Bae Suzy lifted the mirror with her hand and dropped it to the floor. Sure enough, it shattered into pieces.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh my~ The mirror~ is broken?”
Bae Suzy ignored my words, put on the gloves she had prepared in advance, and grabbed my wrist with force. Then she kicked the chair I was sitting on with her foot.
'thud-!'
I hit the floor with a thud. My butt hurt, but now was not the time to worry about that.
“What are you trying to do now..”
I had expected it, but I hoped it would be wrong. But as if mocking me for thinking that, he grabbed my wrist and began rubbing it frantically against the glass-strewn floor. I tried to pull my hand away with all my might, but Bae Su-ji, who was stronger than me, couldn't free it. The harder I pushed, the more blood flowed out, and in the end, I was helpless. All I could do was watch Bae Su-ji...
.
.
.
After about two or three minutes, Bae Su-ji let go of my hand.
“Oh my... That must hurt so much... Take care~”
I couldn't move my hands, so I stayed still. Bae Su-ji took off her gloves, placed them on my desk, and then stepped on my foot as she passed, sending more shards of glass into my hand.
As Bae Suzy opened the door and left the practice room, I saw my USB in her hand. I stood up, doubting it could be her, and checked my desk, but sure enough, the USB wasn't there.
***
While I was waiting for Suzy and playing on my phone, the practice room door opened and Suzy came in.
“Jungkook oppa!”
Suji called me with a smile.
“Oh, you’re here?”
I smiled at Suzy. Then, Suzy looked around the practice room.
“What about the other brothers?”
“Some people went to buy food, and some went because PD Bang called them.”
“Oh, I see! Oppa! Give me your hand!”
Suzy suddenly asked me for my hand, and I unconsciously reached out. Then, she clenched her small fist and placed it on mine, then lowered it. When she lowered her hand, what was in my hand was a USB drive.
“USB..?”
"lol.."
Suzy just looked at the practice room floor as if embarrassed.
“There is.. something I composed to give to you guys.. Anytime is fine.. um.. uh.. put it in the song list..!”
Suzy looked at me and spoke shyly. I thought it was cute, so I placed my hand on Suzy's head and stroked it.
"cute."
The words I'd been thinking inside came out of my mouth, but I didn't mind. After all, it was cute.
“No! I’m not cute!”
It was cute that he even said he wasn't cute.
'bang-!'
The practice room door opened. Then Yeoju Lee entered. My expression automatically hardened when I saw her.
“Why are you here?”
“Hey, Bae Suzy.”
Lee Yeo-ju seemed quite angry and ignored what I said and called Bae Su-ji.
“Uh... uh...?”
When I saw Suji shivering, I thought, "Oh no."
“In good conscience, I shouldn’t have taken the USB.”
“What...what does that mean..”
For some reason, Yeoju had her hands behind her back and was holding onto her clothes with her hands.
“Wow.. really shameless..”
Lee Yeo-ju ignored Su-ji's words and stared at my hand. Then she walked toward me.
"please."
Lee Yeo-ju stretched out her hand, which had been behind her back, in front of me and spoke. I couldn't say or do anything. Even if it were someone else, if someone else suddenly thrust a bleeding hand in front of me, I would react the same way.
“Hey, lady.. what’s wrong with your hand..! Go to the hospital quickly..”
“Give it to me.”
It was Yeo-ju who ignored Su-ji, who was worried about her, and spoke to me again.
“This is Suzy’s.”
Yeoju let out a hollow laugh, as if she found it absurd. Then she tried to brush her hair back, but stopped.
“That’s not Bae Suji’s, it’s mine.”
Han Yeo-ju pointed at herself with her index finger.
“What are you talking about? Suzy composed this song for us.”
I said the right thing. From what I heard from Suzy... Suzy isn't the type of girl who would lie.
“Oh, really? Bae Suzy said that?”
Lee Yeo-ju turned her head and looked at Su-ji.
“You have to lie depending on the situation.”
The Lee Yeo-ju I knew always bullied Suzy, and when she was with the members, she was completely silent, like she didn't even exist. No matter what we said, Lee Yeo-ju never got angry, but this was the first time I'd seen her talk so much and get so angry. Oh, it wasn't her first time. I first saw her in PD Bang's office.
“You.. you really are.. why are you like this..”
Suzy, who had been holding back tears, finally burst into tears.
“You to me...”
Yeoju Lee tried to say something, but then closed her mouth tightly, swallowing her words back in her throat. I tried to approach Suji, but Yeoju Lee grabbed my wrist with her own. Her hand was bleeding. I couldn't help but look at Yeoju Lee.
“I hate that. I don’t mind being looked at like I’m worse than a bug, but would you mind giving me the USB?”
Lee Yeo-ju said. For a moment, she thought that her middle school personality was showing because things weren't going her way.
First, I thought I had to get Soo-ji away from Yeo-ju, so I gave her the USB. Worried about Soo-ji, who was behind me, I looked at her in the practice room mirror.
“...”
I couldn't say anything when I saw Suji. The look in Suji's eyes as she looked at Yeoju was so murderous it made my skin crawl.
“Oppa, I’m with the female lead...”
I suddenly grabbed Suzy's wrist and walked out of the practice room. Then, Suzy blinked at me.
"what's the matter..?"
“Ah.. I don’t think I can stay with this woman for too long...”
It was a lie. No, it wasn't a lie. If Yeo-ju and Su-ji were together any longer, Su-ji would kill Yeo-ju.
“Oppa, I’m fine! I need to talk to Yeoju..”
“Huh..? Oh, really..”
There was no reason for me to stop her. As soon as I said I understood, Suzy opened the practice room door and went in. I opened the door slightly and watched them through the gap.
***
Bae Suzy entered the practice room and started to say what she wanted to say.
“Hey, Yeoju. What’s with that USB?”
“That...?”
My right eyebrow twitched at the word "that."
“Yeah, that’s right. I can just buy you a new USB. And if I were to kindly make your hand like that, why didn’t you just stay in the practice room and come out to me;;”
Bae Suzy spoke confidently as if she had done nothing wrong.
“Is that what you want to say now?”
I said, gripping my clothes with both hands. My clothes were so soaked with blood that they dripped to the floor.
“Huh? Climbing up?”
Bae Suzy laughed as if she found it ridiculous.
"You thought the members would trust you, but that's a huge mistake. They don't even want to listen to you, do they? And I have no intention of taking any of the members away from you, nor do I intend to give them to you. The members are mine. They're my possession. Do you understand?"
“How can you treat people like objects... kekekeke..!”
Bae Suzy, apparently unwilling to listen to me, kicked me in the stomach with her foot. Not only was it difficult to breathe, but it was excruciatingly painful, as it was the same area where Min Yoongi had bruised me the day before. My hand, which had been behind my back, naturally settled on my stomach.
“I’m a little busy… I’ll play with you one last time-”
Bae Suzy raised her hand high.
“Bae Suzy.”
In just a little while, Bae Suzy's hand would have touched my cheek, and I would have turned my head to the right. But someone who had just the right timing burst open the practice room door and came in, calling Bae Suzy's name, and Bae Suzy's hand stopped in its tracks.
“...”
Bae Suzy slowly turned her head with a creaking sound, and my gaze turned towards the practice room door.
“What are you doing now?”
It was Jeon Jungkook.
“Oh.. Oppa.. That’s not it..”
Bae Suzy stuttered as she approached Jeon Jungkook and tried to grab his arm. However, Jeon Jungkook slapped Bae Suzy's hand away with a loud bang.
“Are you trying to make an excuse?”
“Oppa.. You have to misunderstand..! That’s right! You have to misunderstand! As soon as I entered the practice room, the female lead told me to do this! Oppa, you’re misunderstanding!”
"under!"
Jeon Jung-kook let out a hollow laugh at Bae Suzy's words.
"I'm sorry, but I opened the door slightly as soon as you came in and was watching. The members are your possessions? Misunderstanding? They're making a fuss."
Jeon Jungkook looked at me as if he had nothing more to say to Bae Suzy. I just sat there, blinking at this unexpected turn of events.
“...”
For a moment, my whole body trembled as I saw Jeon Jungkook staring at me without saying a word. Jeon Jungkook approached me and reached out his hand. I thought he was going to hit me, so I closed my eyes tightly. However, it didn't hurt, so when I slowly opened my eyes, it was Jeon Jungkook, clutching both of his hands tightly.
“Oppa.. Please.. Yeoju.. This Yeoju..! You told me to do this? You told me to!! This Yeoju sent me a KakaoTalk message telling me to do this! It’s true! I have proof.. I even took a screenshot..! Photos.. Okay, I’ll show you the photos..!”
Bae Suzy began to struggle, trying to convince Jeon Jungkook to trust her. Jeon Jungkook ignored her and gently grabbed my wrist, pulling me up. Bae Suzy stretched out her arms, preventing me from leaving the practice room.
“Get out of the way.”
“No... I really didn’t do anything wrong...”
Bae Suzy shed tears without listening to Jeon Jungkook's cold words. Jeon Jungkook pushed Bae Suzy aside, and Bae Suzy collapsed to the floor with a thud.
.
.
.
“I... I... I...”
I called out to Jeon Jungkook, who was walking forward, holding my wrist, outside the practice room and all the way to the company. Then he looked at me.
"why...?"
I could tell from Jeon Jungkook's words that his attitude toward me had changed considerably. Even though it was mid-April, it was quite cold for him to be wearing only short sleeves.
“Ah..ah..sorry..”
Jeon Jungkook carefully released my arm. He then took off his shirt and placed it on my shoulders. Despite the short-sleeved shirt underneath...
“There’s a hospital just a little further from here. Let’s go there quickly.”
I nodded quietly.
***
“What should I do.. What should I do..”
I paced around the practice room, biting my fingernails.
“...”
I stood still, looking around. On the floor, I saw Lee Yeo-ju's blood. Knowing I'd be identified as the culprit if I stayed, I left the practice room and headed to the break room. Arriving there, I sat on a chair, chewing my hand, thinking, "If Jeon Jung-kook caught me, the other members would catch me too." I was so, so anxious.
“Ah..! Miss...”
I bit my nails so hard I was anxious, but I bit them wrong and a little blood flowed out. Nothing worked. If it weren't for Yeo-ju, none of this would have happened...!
'bang-!!'
I slammed my fist hard on the desk in front of me.
“Ahhh.. it hurts..”
I ended up getting hit and getting hurt. I think it's all because of Yeoju. No, it's because of Yeoju.
***
Yeoju entered the treatment room. As I waited for her, memories of my actions and words to her swirled around in my head, tormenting me. Regrets about why I did it, apologies to Yeoju, resentment—not resentment—against Bae Suzy. Even though I saw it with my own eyes, a lingering sense of distrust, wondering if Yeoju had actually ordered it.
While I was thinking about this and that, the treatment room door opened and the female protagonist came out.
“What did you say..?”
“He said it wasn’t deeply embedded enough to be noticeable. And he also told me to try my best not to use my hands.”
"I see..."
I spoke, looking at the heroine's hand, tightly wrapped in bandages. I didn't even know what expression I was making.
"excuse me.."
"excuse me..."
The heroine and I spoke at the same time.
“Ah! You speak first!”
“No, you speak first.”
“Oh, that’s it..”
The female protagonist took a moment to pause.
“I’m sorry..! If there was a place, I would have debuted, but I, a woman and not a man, suddenly got involved.. And you even came to the hospital because of me... I’m really, really sorry..”
The heroine lowered her head. I was slightly taken aback by her unexpected behavior.
“Why are you apologizing? I should be the one apologizing. I’m really sorry. For looking at you like you were worse than a bug all this time. For not being able to take care of you even though we were in the same group. I’m really, really sorry..”
I bent my back at a 90 degree angle.
“Ah.. no..! It’s okay..! So stop it now..”
I straightened my back at the heroine's words.
“It’s chilly outside, so let’s stop by the practice room, grab a coat, and go to a cafe.”
“Ca.. cafe..?”
I briefly wondered if she was flustered because we weren't that close, or even close enough. The sooner we became close, the better, so I looked at Yeoju with as pitiful an expression as I could muster.
“Oh, no! Let’s go! To the cafe!”
I couldn't help but chuckle at the woman who, flustered, suggested we go to a cafe. But a part of me felt a deep pain. I felt so sorry...
***
Jeon Jungkook and I arrived at the practice room. I handed him the shirt draped over my shoulder and put on my coat.
“What if you catch a cold because of me..?”
When I looked at Jeon Jungkook with a worried expression, he smiled at me.
“Why are you laughing..? Oh, no, I’m not nitpicking.. I was just curious as to what you’d do if you caught a cold..”
He lowered his head and glanced at Jeon Jungkook as he spoke.
“I’m going to get caught anyway?”
"still..."
“Don’t worry, you won’t catch a cold~”
Jeon Jungkook smiled again and spoke. At that moment, a call came from his phone.
"hello?"
“I’ll go to the dorm after practicing.”
I flinched without realizing it at Jeon Jungkook's stiff tone of voice.
“Let’s go to the cafe quickly!”
I didn't want to ask why, so I didn't say anything. Jeon Jungkook glanced at me and opened his mouth to speak.
“Namjoon asked me if I was going to go play with Bae Suzy, so I just left without realizing it..”
“Oh, I see..”
My curiosity, which had made me feel like I couldn't sleep if I didn't hear what was going on, was satisfied.
“Oh.. Oppa..!”
As soon as the practice room door opened, Bae Suzy's voice was heard. Bae Suzy ran to Jeon Jungkook, dug into his arms, and wrapped her arms around him.
“Get out of the way.”
“Oppa.. So you found out that what Yeoju said was a lie..! That’s why you came to apologize to me...!”
Bae Suzy ignored Jeon Jungkook and spoke her own words. Jeon Jungkook seemed to be trying to push Bae Suzy away, and the more he did, the more Bae Suzy put more strength into his hands.
“Oh really..”
"ah!!"
Jeon Jungkook pushed Bae Soo Ji with force, and Bae Soo Ji collapsed to the floor like before.
“Please, just calm down. You’ve already been caught, and you’re still lying?”
Jeon Jungkook crouched down and matched Bae Suzy's eye level.
“Wh..what are you talking about..please..trust me...”
Jeon Jungkook raised his hand high and tried to slap Bae Suzy's cheek. Bae Suzy then closed her eyes tightly.
“Oh... Oh... Oppa...!!”
I quickly called Jeon Jungkook "oppa" and he stopped his hand and got up from his seat. If I really did something wrong,My plans were almost ruined.