Scandal|2YEON|ENG

O13

The night before the wedding had arrived and Jeongyeon was so grumpy that even Jihyo had decided to leave her alone. Jeongyeon was lying in her bed while her sister watched the moon.

-Jeongyeon...

-Mh.

The girl had tears in her eyes. -I... I don't want to get married.

Jeongyeon sighed. -I know. But weren't you the one who told me we must? That it is our duty? That we have to have children?

-Yes, but... I don't...

-Sooner or later you will learn to love Edward. It seems that you already get along. He is pleasant company. He is handsome, rich, he loves to read, he loves to talk, he compliments you... he is... He is perfect for you.

-Do you really think so?- Nayeon asked, turning to her.

The moonlight illuminated her tears that looked like crystal. Jeongyeon hated that vision but at the same time she loved it because Nayeon looked like a porcelain doll, so beautiful and delicate and elegant.

-You don't think so?

-And you with Richard? You seem to enjoy it a lot when he makes his tasteless jokes.

-At least Richard laughs. He's not a boring piece of wood like Edward.

Jeongyeon sat on the bed looking at Nayeon who was frowning.

-At least Edward knows how to construct a sentence composed of subject, predicate and complement.

-At least Richard says sensible things when he speaks.

Nayeon sighed. -I have the impression that we are using our betrothed to compete with each other. How did we get this far?- she asked sitting down on her bed.

The two were facing each other.

-I don't know...

-Let's go to sleep. Tomorrow... Tomorrow I have to get married.

-And I... I have to see you get married.

-Yes...- Nayeon lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. -Then good night.

Why did she feel empty? Why did she feel like she wanted Jeongyeon to tell her not to get married? Would her opinion have changed anything? Why had they used two men that neither cared about just to compete with each other? What were they really competing on? About their life partners? About their success? No, it was something else. It was something they could not imagine. Not because they were stupid, but because it was forbidden to think so.

They were both in their beds but neither was sleeping. They both had their eyes open and were staring at the ceiling. Neither of them could sleep because of the imminent wedding.

-Nayeon...- The named girl shuddered upon hearing Jeongyeon's hoarse voice. -I... I don't want you to get married.

She had said it. That was what Nayeon knew Jeongyeon wanted to tell her. That was what Nayeon wanted to hear for some reason. For comfort? For support? She didn't understand it. She just knew she wanted to hear it. Just how she didn't understand why she often thought of her sister, especially in Edward's company, but she couldn't help it. How she didn't understand why her heart felt pounding when Jeongyeon looked at her but she always hoped that her kind and innocent eyes would fall on her. How did they get there? Perhaps it was better that she got married. This way she would forget Jeongyeon and those strange sick feelings she had given her.

Nayeon remained silent. She didn't answer Jeongyeon because she knew she had to forget her. She knew that if she answered she would give up everything. She was afraid of Jeongyeon's answer. Not because she thought she would judge her. She was afraid that Jeongyeon would say something that would make the disease that was making its way into her heart grow stronger.

🖤

It was dawn, Mina was running here and there, Jihyo looked at herself in the mirror knowing that she would be next, Sana was screaming with excitement and Tzuyu had to bear all the stress in that house. He almost would rather go to the ceremony and wait for hours alone than stay there. In that confusion Jeongyeon was sitting on her bed and she was watching Nayeon's back with nothing on as she was trying to put on the bodice. Jeongyeon stood there, as if motionless, as if nothing made any sense now.

-Don't make it harder than it already is.- Nayeon said looking at her from the mirror. -And stop looking at me... It's not... It's not normal for... For a sister.

-And for a woman, right?- Jeongyeon wanted to clear that doubt.

Nayeon turned her gaze back to her reflection in the mirror to adjust the bodice she had just put on. -Women and men were created to procreate.

-The Bible says nothing about—

-Jeongyeon, don't say strange things. I don't even want to know what you were about to say but that certainly doesn't involve me. It involves only and exclusively you. It's your problem. It's your disease.

-Disease?- Jeongyeon asked.

-Momo, Jihyo and Minhyuk were right: someone like you would only bring bad luck. I'm glad I'm pulling me away from you. Besides the plague, you also have... I don't even want to think about how to define this mental illness.

Nayeon's words were so sharp that Jeongyeon couldn't say anything. She just stood there looking at the ground. Nayeon didn't want to, but she had to. She had to send her away before falling into that disease. Still, Jeongyeon never said anything to her, never did anything to make her understand how she felt, but Nayeon understood it for some strange reason. Nayeon was feeling the same without being prodded. How was that possible? It was as if they had lived in two different parts of the world they would have found themselves in that situation anyway. It was like it was their destiny. Nayeon cursed the day her father had brought her home. Initially she was just her beloved sister, a playmate and a reading companion, but then she had turned into something else and maybe... Maybe she was the sick one because she was the first to feel something strong for that kind, gentle and innocent girl with a beautiful smile always mistreated by everyone.