Scripts (Purinz)

Script 22: Curtain call

Staying isn't part of her responsibility.. but leaving Yunjin makes her feel like her guts are twisting. Her insides aching, stomach churning.

She has to be there.

Despite the desperate feeling of wanting to stay and fight the other boys for her spot in this waiting area for Yunjin, she obliges and stands up before Sieun can even say anything else to her.

"Let's go," Chaewon says it emotionlessly. At least, that's what she believes she did.

Sieun pats her on the back as she starts walking before her. The boys watch as she slowly takes careful steps away from them.

Chaewon had already decided. She cannot stay. But her legs have a mind of their own. Taking a step each time felt like stepping on sharp objects sprawled on the floor.

Why can't they just let her stay?

Unable to win against her thoughts, she stops and looks back at the boys. Her eyebrows were furrowed. She looked uncertain and worried.

Jongseong offered her a small smile on his lips as if trying to assure her that they'd be taking care of Yunjin while she was gone.

Heeseung stared and let out a sigh, "We'll let the others know to update you on things."

That was barely enough to keep Chaewon from worrying, but she had to settle with it and leave.

It's for the best.

——

The sky felt too bright for Yunjin to stare at despite the dark clouds starting to clump together, blocking the sun from shining down through the window Yunjin was currently looking at.

She felt weak, and some parts of her body were numb. But her arm and leg were the ones causing her discomfort. The pain was bearable, but Yunjin didn't really want to feel any of that pain.

Yunjin didn't know what she was feeling aside from the pain in both her arm and leg. Earlier, she felt anger, and she couldn't accept the fact that she had become one of ACE Academy's targets.

It was pathetic to think that she was a replacement for Jaeyun, but she got injured as well.

She wanted to laugh at herself, but she felt sad for herself as well.

Devastation was definitely present in her system somewhere, bubbling up like boiling water but also disappearing as soon as it came. She was devastated, but what can she do in this state?

She was so determined and so alert before the game started; what could she have missed? When did she even let her guard down?

Yunjin was so sure she was not going to be one of their targets today. She wonders what she could have done to avoid getting injured.

Maybe the effects of the events that happened in her life had something to do with it. Perhaps she had yet to forget the feeling she felt when she was on that beach, her skin almost burning in front of Chaewon, and she literally spat all her feelings out of her system.

All the feelings she refused to let out.

Maybe up to this day, she could still see the hot sand under her slippers. Perhaps she had brought the heat of the sun from that day. Maybe she forgot to wipe the tears from her eyes from that moment when she confessed to Chaewon.

She brought the sun's heat, the sand burning under her slippers and the tears she forgot to wipe on their game day.

It had passed already; why couldn't she just forget about it?