Saved Me; Ryeji FF

thirty five.

"Ever since Ryujin and I were children, she was a safe haven for us. We've slept over at her place so many times that she kept extra clothes for us, all laid out on her bed, ready for us to sleep with her. She even lied to her mother that she loved a particular brand of snacks, just for us to eat when she came over." Yuna chuckled, wiping her tear-drenched cheeks. She then looked over at her sister. "She was just sick of us eating her Pringles."

Ryujin laughed along before she looked back down at her shoes.

Yuna took a moment to compose herself, "We were really lucky to have had her in our lives. She taught us so much in the short time she was with us." She turned to face the casket, "Thank you, Chaeryeong."

She stepped back from the podium, finding Lia's red-rimmed eyes as she gently embraced her.

As the mourners slowly left the room, they remained by Chaeryeong's casket. On Lia's lap, she held a piece of paper- her girlfriend's hard-earned diploma. Carefully with her trembling hand, she placed it on top of the casket.

"You would've been a good doctor, Chaer." Lia whispered out; her voice hoarse from her healing injuries.

Yeji stood beside her, a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Chaeryeong, don't worry too much. I'll look after Jisu, okay?" She glanced at Ryujin, who was standing nearby. "We all will."

The dark-haired woman's heartache was immense, too overwhelming for her to handle. "We need to leave."

The group exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond. Lia's grief turned into anger as she couldn't contain her anger any longer. "What do you mean, it's time to leave?" Her voice trembled as she lashed out at Ryujin.

She stood silently, feeling the weight of Lia's anger pierce her.

"How can you just leave like this?" Her voice strained and her eyes filled with tears. "Of course, a sociopath doesn't have a slither of emotion or guilt in a time like this. Is your stone-cold heart so incapable of feeling anything?"

Ryujin winced at her words, clenching her jaw hard. "Lia, I do-"

"No, Ryujin, you don't!!" Lia screamed in her raw state of grief, unwilling to listen. "You've always been this way. Cold, emotionless, detached."

She glared at her with swollen eyes, "Chaeryeong loved you so much, and you can't give her this one last thing."

"Lia, please." Yeji implored gently, her own voice still choked with despair.

Ryujin's own eyes were filled with tears that she'd been holding back. "It's true, Lia. You're right." She watched her cover her face, sobbing immensely. "This is all my fault. I'm sorry."

They all watched as the hitman turned around and left the funeral home. Lia clenched onto Yeji's shirt, "I just miss her so much."

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Ryujin rode her new motorcycle through the darkened streets, the engine's roar was the only sound that filled the cold air, drowning out her thoughts. She couldn't shake the feeling building up inside her as she clutched the handlebars tighter, as if the physical sensation could override the emotional turmoil.

The wind whipped past her, stinging her eyes and her skin, but she didn't care. All she wanted was to escape from the crushing guilt that was suffocating her. She couldn't stay by Chaeryeong's side any longer, knowing that she had failed her.

Tears blurred her vision as she made her way up the stairs to her apartment. Inside, the silence was oppressive, echoing the emptiness that Chaeryeong had left behind. The apartment, once a place of refuge and laughter, now felt like a prison of painful memories.