her notebook. “Well, I wanna know about it.” They were sat under a tree at their favourite park; it had been their place to meet up ever since they had star gazed together.

”I don’t have a fear of the dark, necessarily. I just don’t lkle being alone in the dark.” She answers, still busy with her doodles. “Wouldn’t that just be being afraid of being alone?” Hyejin asks. Wheein puts her pencil down. “Maybe, Hyejin. Hey, can you promise me something?” She asks  suddenly. “Yeah, of course,” Hyejin says. 

“Promise,” she says as she’s extends her pinky, “That you’ll never leave me in the dark.” Hyejin immediately links their pinkies. “I promise.”

Something seemed off with that. Wheein never called Hyejin by her actual name.

Wheein’s first kiss was when she was 17; she seemed quite embarrassed at the fact of that. The other girls had all had their first kiss quite early on their life.

But Wheein didn’t care for how old she was, for Hyejin was her first kiss, and that’s all that mattered to her.

She wasn’t sure about the latter. “I- Was it okay? Did you like it?” She swears she sees Hyejin grimace for a split second before she looks at Wheein with a beaming smile. “I loved it,” she said, giving her a small peck on the lips before turning on her heel as if nothing happened.

Wheein stands still for a few moments, her mind buzzing before she jogs to catch up to her childhood friend. Wheein was 17 when she realized that she liked girls, and that maybe that girl was her best friend.

Wheein was freshly 18 when she realized what a mistake it was to like Hyejin. Hyejin has confidently came out as biual a few months back; Wheein had done nothing but support her best friend.

Best friend. The words didn’t roll off her tongue as well as they used to. Wheein finds it odd how everything was fine before the kiss, but all of a sudden, she feels as if her world is crumbling when Hyejin tells her that she’s gotten a boyfriend.

Wheein is 18 when she realizes that their first kiss meant nothing to Hyejin. Wheein is 18 when she experiences her first heartbreak.

Wheein is 23 when she realizes that she can’t keep the act up anymore. Hyejin has broken up with her boyfriend a year after, and lately all she was talking about was this cute girl in her photography class; Moon Byulyi.

Moon Byulyi was famously known in their university for her uality, and her reputation with the girls. Rumour has had it that she sleeps around a lot. 

Wheein was alarmed when she heard that, and her first piece of advice to Hyejin was to not fall for her. She could do it, Wheein knew she could’ve ignored Moon Byulyi.

Hyejin didn’t take her advice.

Wheein is 25 when Yongsun had joined their friend group, and when Hyejin and Moonbyul has happily announced that they were dating. Wheein could feel her heart burning. But somehow, she was used to it. She wonders how, and she considers that maybe it’s because this isn’t the first time Hyejin’s been away from her.

Yongsun was a cute girl, just a bit older than the girls. She was a friend of Byulyi’s and had instantly clicked with their friend group. 

(Wheein would be lying if she said she didn’t try to come on to Yongsun. Although she didn’t know; did she actually like the girl or did she just want to get rid of that horrid burning in her chest?)

Wheein is 26 when Ahn Hyejin and Moon Byulyi announce that they’re happily engaged. Wheein had no clue how she had made it this far without saying anything. She had her chance, she just should’ve realized sooner.

Maybe in another life, Wheein becomes Hyejin’s and Hyejin becomes Wheein’s, but Wheein could say for sure it wasn’t this one. Wheein was like a cat when it came to Hyejin; she’d use all nine of her lives just to get her.

She could tell, even if that myth were ever real, that she’d never get her. And it’s like that sometimes, Wheein admits, she just has to get over it.

Wheein was 15 when Hyejin promised she’d never leave her alone in the dark.

Wheein was 26 when Hyejin broken her promise.

Wheein wishes that if she ever had nine lives, hopes for Hyejin to be in none of them.