The Secret Sonata || Ryeji

Chapter 6: The Red-Haired Girl

"You want some kimchi on top?" Lia asked Ryujin as she scooped a spoonful of porridge from the bowl, resting upon a tray on her lap, and the latter nodded. She picked up the right amount of spicy pickled cabbage with chopsticks and placed it on the spoon that only had porridge in it. Since the porridge was still hot, she softly blew on it before feeding the sick girl; smiling lovingly as the latter accepted the offer. Next, she set the utensils down on the tray and reached over to press her palm against her ex's forehead, taking note of the temperature that was lower than the last time she checked. "Thankfully, your temperature has dropped," she muttered, affectionately slicking back Ryujin's loose strands of hair from her forehead.

"Thanks to you, unnie. Now, pickled radishes please," Ryujin requested cutely, swallowing the warm porridge down her throat with relish. Chuckling, Lia picked up the radishes from a small plate with chopsticks and fed Ryujin, then she rubbed the corner of the younger's lips once she saw a smudge of porridge. It was reflexive, she didn't need to think twice before acting on it because the latter had always been dependent on her, and Lia would usually look after her like her child, or maybe more than just her child.

In fact, Ryujin took advantage of Lia, and she was always deprived of the latter's love, believing that it could somehow fill the empty void inside her, a pitch black chasm that was once filled with pure happiness due to an imperceptible reason. Regardless of not knowing what it was that she'd lost, she'd always sensed the undeniable hollowness inside her heart ever since she came out of coma around the age of fifteen. In all honesty, Ryujin did feel guilty for using Lia to fulfill her emotional needs, and which was why she made a serious decision to break up with her. Yes, she felt complete during the first year of their relationship, and she thought that Lia was all she ever needed to put a stop to a yearning that she couldn't fathom out.

"You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you
You'd be like Heaven to touch
I wanna hold you so much
At long last, love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off of you," Lia sang as her eyes were glued to the whisker-dimpled girl playing on the grand piano next to her. They were sitting on the bench together, undoubtedly too close with elbows brushing against one another, and the simple yet impactful gesture transmitted charged particles through Lia's arms until she felt something churning inside her stomach.

"Oh, pretty baby
Don't bring me down, I pray
Oh, pretty baby
Now that I've found you, stay
Oh, pretty baby
Trust in me when I say
Oh, pretty baby." As Lia belted out the last verse, she found herself getting closer to Ryujin's pretty face, and her high school junior suddenly turned her head toward her on cue, thereby leaving a hairbreadth distance between their lips. Lia could've backed away like she always did whenever she found herself in this situation, but this time, she did not. She had already adjudicated to take a risk and prepare herself for the worst that could happen. Just like that, she dived in for the lips that she'd always wanted to get a taste of, and the fact that those lips kissed her back gave her more courage to continue, reassuring her that the risk she took was worth it. For someone who claimed to have never kissed anyone before, Ryujin's lip movements were maneuvered, and it amazed Lia to the point that she couldn't believe the younger never had experience in dating.

As Ryujin's mouth was locked with Lia's, she felt an old switch turn on inside her and pinned Lia down onto the bench, casually pleasuring the senior girl with incredible professionalism as if she'd done it with someone else before, although she hadn't; not that she remembered. In addition to that, she could also discern how inexperienced Lia was, based on the way her lips brushed clumsily against hers and the amateurish moans she produced in spite of being older than her. Rather than kissing Lia for who she was, Ryujin was just kissing her due to the familiarity of kissing someone and being reciprocated. She was holding onto that particular familiarity to induce the emotions she never knew she had before.