〈Chapter 14〉 

The Ex-Girlfriend is Afraid of Losing Her Ex-Boyfriend

* * *

I dove under the sea and quickly pulled out Yerin, who had been sinking beneath the surface.

Whether she had lost consciousness or not, she remained limp like a corpse even as I dragged her toward the shore.

‘She’s such a good swimmer, so why…!’

There was no time to solve the mystery, nor time to catch my breath.

The singular thought that I had to save Yerin dominated my mind, fueling my exhausted body with a surge of adrenaline.

“Si-hyeon, what’s happening!?”

As we reached the sandy beach, my classmates began to gather one by one. After telling one of them to call an ambulance, I pressed my fingers to the corner of Yerin’s mouth.

‘She isn’t breathing…’

My head instinctively dropped in despair at the grim reality. At that same moment, Yerin’s legs caught my eye.

There were whip-like welts that I hadn’t noticed while dragging her to shore. Something resembling tentacles was clinging to her legs.

‘Wait, did she get stung by a jellyfish!?’

If that were the case, it made sense why such a capable swimmer like Yerin could be pushed to the brink of drowning.

The situation was getting worse by the second. There was no more time to hesitate.

One. Two. Three.

I performed chest compressions on Yerin, using the heel of my palm and being careful not to put too much pressure on her ribs.

While her body jolted with the recoil of each press, her eyes remained stubbornly shut.

“Han Yerin, wake up!”

Where was the ambulance? Even though I knew it hadn’t been long since they were called, my anxiety kept mounting.

Until the paramedics arrived, I had to hold onto Yerin’s lifeline somehow.

‘I’ll save you no matter what, so just hang on a little longer…!’

Once the thirty chest compressions were finished, I lifted Yerin’s chin to clear her airway.

“Fuck, seriously…”

All that was left was to blow oxygen into her mouth.

Even though I knew there was no time to hesitate over something like this, a sense of guilt welled up at the thought of their lips touching.

“If you want to curse me out later, I’ll take it—just hang on for a bit!”

I pressed my lips against Yerin’s parted ones.

As I exhaled, I watched her chest rise and fall.

Twice in a second. Quickly pulling away, I overlapped my lips with Yerin’s once more.

‘Please, wake up…’

As Yerin remained motionless, I began the chest compressions again.

At the thought that I might never again see that mischievous smile or the way she looked so happy while eating, an indescribable fear took root in my heart.

“I will save you, no matter what.”

Tears streamed down my face from sheer desperation.

The thirty compressions ended again. Gasping for air, I didn’t even stop to catch my breath before overlapping our lips once more.

* * *

After sending the others ahead, Sohee remained alone at the pension, preparing drinks.

She liked looking at the ocean but hated actually going in, so she had focused on supporting her friends so they could have a good time.

‘Well, I can always have fun later tonight.’

Since she wasn’t playing in the water, she resolved to go absolutely wild during the barbecue and the drinking games later.

With that settled, Sohee began transferring the packs into the ice box.

It was then, while she was pouring various drinks into four thermos bottles, that an image of her best friend flickered through Sohee’s mind.

‘Come to think of it, is Chae-yeon doing okay?’

Sohee had watched closely as Chae-yeon stood there with a look of grim determination, glancing back and forth between her own bikini and Si-hyeon.

She didn’t know what had caused the change of heart, but it seemed Chae-yeon was no longer content to just wait for Si-hyeon to approach her.

Whatever Chae-yeon planned to do, Sohee silently cheered for her, hoping it would turn out well…

BANG!

“Mommy!”

Startled by the sound of the front door being slammed shut, Sohee accidentally spilled the orange juice she was pouring onto the dining table.

“Gosh, that scared the life out of me…”

She wondered who on earth was venting their anger on a door.

Annoyed, Sohee wiped the table with a rag and poked her head out from the kitchen. Upon seeing who it was, her eyes widened.

“Chae-yeon! Why are you back already?”

She had assumed Chae-yeon would be all lovey-dovey with Si-hyeon by now. So why was she back at the pension alone?

Wondering this, she noticed a trace of sadness lingering on Chae-yeon’s face and immediately sensed that her plan had failed.

Afterward, Chae-yeon’s expression returned to a blank mask, and she spoke in a flat voice.

“I thought you’d be running late, so I came to help.”

“O-oh, really? I actually was short-handed, so that’s great…”

Sohee offered an awkward smile as she let Chae-yeon into the kitchen.

As Chae-yeon began filling the bottles, her hands trembling slightly, Sohee asked…

“Chae-yeon, did something bad happen…?”

“No, nothing.”

Though her face was a cold mask, a darkness much deeper than usual had hung over Chae-yeon’s expression.

‘Something definitely happened with Si-hyeon…’

Having more or less figured out the reason, a creeping sense of guilt began rising in Sohee’s chest. She wanted to do something for her friend, but she knew there was only so much she could do.

‘No matter how much I plead with Si-hyeon, nothing will change unless Chae-yeon changes her attitude…’

In fact, she had already tried setting things up so the two of them could talk privately, but it had only made the relationship between Sihyeon and Chae-yeon worse.

At this rate, even if they miraculously got back together, there was a high chance they’d just break up again soon after.

So then… What could Sohee herself do?

‘I have to make Chae-yeon realize how precious Si-hyeon is and make her throw away that arrogant personality…’

Of course, changing a person’s personality was no easy feat… but what if she could get Chae-yeon to swallow her pride just a little, offer a sincere apology, and promise to treat him kindly from now on?

Sohee believed there was still a chance the two of them could work out.

‘Alright… let’s do this.’

Hoping for her friend’s successful reconciliation, Sohee steeled her resolve and prepared to be a bit ‘wicked.’

She began to slowly cast out the bait to hook Chae-yeon.

“Come to think of it, Chae-yeon, did you know that Si-hyeon’s name has been coming up a lot among the female classmates lately?”

“….and why is that?”

Frowning, Chae-yeon bit the bait. Having finished pouring the drinks in a hurry, she leaned in to listen to what Sohee had to say.

“Just… things like how Si-hyeon is a catch as a man, or that he’s in a secret relationship with Yerin… those kinds of rumors are going around.”

Sohee wasn’t lying.

In reality, Si-hyeon’s reputation among their female classmates was skyrocketing by the day.

A man who had endured Chae-yeon’s constant power trips and remained devoted to his partner.

Patient, loyal, and completely devoted to the woman he loved—Si-hyeon had practically already been certified as a top-tier boyfriend.

‘And the rumors about a secret relationship with Yerin are actually true, too…’

The reason Sohee brought this up was simple: she wanted Chae-yeon to feel a sense of crisis.

She hoped that by making her realize she might actually lose him if things continued this way, Chae-yeon would finally change her attitude toward Si-hyeon.

Crunch.

Did it work?

The empty plastic bottle in Chae-yeon’s hand buckled and crumpled under the sheer force of her grip.

Watching her reaction closely, Sohee carefully prodded further.

“Chae-yeon… are you going to be okay with this? If you just leave things as they are…”

To amplify the anxiety, she paused for a moment before continuing.

“Si-hyeon might really… leave you for another woman.”

At Sohee’s earnest warning, the events at the beach flashed through Chae-yeon’s mind.

The way Si-hyeon had flatly rejected her despite her attempts at seduction. And the way he had been so flustered and shy at the sight of Yerin in her swimsuit.

For Chae-yeon, who desperately wanted to get back together with Si-hyeon, these were signs she couldn’t help but feel frantic about.

“I’m not okay…”

The hand holding the plastic bottle began to tremble.

As she kept repeating that she wasn’t okay, tears gradually welled up in the corners of Chae-yeon’s eyes—and Sohee noticed.

‘Chae-yeon…’

Sohee wanted to comfort her friend, who looked as if she might collapse at any second, but she knew that doing so would mean failing her original goal.

Steeling her heart once more, Sohee forced herself to speak.

“Then if you’re not okay with it, you need to hold onto him starting now. But to do that, you have to start treating Sihyeon kindly. Instead, you’re always snapping at him and picking fights over the smallest things… Do you really think he’d want to come back to you like that?”

At Sohee’s justified criticism, the tears that had been pooling in Chae-yeon’s eyes finally spilled over.

The plastic bottle slipped from her hand, and Chaeyeon slowly sank down to the floor.

Clutching her stomach with both arms, she spoke through lips and a chin that were trembling uncontrollably.

“I don’t want to fight with Si-hyeon either… I want to be good to him, and I want to tell him I love him. But when I’m in front of him, the words just won’t come out. What am I supposed to do…?”

Sohee broke into a cold sweat. She had fully expected an answer that shifted the blame onto Si-hyeon, but Chae-yeon’s current reaction was entirely unexpected.

‘Wait, is this… is this Chae-yeon’s true feelings?’

Even so, there were far too many parts that didn’t make sense.

If she liked him, she could just say she liked him. Why was she saying she couldn’t do it?

Why did she only act prickly toward Si-hyeon and never treat him well, not even once?

‘I really don’t get it…’

Sohee thought she knew almost everything about Chae-yeon since they were long-time friends, but it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.

Just what kind of reason could there be for her to act this way?

Sohee sat down next to Chae-yeon and asked in a gentle voice.

“Why can’t you say it? If you like Sihyeon, you can just tell him honestly that you like him.”

Chae-yeon didn’t answer Sohee’s question. She simply continued to shed tears, her body shivering.

“Is it something that’s hard to talk about?”

Sniffling, Chae-yeon looked up at Sohee. She nodded, and just as she was finally about to open her mouth after a long silence…

BANG!

“M-my phone!”

Nahyun, one of their classmates, came bursting in, gasping for air. Having frantically found her phone, she shouted into it with a desperate voice.

“S-someone fell into the water! She isn’t even breathing… Yes? The location? The location is…”

Sohee and Chae-yeon locked eyes, their faces etched with shock.

Someone fell in? But who? Stricken by both impact and confusion, the two of them questioned her the moment the call ended.

“Nahyun, who is it?! Who fell in?!”

Nahyun answered as she scrambled back out the door.

“It’s Yerin!”

Yerin. 

At the news that the girl at the very center of their love triangle had drowned, both of their mouths fell open in shock. Without a second thought, they both rushed out of the pension.

“What do we do?! Yerin! Yerin!”

“When is the ambulance getting here?!”

“I just called! They said it’ll take about four minutes!”

The moment they stepped outside, the frantic screams of their friends echoed from every direction. To get a better grasp of the situation, the two headed for an observation deck that overlooked the beach.

“There! Over there!”

Following where Sohee’s finger pointed, they saw their classmates gathered in a large circle. Was Yerin in the center of that? The classmates surrounding her were busy screaming in terror.

“W-what should we do, Chae-yeon? Isn’t there anything we can do to help?”

Sohee asked Chae-yeon while stomping her feet in a panic.

However…

Chae-yeon stood there, staring down, frozen in a daze. Her face gradually paled to a ghostly white, and she began to slowly shake her head, her fists clenched tightly against her chest.

“No… please, stop…!!”

Suddenly stumbling backward, Chae-yeon sprinted toward the stone steps, not even realizing that one of her slippers had fallen off.

“Chae-yeon!”

Sohee tried to grab her, but she was already too far away.

After staring at her friend’s retreating back for a moment, Sohee stepped into the exact spot where Chae-yeon had been standing to understand what had caused such a sudden change.

“Just what did she see…?”

Unlike where Sohee had been standing before, this vantage point offered a clear silhouette of Yerin in the center of the crowd. Sohee, who had poor eyesight, leaned forward and furrowed her brows. Then, the entire scene came into sharp focus…

When she saw exactly what Chae-yeon had seen, her legs went weak.

Si-hyeon was in the middle of performing CPR on Yerin, who was lying flat on the ground. The moment he finished the chest compressions, he lifted Yerin’s chin…

And without a moment’s hesitation, he was pressing his lips against hers.

* * *

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