"2nd date already? You just saw her the other day." Lia teased as she saw her best friend rushing to get dressed right after putting her stuff down.
"And slow down, will you? She isn't going anywhere. You're already dating her."
Ryujin smirked towards her best friend as she struggled to choose what to wear. She did hang out with Yeji a couple of days prior, and she couldn't wait to see her again.
Their first date was subtle. They both agreed to take it slow and so they decided to hang out in their usual coffee shop and talk.
Ryujin is aware that Yeji is very private and prefers not to share much about her personal life, so she respected her boundaries on that and took over the storytelling. In between her stories, though, she appreciated whenever Yeji shared something on her own. Something related to what Ryujin was talking about, or something she randomly remembered.
It was also nice seeing the softer side of the cat-eyed girl. The usual Yeji exudes authority and, if she's being honest, she's also very intimidating. This is because of her straightforward demeanor, and because she always has the certainty of what she wants.
For their second date, Ryujin decided to take Yeji to Seokchon Lake. For someone who has lived in Seoul longer than her, Yeji sure doesn't know a lot of places in Seoul. Except for the clubs, of course.
They agreed to take the subway and meet at the station but Ryujin is already running late. She rushed and ran for her life as she looked at the clock.
"Shit."
It's already half an hour past their agreed time. If anything, she doesn't want to trigger Yeji's impatience.
But when she arrived at the station, she was surprised to see the cat-eye waiting calmly for her. She's sitting on one of the benches with her headphones on, swaying slightly to whatever she's listening to as she watches strangers passing by.
It was a very charming view and Ryujin could spend hours just standing there, looking at her. She took her phone out and took a quick snap as Yeji coincidentally looked in her direction and smiled.
She put her hand on her chest in an attempt to joke that she's having a heart attack, but she was pretty sure that she really was.
"Had to check if my heart was still here after that smile", Ryujin greeted as Yeji opened her arms to give her a quick hug and whispered a small "Hii".
They boarded the train after the quick hellos and it took them less than 10 minutes to arrive.
Yeji's eyes lit up as she saw the view. The sun was starting to set and the beautiful colors illuminate across the quiet lake. They settled on one of the benches and Ryujin couldn't help but appreciate the real view beside her.
She looks so giddy, I might have to keep her forever.
Yeji's head snapped towards her and smirked. "You'd like to keep me forever?"
The brunette's eyes grew wide realizing that she said that out loud. "U-Uhm."
"Now don't go stuttering on me, Ryujin-ah."
"I must tell you, though", Yeji continued. "I am very difficult to keep."
Ryujin placed her hand on Yeji's head and ruffled her hair a little. "I'm pretty sure I've handled more difficult things in life. And I adore you too much, so I don't really mind."
Yeji blushed upon hearing the comment.
Sometimes, Ryujin curses that her mouth has a mind of its own. But seeing Yeji's reaction to the sudden confession, she let it slide this time.
"Oh!" The cat-eye seemingly remembered something and started fishing things out of her back pack. She took out a bento box wrapped in a colorful cloth and handed it to Ryujin.
"I figured you won't have time to eat after classes before meeting me so I prepared something."
Ryujin stayed quiet as she was trying to control herself and not explode with the gesture. It was very thoughtful, and she really was starting to get hungry.
She devoured the contents of the bento within minutes and gave Yeji the biggest thumbs up.
The rest of the date was spent with them walking around, and telling each other about their day. Like on the first date, Ryujin did most of the talking. But Yeji shared a bit more personal things this time.
She found out that she hates scary movies, and that her favorite is a French film called Portrait of Lady on Fire. Ryujin hasn't seen it and promised to watch it with the cat-eye next time.
She also discovered that Yeji's an only child, just like her. Her family lives in Incheon - not too far from the university, but she still chose to rent an apartment in the area.
Ryujin is aware that Incheon is a pretty expensive place to live in. Considering that Yeji can afford attending an exclusive uni, living alone in an apartment with two bedrooms and a spacious living room, and the car that she uses... all these made her more curious about the other girl's family background. However, she chose not to pry, because she can feel that Yeji's not yet ready to share details about that yet.
She instead cherished and appreciated that Yeji was starting to open up to her. She has a hunch that she doesn't do that to most of the people she knows.
During the whole stroll, Ryujin also developed a habit of taking photos of her - both known and in secret.
I would love to get used to this view.
She thought to herself as she was browsing back to the photos while on their way home - pumped to choose the best one and make it a subject of her a piece that she's eager to make.
*
It was an exceptional date and Yeji was so relieved that Ryujin seemed to like her cooking - or at least she made it look like she liked it. She knows that she's all too lacking in her domestic skills but she wanted to start learning about them, now that she has someone to actually spend her time with.
They arrived at Yeji's apartment a little after 8PM.
Despite having slept with each other before, their first two dates weren't very physically intimate, except for a few hugs and holding each other's hands while strolling. The cat-eye enjoys the slow process of getting to know Ryujin's character and personality more, and this doesn't really require them any deep physical contact.
So when they were saying goodbye after the Seokchon Lake date, they both found themselves unsure of what to do.
It was a first for Yeji. She never really had any trouble initiating physical contact, but Ryujin is different. Somehow, she always feel like a supernatural force who walks through her walls like they're not there.
Ryujin was bowing slightly but the red in her ears are still very visible. Yeji decided to jump the gun and pulled the brunette in to embrace her, stopping midway so their faces are only inches away from each other.
She grinned at the brunette's stunned reaction.
"It's surprisingly less annoying to hangout with you now", Yeji teased in a soft tone. Ryujin was too red to function so the former giggled and decided to lean in for a quick kiss.
"I had a good time, Ryuddaeng."
Still no answer from the brunette but she pulled Yeji tighter for a proper hug.
"Nothing beats hanging out with you. And I mean that even before we started dating."
Yeji gushed with the comment and hugged back.
Not even 10 minutes after she had settled in bed, the cat-eye received a message from Ryujin.
Would I be greedy if I ask for a video call right now?
Another message came right after.
*smiling emoji*
*praying emoji*
And another one.
I'm getting good at this, yeah? ;)
Yeji was smiling so wide her jaw started to hurt. Before she could even send a lame reply, she pressed the call button and waited.
"I knew you were waiting", Ryujin teased as her bare face covered the whole screen.
"I missed you, too. Already." Yeji answered truthfully. "And why is your face so close to the camera?"
"I figured you might want to see me better, so here I am."
The brunette gave her the widest grin as she moved back and laughed with Yeji.
Yeji lied back in bed as the other girl did the same.
"You're not gonna get rid of me now, Yeddeong", Ryujin said as she yawned and pulled her blanket up.
"You'd be the death of me, Ryujin-ah", Yeji whispered as they both dozed to sleep.
a/n
love me some soft ryeji :'>