55. pick pocket

236 17 8
                                        

i thought my heart was detached
from all the sunlight of our past
she's so sweet, she's so pretty
does she mean you forgot about me?

i thought my heart was detachedfrom all the sunlight of our pastshe's so sweet, she's so prettydoes she mean you forgot about me?

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

the bus grumbled softly, gliding through the darkened highway. outside, the world was a blur of passing streetlights and endless road, but inside, it was still and silent, except for the occasional rustling of fabric as someone shifted in their sleep. it was dark since their arrival wasn't until around 2am. the air was thick with warmth, the kind that made it easy to drift off. it seemed like the week of events for the seniors had finally caught up to them.

but chaerin was the odd one out, tossing and turning but she just couldn't sleep.

she sat stiffly in her seat, fingers clenched around the hem of her sweater, her mind tangled with thoughts she couldn't escape. the longer she closed her eyes, jay's voice echoed in her head, sharp and unwavering, cutting through her defenses like a blade.

"i put you on a pedestal, chae. i thought you were perfect, that you could do no wrong. but after how you treated me, how you treated kyorin... i don't want it anymore."

her stomach twisted.

"you were waiting for me to be the person you needed, but you never once considered what i needed."

if she had just tried harder, put down her books and actually listened when he spoke to her, things wouldn't be like this. chaerin thought they were just busy and it was normal for her to be busy. he should've expected that, right? chaerin bit the inside of her cheek, eyes flickering toward the back of the bus.

jay sat a few rows behind her. kyorin was beside him, curled up beneath a shared blanket, her head resting against his shoulder. in the dim light, their silhouettes blended together, their quiet intimacy suffocating. it looked natural, too natural.

chaerin's fingers dug into the fabric of her sweater.

"kyorin gave up everything for you, chaerin. she gave up so much to make you feel better, to make you feel validated. and then when she wanted something of her own, something she enjoyed, you turned your back on her."

was that true? had she really done that?

kyorin had always been the kind one, the selfless one, the one who put others first. even now, even after everything, she still looked soft. still looked like someone who would never do anything to hurt her.

but she had.

she had taken jay.

chaerin's breath came unsteady as she watched the slow rise and fall of kyorin's shoulders, the way her body instinctively shifted closer to jay in her sleep. her hand brushed against his, and though it was barely noticeable, it sent a sharp, stinging heat through chaerin's chest.

"maybe i never loved you like i thought i did."

her pulse roared in her ears. she turned away, forcing herself to look anywhere but at them. that's when she saw it: kyorin's phone, barely sticking out of the seat pocket in front of her.

no strings attached.  p. jongseongWhere stories live. Discover now