Dangers of a Saint || Ryeji

36

"Do you want me to stop talking to Jaehyun?"

The pair didn't get much sleep. They drifted off a few minutes after talking when Yeji made herself comfortable in Ryujin's arms. Ms. Sun woke them up about five hours later and Ryujin found the cat-eyed woman's head on her chest as she slept soundly, her mouth slightly open while her hand rested on the side of her neck.

Luckily, it was the weekend and since Chaeryeong thought Yeji would be in another photoshoot, they didn't have to worry about being together. Around nine in the morning, Ryujin was done with her routine and headed straight to the kitchen to make breakfast for them. The architect sat beside her on the dining table, wearing nothing but her long sleeved shirt from yesterday and a new pair of underwear since Ryujin thought it was a good idea to rip apart the one she was initially wearing during their moment the night prior. Her fiery orange hair was tied up in a messy bun and one of her legs was up on the chair, evidently comfortable and content with the bacon and egg meal that Ryujin cooked.

"If you're only doing it for my sake, I would advise against it," Ryujin said, deliberately thinking about her next words as her eyes remained on her food.

"But I don't want you getting uncomfortable," Yeji said sincerely, staring at her for a while before moving her chair closer to her. She hooked her arm around Ryujin's and placed her head on her shoulder, her feline eyes landing on her side profile.

"If Chaeryeong stopped talking to me solely because her partner told her to, I would be frustrated," Ryujin continued, finishing her food. "Most especially if I'm dealing with particular matters that require the comfort of a friend."

"I'm not Jaehyun's only friend. I'm sure he'll survive," Yeji said, chuckling against her neck before leaving a chaste kiss on it. "I don't mind not talking to him either. Besides, I won't be doing it just for your sanity. I'm also doing it because I genuinely want to make you feel safe with me. If you're suddenly required to jump from the rooftop of a building to be with me, I want to give you the confidence and courage to do it by providing reassurance that I'll be putting up a safety net to catch your fall."

Ryujin smiled in satisfaction as she brought down the glass of water beside her plate. "Sometimes I realize you do so much for me and I barely give you anything in return."

"I don't want anything in return. I don't need anything in return. I'm already grateful that you let me in, and I don't want to waste the chance that you gave me, so I always want to do my best to treat you the way you deserve to be taken care of."

Ryujin knew her heart wasn't wrong for choosing the person to love. Thinking about how selfless Yeji was almost made her chest physically ache, so she leaned in instead and kissed her temple tenderly, wishing the gesture would magically engrave every feeling she had that she couldn't put into words in the architect's head.

The corners of Ryujin's eyes twitched as it caught sight of distinct marks on Yeji's forearm. The cat-eyed woman immediately caught up to her intentions when she lifted her arm to examine it closely. Ryujin didn't know if allowing her curiosity to get the best of her was a good idea but she couldn't help it.

"Are these . . . ?"

Yeji nodded, smiling sadly when she met her eyes. "The pain in your body quiets the pain in your mind, and I had a lot of it to carry right after our mother practically disowned me."

Ryujin gritted her teeth at the thought of someone making Yeji's life miserable. It was such an inhumane thing to do, like burning a field of tulips in the Netherlands after waiting for them to bloom. Ryujin would never have the ability to swallow down the guilt of bringing such torment to the purest soul she knew. She was convinced that Yeji was an angel and if there was anything that she deserved in this world, it was nothing but everything good it had to offer.