Gemini (Ryeji)

Chapter 5

*Flashback*

The six year old Ryujin couldn't help but giggle when she sees the determined yet very cute frown on Yeji's face. The poor girl is still trying to learn how to spell her words yet she was stubborn enough to not let Ryujin help her.

Ryujin stands behind Yeji and holds Yeji's hand, trying to teach the girl how to hold her pencil right, instead of gripping on it like a bear hold.

"Yeji, you need to hold your pencil right"

"Okay... hehe"

"Yeji?"

The two girls turn towards the door to the sound of a woman's voice.

"Mama..."

Yeji's face lightens up to the sight of her mother, skipping happily to give her mom a hug.

"Say good night to Ryujin-shii, sweetheart..."

Ryujin was expecting a goodbye. So, the feeling of Yeji's arms around her just completely took her by surprise.

"Good night Ryujin"

"G-good night, Yeji"

The instant that Yeji pulls away, Ryujin already miss the warmth.

Yeji runs back to her mother, taking her mother's hand as they were about to go home. She turns back and wave gleefully to Ryujin before skipping alongside her mother. The girl is just so full of energy that her mom has to nudge her hand to make her walk instead of skipping around.

Ryujin tries to shake it off, when she realizes she must look stupid standing by herself in that hallway with that goofy grin on her face. She walks back to her magnificent playroom and sees her play table where Yeji was busy a couple of minutes ago.

"I wonder what Yeji was trying to write..."

Ryujin walks over to the table and brings the paper closer to her and despite of how fast her heart is beating, she still felt everything in her inside just paralyze.

Yes it could be mistaken for chicken scratch and the words were barely readable, but Ryujin doesn't care the effect of the simple yet heartfelt words that Yeji wrote was enough to take over her. And it's those words that have taught Ryujin to believe that the word forever does exist...

Ryujin I love you forever...

End of flashback...

*

The moment they pulled away from their kiss, Yeji knew that she just step into the uncertainties of maybes...

Maybe since they're older, they're much more immune to heartache, maybe they could move on quicker from the pain and maybe... just maybe... that despite of the world which will obviously do its damn hardest to pull them apart in the end, they will stay together.

Ryujin could feel Yeji hesitantly holding her hand, but Ryujin wouldn't let go, in fact her hold on Yeji's hand grew tighter, never planning to let it go ever again.

"I'll come by tomorrow to pick you up, okay?"

"Okay..." Yeji nods obediently.

"Tell me we are not going to ride the metrorail again"

Yeji chuckles softly "No, we won't"

"Good. Cause I think I just develop a fear of crowds after that last time." Ryujin presses a soft kiss on Yeji's forehead before kissing Yeji on the lips. "Good night"

Yeji could feel herself smiling through their kiss "Good night..."

And as Ryujin presses another kiss on her lips, it made Yeji believe that maybe just maybe, she is meant to have her happy endings.

*

Ryujin couldn't help but be bothered as Lia and Yuna are throwing her those goofy love gazes. After talking with Karina, Ryujin decided to give those two a piece of her mind.

"What the hell?"

"Dude... sorry but c'mon... you and Karina look cute together" Lia jokes, cocking her brow up and down.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Trying to outwalk the two...

"Why not? Doesn't it send shiver down your spine whenever she calls you? Ryu~... Ryujinie~... See? I try to say it but it just doesn't sound right..."

"I know, only Karina could make your simple, boring name sound so... magical"

"I don't like Karina... Well... no, I do, but not that way."

Her two bestfriends scoff and roll their eyes.

"Oh we forgot... your bias is Yeji."

Ryujin's lips curve sexily "Yup, I'm a Blackheart"

"EEEWWWWW... so cheesy, SHIN RYUJIN!!!" And the girls reward her with a barrage of smacks...

*

And as she sees Ryujin laughing so happily in the cafeteria with her friends, all Karina could do is look. And all she could do is look, that is what she have always been doing... look... hoping that someday Ryujin would return her gaze and look at her too. Just like how Ryujin is all she could see...

"I see what you're doing here..."

Karina knew who the icy tone of the voice belongs to and decides to avoid it by biting on her apple. "I don't know what you mean..."

Turning away to escape the girl, but Winter wasn't done with her and instead joins her in the table.

"Oh please, Karina. I know how you are, you are as hopeless in love as my idiot cousin there"

"What do you want, Winter?"

"Hey... if I know you're going to be all up in my face like this, maybe I should help another one of Ryujin's million admirers instead of you."

Karina scoffs "You? Help? You expect me to fall for that?"

"You probably will, seeing how desperate you are trying to get her to notice you." Though Winter is shorter than her, Karina felt herself trembling on her knees at each move Winter takes closer. "But this whole classmate/ student government thing going on is not going to work."

"I don't want anything, ok? I know how in love she is with Yeji."

"Oh please? Yeji? You know who she is?"

"Well... no but..."

"She's the kid of our help, Ryujin just go nuts over her because she's like her first real friend or something crappy like that. But we both know that won't work out well... This ain't no Korean drama, those two aren't going to end up together."

"How could you be so pessimistic?"

"No. I'm realistic, something that most of you guys are now lacking, a sense of reality. Like how about you? Do you think that Ryujin will just magically fall for you just by being her good friend and classmate?"

"I'm not expecting her to fal-"

"Yes you do. No matter how cold someone is, a part of them still believes and hopes for that someone to like them"

"Why are you doing this, Winter?"

"Because I believe that out of all the people that wants Ryujin, you're the one most deserving."

Karina looks up at Winter.

"You're beautiful, intelligent and your net worth is pretty close to her. And oh yeah... you're nice too. But this whole innocent virgin act only work for Yeji..."

Karina tries to stay away but when the topic of Ryujin is concern, she just couldn't help but to stay put in listen even if it was the devil herself talking.

"If you want my cousin's heart, you got to offer her something that Yeji couldn't give"

"What is in it for you, Winter?"

Winter's lip curve into a devious snarl. "Ummm... nothing... let's just say I like to play cupid."

*

Yeji has all her focus on looking for the right book, when the whiff of someone's musky perfume distracted her.

"Hey baby girl"

Yeji quickly slaps Yeonjun's sleazy hands off her.

"what's wrong baby girl?"

"Don't call me that... please..."

"Hey! You got to have a warning when you're having it. So I know when not to get close."

"I'm not having it. And yeah, a warning, I don't think there is anything to go here, Yeonjun."

"Oh c'mon Yeji... weren't you enjoying it?" Yeonjun leans closer to kiss Yeji on the neck but Yeji pushes him away. "Oh ho ho ho... you really mean it, huh?"

"Every word of it"

Yeonjun grips Yeji's wrist. "I know you want me too, Yeji. Don't worry I don't mind if we do this secretly, we can still do it even if you're with Shin. In fact, I think it's sexier"

Yeji yanks her arm off Yeonjun's hold. "Leave me alone."

"The whole school knows already, you want Ryujin and her billion dollar trust fund. And hey... If that's how you want to go then go for it... But she can't satisfy you, that's why you need me."

"Ryujin is more than enough for me"

"Keep on telling yourself that, Yeji. We all know how you are."

Yeji grits her teeth and though her instinct was to slap Yeonjun, she manages to turn and walk away.

*

"Hello Yeji..."

The way this beautiful girl says her name, felt like ice being poured on her.

"Ummm Hello Winter-shii"

"I'm glad you still remember me, even though we haven't seen each other for awhile... You were so cute back then, Yeji... running around with that ugly Barbie of yours... calling Ryujin, Ryuddaeng... and my hopeless cousin, falling for you deeper everytime..."

Yeji decided to remain quiet fearing that any word she says, Winter could use as an ammo against her.

"And look at you now, you have grown so beautiful so angelic... no wonder Ryujin is still fantasizing about you."

"Fantasize?"

"Oh c'mon, you don't think Ryujin's love for you is all innocent and pure is it?"

"I believe so..."

"Ryujin is a grown woman who has needs, she wants to fuck you just as much as the other guys who's trying to woo you..."

"Ryujin should know. I'm not that kind of girl."

"Oh, Yeji... don't think of it as such a bad thing, because truth is" Winter slithers closer, making sure Yeji heard every word she says "There's a whore in all of us..." Winter smiles when she sees how Yeji squirmed "When our "lovers" gives us chocolates and flowers or if we're lucky even jewelry, and we give them something back... what makes you think it's so different from those girls parading themselves in street corners? If you think about it, Yeji, they're actually the smart ones... you know why?"

"Why?"

"Cause they don't let their feelings get involved"

Flashback...

"Ok... just making sure" Hyunjin ruffles Yeji's hair before getting up "because we don't want your feelings to get caught in the way"

*

"I have admirers like Ryujin too and that must have bug you doesn't it? how they could never take no as an answer? Or maybe you like this... like the attention that Ryujin is willing to give you."

Yes she does...

"If you want Ryujin to finally leave you alone, then just give her a taste of you... Cause that's all there is to it, Yeji... after Ryujin gets a feel of you, she would realize that you're not as spectacular as she imagine you to be."

But the problem is, does Yeji want Ryujin to leave her?

"That all you are really is a living doll, beautiful yet soulless..."

Winter scribbles on her check and hands it to Yeji, Yeji gulp at the amount in the check.

"Do yourself and Ryujin a favor, just do each other and get it over with. And both of you will end up happy, she gets to fuck the girl of her fantasies and you get to go home a millionaire. It's a win- win situation really..."

Yeji rips the check in half and gives to Winter. "I can't be bought."

"Oh really?" Winter exclaims in disbelief "So, all of this? It's really love? Did you actually fell for her too?"

Since they were kids...

"And what made you think that it's going to work out this time?"

"I just do"

"Believing in a fantasy won't make it a reality, Yeji. We all know that you and Ryujin will never be together, well probably will in the bedroom but forever? That's only for idiots who believe in fairy tales."

Winter shakes the torn check on Yeji's face.

"You will regret this when in the end you'll realize... You weren't meant to be with her then, and you're not meant to be with her now."

*

How quickly can a few words just crumble the last piece of strength in Yeji? Winter's words linger in her head like the devil whispering to her.

And when she is in the comfort of her bedroom... she let it all out and cried...

It wasn't just Winter really or Yeonjun, but the world thinks of her that way. Even her own brother thinks of her as nothing more but a gold digger.

She wanted those things, she wanted the beautiful things that she could only wish but most of all, she wanted Ryujin, wanted her, needed her and love her.

For her, it's so easy for Ryujin to love and fight for her, especially since she have all the money and power. But her? What does she have? What is going to be left of her if she decided to fight back? She barely have anything for herself? What else could she give Ryujin?

She doesn't have the right to love Ryujin but here she is, like she always was, loving Ryujin forever.

"Yeji?"

"Ryujin... ummm hi..." She quickly wipes out her tears...

"Hey... I hope you don't mind if I come in, Hyunjin let me in..."

How stupid could she be to try to think that by avoiding looking at Ryujin that Ryujin wouldn't know what's going on with her.

"No..." she chuckles bitterly...

"What's wrong?" Ryujin asks worriedly, brushing the hair out of Yeji's face.

Yeji shrugs "I'm just tired that's all."

"Oh..." Ryujin presses her body closer to Yeji and lay her lips on Yeji's hair. "School killing you?"

School is the least of Yeji's worries right now...

"Yeah it is..."

"Tell me what I can do to make you feel better."

Yeji just cuddles closer to Ryujin, and Ryujin couldn't figure out why something as simple as a hug could make her break into pieces yet at the same time build her up.

"School isn't really what's bothering you, huh?"

"A bunch of stuff... but I'll be okay..." Yeji sniffles... "Ryujin... why do you do this?"

"Do what?"

"Set yourself up for heartache?"

"So, you do admit you're going to break my heart?"

"Some point in time I think I will"

Ryujin could tell Yeji that it was her who made her believe in forever, but that word is for the delusional, only people who are willing to endure heartache and pain could really know what that word mean. And Yeji for Ryujin was worth it, worth enduring every heartache, every tear and every pain, worth believing forever in.

And Ryujin could have wish she have the words to say to make all the doubts and fear in Yeji just fade, but right now she doesn't...

She pulls Yeji closer, embracing her until there was no space left between them...

And right then and there, Yeji felt she could crumble knowing Ryujin would be right there to help her put up the pieces.

TBC