10 Years || Ryeji

6.

Her friend group interrupted Ryujin's time alone with the other woman but she wasn't upset about it.

Laughing at Chaeryeong who kept zoning out or slurring her words. Yuna who seemed all too excited to see everyone and look at their old photographs and Lia who she felt sorry for.

Her arm placed around Lia, hugging her sideways and offering a small smile at the girl. "You okay?"

Lia nodded, smiling sadly and looking in Eunbin's direction. The woman in question laughing with her husband and old friends.

Sadly loving someone didn't make for a happy ending.

Love isn't all that people need for a relationship to work out and Lia knew that too well. Ryujin could only hope to see her move on and find someone who made her happy.

She would be alright, one day. Ryujin was confident in that.

"So are we going to the bar?" Yuna asked, joining the group and placing her arms around Chaeryeong and Yeji, the latter chuckling at her action.

The bar was, well, a bar with a very cynical name. One they often frequented with their fake IDs during senior year. Ryujin doubts Yeji had ever been there but her friend group were well acquainted with the location.

"Do you want to go?" Ryujin directed the question only to Yeji. Whatever she decided, Ryujin would go with it. If she were to stay at the reunion, she would keep her company. If she wanted to ditch, then she would leave with her.

"Sure, why not."

"Yes. Let's go." Chaeryeong cheered with a sweet smile.

Yuna raising her arms in celebration and nearly knocking down the photographs behind her.

Ryujin could only shake her head at how messy her friends were.

They drove to the bar. Yeji had her car with her so Ryujin went with the girl so some other of their high school friends could join. Apparently some of the guys they used to get along with were coming along. Felix and Chan. Two of the guys closest to her group.

Walking to Yeji's car, Ryujin stopped for a second once she opened the door. Looking over at Yeji before getting inside. "I'm glad you're coming with."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Yeji asked, looking around before smiling right at her. "You're the reason i'm going."

All Ryujin could do was smile as she entered the car.

Yeji wasn't lying when she claimed that she only listened to her own playlists. As soon as the radio had come on, the girl hooked her phone to the aux cord and started playing her choice of music.

Which Ryujin was happy for considering there was a chance her music would have played on the radio and that could lead to awkwardness.

As soon as they entered the bar, Ryujin was hit with a wave of nostalgia. Many were the times when she had been there as a teenager and drank too much. The bathroom an acquaintance of hers as she had puked many times there before. The stage the first one where she had performed. The bar regularly hosted karaoke nights and sometimes had live music. Both of which Ryujin had been part of back in the day.

Tonight was a karaoke night.

Her friends quickly sat on a booth but Yeji and her sat in another one.

Watching as her friends ordered drinks and took turns at singing the songs available.

Yeji and her sitting next to each other, smiling and laughing along as they observed them.

Each of them had ordered a bottle of soju, drinking as the night carried on.

The more Ryujin drank, the more she became aware of how close Yeji was. Of how their hands brushed against each other a few times. How beautiful Yeji was, sitting next to her with a smile on her face.

"I'll be right back." Ryujin announced, going to sit in the booth where her friends were for a moment.

"How are my favorite girls?" She said once she sat down. Glancing at the guys and let out a laugh, "And you two over there."

Lia eyeing her amusingly, "It's funny, Ryu. You're here for one night and yet we have barely seen you. Seems we are not your favorites."

Ryujin chuckled, nodding but offering them a shrug. Guilty as charged yet she didn't feel bad for it.

Chan was the one to speak next, looking over at Yeji before his eyes met Ryujin's. "Who's the girl?" he whispered. Causing Ryujin to furrow her eyebrows.

It was weird. How nowadays Yeji could easily grab the attention of everyone in the room but it seems barely anyone remembers her from high school. Ryujin wondered in that moment if anyone there knew as much about the woman as she did. Her friends only even remembered Yeji because of her. Otherwise she would more than likely be the only person to remember the woman.

"Hwang Yeji."

"She went to school with us?"

Ryujin nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "She did."

"I didn't know we had a classmate that attractive. Maybe she changed after senior year. I've seen some people become hot all of a sudden in college."

Ryujin rolled her eyes. Yeji had always been attractive.

Her attention moved from the man who had spoken to the woman sitting on the booth behind them, offering her a smile. She was still staring right at Yeji when suddenly Yuna yelled from the stage, catching her attention. And everyone else's. She was singing a song, loudly and out of tune but she didn't care. Even after getting married and having kids. Yuna was still the life of the party.

Ryujin didn't say a word before she moved back to sit with Yeji. The woman looking over as she did so.

They sat so close together that Ryujin would barely have to lean for their lips to meet. Something entirely too tempting. As thoughts of kissing Yeji appeared on her mind, her eyes drifted to the other's lips. Staring and unconsciously licking her own. Did Yeji know how much she wanted to kiss her? Even after all those years.

Suddenly, a voice came from the stage. Calling out her name. Making her head turn to face the source of the noise.

Finding Yuna excitingly announcing that her hit song was available in the karaoke machine.

Surprise washed over her and Ryujin was about to dismiss the information when suddenly someone tugged at her sleeve.

"I'd love to finally hear your song."

She hesitated. But staring at Yeji's hopeful expression made it impossible to reject her request.

"You would?"

Yeji hummed, nodding while biting her lower lip. hands on Ryujin's arm.

Did she know Ryujin would do anything she asks?

"You're going to make me do it?"

Yeji shook her head, lowering her voice. "I won't make you but I would love if you did."

They held eye contact, her friends trying to motivate her to get on the stage and sing but honestly, she was tuning it all out.

In that moment there was only her and Yeji. Staring at each other. Everything else was but background noise.