After leaving the restaurant, Sophie ran. She didn't know where she was going but she still ran as fast as she could. Her eyes were looking down as she wiped the tears off her face repeatedly.
She felt betrayed, angry, and frustrated that she didn't even know what to think. All she wanted was to curse and yell. What her dad said had shattered his image in her head. All these years, she had lived in a lie that her father set up for her.
He had shattered her relationship with her beloved out of selfishness and never even told her. She felt like the past 5 years of her life were just a huge trick, played to perfection. She hadn't forgotten the countless nights she cried herself to sleep remembering that day.
Yet, she had to believe that it was all something her dad willingly did.
'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!!' Cursing everything, she found herself in a small park in a secluded corner of the base. Since it was night, the park was empty. So, with her dejected look, she approached one of the swings and sat down crying silently.
'Why? Why would he do this? I had decided what I wanted. I had even told him and I thought he was going to respect it. Yet, he didn't!' Clenching her teeth, she tried to run her hand through her hair only for it to fall over her face again.
As she sat like that, thinking over the things she heard, she noticed someone approaching her from the distance. Looking up, she saw Hyun-Jae approaching her.
"There you are. You really ran far away." She said.
'What the hell is she doing here?!' Turning away, she tried to ignore the girl.
"What do you want?" Sophie asked with a muffled voice.
"Nothing really."
"..."
"Oh well, I will be honest. I came here to talk, that's all." She said as she stood next to her. "Can I sit down next to you?"
"... Do whatever you want. I don't care." Turning the other way, Sophie tried to ignore Hyun-Jae.
'Why is she even here? Is she trying to mock me?' Feeling annoyed, she was about to lash out at Hyun-Jae, assuming she came here with bad intentions. After all, the two had been going at each other's necks for a while now so she wouldn't think she came here to console her out of friendship or rivalry even.
But, much to her surprise, Hyun-Jae was one step ahead as she spoke first. "What your dad did was very wrong."
Sophie stared at her blankly. It took her a few seconds to register what Hyun-Jae said.
"Living in a lie... That is something I would never wish upon anyone, even my enemies." She added.
"What do you even understand about it?!" Sophie snapped at her with an angry look. However, Hyun-Jae's expression didn't change at all as she stared back at the seething girl.
"I can only remember that moment. Everything after that is blurry. Ever since that time, I changed. I lost the desire to do anything apart from sleeping and staying alone. My dad tried to do everything he could to lift me up. But, nothing worked.
That was until he brought me to meet an old friend of his for a small visit and that's where I met Talon. Things were never the same after that." Just remembering their first meeting made Sophie smile fondly.
"... I guess we are the same here. He changed us." Hyun-Jae replied. "He completely changed us."
"I will be eternally grateful to him for saving my life. To the moment I die."
Hyun-Jae nodded her head faintly as she stared up again. The two remained silent for a while, sharing a peaceful moment. Putting aside their rivalry and differences, they discovered that their lives were similar in many regards. They struggled through traumas, and hardships and were eventually saved by the same person. It was like two sides of the same coin in a sense.
"What are you going to do with your dad? Are you going to forgive him?"
"... Uh, I want to take some time to calm down and think about it. Then, I will talk with him." Sophie replied.
"Mm, good." Hyun-Jae nodded her head.
"... Hey, now that I actually talked to you. You aren't as bad as I thought." Sophie said as she wiped her face.
"Same here. I always thought that you were very annoying."
"Oh, what about now?"
"You are still annoying, just not as much," Hyun-Jae replied.
"Hey!! And you're also so irritating. I can't stand you! Well, I can stand you a little now."
The two stared at each other for a moment before they started laughing. Then, Sophie extended her hand forward.
"Even though I don't hate you as much. I still see you as my rival and I'm sorry to say that I'm not going to back up any time soon."
Hyun-Jae glanced at her extended hand before she shook her head. "I never asked for that. Try your best to keep up with me. I will be watching."
Then, she shook her hand powerfully. The two girls exchanged a strong look as they silently accepted each other's challenge. Friendship and rivalry were a different thing and they clearly knew that.
What happens between them remains the same. After all, they were after the same thing and they didn't want to share.
(A//N: I know some of y'all gonna ask so I'm gonna answer: No, there won't be any romance between Hyun-Jae and Sophie. It might turn into an interesting friendship, but nothing more than that :). Also, we gonna go back to action in the next chapter finally. Things gonna pick up real quick.)
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