Eternity [ryeji]

Chapter 62

Ryujin steps through the door, opens her mouth to announce her arrival but changes her mind when she remembers that no one is there. It's been nearly a week since Yeji went home to her father but Ryujin can't get used to living alone after years of having her wife by her side.

She sighs, puts the groceries on the kitchen counter and starts storing them in the fridge and cabinets.

After she's done, she grabs herself a snack and goes to the living room to watch TV. That's when she sees the messy work desk, littered with sketches, fabric patches, papers and writing and drawing tools that have been untouched for days.

The loneliness in her heart grows and she turns on the smart TV to then play the video of their wedding.

She smiles and chuckles at the scenes, remembering the happiest day of her life.

The sight of Yeji in her white dress makes her heart ache and she pauses the video to make a call to her wife.

It rings a few times but goes unanswered so Ryujin decides to continue watching the video, thinking that Yeji is either busy or taking a nap.

She knows the real reason behind Yeji's trip home but for the first time in her very long life, she feels clueless and powerless in her current situation.

It started months ago when Lucy visited them. The woman who just got married a year before came to share some good news. She had graduated, got offered a position at the university as a professor and just came back from her postponed honeymoon. Then the bomb dropped when she told them that she was pregnant.

Ryujin could see Yeji's eyes dimming when she heard the news even though the woman's smile was wide and she was rejoicing in front of her niece, hugging her.

Since that moment on, Yeji has been growing quieter and more reserved.

Ryujin tried her best to cheer her up, to comfort her. She made a call to Yuna who told them that the research is still well on its way and that they shouldn't give up hope. She also asked Jisu and Mr. Hwang for help and the two came over as soon as they could to spend some time with Yeji, trying to cheer her up or distract her.

But nothing helped.

Yeji began to shut down and, worst of all, she began shutting Ryujin out.

Not willing to give up, Ryujin surprised Yeji with a trip to Jamaica, knowing how much her wife loves the beach, for a romantic getaway but the twinkle in her wife's eyes didn't reappear despite the smiles.

They started to grow apart, each trapped in their own thoughts, feelings and fears that they couldn't tell the other.

One day, Ryujin came home after her weekly grocery shopping to find Yeji packing.

Her hands were clenched and shaking when she carefully approached her wife to ask where she was going. She was filled with the fear of Yeji leaving her and she was ready to beg for her to stay and give her another chance.

Fortunately, Yeji made it clear that she wasn't going to leave Ryujin. She said her father needed her back home to help with business and that she, too, could use a change of scenery so she decided to head home for a few days.

They both knew that Ryujin could see through the lie but the woman relented anyway as she pulled Yeji into her arms and kissed her temple, whispering a simple "Okay" into her ear, followed by an "I love you" in a shaky voice.

The video ends and Ryujin once again finds herself in the all-too-familiar silence that she has started to hate.

She dials Mr. Hwang's number and he picks up the video call only after the second ring. His face fills the screen on the wall and Ryujin can see that he's home, sitting on the living room couch.