Hourglass

Chapter 5 Yeji's Perspective

A/N: I recommend listening to Why iii Love the Moon by Phony Ppl on repeat when reading this chapter!

Seoul University for the Prestigious & the Top (SUPT)
Girls Dormitory
4:02 am
Day 1 (day after the incident)

It was still dark by the time Yeji woke up. Sitting up on her bed, she drew her dark blue curtains slightly, and looked out the window. The skies were a muddy dark blue, littered with thick gray clouds here and there. Most of the stars were now gone, with only a few faded ones before the sun decides to show itself.

Yeji couldn't sleep. How can she? Knowing her best friend that she loves so dear to her heart is gone. Not even gone, but dea-

No.

There's still a chance. Soyeon will save her. She promised, after all. Plus, there's still something important Yeji needs to say to Ryujin. Something that she needs to get off her chest. She shouldn't give up hope, for Ryujin wouldn't want her to give up so easily.

'If she were still here she would say "Yeddong! Why the long face? Go out and do something about it instead of being holed up in your room like this!" ' Yeji thought with a chuckle. 'But if she was here, I wouldn't have spiraled down the first place,' Yeji sighed.

Listening to her imagination, Yeji quickly gets up and throws on leggings and a light sweater. She ties her hair up in a high ponytail and grabs her AirPods, along with her phone. Quietly opening and shutting her room door, Yeji tip-toes through her shared living room to not wake up said roommate. Slipping on her athletic running shoes, Yeji quickly goes outside into the dormitory.

The weather outside was just as it looked earlier — gloomy and cold, with a hint of a chilly breeze. There was no one else on campus, which made sense since it was way too early for anyone to be up and about. Also, with the sudden incident yesterday, many people are probably choosing to stay inside. She plugs in both AirPods in her ears and randomly selects a playlist. The song begins right as she starts jogging around the university. Yeji immediately knows the song as the first note plays.

Why iii Love the Moon. - Phony Ppl

It was a song recommended by Ryujin. Yeji first listened to it when they were in high school, and during that time, she didn't think much about the actual lyrics. She focuses on the lyrics as she picks up her pace. Yeji couldn't help but to wonder about the meaning and makes up random scenarios in her head.

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*flashback*
Seoul High School
Class A
7:45 am
2 years ago

Ryujin hasn't been paying attention to her lately. Yeji's used to her usual "Ah's" and "oh, really's?" But not complete silence! They were walking to class together, and Yeji looked over at the girl next to her. She sees Ryujin slightly bobbing her head and mouthing words to an unknown song. Yeji's head pops with an idea.

"Hey!" Ryujin exclaims as Yeji pulls one of her earbuds out of her ear.

"You weren't answering me, so I thought your music must've been too loud," Yeji says with a shy smile.

"Oh, sorry. Care to repeat what you said, Yeddong?" Ryujin unplugs her wired earbuds and puts them away.

"Huff ... well I just thought about what college you want to go to? I'm a senior now, and I'm going to graduate before you know it. I want to see how far we'll be from each other so we can plan the days we can meet up," Yeji says excitedly and takes a sip out of her water bottle.

"Hmm," Ryujin contemplated for a few minutes, "I'll just go wherever you're going."

Yeji chokes on her water as she looks up at Ryujin, surprised.