Title: Take a Bullet

⚠Trigger Warning: mentions of killing, blood, and violence⚠

⁞⁞ 𓆜 ⁞⁞

 
   "yah eonni, how long will you keep doing this? she's too dense to know about your feelings for her. that girl is a total dumbass."

     hyejoo chastised, nevertheless, her tone reveals that she was frightened and concerned for her older sister. hyejung's wounds were treated, as hyejoo tenderly rubbed her bruises with an ice pack.

     curious as to why she is the one being bullied instead of jinsoul? hyejung, being the altruistic girl she is, told jinsoul's bullies to direct their rage at her instead, and thus she found herself in this situation.

     hyejung chuckled as she heard her sister's concern for her. "wow olivia, it's a surprise that it's truly the first time you cared about me," hyejoo added pressure to her wound, making her wince in pain and instantly apologized.

     "how dare you change the topic, son hyejung. i'm serious here. you can't just risk everything so she could live a better life. it's necessary to be selfish at times, you should think about yourself, too!"

     "but joo, you know i can't."

     "if she haven't got all the hints you gave her then i'll beat the hell out of that shi—"

     "no, hyejoo. yell at me, scream until your throat hurts, hit me all you want, but you will not touch her." hyejung sternly said, eyes glaring at the younger girl.

     the older girl's glare vanished when pain hit her in the chest area as she clutched her shirt. hyejung was having trouble breathing at the time. hyejoo ripped her shirt off right away, revealing a large bruise that appeared to be severe.

     she was in tears after seeing her older sister suffer as a result of one girl who was too stupid and dense to understand hyejung's feelings.

     hyejoo gently pressed the ice pack against her chest as hyejung calmed down, though she was still catching her breath.

     "i wouldn't be seeing you in this state if you just summoned all your guts and confessed to her face to face. you're such a coward," hyejoo sniffed, which made hyejung chuckle.

     yeah, i'm a coward...

--

     "hey, hyejung!" jinsoul waved at hyejung, who was enjoying her alone time by resting her back against a tree and gazing at the clouds above the sky.

     hyejung smiled at the sight of her friend, "oh hey jinsoul, what brings you here?"

     "nothing, actually. just wanted to see you."

     "..."

     "your statement seems unconvincing. tell me, did something happened?" jinsoul had a cheeky grin on her face as she struggled not to squeal. "you do know that kim jungeun is my crush, right?"

     hyejung's heart aches after hearing jinsoul mention that. "everyone has a crush on her, after all. so, what about her?"

     "well actually, she talked to me earlier and..."

     "and? and what?" hyejung raised an eyebrow, her instincts telling her that something wasn't quite right, and it was making her uncomfortable. jinsoul guffawed happily, most likely remembering her crush's conversation with her.

     "she told me she...liked me. in fact, she said that she liked me for a long time now and,

     ...she wanted to claim me as hers"

     her face grew expressionless as her smile disappeared. she considered confessing to jinsoul in person today, but she supposes it's too late now. if only she'd had enough courage to do it before jungeun.

     hyejung regained her smile, but it seemed forced, "oh really? what did you say to her confession?" hyejung's chances were still slim; jinsoul had either declined or agreed. but, knowing jungeun was jinsoul's crush, she couldn't pass up the chance.

     "of course i said yes, idiot!"

     jinsoul cheered, celebrating as her crush reciprocated her feelings. hyejung's case, on the other hand, was the polar opposite. despite the fact that she hasn't confessed yet, she has already been indirectly rejected.

     she had zero percent hope. she felt powerless and vulnerable. despite the fact that her smile at jinsoul tries to indicate otherwise. her heart ached, and the need to clutch her chest to relieve the pain made hyejung uneasy.

     even in the midst of her pain, she smiled. hyejung clapped her hands and said, "congratulations to you two! you two truly make a lovely couple."

     "well thank you, my friend. i hope you find yours sooner or later. who knows, maybe your 'the one' is just around this campus!"

     and it was bold of me to assume that you'd be 'the one', hyejung thought. jinsoul playfully smacked her friend's shoulder, only to hear a hiss coming out from her mouth.

     as jinsoul accidently touched a bruise on her shoulder, hyejung grimaced in agony, but quickly acted normal so as not to concern jinsoul. "hey, are you alright?" she inquired.

     "i'm fine. it was just an act," hyejung smiled nervously, hoping that her explanation sounded plausible enough for jinsoul to believe.

     "oh well, if you say so," jinsoul said, causing hyejung to sigh with relief. she thought she'll be a stubborn brat who would continuously asking her what was wrong.

     she was also relieved that jinsoul had not seen her injuries on her face. hyejoo did an excellent job at concealing it with make-up.

     "hey, are you free later? i missed hanging out with you. what do you say? we can have a sleepover at my house," jinsoul proposed, hoping hyejung would accept her offer.

     hyejung chuckled, "yeah sure, anything for you."

     jinsoul stood up from the grassy field as she dusted her skirt, "anyway, i better head back inside the school now. jungeun might be waiting for me. see you around, hyejung!" the girl waved goodbye while running away from hyejung's place.

     hyejung sighed deeply for the nth time, her gaze darting to the clouds that obscured the blue sky as well as the bright beaming sun, which yet illuminated the entire city.

     when she overheard a group of people discussing jinsoul's new relationship with the campus crush, her quiet alone time was disrupted once more.

     i guess eavesdropping won't be bad if it's necessary, hyejung reasoned as she concealed behind the tree she was resting against before listening to the bullies' chat on the other side of the large trunk.

     "that jinsoul really got nerves to steal kim lip away from us huh? wow, i want to kill her so bad."

     "then do it, no one's stopping you anyway. we'll even support you," the other replied, widening hyejung's eyes in surprise and terror. she kept her hands in a fist, trying to hold back her rage as she resisted the urge to pounce on the girl and snap her neck.

     the bullies laughed in excitement, "alright then, we'll do the dirty work after school."

     stop doing stupid things for love, you do know that your life may be at risk if you keep this up right? i'm warning you eonni. let jinsoul get the pain she deserves and not you who's an innocent girl who only wanted to be loved by the person who's dumb to know simple things like this.

     after hearing their statement, hyejung remembered her younger sister's words, which kept repeating inside her mind, making her dizzy. she shrugged her thoughts away when she realized the bullies were leaving.

     hyejung dashed back into the school, careful not to attract the attention of the bullies, before returning to her usual routine of keeping a close eye on jinsoul.

[TIMESKIP - After School]

     "hey, soul! i'm afraid i can't walk you back to your house. the coach suddenly told us that we'll be having an extended practice to prepare for the tournaments next week. can you handle things without me?"

     jungeun pinched her girlfriend's cheek before giving her a loving kiss as jinsoul giggled, "i'm older than you, lip, i can go back home safely."

     "make sure you do, i still have to marry you," jinsoul playfully smacked jungeun's shoulder as her face crunched up in cringe, "oh stop being cringe, just go to your practice already. i'll text you immediately when i'm back home, love you!" she waved her hand goodbye while she walked on her own way, jungeun waved back before sending her a flying kiss.

     jinsoul waited for hyejung for a while, but after noticing that the students leaving the school were becoming fewer and fewer, she reasoned that hyejung must've gotten home earlier than her, so she decided to pay her house a visit.

     when she arrived at her destination, she gently knocked on the wooden door, waiting for the person inside to open it. as the door eventually swung open, muted sounds could be heard on the other side, showing hyejoo with a grim expression.

     "what the hell do you want, jung jinsoul," hyejoo clenched her fist, her teeth gritted in rage, trying not to kill the girl in front of her due to her older sister's words.

     "uhm i was wondering if hyejung is already home? we planned to have a sle—"

     "no. my sister's not home yet, so can you leave now?"

     "what's your problem with me, olivia? I didn't do anything to you and you're acting as if i did," jinsoul said, her tongue clicking in response to hyejoo's attitude.

     hyejoo rolled her eyes in annoyance before snickering, "you don't know what you're talking about. oh right— 'cus you're an idiot. the most idiotic person that have ever existed in this world."

     "hey! watch your words. i'm older than you, missy."

     the younger girl hissed as a response for jinsoul's statement, "you expect me to respect you at this kind of situation? you're really a dumbass."

     "just tell me what makes you hate me! dang it," jinsoul ran her fingers through her hair in a frustrated manner.

     "i hate you because it was too dense of you to not notice my sister's feelings for you! she gave signs, hints, and even clues so you could notice her but guess what; all you do is live your life to the fullest while hers is nearing the end...

     ...i despised watching her return home with bruises, cuts, and wounds, as well as broken bones caused by your bullies. but she assured me that it was fine as long as you were safe. she's so selfless, which is one of the things i disliked about her; she couldn't even think about herself...

     ...i wanted to knock some sense out of you every time i saw her suffer, but she was always there to stop me, even if she was near lifeless. how could a girl like her go unnoticed? she cares so much about the people she loves that she is willing to give up her life for them! "

     hyejoo screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks, despite her best efforts to avoid having a mental breakdown in front of the girl.

     jinsoul was sobbing unknowingly to her, "i-i'm sorry, i didn't know—"

     hyejoo murmured angrily, "of course you wouldn't."

     "she even told me not to tell this to anyone, especially you," she continued, "but i couldn't hold back my anger any longer now that i see your face."

     jinsoul's knees almost made contact with the ground but stopped herself as she asked, "by any chance, do you know where she could be right now?" she sniffed.

     "oh i don't know, probably wasting her remaining lives for a stupid girl like you—"

     jinsoul dashed back to her original location, tears in her eyes, as what hyejoo could only do was to hope and pray for her sister's safety.

——

     jinsoul paused for a moment as she ran back to the school to catch her breath. when she turned to look around the empty street, she noticed a dark alleyway to her left. jinsoul shuddered in horror when she saw a silhouette of a person, walking to her direction.

     she was going to make a run for it, but the stranger stopped her just in time, much to her dismay. the stranger pulled the girl into the alleyway while retaining a firm grasp on her.

     the person in front of her pinned her to the wall as a sharp material threatened to cut her neck open, "scream or I'll kill you here right now. which won't actually be fun." by the tone of its voice, jinsoul immediately knew they were a girl, probably her bullies.

     jinsoul gulped, her face flushed with sweat as she looked fearfully at the group of bullies before closing her eyes in the hopes of escaping her current predicament.

     "hey, let her go!"

     jinsoul heard a familiar feminine voice and immediately opened her eyes to see who it was. blood was drawing down hyejung's face as she held her injured arm. idignantly, the girl in front of jinsoul snickered.

     "you seriously won't die, huh? or is it simply that you don't know how to give up? haven't you had enough of all the pain and suffering we've given you so far?" the girl asked.

     a laugh escaped hyejung's mouth. a hysterical one. "oh, was that supposed to hurt?"

     "why don't you people just torment me until you succeed in killing me? leave jinsoul alone for a while and have some fun with me instead, sounds like a plan, right?" hyejung smiled despite looking all bloody and messed up.

    before eventually letting go of jinsoul for a bit, the bullies took a moment to glance at each other as they decided to leave their real target till they finished hyejung. jinsoul wept as she saw hyejung in her terrible position, knowing full well that it was her fault.

     jinsoul was motioned to flee and call for help by the bleeding girl, who hesitated for a moment before nodding and mouthing 'hang on, i'll be right back'.

     hyejung sighed, a smile curved up on her lips as the feeling of giving up engulfed her. things go well just like what she planned, she was just a distraction in order for jinsoul to escape this situation.

     well, i guess this is how everything ends, she thought before chuckling bitterly.

     she smirked before speaking up, "make sure to give everything you got!"

——

     jinsoul, on the other hand, bolted to a safer location before calling for emergency. assistance arrived quickly as they followed jinsoul to the scene.

     all they saw when they came was a slew of unconscious victims sprawled on the ground. although one isn't.

     hyejung was discovered with her back against a brick wall, a gory mess. her face was practically unrecognizable owing to the blood and various types of injuries on her face, her eyes hardly opened, and her heart rate slowed as time passed.

     jinsoul dashed to her side and scooped her up into her arms; she was a sobbing mess, and hyejung smiled weakly but warmly.

     "i always knew i'd take a bullet for you," she said as pain ebbs through her chest. jinsoul clutched her shirt that was soaked in blood. sobs echo from her as hyejung's eyelids grow heavy.

     "and i always knew you wouldn't take one for me," she murmured before finally shutting her eyes close.

⁞⁞ 𓆜 ⁞⁞