赤い糸 - Red String of Fate

Chapter 48 - No more (rvsed)

Sunlight slipped through the curtain gap. Jeongyeon reached for her phone on the bedside table, Sana still fast asleep in her arms.

"9AM already?" Jeong pinched Sana's cheek. "Hey, Sanake, wake up~"

Sana rubbed her face and glared with half-lidded eyes.

"ㅋㅋㅋ, wake up, sleepyhead" Jeong got up and headed downstairs, leaving Sana whining.

"Yoooo JeeeonnnngYeeeoooonn..."

Jeong grinned. "Yes, Yoo Jeongyeon here. I'm going to check Mina for a while. When I come back, you better be up." She left 230.

—

[ Room 231 ]

Ding Dong

"...Is she still sleeping?"

Jeong spoke into the tiny gap. "Hello, hello, mic test." Ding Dong

"Wake up..."

"One sec," Mina's voice came muffled.

She cracked the door open and let Jeong in. The room was dark. Jeong flicked on the lights.

"Goooood mornnniiiing, Minari~"

"...morning" Mina rubbed her eyes.

Jeong frowned. Puffy. "...You didn't read my messages? Did you stay up late again? Look at your eyes—puffy puffy like that"

"...Sorry"

Jeong took ice cubes from the fridge and handed them over. "This'll help"

Mina pressed them gently to her eyelids. "...Thanks."

"Get ready in an hour. We're going somewhere. If not, I'll leave you behind" Jeong ruffled her hair and left.

"...Okay" Mina's voice was small.

—

Mina POV

[ Last night ]

Is Sana mad at me? It was so wrong... to fall asleep on Jeong's shoulder. Foolish me.

Should I have persuaded Jeong to call her sooner? ...

I couldn't even finish the movie. My mind just wandered. I grabbed my phone and stepped out of 231.

Running footsteps

Was that... Jeongyeon?

I pressed the 230 bell. No response. So it really was her. Why was she running so fast? Did she call Sana already?

I followed toward the park.

From afar, under the lamp, I saw a figure sipping a drink. Brown hair glinting under the light.

...Sana?

I took a step forward—then froze. Should I call Jeong? Tell her Sana's here? Or... should I just let them handle it?

Running footsteps again

Jeongyeon.

Panicked, I ducked behind the wall. Peeking.

Sana screamed when Jeong draped a jacket over her shoulders. They sat. Talking.

I couldn't hear... until Jeong's voice rose.

"Is it because of Mina!?"

Mina's chest tightened. Not because of deep love, but because she never wanted to be a burden. She wanted to be someone Jeongyeon could laugh with, lean on—not a wedge between her and Sana.

Sliding closer to hear, Mina caught the words:

Jeongyeon: "But still, you know... me and Mina are just friends, nothing more than that"

It landed heavy, like a cold splash. Not heartbreak—just a sharp reminder. To Jeongyeon, she really was just a friend. And that was fine. That was safe. That was enough.

Sana : "Prove it"

Jeongyeon : "How do I prove it, when my heart already belongs to you? Isn't this enough?"

"Do you think my red string would just... jump to Mina out of nowhere? You're an angel, I'm an angel—we were born in pairs"

jeez

Mina's breath hitched. She pulled away quietly, retreating to the building before anyone noticed.

Her footsteps echoed down the corridor, each step hammering the words into her mind: "Me and Mina are just friends"

By the time she closed her door, Mina's chest felt both relieved and strangely hollow. Tears pricked, but not from heartbreak—it was frustration. Frustration at herself. For letting admiration blur into something she should have known better than to entertain.

She dropped onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow.

"I'm such an idiot. I cheered them on, but at the same time I let myself... admire her too much. I should've known better. She's not the one. She was never the one"

Her thoughts drifted unwillingly back to the baby Beast—always Chaeyoung—the only person who had ever truly mattered. Jeongyeon had only been a distraction, a temporary refuge for her heart.

"No more," Mina whispered, pressing her palm against her chest. "I won't mistake admiration for love again. The truth is, I've only ever loved one person—and it's not her"

I'm Myoui Mina swear to be nothing more than that, just like what you said, Jeong. No matter what... 'I am nobody else, i'm just your friend'

This won't hurt anymore,

My heart won't feel anything anymore, I'm gonna live this cursed life without falling into anyone else.

Now I know why the punishment of not having a red string and being able to conquer BUT who the hecc dare to venture... taking someone else's life... and innocently live without the guilt!?

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What actually did I do wrong in my past life? cursed child life is not nice, at all...

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*Ding Dong*

"hello, hello, mic test"

Jeongyeon?

*Ding Dong*

"wake up..."

Yea, that's my friend's voice, Yoo Jeongyeon

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