Shin Ryujin is a successful solo artist, best known in her home country, South Korea.
Hwang Yeji is her new manager, who happens to also be Ryujin's ex girlfriend.
With time, Yeonjun began to view her mother as his own. And Ryujin as his sister. They were both around more than his own family. They both cared more than his own parents.
If Yeonjun thought back to his favorite childhood memories, he would notice that Ryujin was in all of them. That's how close they were.
They never went to the same schools, social classes to be blamed for that.
But they did end up at colleges that were relatively close to each other. Which was fun. Even when Ryujin would show up unannounced at his place late at night just to hang out.
But things couldn't be so easy and perfect.
As he would eventually find out.
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One day they were FaceTiming, as they occasionally did, and he made a discovery.
Ryujin had been talking about this girl she had been dating for a while now. Yeonjun had yet to meet her.
Somehow, it just hadn't happened. Probably because most times he and Ryujin would actually physically meet, were prompted by impulsive decisions. Like Ryujin going to him. Or Yeonjun giving her a ride somewhere because she spammed his phone.
That's when he noticed who she had been talking about.
Hwang Yeji.
Ah, what a cruel world they live in.
He could see the other was also surprised by his sight, as he was.
And then he made an executive decision.
"Oh, is that her?"
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Ryujin smiled, Yeji had walking into the screen by hugging her from the back.
"It is." She nodded. "This is Yeji. Yeddeong, meet Yeonjun."
Yeji seemed just as shocked as he felt but she played along nicely.
"Nice to meet you, Yeonjun. Ryujin keeps mentioning her best friend. It's nice to put a face to the term."
He laughed.
They continued to play dumb like that.
When they met, in person, with Ryujin by their side. It was awkward. He didn't mean for it to be but it was.
How could it not be when he knew what they had been doing behind Ryujin's back.
Yeji had on one of his gifts to her, making him raise his eyebrows teasingly at her.
She didn't laugh, though. Her face fell, like he had just pointed out that what they had been doing was wrong.
She wasn't wrong.
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It was a matter of time before it happened. Realistically, he knew that.
Him and Yeji were a ticking time bomb and he hadn't warned Ryujin about it.
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Ryujin had a strong punch.
That's one of the things he learned that night. When she showed up at his place at an ungodly hour. Punching him in the face as soon as he opened the door.
"Fuck you, Yeonjun."
"I don't ever want to see your face again."
"You were like a brother to me."
Yeonjun didn't know if his reasoning was good enough to ever ease her pain.
So he chose silence.
They never meant for things to get this far. But they did.
He didn't see Ryujin in person again until the day he dropped off Yeji at that house. Four years later.
Just the sight of her told him that she had changed. She looked tougher. No doubt because of what they had done.
Yeonjun played with the ring. Handpicked by him. How would Ryujin look once she learned Yeji and him were getting married? How much would she hate them?
