Ā Ā Ā her mind was telling her to leave, to just walk away first this time and forget she had found lina again. she could still do it, it was obvious their awkward conversation would go nowhere and the other didnāt know her to begin with. she could slip away and file it as another thing she needed to forget, most likely drowning it in alcohol to numb the pain. yet her heart had her rooted on the spot, fingers clutching her backpack and feet glued to the floor. despite how much it hurt knowing her best friend didnāt remember her, jiae couldnāt stop the desire of just listening to the other talk a little bit more. the masochist in her didnāt seem satisfied enough about her heart slowly breaking all over again. her eyes snapped up from where they had been staring when lina mentioned her previous hair color, surprise painted all over her face at the revelation that the other knew that. she had dyed her hair blonde since she first started at hongdae, brown to blonde was kind of her way of leaving the old jiae behind. not many knew though, she had kept her past life a hushed secret Ā ā Ā her tears, her hurt, her terrible high school experience, all of it. only a few knew the reason she had joined the program and those were her close friends, no one outside the tight unit of delinquents should know. yet lina did. of course it was just jiae hoping for too much again, the other probably guessed it from how her shade of blonde wasnāt completely natural even though she had dyed her roots recently. it wasnāt too far off so, again, jiae thought nothing of it. Ā āĀ yeah, youāre right. i was a brunette back then but that reminded me too much of my past, i guess i needed a change.Ā āĀ she smiled bitterly, memories rushing past her eyes as she looked up at lina. god. her best friend hadnāt really changed, not in her eyes. she had obviously grown taller and prettier, Ā (Ā Ā lina was always the prettiest in jiaeās eyes ) Ā a shadow of someone she used to know. sheād be lying if she said it didnāt hurt.Ā ā why notĀ ?Ā people fucking suck but you canāt help falling in love with them.Ā āĀ that was the closest sheād ever come to confessing anything, it didnāt matter now Ā ā Ā not when she had long gotten over it but to really find closure with lina she needed to get everything off her chest, even if the other didnāt know what she truly meant. the otherās words made her crack a bitter smile, finding it ironic how lina admitted she hated the type of people she was ā Ā had been. jiae wasnāt really listening to anything else the other said, her heart was breaking itself and her lungs didnāt seem to work properly. she felt dizzy for a moment, to the point she closed her eyes as her jaw locked. she couldnāt. why couldnāt lina just leave her aloneĀ ? Ā why bring back all those memories she had long buried and forgottenĀ ?Ā she hated her. she hated her so much and yet, at the same time, she didnāt. the only thing jiae had wished for during high school was for lina to come back, she didnāt care how or why or when. she needed a friend during her darkest times but no one was there to hold her, which ultimately brought her to bring out the worst in her. the brunetteās final words seemed like the last nail to the coffin that was jiaeās heart, reminding her everyone left. her parents didnāt want to see her, her siblings thought she was fucked up, her past relationship had crashed and burned, her friends were probably fleeting too Ā ā Ā only brought together from mutual despair and a social etiquette clasped to them as criminals. lina had been the first one to go, the rest had simply followed through the years.Ā ā you canātā you canāt say that.Ā ā Ā her voice trembled, the walls she had built around herself were crumbling. the ache in her chest was almost unbearable, fingers shaking as she looked up at lina with glassy eyes. no matter what, she wouldnāt cry.Ā ā iām not nice. you donāt know me, iām fucked up and thatās why everyone leaves. iāve grown used to it, fuck, iām just expecting it everyday.Ā āĀ jiae shook her head, tearing her eyes from lina and focusing back on holding her backpack. she had to leave. now. Ā āĀ you canāt say that because you were the first one to take advantage of me the day you said you were my best friend and the next day you disappeared. i donāt even care that you donāt remember me, it fucking hurts, sure. but i donāt care. just stop lying to me.Ā ā
- ĢĢ Ā ( ā * ā¾ Ā·Ė ā ) āif hearts could really break, this very moment problem would have broken her heart probably more than once. and though she knew that it was Ā impossible, that they could break and leave shattered pieces behind, lina could almost feel her heart break from the aching pain. the pain her best friend had to go through when she left. when she left , she thought that sheād protect jiae. protect her from the awful human being she was. someone who would leave anyway; Ā and the sooner she left the less sheād hurt. jiae would go over it and Ā sheād find someone new, someone she deserved, someone that wasnāt greedy for her friendship and love even though they knew that they could never give it back the same way she did. but when jiae told her that something so insignificant like her hair colour still reminded her of her past, she could only figure that her life obviously didnāt change to better. yes, lina knew that jiae wasnāt having the best time at high school Ā and she knew that she was hurt a lot and while lina always tried to cheer her up, sheād never known that it was that terrible. god, she was so stupid. Ā jiae was hurting all the time (and she couldnāt even think about it without bitterness clouding her mind ) but instead of taking the pain away from her she inflicted even more pain to her when she just left, making false promises and not even bothering to check on her while she was too busy to reduce her own pain. nevertheless, despite of everything she truly loved her best friend. and one day Ā the cowardice just set in. she realised that jiae had already become a part of her life, taking away her rationality and yet she was happy with not having control over her feelings. and still, instead of risking to get hurt again she preferred to hurt one of the most important people in her life for her own selfish reason. and that was why, sheād never have friends because in the end happy ends only existed in the lives of good people. something lina had never been ( and will never be ). ā as youāve said because people suck and why should i risk getting hurt then i can just avoid it.ā she shrugged lightly, acting as casual as she could. lina hadnāt changed at all, she was still the horrible human-being she used to be years ago and her selfishness was still the reason she would use as an excuse for all of her terrible action. but how could she ever admit that it sucked loving someone more than anything. how could she admit that she was so scared of people leaving her that it kept her awake at night Ā and how could she admit to herself that she was terribly lonelty but would rather be starved for love when she knew that she could avoid breaking her heart all over and over again. jiae was the only person who was worth to risk everything but when she left behind and experienced how it messed her up she decided she would never to that to herself again. she would just ignore her feelings instead of becoming a mess again. and even now she chose to act as if she oblivious to everything happening around her, ignoring that her friend was closing her eyes for too long and that she looked as if she would pass out any second the longer she would spend time in her presence. Ā ā iām sorry, i didnāt Ā āā she didnāt know.Ā what a lie. how could she lie like that when this time she knew her friend was hurting. again and again. Ā ā i, i just wantedĀ āā her mind was blank, her throat dry when her eyes met her glassy ones. it was heartbreaking, from the way her voice trembled and her body was shaking, she couldnāt bear it any longer. and with every passing second, her facade kept on crumbling. and the worst was that she could just keep watching, if she didnāt want to get close to her again, if she still wanted to protect herself. and though her mind was telling her it was the best to leave, tears welled up in her eyes and a sob lurched from her throat. no, she didnāt expect to cry first, she thought it would be jiae and yet without even realising a tear streamed down her face, instantly followed by many others. why was she crying ? she couldnāt be hurt, after all sheād left her and moved on. didnāt it mean that she was over it ? but again why was she crying ? she knew that sheād taken advantage of her, she was aware of every single terrible thing sheād done but hearing these words coming out from jiaeās mouth rattled her bones and knocked out the air out of her lungs. Ā ā youāre kind.ā she said, drawing in a deep and shaky breath.Ā ā youāre not fucked up the world is and never,Ā you should get used to it.ā she said, relieved that jiae already had broken their gaze when her voice failed. all she wanted was to wrap her arms around her and telling her itād be okay, that sheād be happy and that she was loved. just once, she wanted to feel the warmth of her body again, making her believe that nothing could hurt her when sheād just have jiae by her side. but she couldnāt do that again, not when all she wished for was to be happy. however, with becoming a part of her life again, sheād never be happy again Ā ā youāre right, i have no right to say it. not when i;ve taken advantage of you. ā she mumbled her eyes fixed on the ground. she couldnāt look at her, not when she was going to hurt her again. but at least, this time, sheād finally end this. completely without leaving any pieces behind. ā but.ā she paused, lifting her head when she swiped away another tear.Ā ā i should have never said that iām your best friend. i shouldnāt have lied like this , acting as if we were friends. and thatās whyāā she clenched her fist, yet she couldnāt keep herself from trembling.Ā ā you shouldnāt befriend people like me. thatās why you should stay away from people like me because weāre terrible and the worst is weāre not even sorry for fucking people over.ā she was a liar and she wasĀ terrible. terrible.Ā terrible. terrible. but if she just kept lying, even her lies would become reality and then no one could hurt her anymore.ā so yeah you can insult me or slap me, because i deserve it but donāt expect me to apologise, jiae, itās just the way i am.ā