Invisible String || PURINZ

07 • what does it mean?

"What about those two?" Chaewon asked, avoiding the girl's brown eyes at all costs.

"They'll figure it out." The other replied.

—x—

The air was cold. It wrapped around Chaewon like a blanket of death, and it blew in her face just to taunt her. Usually the outside air would be sobering, however the girl had gone out of her way to make sure that wouldn't be the case. She stumbled down the street, a few metres ahead of her best friend.

"Chae, wait up." Yunjin called after her.

She didn't listen. She didn't wait for Yunjin because that would mean she was there, and she was real.

The moon was laughing at her. She was being idiotic, and ignoring her problems wouldn't solve anything. She wasn't sure any of this could even be solved.

How do you escape your feelings?

"Chaewon," Yunjin grabbed the girl's shoulder. She was panting slightly, having struggled to catch up with the surprisingly fast yet short girl.

Chaewon felt her skin run cold. She wasn't sure what to do now; most of all, she'd have liked to disappear. But she couldn't even stand properly, let alone learn how to teleport.

Yunjin forced the girl to turn by her shoulders. Chaewon looked off to the side at the pavement.

"What's wrong? We– we were fine this afternoon." Yunjin asked, slurring her words slightly.

The short girl could feel her best friend's big eyes staring her down. Her heart was beating a million times its normal speed. She had to say something– anything. She just didn't know how to.

Yunjin's hands trailed down her arms. They stopped at her wrists, and slid her fingers effortlessly between Chaewon's as if they were two pieces of a puzzle.

The short girl shifted her gaze to their hands. It was a hand she held often, and a hand she didn't ever want to stop holding.

That scared her.

"I'm sorry. Whatever I did, I'm sorry, I know I'm stupid and loud sometimes. I– I probably should've watched what I was saying. I thought we were just having fun during the game, I didn't mean to–"

She was rambling. It was painful to hear.

Chaewon sucked in a deep breath. She felt little pin pricks in her eyes; she was battling against the forming tears. "It's not– you're not... you're perfect, Yunjin." She exhaled.

So perfect that I can't stop thinking about you.

"Then what is it?" Yunjin sounded like she was begging. Chaewon felt something worse than guilt.

It's been years now, and no one compares to you.

"You haunt me. You can't– you can't just do that!" She blurted out.

She finally looked up at her best friend, their brown eyes meeting. The street around them was small and barren: the buildings on each side made her voice echo. Her cheeks were a bright red, and her mind a mess.

Yunjin bit her lip. "You're being impossible! I'm perfect, I haunt you? What does that mean?" She was distressed.

One of her hands left Chaewon's. Instead, she placed it on the short girl's jaw. Her thumb brushed across Chaewon's cheek, and the other found herself unable to breathe.

She felt drawn to Yunjin's lips. She knew she shouldn't be, but she couldn't help it. She'd been lying to herself this entire time: she could never just be best friends with Huh Yunjin. You can't be in love with your best friend.