THE TRANSFER STUDENT

Wedding Bells, Pt. 5

"Byulyi, there you are!"

Jieun ran after Byulyi and finally crouched at a corner in Jisoo's garden a while later. She was huddled in a foetal position, her arms wrapped around her knees, her face hidden between her arms.

"Byulyi?" Jieun bent down, squatting down next to Byulyi, placing a hand temporarily on her back. "Are you alright?"

Byulyi didn't respond.

"Byulyi?" Jieun patted her back lightly.

Byulyi looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks, catching Jieun by pure surprise.

"Oh, dear." Jieun wrapped her arms around Byulyi, pulling her closer into a tight hug. "Are you okay?"

There was no point in asking. Jieun knew in her heart that Byulyi wouldn't be okay. She had already sensed it from the moment Jisoo said those words- Jieun sighed. Who would be okay?

As expected, Byulyi shook her head.

"You wanna talk it out?" Jieun asked quietly.

"I-If you're willing to l-listen?" Byulyi said, choking on her tears. "Jieun, we haven't been very close so maybe that's why I feel okay telling you all this. Sometimes you just want to let everything out but when it's a person who's too close to you, you don't want them to know everything, you know what I mean?"

That was the same way she felt towards Jungkook and Yoojung... some things Jieun felt, she could only tell Taehyung. For her case, it was not that she was closer to Jungkook and Yoojung than to Taehyung, but it also really depended on the person. It was complicated, but things were just that way.

Jieun nodded slowly. "I know what you mean."

"It's just..." Byulyi sighed. "I have been trying hard to cope with my feelings for Seokjin all this while."

"Mmhmm."

"That time..." Byulyi thought for a while, wiping away her tears. "Around two months ago? Jisoo came up to me, asking if I had feelings for Seokjin. At that time... I was confused. Did I have feelings for him? Did I not? I didn't really know. I didn't think much of her question... so I just said no."

"Mm." Jieun listened attentively.

"But then... she asked me to help them get together," Byulyi swallowed hard, her eyes brimming with tears again. "And at- At that moment, I was like shocked? Surprised? I don't even know. I agreed spontaneously, just like that. I don't know why, I just did. But in my head, I was thinking... Seokjin would never date her, they weren't even close or anything."

"But then... he did," Jieun completed her sentence for her.

Byulyi took a shaky breath. "He sure did. When he told me, so much went on in my head. I was disappointed? Sad? Angry? I don't know. Upset witj myself, mostly. It was then that... I realised I really had feelings for him. I was so upset with myself for not giving what Byulyi had asked me more thought, for agreeing to 'matchmake' them, for letting them go on that fateful lunch together, I regret everything so much-" Byulyi buried her face in her hands once more.

Jieun stroked her head gently. "It's okay, it's okay."

"N-now all that's been done, and they're together..." Byulyi sobbed. "I thought I could keep my feelings under control, but every day I see them together, the more jealous I feel. I just feel like I'm falling apart. Just now, when I went into Jisoo's room and saw the photo of them together and then she told me about him kiss-" Byulyi's voice broke. She didn't complete the sentence.

"I understand..." Jieun frowned, giving Byulyi's hand a light squeeze.

"I know it's normal in a relationship to have all... that skinship and stuff. But it makes me feel so uncomfortable, urgh-" Byulyi choked on her tears once more. "I sound like such a loser right now..."

"No, no, no. Not at all... It's normal, Byulyi. Trust me. It's really normal to feel this way."

"How am I ever gonna get over him?" Byulyi sobbed. "Look at me right now. I'm a sobbing mess. Should I transfer out? Should I just drop out of school? My grandma needs me anyway. And he- they- they'd be better off without me-"

"Shh." Jieun pulled Byulyi into another hug, feeling her hot tears fall on her shoulder. "Don't say that, everything will turn out fine in due time. I'm here for you, Byulyi. We're here for you. You will get over him soon enough."

All of a sudden, they heard footsteps round the corner. Before they could react, Jisoo's head peeked out from the door, with her face fully made-up. She was beautiful. She spotted the two of them and grinned widely.

"Oh, you guys are here!"