Domino (Ryeji)

1

RYUJIN

Ryujin stared out of her bedroom window, the lights of the city sprawling beneath her like millions of fireflies, the distant sound of a police siren echoing faintly in the cool night air. She tapped her pencil on the windowsill in hopes the rhythm would bring with it some inspiration. She'd been sitting here for hours wishing somehow some lyrics would be written in the stars. However no such luck had befallen her so far.

She'd told her manager the song would be ready to record in a couple of days or she knew they'd start getting annoyed at the insufficient amounts of material she was providing them. However whilst she'd written the melodies to entire album's worth of songs, the words simply would not come to her. She was considering chucking her pencil out of the window to see if that did anything when her phone rang next to her.

She turned it to face her, the contact name 'Yeddeong' lighting up in the darkness. And immediately answered, wondering what on earth Yeji, the girl who never went to bed later than 11:30pm, was doing up at 1 o'clock in the morning.

"Hey, what's up!?" Ryujin asked. But all she heard was a sniff on the other end of the phone. "Yeji?" She said quietly, concern washing over her at the lack of response.

"Can, can I come over?" A small voice replied.

"Er, sure do you want me to collect you?" Said Ryujin, her head swimming with questions. None of which she'd dare ask hearing the fragile state of her friend's voice.

"No it's ok," Yeji paused, "I'm actually already here." She said quietly, nervous laughter punctuating her sentence.

"Oh. Right, wait there I'm coming." Ryujin suddenly scrambled off her chair and towards the door, wrenching it open and practically flying down the many flights of stairs in the apartment block before wrestling the building's main door open to find a lone Yeji standing awkwardly outside, clutching her phone in one hand, a pained look adorning her face.

"Yeji." Ryujin said huffing.

"Hey." She replied stiffly, "Sorry for coming at such a horrible hour."

"Hey no worries," Ryujin smiled, still busy trying to catch her breath. "You saved me from throwing my favourite pencil out of the window in a bout of writers block."

Yeji looked at her, a glint of amusement shifting in her face.

"Come on in." Ryujin beckoned her inside. Walking over and pressing the button for the lift. "Trust me, you do not want to walk up those stairs, fifteen flights is bad enough on a good day when I delusionally think I have the stamina of an Olympic athlete." Next to her Yeji chuckled slightly, although Ryujin could tell it was not her usually bubbly laughter.

She gazed at Yeji as they stepped into the small lift, the bright white lights now highlighting Yeji's red rimmed eyes and forlorn expression. Ryujin delicately brushed the other girl's hand and held it softly but Yeji immediately pulled her arm away, letting Ryujin's drop back to her side. Ryujin's heart ached seeing Yeji like this but before she could say anything they had arrived at her floor.

"Sorry it's so messy." Ryujin apologized, opening her door. "I would have tidied up had I known you were coming."

"That's ok, I didn't give you much notice." said Yeji quietly.

"True. Anyway make yourself at home." Ryujin replied, quickly trying to shove as many dirty clothes and books that had been strewn across her floor under her bed. Yeji never minded her mess usually, something Ryujin was grateful for given she didn't really have space to store anything, but it didn't mean Ryujin felt any less guilty watching the older stepping carefully over the littered floor towards the open window on the other side of the room.

"I forget you have such an amazing view." She gasped.

"I know right." Ryujin smiled, "I was trying to get inspired by the amazingness of it just now although it didn't help much."

"For one of your songs?" Yeji asked, turning to look at the various sheets of paper scattered by the window ledge.

"Yeah, although I guess tonight's not the night." Ryujin said with a shrug. "Anyway, to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from my best friend?" Yeji's shoulders slumped, and Ryujin immediately felt bad about asking. "I mean, you don't have to say, I just, we can do something else if you want."

"My mum kicked me out." Yeji said suddenly, a blank expression plastered on her face. Ryujin's mouth fell open.

"What like permanently?" She asked, Yeji just shrugged. "In the middle of the night?"  She asked again, her eyebrows raised, still completely taken aback by Yeji's answer.

"We got into a fight, I guess it lasted a while." Yeji scuffed at the carpet with her shoe. "At the end of it she told me to leave and locked the front door. I didn't know who else to ask so I came here, sorry."

"Hey, no need to apologize." Ryujin said, as comfortingly as she could, she wasn't great at consoling people. "Do you want a hot chocolate or something? I can put the kettle on?"

Yeji looked up at her, her sad puppy eyes beginning to well up. Ryujin's heart sank as she leapt up and engulfed the other in a hug. She then felt Yeji's arms wrap tightly around her waist as she buried her face in Ryujin's shoulder.

They stood like that for a while, the occasional sniff from Yeji the only sound. Ryujin was deeply upset and confused by the whole ordeal. Yeji was, as far as she was aware, the sweetest, most caring person in the world. Ever since they had met the summer before at a dance club the other had been nothing but an angel. She'd been the light at the end of the tunnel when Ryujin thought her life had fallen apart. It wasn't supposed to be this way round. No one was allowed to hurt Yeji. Especially her own family. Ryujin's emotions were torn between baffled and angry.