"I've done my chores finally!!" Yujin grinned with both arms celebrating in the air. She lets out one heavy huff before slumping her body on the wooden floor of the tree house.
She finished cleaning the whole place finally just like what Wonyoung asked.
"Then I'll tour you around the forest."
When suddenly she heard Wonyoung's voice inside her head. It gave her the energy and instantly stood up and raced herself outside to report to the bunny with delighted heart that she did her task well. However...
"Where is the pixies' garden at..?" She scratched her head before mindlessly walking to wherever her feet may bring her.
She's all clueless as to where Wonyoung might be currently, but Yujin's too excited and impatient that she headed inside the woods. And now.... she's lost.
She have already cursed to herself.
When suddenly she stumbled upon small and familiar shrubs. And when she finally get to see it clear, she grinned wide and ran immediately close to it, "Primroses!" Her eyes sparkled with the thoughts of giving Wonyoung these flowers as lovely as her.
Then she bended down and picked one, "This is for her." She smiled as she whispers. Only to pick another one and with wider smile this time. "This one's for Bunny-nim." And plucked one last primrose, "And this one for Wonyoungie..."
She inhaled the flowers' scent, only to get reminded of Wonyoung's sweet smell. She's as aromatic as no normal flower would level.
But her eyes landed onto another group of primroses on the ground. But she just stood up instead of plucking more, "Nah, this is enough." She smiled once again as she held the flower close to her loudly beating heart, "Three primroses. It means 'I love you'."
Her eyes smiled like the crescent moon, the same time a slight brush tinted her cheek.
She started walking round and round again in hopes of finding her love. Still gripping excitedly on the stem of the flowers she picked.
And her excitement rose even higher that she hoped like a child being given a candy when she saw the Bunny's figure coming out from the deep woods at last. "Bunny-nim!!" With her cheerful voice, she ran towards her, waving along the flowers in the air.
But suddenly, another figure came out as well, just following Wonyoung behind. Yujin's smile immediately faded as she stopped her pace when she saw it was Kai. And what's even more heartbreaking is that she saw Wonyoung's blank stare towards her. Her eyes were unusually empty that it made Yujin drop her shoulders and her heart starts beating anxiously.
She was about to walk up to Wonyoung when Kai stopped her and stood straight to block her way, "Go away from my princess, child of a devil." He said that made Yujin's blood boil making her tighten her grip furiously at the primroses on her hand.
"What?"
"I said go away! You're not stepping in my kingdom anymore, and you won't be going near from my Wonyoung." Kai then pulled out his sword from the baldric around his waist and pointed it at Yujin.
"What are you even talking about?" Yujin just rolls her eyes at him. She averted her attention to the bunny who's now standing behind the prince, only to feel her heart broke again when she saw how Wonyoung held tight if Kai's shirt. And the bunny isn't giving Yujin any look at all.
"Bunny-nim—" she attempted to get near, but Kai interfered and held his sword up against her.
However, the next words from Wonyoung made Yujin's heart shatter more into hundreds— thousand pieces. Tears formed in her eyes as she unconsciously dropped the primroses to the ground.
"Go home, human."
And Yujin finally shed a tear upon seeing Wonyoung's eyes, they're looking at Yujin as if she's the worst person to ever exist in this world. "Bunny...."
The bunny held Kai's wrist, then pulling him with her as they walked away from the human. And the next thing that she said made Kai smirk in victor.
"Go back to where you came from. Don't say you love me anymore, just go.
"Go away and don't bother me again...."
———
Pain, torment, anguish, heart break... name it. Yujin is currently feeling them all.
And here she thought she's finally going to achieve her dream. To love Wonyoung.
However she didn't even get the proper chance to do so. She doesn't know what might've happened to Wonyoung to be acting that way all of the sudden, but currently that isn't what she's thinking.
Right now.... Yujin just wants to disappear.
It has long been since she started crying in silence, bawling her tear out of her heart's content. "I can't take this anymore, I want to wake up."
When suddenly a footsteps starts to sound evident, yet the girl didn't seem to notice it, nor does she cares.
Only it caught her attention when she heard a slash of metal. "So you're here," Kai was grinning widely at her while tightly holding the grip of his sword. "Now let me end you and get rid of a nuisance you are!"
But Yujin didn't reply... she didn't even move one inch. Her tear just rolled itself down to her cheek. "So... is this truly it..? My fate?" She fell into deep silence.
The she got pulled back in her senses when a sword in a baldric went flying towards her and hit her head. She looked at it, then back at the prince with a pained look on her face.
"Pick that sword up human, I'm challenging you into a fight!" He said sternly and held his own sword to point at the human.
But Yujin... she couldn't get to move her own body. Instead just started down at the weapon below as tear continued flooding. Not until she closed her eyes and shake her head to silently respond 'no'.
"What now, huh?? Afraid of death?!" Kai held higher his weapon, now the edge touched Yujin's neck that it made tiny blood drip down very much alike to her tear, except colorless. "Fight me. And let's settle this for once!"
Then Yujin raised her head, her bloodshot eyes stared at the prince with no expression. Then she held the shard sword suddenly with her bare hands to set it aside, only making him taken aback.
Blood dripped down from Yujin's palm his sword have wounded, but it seems she didn't care for the pain she's in, nor does she have felt it. She's already been crashed deep inside that she can't feel anything physically.
"I don't want to fight you." With broken voice, Yujin muttered, but such response is enough to catch him off guard, at the same time triggering him more.
Thus he tightens his grip to his weapon and held it closer to her. "You have to, human! Let us settle this for once!"
Yet Yujin persist, now more blood flows from the wound of her palm. And her eyes as well... they began crying. "Please do understand I don't want to fight!" She shouts.
"Stop being a coward and let's settle this!! Let's see who's more worthy of Wonyoung's love so let's fight!—"
"If only I can! I only wish I could!... But I stood no chance against you, what's the point?! She wants you! Even if I'll offer my own life, she will still choose you!" She finally bursted it all out.
Kai fell speechless, now he retracted his sword back while falling one step away from Yujin. His eyes started at her with shock.
And Yujin, she tried hard to hide it. She tried to suppress her tears but failed. It's like they had their own life and started racing from her eyes. They just won't stop. And her heart as well won't stop aching. So with a forced voice, she lets it out, cracked and all painfully broken, "I.. I'll just go back to where I belong. Don't worry, you'll have a happy ending without me... exactly like how its suppose to be."
And with that she turned away. Blood still dripping from her palm, making a trace of her path.
Head's been bowed down in torment. She's truly aching.
And the moment she raised up, the first thing she saw broke her more. There she saw Wonyoung... staring at her with pity in her eyes.
However she kept it in mind the bunny's words from earlier, "Go away and don't bother me again...."
"Don't worry, I won't." She whispers lastly before running away to wherever her feet would bring her.
Until she felt lost again... in the muddle of the woods. Alone with a broken heart. And there she started letting out her voice. Her whimpers.
"I'm okay... I'm okay. It doesn't affect me at all, they're just fictional characters. Everything is not real.... I'm okay." She kept mumbling, convincing herself. Hitting her chest as if it's going to take the pain away.
"Hey Yuj..?" Suddenly, Chaewon appeared. "I heard what happened," she immediately went near the human and aided her. "Are you okay?"
And what happened next broke the lioness's heart as well just by seeing Yujin's miserable state. Yujin hugged Chaewon as she felt her knees getting weak. "Unnie... I'm not okay.. it hurts. It hurts so much."
Chaewon couldn't do anything at this point but to hug her back, now caressing her hair.
"They're not real.. but it hurts for real." Yujin added, only causing more crack in her voice.
"Unnie, help me. I don't think I can..." She couldn't even finish her sentence when she started breaking down again. "I really can't live this dream anymore.."
This made Chaewon hold the human tighter in her embrace, "Then stop. You can stop dreaming now human. I'll help you. But for now....
"This fantasy isn't making you happy anymore, so wake up to your reality and relieve yourself from the pain..."
———
A/N:
Okay late update again because I forgot.. Sorry! 🤦♀️