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친구
YURI HAD BEEN invited to eat dinner at Jieun's house a few nights later, something uncommon of her best friend but she figured she probably just wanted to catch up after all the time Yuri spent with Jungkook. It was true that they'd grown inseparable, and the amount of times Yuri would join Jieun and Taehyung at his restaurant were becoming limited. She figured it would be a good time to catch up with her as well, and plus, she'd be getting a dinner out of it.
After she knocked the door to Jieun's apartment, she tapped her foot against the floor of the hallway. Her stomach growled in anticipation before the door swung open, revealing Jieun.
"Hey!" she smiled brightly. "Come inside, dinner's waiting for you," she said before opening the door wider for Yuri to walk in. She stepped inside, swiftly taking off her shoes and admiring the smell of pork belly that she assumed Jieun cooked.
"Just finished cooking," the younger girl stated as she walked toward the kitchen where the two dinner plates were laid on the counter. "Don't judge me, okay, I'm always nervous to cook around you."
"Why?" Yuri let out a playful scoff as she helped Jieun bring the food to the small dining table in her apartment. Jieun had a considerably nice apartment in the middle of Seoul, despite being a college student in her third year. She always assumed that her parents were somewhat rich, but they weren't a topic Jieun brought up that often.
"Because you're a food critic, duh," Jieun scowled as they both sat down, getting ready to eat. "I'm scared you'll spit it out right after you take a bite."
"I'm not going to do that, Jieun," Yuri rolled her eyes before starting to eat. She carefully wrapped a piece of pork belly into a layer of lettuce before shoving it into her mouth. It'd been a while since she ate food like this, and she was head-over-heels. "It's so good," she gave her a thumbs up with a mouth full of food. Jieun laughed loudly at her actions before eating her food.
They continued to eat, conversing about whatever was occurring in their lives, such as Jieun's newest romantic endeavor in her literature class, or the time Yuri fell off a treadmill at the gym the other day. It was nice to catch up, especially over the glass of red wine they had opened mid-dinner. Yuri was thankful that she chose to take a taxi instead of driving. They didn't often have these girl nights, and even though they loved being with Taehyung, they needed these times.
After their meal, they had cleaned up, with Yuri washing the dishes and Jieun cleaning the table.
"I'm just saying, if you're going to complain about having a mountain pile of essays to grade or whatever, then don't assign it in the first place," Jieun complained, referring to one of her professors as she continued her rant. She finished cleaning the table, pouring herself another glass of red wine as she watched Yuri do the dishes. "Did you ever go to college, or anything like that?"
"College?" Yuri raised her eyebrows at the subject. "No, I've never applied. On an application, you have to put your date of birth, and if I did, I know I would get rejected by any school, considering I was a Roamer."
"Why didn't you just lie?" the younger girl asked as Yuri finally finished the dishes, wiping her hands and grabbing onto her wine glass. She poured herself another glass and ended up pouring the rest out of the bottle.
"Because I didn't want to feel like I had to lie. If I was going to attend a school, I wanted to go by my own terms, being my own age and being open about it. But that's not reality, because we both know most professors would kick you out of the class if you're a Roamer."
Jieun let out a defeated sigh, shaking her head at the ground. "I have major respect for you. At least you don't have to worry about that kind of stuff anymore? Because you have Jungkook?" she cocked an eyebrow at her.
"Yes, I guess so," Yuri smiled a little at the mention of her soulmate.
"What's that smile?" Jieun teased her, nudging her arm with her hand, the wine in her glass sloshing around.
"Stop," she chuckled.
"You guys are seriously perfect together," Jieun stated before bringing her glass to her lips, downing the rest of her wine. "How is he, anyway?"
Yuri finished her own glass as well, placing it on the counter as she leaned back onto the sink, crossing her arms. "He's fine, he's gotten better. It's odd how young people can heal faster," she remarked, causing Jieun to let out a chuckle.
"I know right," she sighed in content. "I don't know why he'd ever get attacked by a hitman, though."
What?
A sudden cold feeling crawled up Yuri's spine as she processed Jieun's words.
"I never told you about a hitman," Yuri spoke up softly and slowly tilted her head to her best friend, her shoulders heavy and her heart racing. Something felt wrong.
"What?" Jieun smiled and cocked her head to the side. "Of course you did, don't be silly," she snickered, bringing her hand up to wave her and her accusations off.
Yuri was damn sure she did not tell Jieun anything about a hitman, as she was a person who could keep a promise. She also knew Taehyung to be this person, so Jieun surely could not have found out from him.
Then how would she know?
The only plausible answer would be that she was the one behind it all.
That's when Yuri saw it.
The pearl bracelet.
There it was, on Jieun's wrist, shining white and bright as Yuri nearly sucked in a breath. Jieun is the one.
As her heart nearly beated out of her chest, her mind racing a thousand words per minute, she tried her best to maintain a calm facade.
"Y-You're right," Yuri let out a nervous chuckle, standing up from the counter and trying to ignore the trembling of her knees. "I must be out of my mind. I think it's time to head home," she swallowed before turning away and walking to her bag. She slowly put her things into her bag, slipping her phone into her bra in the case that Taehyung would need to track her. She could so possibly be in a murderer's house, she had to prepare for anything.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Yuri jumped at the sudden voice behind her, swiftly turning around to see Jieun, the empty wine bottle in her grip as she held it by the neck.
Before Yuri could respond, the girl harshly threw her arm up, striking Yuri in the head and causing her to fall on the ground. She let out a weak groan before the insufferable pain on her head consumed her senses, making her fall into unconsciousness.
