The Secret Sonata || Ryeji

Chapter 42: Drowning

A gust of cold wind tugged at Ryujin's short dark hair, the strands flew in all direction, whipping her face as she perched near the brink of the cliff, with one leg splayed out before her and the other bent upright to her chest level. Her muddled mind harked back to the way Yeji's eyes glistened with so much impuissance and anguish whilst she was pinned down on the canopy bed, contrary to her guise which was etched with excessive lust- a kind of emotion that was indisputably foreign to the lover Ryujin knew all too well. How could one's eyes tell a different story while her expression said so otherwise? The younger lover felt her heart clench, wondering if the cat-eyed girl was just keeping up her pretense in hopes of not disappointing her.

Did I scare her too much? Those tears... Why did she look so vulnerable? Gosh. I need to tone down my frustrations, or else my precious girl might get hurt thinking that I'm only craving for her body. I love her too much. Ryujin mused in solemnity, lamenting for the indescribable sorrow she witnessed in Yeji's eyes. But that's not the only problem. She sure was enjoying what I was doing to her body. And the things she said to me... it seemed like she meant everything, but the words she used weren't her usual choice of words. The Yeji I know doesn't even know smutty usages. As her thought process became lengthier, the memory of today's amusement park visit conjured up in her head.

Ryujin and Yeji were sitting on a bench at the amusement park, sipping on their drinks through the straws as they held the plastic cups in one hand. From her peripheral vision, Yeji caught sight of a lonesome ant crawling over the bench with a grainy particle propped on its back, thus a mischievous smirk curled up on her lips. Then, she mercilessly squashed the poor insect to its death with her index finger, which didn't go unnoticed by Ryujin because the younger girl's eyes bulged in disbelief and pure shock.

After the memory ended, another memory of the event that took place a day ago began to play inside the girl's head.

"Ryujin-ah! Don't put your foot down yet!" The instant Yeji exclaimed with alarm, Ryujin's foot hovered above the ground and her body paralyzed in haste, a tremor of dread slid through her as she thought she was about to step on a landmine. While the younger girl was locked in place with one foot lifted, the older one dashed over and crouched down to pick up a ladybug that was crawling beneath the looming shadow of the former's foot. Gingerly setting the almost endangered insect aside, away from the threat of being crushed down, Yeji cooed at it with a sweet smile, "There you go little buddie. You're safe now."

Ryujin smiled at the wholesome sight of her kindhearted girlfriend, falling deeper and deeper for her as seconds ticked by.

It doesn't make sense how a person could change overnight. Overwhelmed with skepticism, Ryujin's eyebrows met in the middle, then she shuddered at another abstraction that slipped through her processing mind. Unless she got possessed. As if on cue, her ears perked up at the faint shuffles of approaching footsteps behind her.

"IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU, THEN NO ONE ELSE WILL!" A horrendous bellow escaped from Yeji's mouth, and Ryujin almost pulled a muscle in her neck when she snapped her head toward the girl's direction.

"Huh? W-what are you talking about?" Ryujin sprung to her feet, about to chuckle at Yeji's absurd words, not until she took in the malevolence in the latter's eyes. "Stop looking at me that way. It's scary." Keeping one hand behind her back, Yeji gradually advanced to Ryujin, a malicious grin tugged at her lips. "S-stop coming closer!" The shorter girl held one palm in front of her, signaling for the taller to halt, her heart was starting to inordinately palpitate inside her chest, leaving no space between each beat. Albeit Ryujin's quivery plea, Yeji didn't stop taking step after step till she was standing a few inches away from her. The moment Yeji stood near her, Ryujin abruptly sucked in a breath, holding it out of suspense, torn between two conflicting choices of running away or staying there, she was in an immense dilemma.