Days passed. You hadn't seen Taehyung again since that day at the crossroad. But somehow, you knew that he was near, like you could sense his presence. And that gave you so much strength & comfort.
Ever since that day, you'd been enthusiastically counting down the days to your graduation, which coincidentally fell on your birthday. The day you would turn 18. The day you would be considered legal in society.
Two more months. Then, you could escape this hell of a life & go to Taehyung without any restraint.
None of the bullying your classmates did affected you at all. The strings of derogatory notes, the constant mocking remarks, you just shrugged them all off without fighting back, because you knew none of this would matter in the end.
You were searching for your missing notebook after school when you suddenly felt somebody coming towards you.
Woobin?
"A-Are you looking for this?" He sheepishly handed you a pile of torn papers which resembled your missing notebook.
"Yes. Thanks." You took the papers without taking your eyes off him.
"I- I saw Minjung & a few other girls took it from-"
"It doesn't matter. I'd been looking for you since that day but you never came to school. You owe me an explanation." You cut him off sharply.
"I- I can't tell you. Just know that I'm terribly sorry for what happened to you & Kim sonsaeng." He tried to escape but you snatched his wrist & stopped him.
"Were you the one who sent the pictures to the principal? Why? What did we ever do to you? We don't even talk to each other that much. Why do you have such grudge against us?" You were determined to get an explanation out of him.
"No! I didn't send them. All I did was take those pictures. I- I did it because someone asked me to."
"Who?" You asked, although deep down you already knew the answer.
"Y-Yoojung." And his answer confirmed your suspicion.
"I swear I didn't intend to hurt you at all. I've liked her since first grade, but I knew that she had her heart set on Kim sonsaeng. So that day when I first saw you walking together with him back to his apartment, I took a picture & showed it to her so that she would give up. She then asked me to keep following you & taking pictures of you guys. I- I didn't think that she would send those pictures to the principal." Woobin quickly added.
"Enough." You muttered under your breath.
"W-What?"
"I don't want to listen to you anymore. Just go. Go!" You shouted at him.
"I-I'm sorry. P-Please forgive me Y/n ah.." He stuttered before leaving you alone.
You stood frozen in place, clenching your fists.
Let it go Y/n ah. Let it go. It's all in the past.
You tried to convince yourself, but then you recalled that day. That atrocious day, Taehyung's expressionless face, your devastation. You couldn't crush the growing resentment in your heart.
You walked mindlessly out of the school ground, still thinking about Woobin's confession earlier.
Then, you saw her. Yoojung was stepping out of the convenience store with some of her classmates. She was laughing at something her friend whispered to her & seeing that added oil to your fire.
How dare she laugh so carefreely like that after what she'd done to us?
Without realizing, you followed her from behind, watching her friends leaving one by one. You waited until you reached a quiet street & tapped her shoulder from behind.
"Omg! You scared me." Yoojung exclaimed in surprise.
"Can we talk?" You asked.
"There's nothing to talk about. My mom's waiting for me, I need to go home now."
"It'll only take a few minutes." You insisted.
"Ugh, fine. Let's talk at the empty playground over there." She rolled her eyes & stomped towards the playground.
"What do you want to talk about?" Crossing her arms, she abruptly turned to you.
"I know what you did. Woobin told me everything." You said in a low tone.
"Tsk. That weak excuse of a man. So? What do you want me to do now? Apologize?" She clicked her tongue & scoffed.
"Why-"
"Why? You want to know why? Because you lied to me! You said you didn't like him & you were so cold to him that I believed you. I did everything I could to get his attention, but in the end he still picked you! And you backstabbed me! I even helped you with some cooking tips & took you grocery shopping, that was for Kim sonsaeng, wasn't it?" She rambled.
"I get it. You hate me. I wouldn't say anything if you just came at me. But why did you have to drag him down too? Do you realize what you've done? He almost went to jail because of you!" You yelled at her.
"But he didn't, did he? Actually, I was hoping that he would stay in jail for a loooong time. And you. I thought you wouldn't even dare to come to school again after that. But oh well.." She snickered, not showing the least bit of remorse.
You couldn't hold your anger anymore, so you raised your hand to slap her but she caught it before it came anywhere near her face.
"You bitch." She hissed as she pushed you away, making you fall onto the ground.
"Fine. I'll make it so that you won't ever show your face in front of me again." She then pulled your hair & slapped you hard on the cheek until you tasted blood.
"Let go of me!" You screamed, but she was much stronger than she looked. She kept hitting & pulling your hair without mercy.
"Get away from me you crazy bitch!" You mustered all your energy & pushed her as hard as you could.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. When you regained your senses, Yoojung was already lying on the ground.
"Y-Yoojung ah?" You crawled to her cautiously & shook her foot, but she showed no response.
"Kim Yoojung, this is not funny." You moved closer & examined her face.
Her eyes were closed & blood seeped out from the back of her head. Apparently, her skull hit the swing's metal pole when she fell.
You immediately muffled your terrified squeal with one hand & scooted backwards.
What have I done?
With trembling hands, you quickly fished out your phone & dialed 119. But then, your finger stopped before it hit 9.
If I call the police now, what will happen to me? Will I still be able to meet Kim sonsaeng then?
You lowered your phone & stepped slowly backwards before you broke into a run.
I'm sorry Yoojung ah. I'm so sorry.
You sprinted without turning back as a deep sense of guilt & fear consumed you.

-•-

The image of Yoojung's blood staining the beige sand flooded your mind. All night, you anxiously waited for the police to knock on your door, but that never happened.
What the fuck have I done? Should I turn myself in?
You checked the news every minute to see whether there was any report about Yoojung until you fell into a troubled sleep.
The sound of alarm woke you up & the first thing you did was check the news again. Strangely, there was nothing. Zilch.
Was it just a bad dream? Did it really happen?
You didn't want to go to school, but then you thought you would look suspicious if you missed school. Thus, you fought against your fear & went to school.
Your heart was pounding all the time. Every time the door opened, you'd jump in fright, thinking that it was police coming to get you. But still, nothing happened until lunch break.
Maybe, it was really just a dream? You couldn't help but thought.
Following the crowd, you walked to the cafeteria & queued in line to get your lunch. You were thanking the lunch lady for the milk she placed on your tray, when the low murmurs of the girls in front of you caught your attention.
"Ya, I heard from Kyungmi that Yoojung didn't go home last night." One of the girls whispered.
"Really? I went to the convenience store with her yesterday after school. She didn't come home after that? Are you sure?" The other girl asked in disbelief.
"I'm sure. Kyungmi called her last night, but her phone was off. So she called her home number & her mom said she hadn't come home yet. It was almost 10pm. Her mom sounded very worried. She doesn't come to school today, right?"
"Omg. Do you think something bad happened to her? Like she got kidnapped or something?"
"Maybe. Or worse, she could be dead by now."
The tray in your hands dropped to the floor at her eery remark. All heads instantly turned to you.
"I-I'm sorry. M-My hand slipped." You stuttered.
"Tsk. So annoying." The girls clicked their tongues & threw you a mean glance.
You rushed out of the cafeteria & climbed up to the rooftop. Your heart felt like it could come out of your mouth any second.
I can't do this anymore. I need to turn myself in.
Right then, someone opened the door, making you look up.
"Do you have something to do with this?" Out of breath, Woobin stepped towards you & asked.
"W-What do you mean?" You acted confused, but you knew that nothing could conceal the guilt in your eyes.
"Yoojung. She's missing since yesterday after I told you about what she did. Is it you? Did you hurt her?" Tears glistened in his eyes as he adjusted his glasses.
"I- I don't know.." You lowered your head, avoiding his gaze.
"I'm going to the police & tell them about what happened." He said before turning away.
"Wait! Woobin ah-" You tried to grab his hand but he dodged it.
"I shouldn't have told you anything. This is all my fault." A drop of tear escaped from his eyes before he ran towards the door.
"Shit.." You frustratedly pushed your hair back & contemplated your options. Then, you ran down the stairs to chase Woobin.
You searched for him everywhere, but you couldn't find him until the bell rang.
"Song Y/n! What are you doing? Go back to your class!" Your home teacher yelled at you when he saw you still wandering in the corridor.
You couldn't concentrate in class at all. Your fingers became raw because you kept nervously picking on your nails.
Once school ended, you immediately dashed out of the classroom & dialed Woobin's number.
"Pick up. Come on pick up." But he never did.
Has he gone to the police?
You quickly sent a text to him asking where he was, but again he never replied.
The gears in your brain rotated vigorously trying to find a way to escape this situation. However, you always came to one conclusion.
I need turn myself in.
You plopped down on a bench on the sidewalk & cried, letting everything out.
Kim sonsaeng, I wish you were here with me now. I wish you could tell me what to do. I wish you could tell me that everything will be fine. I wish I could see you again one last time.
You had never missed Taehyung so much before in your life. The possibility of not being able to see & to hold him again if you turned yourself in to the police made you cry even more. However, there was no way out. You needed to confess before they came for you.
Gathering all your courage, you exhaled deeply & wiped away your tears.
Let's do this.
Before you had any second thoughts, you rise from your seat & walked towards the nearest police station which was only a few blocks away.
You stared at the building in front of you, thinking about the worst that could happen once you stepped into it, & tears inadvertently poured out again.
Stop it Y/n. This is the right thing to do.
Just as you were about to step closer, your phone rang. An unknown number.
"Hello?" You hesitantly picked it up.
"Y/n ah.." The other person said & your heart stopped in an instant.
"K-Kim sonsaeng?"
"You must be suffering a lot. I'm sorry.." His gentle voice soothed all your wounds in an instant.
"I miss you. I miss you so much. Where are you? Can we meet?"
"Not now. Please wait a little longer."
"I-I don't think I can wait. I- I have done something terrible & I don't know what will happen to me." You bit your lip to muffle your sob as you chose to hide the truth from him.
"Just go home now. Whatever happens, I'll always protect you."
"B-but ssaem I-"
"Trust me. Just go home. I love you Song Y/n, don't ever forget that." You could hear the smile in his voice before he ended the call.
You lowered your phone & thought deeply about what Taehyung had said earlier.
"Trust me."
Thus, you clenched your fists & walked away without turning back, ignoring the uneasiness which kept tugging at the back of your mind.
You went straight home & as you were about to open the door, you found a stem of white heather flower lying on the floor. You didn't think much of it & left the flower without even picking it up.
Little did you know, that the meaning of white heather was..
"I'll protect you from danger."