Saved Me; Ryeji FF

thirty five.

Ryujin had only attended a funeral once in her lifetime; her mother's. But even then, nothing had prepared her for this moment. Standing in a room of people whom she had never encountered, all mourning the loss of their friend, their colleague, their classmate with their faces heavy with grief.

Dressed in black, she stood beside a framed photo of her best friend during their time in Sydney. She looked at the photo, and all the memories of their time together came streaming in. She was her friend, her only rational confidante who guided her during her reckless teenage years, the one who stood by her side when everyone left her. The thought of her best friend lying in a casket beside her was unbearable.

Everyone's head turned to the entrance. The sight of Yeji pushing Lia on the wheelchair with bandages covering her limbs cut through Ryujin like a knife. The blonde's grief was palpable, her face a portrait of sorrow. The loss of her girlfriend had left a void in her heart that was impossible to fill. She gripped onto a piece of paper tightly as she shut her eyes tightly.

The pain in their faces... it was her fault.

Guilt gnawed at Ryujin's heart like a relentless beast. It was eating away at her, tearing her apart. She couldn't dare look at them without seeing the pain in their eyes; she lost their trust, the promise to never let anything tear them apart.

She watched as Yeji pushed Lia over to Chaeryeong's casket, her tears falling freely as she tried to compose herself. It was all too much for her. Gently, she placed her bandaged hand on the wooden surface, hoping that just a touch could bridge the gap between life and death, between her and the love of her life.

Her shoulders shook with each sob, the weight of the crushing grief was unbearable. Yeji and Yuna stood beside the hitman, watching their friend expressing all the despair she had built up the past couple of days. Lia had always been the optimistic one in the group, the one who could always find a silver lining in the darkest clouds. Now, she was utterly lost.

Lia placed her bruised forehead on the casket, remembering all the times they had laughed together, all the dreams of working in the same clinic, and the plans of having a future together. The pain of losing Chaeryeong was etched on her face, the room seemed to hold its breath as they bore witness to the heartache unfolding in front of them.

Yeji could no longer bear to witness her best friend dwelling in grief any longer and walked over to her, placing her hand on her trembling shoulder, gently notifying her that the service was about to commence. Ryujin's head hung low as Yuna guided her to the seats in front of the lectern.

As everyone took their seats, the younger Shin stood in front of the room, facing the sombre gathering of friends and colleagues who had come to say their final goodbyes. Ryujin watched Yuna's hands trembled, picking up the eulogy that she never thought that she had to write.

"Lee Chaeryeong was your colleague and friend. But she was more than that for me." Yuna spoke through the microphone, trying to keep her emotions buried down inside her. "She was a sister, someone that I was able to lean on when times were rough."

Ryujin bit the inside of her bottom lip, remembering the times that she couldn't support Yuna the way she wanted to. Chaeryeong always knew that, so she took the position of being a great older sister that she could depend on. Yeji's hand gently made its way over to hers, softly caressing the back of her hand as she listened to Yuna.

"Chaeryeong was the most compassionate person I've ever known. She always had this ability to know when someone was hurting and was always there in their hour of need." She continued, smiling through her tears as she recalled the countless nights that Chaeryeong would sacrifice her rest just to hold her as she drifted to sleep.