Pretend (Ryeji)

Chapter 13: Sh!t

"Why are you walking on your foot?" Ryujin sternly questioned, arms crossed over her chest. "How do you expect it to get better?"

Earlier this morning, sometime after Yeji found herself torn between the similarities of the past and the present, she grew even more concerned about her emotions. They arose against her own will, reappeared no matter how hard she tried to shut them down, and being around the specific Shin that induced them made it worse.

It seemed that Ryujin made some hangover soup for everyone, a well-known meal in their country. The blonde played it off, told the latter that she only made it for Rosé and Lisa, that she only got some because there were leftovers—but Yeji knew that was a lie. She couldn't depict how much, but she understood that at least a smidge of Ryujin cared about her well-being.

That was the opposite of what Yeji wanted to learn. She didn't want her to care, didn't want Ryujin to be the person she was once to her.

"I saw the time and figured I should get ready to leave."

"You need to use what the doctor gave you."

"Eww, no. I hate those things. They're so hard to work with and... " Yeji trailed off, sighed at the stare she was receiving. "You don't really care, do you?"

"Glad you caught on before you wasted your breath." Ryujin temporarily stepped off to retrieve Yeji's walking aid, handed it to the latter before looking back up at her. "Do I need to grab anything for you?"

"No, no. I can get it."

"Don't be ridiculous. What do you need?"

"Uhm... " Yeji gulped. This is the type of behavior she couldn't handle. This is the type of behavior she wanted to avoid, the kind she needed to avoid in order to please her stepfather. But it was tough, difficult to ignore the qualities of a person she once fell for. "M- my phone."

"Anything else?"

"Not really, I guess."

"Okay, uh, head out to the car, and I'll be there in a second."

Yeji nodded, didn't try to respond because her co-star was already exiting in the blink of an eye. She did as told and moved out the front door and down the driveway of her home. She stopped at the vehicle, debating how she should enter, let alone get the door open without dropping anything or losing her balance and falling.

In an attempt to be independent, she placed one crutch against the car and reached for the handle. Because she didn't think this through thoroughly, the instant she opened the door, the one she left resting against the vehicle fell straight to the ground with a loud smack.

She groaned directly after, bent over to strive and reach for the item, only to get her hand slapped away unexpectedly, startling her a little, unaware that the younger woman was already outside.

"Are you trying to lose your balance and fall over??"

"N- no."

"You should ask for help when you need it." Ryujin took the crutch in hand, then reached for the other one, setting them aside before helping the girl stable herself. She soon aided Yeji in seating, slid the crutches in the backseat, and made her way to the driver's side.

Yes, she felt odd. Taking full-on care of Yeji wasn't precisely what she planned on doing, but how were things supposed to go smoothly when the latter continuously put herself in a position that led to the possibility of injuring herself some more? It was almost as if Yeji was intentionally doing so—

'Eh?'

The blonde glanced over, a part of her actually believing that the injury might just be staged. The reason for it possibly being fake wasn't deduced yet, but she was simply determined to be sure, her mind disregarding the fact that she had already witnessed the swollenness on Yeji's skin.