beginning
PARADOX"so, irene is your real girlfriend, not her friend you mentioned to me before..." said chaeyeon. it was after your last class when you two had a quick catch up about your progress.
"yeah... it's really her... sorry for lying about that," you said.
"it's okay. i understand why. you don't want people to tell you things, right?"
"to be honest, i don't mind about what others will say. but irene wanted to protect me by being discreet. she doesn't like people bashing me because of her."
"that's sweet of her..." chaeyeon forced a smile. "anyway, i want to apologise for the things i've said about her last time when we were in the library."
"you are entitled to your own opinion." you tapped her shoulder. "don't worry about that."
"but i still feel guilty for having a bad impression of her all this time."
"everybody thinks the same way about her," you joshed.
"that's exactly my point," said chaeyeon, smiling shyly. "i don't want to belong to that group anymore."
"that's comforting to hear, chaeyeon. thanks."
"you're welcome. so, how's the arm going?"
"ah this?" you raised your injured arm. "getting better. i have an appointment tomorrow with the doctor to have the stitches removed."
"that's... great..." chaeyeon's eyes darted on the people approaching me from behind. based on their voices, you knew it was byulyi and hyojung. "i should get going. i'll see you tomorrow, seulgi."
"all right. you take care, chaeyeon."
"you too." and with that, chaeyeon left right away.
"bear!" byulyi draped an arm around your shoulder.
"careful with the arm, byulyi!" said hyojung.
you laughed. "it's fine now, hyojung. don't worry."
"yeah. let's get that removed now, dude. i miss my sparring partner," said byulyi.
"me too. i missed going to the dojo."
"i don't think you'd be allowed to play right away, seulgi," said hyojung.
"we can try, right?" asked byulyi.
"i'll tell irene about it," hyojung warned. "i'm sure she'll be mad if she finds out."
"since when did you and irene become best friends?" asked byulyi, surprised. she turned to you. "dude, look at what's happening now!"
"who's irene's new best friend?"
you turned around and saw yongsun, sooyoung, and yerim approaching. "i believe i'm her 'bestest' friend in the whole wide universe," yongsun continued.
byulyi approached them right away. "hey, beautiful! i missed you."
"oh yeah? how many girls did you use that line with today?" asked yongsun, looking sceptic.
"just you. only you..." byulyi puckered her lips out, attempting to kiss yongsun's cheek. yongsun playfully slapped her.
"oh, c'mon, guys! get a room!" said sooyoung, pretending to be annoyed. you all laughed.
"by the way, byulyi, did you tell seulgi about the news yet?" asked yongsun.
"ah. yeah. i forgot." byulyi turned back to you. "about the case filed against simon and jinhwan, our parents talked it over. their guardians apologised but agreed that their sons deserve punishment."
"are they going to go to prison?" you asked.
"their guardians pleaded not to continue with the case and is asking to settle it instead."
"settle in what way?" asked yerim.
"settle financially," said yongsun. "since they've got a lot of money, they are all willing to pay for the damages and even volunteered to give extra. everyone agreed to give seulgi and byulyi thirty-five per cent each due to the injury incurred. the remaining thirty per cent will be given to hyojung."
you were surprised to hear that.
"my mom still want to push the case because she thinks it's the only way to teach them their lessons," said hyojung. "however, jinhwan's father and simon's guardian--his uncle--promised to put the boys in the military school to discipline them. that will serve as a prison for them for now but in return, they'll serve the country hopefully as better men. jimin's dad transferred jimin to girlstown."
"girlstown?" asked sooyoung, surprised. "that's for delinquents, right? isn't jimin too old for that?"
"well, they've already accepted her," said hyojung.
"she transferred already?" asked yongsun.
"yes," said hyojung, nodding. "mom wanted to know how serious their dads are with their promises so she followed up and we found out that jimin's transfer papers are already out."
"wow. that's fast," you said.
byulyi spoke, "according to mom and dad, simon's uncle is a respectable and a humble man. so, they believed him. and since everyone agreed to settle it financially, my parents thought it's worth giving simon, jinhwan, and jimin a second chance instead of just putting them behind bars."
you immediately remember the conversation you had with irene a week ago. you're sure she'll be happy to hear this news.
"that's not something you can get all the time," said yongsun. "getting second chances is sometimes elusive."
"agreed," said hyojung. "i just hope they will change for the better. they've got a lot to learn."
---
it was around five-thirty in the afternoon when you received a message from irene asking you to come over to the rooftop.
all classes are already over that time. the building is empty and silent. you can hear the echo of your shoes tapping on the floor.
you felt relaxed the moment your eyes catches the image of the door leading to the rooftop. it's open, which could only mean that irene is there outside waiting for you. feeling excited, you went out.
you were shortly blinded by the sunset in the open view. when your eyes finally adjusted, you saw irene standing on the side, looking down at the view in front of her, one hand holding the phone next to her ear.
"i will surely let her know... yes..." you heard irene say as you approach her. "we'll catch up with you soon." after that, she hung up.
you stood beside her. "should i be jealous?"
"hey," said irene, smiling at you. "be jealous of what?"
"jealous of the person my girlfriend is talking to just a while ago?"
irene chuckled. "well, there's nothing to be jealous about."
"i think there is, especially if that person can make you smile like that." you poked irene's cheek.
"it's yongsun! she's asking us to come over to hamster cafe. byulyi's is in the mood to treat everyone. yerim and sooyoung are there too."
"ooh. nice. are they celebrating something?"
"well, byulyi and yongsun are officially together now."
your eyes widened. "wow. really?"
"yeah. yongsun was initially planning to make it official last time. but a lot happened, so she prolonged it." irene turns to you, raising an eyebrow. "make sure your friend won't hurt my yongsun, okay? i'm the one who'll get her kicked out of this university if she does."
you chuckled. "don't worry. although i admit byulyi was a bit of a playgirl, she's a changed person now."
irene was silent for a moment, her eyes gazing the horizon. "i guess everyone can change for the better, hmm?"
"like you?"
she nods. "like me. and could be simon, jinhwan, and jimin."
"ah. so, you already heard the news."
she hums. "i just hope they'll learn their lessons."
you put your hand on top of hers. "me too."
you silently stared at the view in front of you. the sky is orange. the sun will set in a few minutes. the wind is getting colder as the day is in between morning and night. and as you feel the wind touch your skin, you felt nostalgia coming in.
"i never thought there'll come a day that i'll stand here beside you," you said.
she eyed you. "judging from what you said, i assume this is your favourite spot here in school."
"yeah. i always go here whenever i want to study or just think."
"ahh. i see. this is where it all started, right? that night when i lost all my inhibitions."
the memory made you smile. a lot has happened since that night. but whatever pain you felt along the way, all of those are long forgotten now that irene is here with you.
"you know what," you started, smirking this time. "i should thank simon and jimin for spiking your drink that night. they were the reason we became close. if they didn't do that you wouldn't be sleeping over in my apartment."
irene didn't speak, but she's looking at you adoringly with a smile on her face.
"what? i'm serious!" you said, half laughing. "now that i think about it, ironically, it was them who gave us a way to talk to each other."
"fate and its mysterious ways, huh?" said irene, leaning on the parapet. "but yes, i'm also happy to be standing beside you here. you have no idea how much you're making me happy now."
"same here." you paused, inhaling the scent of dusk. "so... everything's in the right place now, huh?"
"for us, yes. but who knows, this may be just a beginning to a new chapter in our lives."
"what do you mean?"
"we've just solved the issue with simon and others for now," said irene. "our next problem is the people here in school that sees me as a bad influence to you."
you grunted. "you know i don't care about them."
"i know. but i'm still worried. i know some people are already blaming me because the moment you got linked to me you got into a mess with simon and had an injury."
you cupped her shoulders to turn her to face you. "look, i don't give a damn what they say about you, about me, or about us. what's important to me is this... you and me, okay? and even if they say i made a wrong decision of being with you, i'm all yours, irene. make me your slave or your prisoner, i don't care. i'm all yours."
the worry on her face finally vanishes.
"this is what i've been dreaming of since i met you," you continued. "and there's no way i'm letting you go just because those people don't approve you. i don't care about them. i know you way better than they do so i'll put my trust in you and not to anyone who's got nothing to do with this relationship."
her face finally softens. she leans forward to hug you. "i love you, seulgi. i love you. i love you. i love you!"
"i love you too. let's hold on tight, okay?" you said, rubbing your hand on her back. "this is the place where it all started. what do you say we end all past issues here and start anew?"
she pulls back. "sounds like a good idea."
you held out a hand to her. "ready to start a new beginning with me?"
she held your hand back. "always am. always will."
"so am i."
with that, you went in and captured her lips. she held your face with a hand as you two shared a passionate kiss under the sunset.
- fin -
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