“I love you so god damn much, I love you like you are my world, my everything..”

“I’m just as in love with you, but it doesn’t stop anyone else from claiming possession of you.”

***

She felt the need to chase after the girl who was definitely suffering more than just the stinging pain from the slap.

“Seulgi…” 

But her body was acting against her mind, paralysed like she had no strength to move a single inch. 

“I’m just a friend, Irene.”

The line repeated in Irene’s head like a broken tape; the pain in each word conveyed Seulgi’s emotions.

Her tiny figure was shaking with adrenaline as she let those words haunt her, fists clinched, tears welling in her eyes. 

“Joohyun!”

She tried to ignore the call, whole heartedly wanting to run after Seulgi, now that her body was finally responding to her mind but…

“Bae Joohyun!”

Mr Bae stood in her way, expression unreadable.

“If things get nasty between the three of you for whatever reason, the one who will stop appearing at our family gathering, will be your friend.”

“She is not just a friend!”

Mr Bae’s brows twitched at her words, but said nothing more than the expected.

“Deal with him before you go wherever you want.”

Realising that she was on the verge of exposing herself, Irene huffed a loud sigh, a mixture of feelings brewing in the pit of her stomach.

She watched as her dad put on his game face to return to his guests, unwilling to do as told. 

Heck, she didn’t even want to look at Ilhoon for another second longer but when his low, tipsy voice resounded by her side, chills ran down her spine. 

“There’s something going on between the both of you, isn’t it?”

Ilhoon walked to her front, leaning in close. 

“You have no respect for boundaries, don’t you?

It had never been this tough to withstand her tears but she did anyway. 

There would be no chance of her cracking down in front of Ilhoon, who she would kill to give him back twice the amount of torment he put her true love through. 

Ironically, she also understood that she herself probably contributed to more agony than anyone else could. 

If she had more courage to admit to their relationship, then Seulgi would have been spared from all the humiliation.

“Does that has a thing for you? Is she a homoual who does nothing but create havoc for the society?” 

Her petite size was no match to the man’s strength who halted her before she could whack him. 

She wanted to rip his mouth apart and strike him hard in his face, badly. 

“You better watch your damn foul mouth, Ilhoon.”

She was pissed not just at his choice of words, but at herself who was so helpless at everything. 

“My dad may have set us up for matchmaking but if you think there would be any way I would have fall for you, then you are dead wrong.”

Ilhoon’s jaw tightened. 

“Be glad that I’m not pressing charges for ual harassment for your actions.”

It was her turn to stab him at the shoulder, just like how he did to Seulgi. 

“But be even more thankful that I’m not capable of murder because I would very much like to kill you for laying your hands on my Seulgi.” 

Her fierceness rubbed off Ilhoon when he backed off at her words, letting her go without bothering to retaliate. 

She didn’t even bid anyone goodbye when she took off, pestering the taxi driver to speed the way back home, only to find no Seulgi. 

“Where are you?”

After various texts of similar contents, Irene ran around the streets, hoping to find a familiar figure. 

“Seul, please, where are you?”

Irene’s head was fogging more by the moment, absolutely clueless of Seulgi’s whereabout. Her heart pounded furiously as she jogged for what seemed forever, only to be disappointed at every turn, every corner.

Defeated, she was on the verge of crying by the roadside when a vibration was felt. The name that she had been dying to see surfaced on her phone.

“Kang Seulgi, where are you?”

“This is Yewon.” Irene’s heart sank. “Irene?”

“Ye-Yes. Where is Seulgi?”

Less than a minute after the conversation, Irene was sprinting at full speed; the fastest she had ever ran in her entire life.

The same white convertible was spotted at the carpark lobby of their apartment, two figures had their bodies tangled together. 

The car had been seen so frequently that Irene knew whose it belonged to. 

Yewon spotted her, all the while with a bawling Seulgi in her hold. 

Her colleague turned up at the bar where she was having a gathering at, a huge slap print on the cheek and the binge drinking began like alcohol was the only beverage on earth. 

Yewon was at a loss, especially Seulgi’s tears became uncontrollable upon reaching the apartment lobby. 

Feelings eroded her on the inside and Irene wasn’t sure which was more distinguishable; the green of jealousy or the blue of forlornness. 

Yewon’s mouth moved for a little, then Seulgi took her time to withdraw out of the embrace, head still low with her hand gesturing about to wipe away her tears. 

It was another good five minutes before Yewon ruffled her hair, patting her on the back before she alighted. 

As if Irene was invisible, Seulgi stumbled her way to the elevator, rejecting the touches meant to help her. 

Nobody spoke throughout the entire ride in the pin drop silent box and it couldn’t be anymore deafening. 

The stuffy nose suggested that Seulgi’s waterworks never really cut off completely, inviting the same sourness in Irene. 

“Baby, talk to me.” 

Seulgi stood by the kitchen island, feet away from the elder girl, back turned. Her only movement was to unscrew a new bottle of alcohol that she prepared for their own Christmas celebration. 

She shook her head, indicating that she had no words. 

Irene approached from the front, hand lifting up the chin and instantly, a pair of eyes shut to avoid contact. Backing away, Seulgi brought the bottle up to her lips.

“Stop pushing me away, Seulgi, say something!”

The taller girl chuckled miserably and Irene felt guilty for raising her voice.

“Enough of the alcohol.” 

“Let me be.”

Seulgi’s hoarse voice pierced through a hurting heart.

“Drinking isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Don’t tell me what can and what can’t.” 

Irene should know better that Seulgi was under the influence of alcohol but she couldn’t help the pain spreading across her chest.

“I was so worried and I ended up finding you in her arms.”

Seulgi finally placed away the wine, hands rubbing her exhausted face as she let out a laugh. 

“Is that jealousy I sense? Guess the table has turned.”

“What is this, revenge on me?”

Seulgi didn’t say anything, just quietly making her way into the bathroom to freshen herself up. Irene followed suit, still concerned for the former’s welfare, especially knowing that the younger one wasn’t a good drinker. 

“Kang Seul-”

Even before she could finish her words, Seulgi brushed past her, knocking into her shoulder. 

The last bit of sanity in her was gone when she saw a much awakened Seulgi, standing in the middle of the living room with both hands on the waist. 

“So this is what you are going to do? Avoiding my questions? Seeking Yewon’s comfort? Letting her intercept us?”

Seulgi messed her hair in frustration. 

“Just like how Ilhoon intercepted us?”

“I don’t even swing that way, Seul! But you do and she actually likes you!”

“Does it matter? That brat still managed to tear us up equally badly.” 

“Is she trying to win you over?”

“Who cares if she is?”

“I care, Kang Seulgi! I freaking care because you are mine, not hers! Mine!”

“Am I, really?!”

Seulgi spun around, eyes full of fury, staring at a wailing girl. 

“Because the last time I checked, it has been two years but we have no status! So tell me how am I yours when we are just friends to everyone else!” 

“You and I both know you were never just a friend to me!”

With each word that she spilled, there was a push on Seulgi’s shoulder and droplets after droplets of warm tears slid down her bloodless face. 

“I love you so god damn much, I love you like you are my world, my everything..”

Her vision was so blur, just like how fogged her mind was. 

“Irene! Irene Bae!”

Seulgi grabbed onto her wrists to get her attention; grips firm yet gentle at the same time and hollers soon turned into quiet cries.

“I’m just as in love with you, but it doesn’t stop anyone else from claiming possession of you.”

“I just want to be yours, Seul, only yours…”

“You were.” 

Seulgi began her mad sobbing. 

“Until your dad shoved a guy into our originally blissful life.”

Irene stumbled back onto the couch, exhausted from the quarrel and head aching from the crying. 

She didn’t know how did things turn out so bad for them. 

Everything of a happy life with Seulgi that she had conjured was broken with the sudden interruption of her parents who were eagerly pushing for her to settle down. 

Her serenity with Seulgi was cracking with every argument they had. 

Seulgi threw her back against the wall, slouching down when her legs could no longer withstand the invisible weight on her shoulders. 

She wished she could be much more understanding than this but she wasn’t that noble and she was only human, with overwhelming feelings for the crying girl on the couch. 

The clock struck midnight, signifying the arrival of Christmas but nothing in the apartment was merry. 

If anything, it was full of tears, darkness and unknowns. 

“Seulgi…” 

Irene approached the brokenhearted, drawing the figure in for a hug which was reciprocated immediately. 

The swell from the slap was pinkish, covering a large area of the pale face. 

If a shattered heart can still feel hurt, it would be Irene’s. 

Her thumb caressed the cold cheek, probably the aftermath of an ice pack application. 

Carefully, she pressed her lips on it, hoping to ease the wound. 

She buried her face in the crook of the neck, planting comforting kisses, whispering her guilt. 

There had been too much apologies in their recent days, one sick of hearing, one sick of declaring but it was inevitable. 

“I should have protect you better, my baby…” 

“We fight so much for the past six months we end up apologising more than we ever did in two years.”

Irene moved away to look Seulgi in the eyes and she was scared at how collected the latter looked; she looked so awake, like she hadn’t been drinking, like she meant every words. 

“You tell me more sorry than you love me.”

The elder girl’s heart wasn’t ready for what she foreseen to be a bad coming.

“I don’t think I can do this anymore, Irene.”

More than two years of everything and Irene knew, Seulgi’s limit was up. 

***

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

So... This is it, the heartbreak is here.

Let's just hope the heartbreak doesn't last... 

I appreciate every reader who left me comments on my previous chapters, it motivates me so thank you :)

I hope you enjoy the story so far and will leave me a comment to tell me what you think about the new chapter.

Until then, thank you for the subscriptions and upvotes too~ <3 

#2YearsWithRedVelvet 💖💛💙💚💜