Chapter 35

the silence after the last message didn’t settle into anything comfortable. instead, it lingered in the room, thin and uneasy, like something was pressing in from all sides without quite making contact yet. dani hadn’t moved from where she was sitting on the floor, her back against the couch, her gaze fixed on the screen even after yoonchae had lowered the phone slightly, her fingers tightening just enough to make it clear she wasn’t planning on giving it back anytime soon.

“she’s been texting you like this before?” yoonchae asked, her voice quieter now, careful in the way she spoke, like she didn’t want to add anything heavier to what was already there.

dani hesitated before answering, her throat tightening slightly as she nodded. “…yeah.”

yoonchae took that in without reacting too much, just a small shift in her expression, like she was filing it away for later instead of unpacking it right now. she let out a slow breath, then gave a small, decisive nod. “okay,” she said. “then we’re not dealing with that tonight.”

dani let out a weak exhale that almost turned into a protest. “chae—”

“i mean it,” yoonchae added, still gentle, but steady in a way that didn’t leave much room for argument. “you already have enough in your head right now. this can wait.”

dani didn’t push it. she didn’t have the energy to.

the room fell quiet again, the kind of quiet that felt heavier than before, filled with everything dani wasn’t saying and everything yoonchae didn’t need her to explain out loud.

a knock.

it was sharp enough to cut straight through the silence, sudden and jarring in a way that made dani flinch before she could stop herself. her shoulders tensed immediately, her breath catching just slightly as her eyes flicked toward the door. yoonchae turned too, her posture straightening just a little, alert but not tense, like she was already assessing the situation before reacting to it.

“are you expecting someone?” she asked.

dani shook her head. another knock followed, a little harder this time, like whoever was on the other side wasn’t planning on leaving quietly.

“dani?”

her stomach dropped.

megan. of course it was.

“dani, i know you’re in there,” megan called, her voice uneven, not quite raised but not calm either, like she was trying to keep herself together and not entirely succeeding. “can you just—can you open the door? please? i just want to talk.” dani’s chest tightened again, not as sharp as before, but enough to make her breathing feel off, uneven in a way that she couldn’t fully control yet. yoonchae glanced back at her, taking in the way her shoulders had gone rigid, the way her fingers had curled slightly into her sleeves, the way her breathing had already started to shift again without her noticing.

“…you don’t have to answer,” yoonchae said gently.

another knock. “dani, please.”

dani shook her head, the movement small but immediate. “…i can’t,” she whispered, her voice thinner than she meant it to be.

yoonchae nodded once, like that was all she needed to hear. “okay.” she stood up, still holding dani’s phone, and walked toward the door without rushing, her steps quiet and measured, like she wasn’t going to let the urgency outside dictate what happened inside.

“chae—” dani started, her voice small, uncertain.

yoonchae didn’t turn around. “i’ve got it,” she said softly. when she reached the door, she unlocked it but didn’t open it right away, her hand resting on the handle for just a second as if she was setting the tone before the door even moved. then she pulled it open just enough to step into the doorway, positioning herself in a way that blocked the view inside without making it obvious. megan was standing there, closer than expected, like she’d been about to knock again. her hair was slightly out of place, her breathing uneven, her eyes already searching past yoonchae like she was trying to find dani before she even spoke.

“where is she—”

“hey,” yoonchae said quietly, not sharp, just enough to interrupt.

megan blinked, her focus snapping back to her. “i just need to talk to her,” she said quickly, her words coming out faster now that she’d found someone to direct them at. “like, five minutes, that’s it, i just—”

“not right now,” yoonchae replied. her tone stayed calm, even, the kind that didn’t escalate things but didn’t leave room to push either.

megan let out a frustrated breath, dragging a hand through her hair as she shifted her weight slightly. “yoonchae, please. she didn’t even let me explain.”

“i know,” yoonchae said. and she did. that was the thing. it made megan pause, just for a second.

“then—”

“but she’s overwhelmed,” yoonchae continued, her voice softening just a little, enough to make it clear she wasn’t against her, just… holding a boundary. “like, actually overwhelmed. she’s not just avoiding you.”

the frustration on megan’s face flickered, shifting into something more uncertain, something quieter. “…i didn’t mean to do that,” she said.

“i know you didn’t,” yoonchae replied, meeting her gaze steadily. there was no accusation in it. just honesty. “but you still did.”

megan swallowed, her eyes drifting past yoonchae again, like she couldn’t quite stop herself from trying to see inside. “…i just said what i should’ve said before,” she admitted, her voice lower now. “i thought it would help.”

yoonchae nodded slowly, considering that. “it might’ve,” she said after a moment. “just… not all at once.” that seemed to land differently.

megan exhaled, her shoulders dropping slightly as the urgency in her posture started to loosen, even if it didn’t disappear completely. “so what am i supposed to do?” she asked. “just leave?”

yoonchae hesitated for a brief second, then nodded.

“…for now, yeah.”

megan’s jaw tightened just a little, like she didn’t like the answer but didn’t have a way around it either.

“she’s not okay,” yoonchae added, more gently this time. “and if you push right now, it’s just going to make it worse.”

megan’s expression changed, the frustration fading into something quieter, something more concerned. “…is she really that bad?” she asked.

yoonchae didn’t dramatize it, but she didn’t soften it either.

“she couldn’t breathe when she got here,” she said.

and that stilled megan completely.

“…oh.”

the word came out small, like it hadn’t meant to.

yoonchae softened slightly at that, just enough to let her know she wasn’t being shut out completely, just held at a distance for now.

“she just needs time,” she said. “more than a few minutes.”

megan nodded slowly, like she was recalibrating everything she’d been about to do.

“…okay.”

there was a pause, quieter now, less tense.

“…can you tell her i came by?” megan asked after a moment.

yoonchae gave a small nod. “yeah.”

megan hesitated again, her gaze flicking past her one last time, lingering even though she couldn’t see anything.

“…and just tell her i meant it,” she added, her voice softer now.

yoonchae held her gaze for a second before answering. “you can tell her that yourself,” she said gently. “just not right now.”

another pause.

then megan nodded again.

this time, it stuck.

“okay.”

yoonchae wrapped her arms tightly around megan. “stay safe, unnie. i love you.”

“i love you too, chip.”

megan stepped back, and this time she didn’t stop halfway, didn’t try again, didn’t argue.

she just left.

a/n MEICHAEEEEEEEE

yoonchae watched until she was out of sight, until the hallway quieted again, before closing the door carefully and locking it with a soft click that felt louder than it should have in the silence.

when she turned back, dani hadn’t moved. she was still on the floor, knees drawn in slightly, her shoulders slumped in a way that made her look smaller than she actually was.

“…she left,” yoonchae said softly as she walked back over.

dani nodded, even though her chest still felt tight, even though her thoughts hadn’t fully slowed down yet.

there was a small pause before she spoke again. “…did she say anything?”

yoonchae crouched down in front of her, her expression soft but grounded, like she was anchoring herself there so dani had something steady to hold onto.

“she said she wants to talk,” she answered. “and that she meant what she said.”

dani let out a quiet breath, her gaze dropping to her hands. “…that’s the problem.”

yoonchae didn’t argue with that. she didn’t try to fix it or reframe it or make it easier than it was.

instead, she just reached forward and gently took dani’s hands in hers, grounding her without making a big deal out of it.

“you don’t have to figure that out right now,” she said softly. “you don’t have to decide anything tonight.”

dani swallowed, her shoulders loosening just slightly at that, like the idea of not having to choose anything immediately gave her something to hold onto.

“…okay,” she whispered.

yoonchae gave a small nod, her grip steady, reassuring without being overwhelming.

“one thing at a time,” she said.