Cold | Yoo Jaeyi x Woo Seulgi (FriendlyRivalry)

A figure darted past her—hurried, almost frantic.

Seulgi froze, barely avoiding a collision. It was too close.

"Yoo Jaeyi."

She breathed the name like a secret, like a curse. The humid Seoul air snatched it away before it reached anyone else.

Then the smell of Blueberries hit her.

The scent crashed into her like a wave.

It was like a glitch in the present time, a movie reel stuttering mid-frame, broken. Her body refused to move. Feet rooted to the pavment, she stared ahead, eyes wide but unseeing. Her mind splits—fragments of memories spinning out of control, like the rush-hour chaos around her.

That scent, that feeling, that name... Yoo Jaeyi.

It rang louder now, echoing inside her like an alarm bell. Her chest tightened.

No. Not here. Not now.

She was a statue in the current sea of people, the world rushing by, unaware of the storm building inside her. Slowly, she forced her gaze in the direction the figure had gone. She second-guessed it, but her own body moved faster than her mind. 

And just like that—everything sharpened.

Suddenly, the scent of warm pastries drifted from a bakery. The steps created by the strangers around her were clear—their voices, their whispers, their breathing. 

A lone figure stood by its window. Still. Waiting.

Seulgi didn't remember when she'd stopped breathing. But as the figure turned, her instincts kicked in—look away. Now. She pivoted, walking forward, calm and composed on the outside. On the inside? Screaming.

Each step felt heavier. Like wading through water, thick with regret. Her pulse was a jackhammer. She felt it, a presence behind her, searing into the back of her skull.

Someone was watching.

Curiosity clawed its way through the fear. She turned.

She knew.

Even in a crowd. Even cloaked in shadows. She could trace that silhouette with her eyes closed. Jaeyi. It was always her. Unmistakable. Inevitable.

But why? Why now? Why today?

Seulgi looked forward again, jaw clenched. Her mind raced. She had planned for this. Hoped it wouldn't come—but prepared all the same.

She yanked off her lanyard. Stuffed it deep in her bag. Kept walking, careful, casual.

"Miss, your shoelaces. You'll trip."

A stranger's voice sliced through her focus. She paused, nodded a quick thanks—but didn't stop. Not yet. Nevertheless, her steps falter for a bit, for good measure. 

She quickly thought of something--

At the steps to the train station, she made a choice. Dropped low. Fingers trembling, she tied them tightly. Eyes down. Pulse pounding.

A shadow passed.

She didn't need to look to know.

When she stood again, the figure was ahead of her.

Confirmed.

It was her.

Yoo Jaeyi. Real. Flesh and blood. Not a ghost. Not a memory.

Seulgi's heart slammed against her ribs. She tried to breathe—but each inhale felt sharp, shallow. How do you face the past when it's walking three steps ahead? She matches the girl's pace in front of her, not too far but not too near. 

A bell rang and a swarm of people tried to pass by each other. Seulgi's eyes widened, she fastened her pace and did her best to swerve and pass other people. 

But when she glanced around.

She was gone. Jaeyi had disappeared.

Frustration flared hot under her skin.

Where did she go? How could she vanish so fast?

She bit her lips and breathed out heavily. 

Focus.

The train. Home.

Pretending like nothing happened, she fell into line like muscle memory. Ride up the escalator. Through the crowd. Waiting.

She checked her phone in routine to see how long will it take to get her home.

"Seven—"

The word snagged in her throat.

That feeling. That eerie, electric awareness. Like a sixth sense. Like someone watching. Her.

Her gaze snapped up, scanning the hall.

And then—those eyes.

Across the station. Locking with hers. Piercing. Unblinking.

Jaeyi.

Seulgi forgot how to breathe.

Fingers clenched around her phone. White-knuckled grip. Desperate to ground herself, to stay in control. But her heartbeat roared in her ears.

She couldn't look away.

Jaeyi's eyes bore into her like she already knew. Knew the cracks in Seulgi's armor, and knew exactly where to push.

And then—that smirk.

That haunting curve of her lips. Not kind. Not cruel. Just knowing.

The same look she wore every time she pulled Seulgi's defenses down like they were paper walls.

God. She's back. She can't be. 

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I drafted this part in 2022. 

Again, it wasn't supposed to be Jaeyi & Seulgi's story. 
It was a little personal. I just overdramatized it lol.