INEVITABLE

Chapter 40

'Active 3 days ago.'

Jisu puts her phone down, sighing as she looks away. She then glimpses the framed red bracelet on her shelf.

Where could Ryujin be, she thinks. She looks at her phone again, rereading the bunch of apologies Ryujin sent that night they fought--that night she pushed the woman away.

Yes, Jisu admits she purposely ignored Ryujin for days because she was mad--because she wants Ryujin to stand up for her. But this morning, Jisu couldn't take it anymore. She logs back into the app they use to communicate, sees Ryujin's messages--and a missed call--and gets worried because there was nothing else after that day.

Ryujin's last message to her was, 'It's over. I already told her.'

If Ryujin had already told Yuri, how come she hasn't appeared in Jisu's place yet?

How come she hasn't made any effort to reach out to Jisu again?

Did something happen? Is Ryujin alright?

Jisu groans.

She needs to find out where her soulmate is.

---

"She crashed here at my place three days ago, after she talked to Yuri," Chaeyoung says on the other line. "Then the next morning, she went to her in-laws to personally apologize to them. That was the last day I saw her."

"Did you ever at least hear from her after she went there?" Jisu asks, walking across the room, one hand on the phone and the other on her hip.

"No. She left her phone in their apartment, saying it wasn't hers because it was a gift."

Jisu's getting more headache now. "Do you have any idea where could have she gone then?"

"I don't know. She even left her clothes here," Chaeyoung says. "But she did mention she's going on hiking and that I am 100% in charge of all Team Sonjinnie communication for now."

"Hiking? Where?"

"I'm sorry. I don't know, Jisu. I mean, it's Ryujin. This isn't the first time she's done this. Whenever she's sad or wants to think alone, she disappears like that in the mountains."

Jisu closes her eyes and groans.

Mountains? Could it be where they went before? But that's far. Jisu doesn't even remember the trail.

"Hey. She's going to be alright," Chaeyoung says. "I know you're worried. But she'll be back. Maybe she needs time to think, to heal. She was a mess that night she came here."

Jisu bites a finger, feeling guilty of it.

Was it wrong for her to snap that night? Maybe they could have talked it through instead?

Jisu doesn't know anymore.

"Thanks, Chaeyoung. If you ever hear from her first, please let me know, okay?" she says.

"I surely would. And I would give her another punch in the face for making you worry like that."

Despite feeling sad and worried, Jisu smiles.

---

"Unnie! Unnie! Aunt Yoda's coming home in a few weeks!"

Jisu's nose flares. "Yuna-yah. Can you not shout in my ear? We're sitting beside each other."

But her little sister didn't seem to mind her. Yuna showed her the iPad with their chat conversation on the screen. "See? She's asking for my shoe size now!"

Jisu rolled her eyes when her sister jumped on the couch.

"She's asking if there's anything you'd want her to bring home for you, unnie," Yuna says, eyes on the device.

If she can bring home Ryujin, that would be great, Jisu thinks.

She inwardly chuckles. She must be going crazy.

"Unnie?"
​​
Jisu clears her throat, flipping the channel on TV with the remote. "Nothing. I've got all I need here."

"Come on." Yuna elbows her. "It's not every day Aunt Yoda comes back here for vacation. Might as well make sure she brings the things you want her to buy there."

Sighing, Jisu looks around the room, looking for anything that can give her an idea, until she sees it. "Oh. Can you tell her to bring those black tea bags for me?"

Yuna raises an eyebrow at her. "Just those teabags?"

"Yeah. I'm happy with that."

"You are a lousy person." Yuna shakes her head.

Jisu chuckles. She doesn't care. She wants to make sure she's got enough stock of that black tea, so when a specific person comes back and requests a glass of chocotea, they can share one.

---

'Active 5 days ago.'

Jisu thinks she's about to lose her mind.

She stalked Ryujin's social media accounts, and there hasn't been a single activity since then.

Where could Ryujin be?

She was close to calling Ryujin's parents to ask if they know where their daughter is, but she hesitated at the last minute because: first, it may worry them; second, she doesn't know if they already know what happened.

Jisu is massaging her aching head when her phone suddenly rings, startling her.

To her surprise, the caller ID is: Jo Yuri

She stares at her phone for a few seconds before putting it next to her ear, feeling like her heartbeat is in her head.

"Miss Jisu," Yuri immediately says. "Is... is Ryujin with you?"

Jisu's relieved Yuri's voice sounds calm. "No. She's not here."

"Did you, by any chance, have seen her these past few days?"

Jisu shakes her head. "Not a shadow of her for five days now."

She hears Yuri sigh.

"I see. I called her parents. She told them she's hiking," Yuri says. "I thought it was just an excuse. I thought she was staying with you."

"No. She's not here. I'm also wondering where she could have been. I called Chaeyoung the other day who told me the same thing, that Ryujin's hiking."

There was silence on the line before Yuri hums. "The thing is, she left some personal stuff here. I don't think she'd want to dispose of these."

Jisu stays silent, hearing Yuri's movement on the other line, whom she assumes is in their old apartment.

Somehow she envies Yuri's calmness during this situation. Maybe she's too mad at Ryujin to worry, or maybe she knows Ryujin that much to know that's just how Ryujin is--like what Chaeyoung says.

This makes Jisu still feel envious of Yuri.

"Do you think I can drop these by your place today? I mean, only if you're at home?" Yuri asks.

Jisu flinches, not emotionally prepared to see Yuri today. But why not? She does owe Yuri an apology too, doesn't she?

"Y-yeah. I'll be here the whole day," she says. "I'll text you my address."

"Thank you. I'm sorry to disturb you with these. I just think you have the right to get these."

Jisu's not sure what it means. "May I know what stuff are those?"

"Drawings. A bunch of drawings. Drawings of you."