soy sauce [ryuna] ✩

nine

"...Anything else, ma'am?"

Ryujin's mother shook her head as she wiped her eyes with a tissue, trying her best not to break down into sobs. "N-no, sir," she shakily replied.

The lights from the police cars outside lit up the dark neighborhood, alerting people and having them watch from their homes. But she couldn't care less about all the nosy neighbors. She just wanted her daughter home.

"Please find my baby," she said before the officer turned away. "Find her soon and bring her back to me."

He nodded, saying he would do everything he could, before leaving.

She hadn't slept a wink ever since she realized Ryujin was missing. Ryujin had never texted her saying where she went, nor left a note. She knew that Ryujin was going to buy more soy sauce, that's all she ever went out for! But what could have possibly happened in the short walk from their home to the store that resulted in her baby going missing?

After spending a good hour at her house accompanied by the local TV station to interview her, the police began to drive away, leaving her alone with her thoughts. And empty house.

She had walked to the store to talk to the Yeji girl Ryujin talks about, only to find the place closed. Then she called Chaeryeong, Ryujin's closest friend, only to get a call from Chaeryeong's mother asking if she's seen her own daughter. There was too much happening, too many questions not being answered. It was already bad enough to know that Ryujin's father had gotten killed in a hit-and-run earlier that week from his brother. And then her daughter was missing?

What had she done to deserve this?

Thump...thump...thump...

Ryujin threw a tennis ball Yuna gave her against the wall of the basement, listening to the soft sound it made every time there was an impact. She made sure not to knock over any of the candles, because she definitely didn't want to die in there. Honestly, she was surprised Yuna gave her the ball and trusted her enough to not hurt her with it. Then again, tennis balls wouldn't cause much damage.

She's not entirely sure how long she's been down there. It could've been hours, maybe days. Weeks? Probably. But there were no clocks. She lost her sense of time. She wasn't even sure if it was nighttime or daytime.

She caught the ball one last time as the door opened and Yuna descended the steps carrying a tray of food.

"Good morning!" Yuna sang.

Okay, it was morning.

"Can I leave yet?" Ryujin asked, still sitting against the wall opposite of the door.

Yuna frowned as she sat the tray on the table. "That's not a proper response, unnie."

"Singing and smiling isn't a proper response to a victim of kidnapping."

Yuna looked up in thought before humming. "Touché. Come eat. I made French toast with coffee so you can be energized for the rest of the day!"

You've got to be kidding her...

"I'm literally going to be staying here all day, but okay." Ryujin grunted as she got up and stood beside Yuna as the younger poured syrup over the food.

"Yeah, but you'll be down here with me!"

Great, even better.

Ryujin made no comment as she began to eat. She expected Yuna to go sit down or something, but watched as she began to spoon sugar and cream into her coffee.

"I made it a little bitter to match your mood!"

All day of just Yuna? Ryujin doesn't think she can survive.

"Oh, and it's lukewarm if that's okay. Don't want you to burn my face or anything!" Yuna let out a chuckle, like she just made a lighthearted joke.

There was no denying that Yuna was smart. Kind of. For the most part. She certainly thought of a lot of things when it came down to Ryujin being captured. Her father must be really smart, too.

Speaking of...

"So, when can I speak to your dad?" Ryujin asked, nonchalant, as she used the spoon Yuna provided to cut her toast.

Yuna shrugged. "He's busy."

"Still? Did he forget he had a whole prisoner down...wherever we are?"

"No, he just had other things to tend to. And that's why I'm always coming down here!"

Ryujin frowned as she slowly chewed her breakfast. Something wasn't right. It made no sense for someone to order a kidnapping, only for the person to never check up on who they kidnapped. If Ryujin was to (not that she ever would) do something of the sort, she would've visited the prisoner almost as soon as she had gotten word that they were conscious. Not send her daughter down all the time. What if the prisoner was dangerous? What if her daughter accidentally left the door unlocked and the prisoner escaped?

"What, so does he kidnap people for fun?"

The smile on Yuna's face faltered and Ryujin's eyebrows rose in surprise. Perhaps she's hit a sore spot?

"He does what he has to do. My father doesn't do unnecessary things." Yuna's voice was no longer light and cheerful, instead sounding more flat and a little defensive. The cogs in Ryujin's head began to turn as she began thinking up plans to get herself out.

"My father unnecessarily made a child with a woman he later left because he runs away from his responsibilities," Ryujin plainly stated. "So yours can do unnecessary things, too."

"Well," Yuna's voice began to shake, "I'm sorry for your loss, but my father's a great man, Ryujin. He's always been."

And Ryujin watched as Yuna seemed to drift from the room with a distant stare, her midnight blue dress trailing on the floor behind her. The door closed a bit harshly, and Ryujin listened as she heard Yuna's footsteps fade away.

"Well, then."

okay so in the last chapter where yuna took ryujin to the bathroom, it looked like yuna closed the bathroom door so they were both in there together, but i wrote it weird and it's supposed to be where yuna closed the door after she left the bathroom. sorry for the confusion shdndn

and yuna's not a ghost, which it sounds like she is at the end of this chapter🥴

i've decided to post the other ryuna fic since it's spooky month, and the fic is kinda spooky but more in like a psychological way??? it's called 'you're mine' and thank you to those who convinced me to post another book and ignore my other ones, you're the true mvps🤠👊