Seulgi walked out of her room with a deep breath, trying to shake off the lingering tension in her chest.
She headed toward the kitchen, the stillness of the apartment only amplifying the thoughts racing through her mind.
She had barely managed to compose herself after the close call with her stepmom, but the rush of it all still clung to her.
As she passed through the kitchen, she spotted the mug of tea she had left earlier, still sitting on the counter.
Her stepmom had clearly noticed it too.
"Forgot your tea?" her stepmom's voice called from the hallway.
Seulgi turned, offering a quick smile. "Yeah, I must have left it there. I got distracted, I guess."
Her stepmom, ever the perceptive one, raised an eyebrow but didn't press further.
She gave Seulgi a knowing nod, her expression softening. "Don't stay up too late. Go get some rest."
Seulgi smiled gratefully, feeling a moment of warmth wash over her as her stepmom kissed her forehead.
"Thanks," Seulgi whispered, watching her stepmom leave the kitchen before she quietly headed back toward her room.
When she entered her bedroom, she was met with the sight of Jaeyi already lying comfortably on the bed, her back propped up against the pillows, scrolling lazily through her phone.
Jaeyi looked impossibly at ease, as if she owned the room, as if nothing in the world could shake her.
Her hair, still slightly damp from the rain, cascaded around her shoulders, and she didn't even glance up as Seulgi walked in.
It was almost like she was at home here.
Seulgi set the mug of tea on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed, her mind still in a whirl.
The room felt suffocating in its quiet, the tension hanging in the air like something unspoken.
Seulgi stared at her hands, willing herself to calm down, but she could feel Jaeyi's presence like a constant pull at the back of her mind.
"What are you doing?" Seulgi asked, her voice quieter than she intended.
She couldn't help the slight nervousness that crept into her tone, unsure if she should be the one breaking the silence.
Jaeyi looked up from her phone then, her lips curling into a small, amused smile. "Scrolling through memes. You should try it sometime, might help you relax."
Seulgi shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips despite herself. "You're ridiculous."
Jaeyi chuckled, tossing the phone onto the pillow beside her. "You know, I didn't think you'd still be this tense. Thought we'd be past all that by now."
Seulgi bit her lip, her gaze flicking down to the mug of tea on the nightstand. "I don't know what to think anymore, Jaeyi. I don't know what to feel."
The words hung between them, heavy and uncertain.
Jaeyi tilted her head, watching Seulgi carefully.
She shifted on the bed, sitting up slightly, and placed her hand gently on Seulgi's shoulder, her touch surprisingly tender.
"You don't have to figure everything out right now, Seulgi," Jaeyi said softly, her voice different from the usual playful tone. "Just... feel. Let yourself feel."
Seulgi's heart skipped a beat at the words. It sounded so simple, so easy, but she knew it wasn't.
Jaeyi was looking at her with those dark eyes, no longer the confident, untouchable figure she always seemed to be.
