Pretend (Ryeji)

Chapter 11: Square One?

"So I've been thinking."

"Sounds dangerous."

"Stop, you're so mean!" Yeji lightly slapped the younger's arm, not angry but instead giggling alongside her friend. It took a little while for them to relax. The day had already been spent disregarding the script to the school play and finding different things to talk about, as random as either could conceive.

Yeji was still very much the embodiment of the heart-eyed emoji every time she saw Ryujin, always a mess of smiles whenever they held a conversation. Emotions were too hard to control. Life at home was tense, overbearing, but hanging with the young Shin was relaxing and comfortable.

During their time together today, Ryujin overlooked the script and the idea of auditions. Simply put, she enjoyed Yeji's company a lot, enough to forget about her desire to have the leading role. For now, she was intent on enjoying this newfound friendship.

"So, what are these thoughts of yours?"

"Nicknames." The oldest stated proudly. "We should give each other nicknames. It'd be— "

"Yeddeong."

Yeji stared at her blankly, confused. "Huh?"

"I've thought about it too."

"You have??"

"Yes. So I'll call you Yeddeong." Ryujin grinned, using her hands to form the shape of a circle as she continued. "Your personality is so round. You're like a little ball of sunshine."

Blushing? Yes.

Yeji would've quite literally been a dead giveaway had she not been walking outside, it being a hot summer day, her cheeks already flushed against the thick, humid air. The pair were on their way to a café now, convincing themselves that they'd actually study the lines when they arrive.

"I wonder if she remembers," Ryujin recalled the sweet memory, found it odd that it made her chuckle fondly at the recollection. Nonetheless, she was excited to use that as a harmless way to mess with Yeji. If she was going to help, there had to be some entertainment on her end. "That'll be fun."

Ryujin sat on the table with headphones in her ears while she ate her food, waiting as patiently as she could for Yeji to wake up. In order to do that, she found a few ways to busy herself between rehearsing several different things related to her occupations and considering her options on how to deal with a certain Hwang.

Surprisingly, it was Yeji's idea for her to spend the night just to save either one of them a trip. They were already with each other the night before, and it's not like they hadn't spent the past two and a half weeks sharing the same hotel room. Besides, Ryujin wasn't as obnoxious as she used to be, so maybe it would turn out okay (something she'd regret later). Had it not, then she simply wouldn't entertain the idea ever again.

The blonde was up when the knocking occurred, but she didn't hear the noise because she had her headphones in at the time, mentally picturing certain dance moves as she ate her breakfast. She woke up much earlier than Yeji, helped herself to the kitchen as she saw fit.

Yeji didn't expect her to starve, right?

"Couldn't you have answered that???" A disturbed Yeji shouted furiously, having woken up to the obnoxious sound that a particular Shin unintentionally ignored. Rather than physically take out her headphones to hear the woman more clearly, Ryujin merely lowered the volume of her music and shrugged passively.