Dangers of a Saint || Ryeji

47

Ryujin didn't really expect Yeji to still love her when she thought of coming back. The moment she stepped foot in the masquerade ball, the only thing she had was high hopes of seeing the cat-eyed woman again, to talk to her, to be close to her. She was aware of what she put her through and she understood if it would take the architect more than three months to move past it. Ryujin didn't know if Yeji was still willing to make it work between them. However, she also had to accept the possibility that friendship was the only thing that the architect could offer. Being friends with Yeji didn't sound so bad either. It wouldn't be the first time that she would admire the cat-eyed woman from afar.

It didn't mean that it hurt less though.

As soon as Yeji was out of sight, Ryujin made her way out of the dancehall too, desperate to drink all her sorrows away at home. She was almost at the staircase when she heard her name being called. Turning around, she saw Yuna looking at her worriedly.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

Ryujin scrunched her nose up and averted her gaze, ignoring the building weight on her chest. "Home."

"The party's not yet over."

"I'm afraid I can't stay for any longer, Yuna."

The younger one stared at her for a moment before sighing. "I saw what happened. You don't have to deal with this on your own, Ryu."

Ryujin clenched her jaw as she played with the heel of her foot against the red carpet, pondering on the choices that she had. There weren't many and going with someone who was willing to listen and provide comfort was a better option than the one she initially had. So despite the disheartened spirit, she took Yuna's offer.

"Let's get out of here," Yuna said, jerking her head towards the parking lot. "I'm running out of things to say to the guests anyway."

Ryujin roamed the streets of Vancouver with Yuna on the passenger seat, thankful that the younger one knew to keep her thoughts to herself for a while as they drove around for an hour or so. With the windows down, Ryujin's head became more occupied as she took in her surroundings, replacing the images of how Yeji looked at her at the party before. It was the first time that Ryujin saw her that way, like she was choking at the mere idea of being in close proximity with her, like she didn't want anything but to escape from her.

Did she finally see Ryujin for who she was? Did she realize that she didn't want to be there for her anymore? How was it that when Ryujin finally found the strength to rid herself from the trauma that brought her demons to life, Yeji began cowering away from her? Simply thinking about it made her head throb.

She thought about pulling up at a convenience store but instantly went against it when she remembered the amount of time she spent at the same place with the cat-eyed woman. Having Yeji in her mind was painful enough. She didn't want to be reminded of everything that they were. She took Yuna to the same spot where she spent clearing her mind with Lisa instead, sitting on the hood of her car as they both stared at the dazzling city lights at night.

"Did you know about the treehouse that Yeji and Chaeryeong used to have when they were kids?" Yuna asked a few moments later.

Ryujin shook her head although she wasn't sure if the younger one was looking at her. "No."

"It was constructed by their dad and they used to play there a lot. Yeji told me how she would also sometimes take Chaeryeong there whenever their parents fought, so she wouldn't hear them yelling at each other." Yuna let out a soft sigh as a breeze came grazing their skin. "Yeji liked that treehouse a lot. She said it was a place that she didn't want to share with anybody else but Chaeryeong. She liked how it brought her comfort in the best way possible, no matter how bad her day got. As long as she knew that she was coming home to the treehouse waiting for her, everything else didn't matter. Apparently, time stopped when they were there."