Disclaimer: Time Jumps, Flashbacks
The sky has begun to turn dark and the sound of distant traffic hums in the background – illuminated by the soft glow of lights from the buildings.
Ryujin walked over to where her fiancèe was sitting and handed her a drink.
The latter smiled fondly and patted the space next to her.
They are currently enjoying the night view of a quick ferry ride across New York. They initially planned on a more comprehensive itinerary but decided to go with the options that they'll come across during the trip – it's Ryujin's first time in the city, after all. And Yeji didn't want to pressure her into doing anything that she won't be up to.
"It's awfully nice here, damn." The brunette joked.
They have been trying to decide and reconcile on where to settle down once they get married.
Although the best and more convenient option would be to stay in Seoul, Ryujin still insisted on traveling to New York and checking out the city that Yeji lived in for almost 10 years.
"It is. But there's also plenty of these views in Seoul. And much more – you know, when you get tired from being in the city."
"You're right, Jagi. Let's enjoy our stay here, then. We can always visit."
The brunette reached out for Yeji's hand and the latter returned it with a squeeze.
"How we got here still drives me crazy... just thinking about it."
"Yeah. And you almost didn't make it to the airport last year, after promising that you'll wait for me." Yeji pouted.
Ryujin was giddy and excited and was on her way out the door to pick Yeji up when her house's landline unexpectedly rang.
She snarled and dragged her feet back to where the telephone was located.
Before she could even let out a hello, a familiar voice filled the other line.
"Ryujin-ah. It's me. I'm sorry if I'm catching you on a bad time, but I know you changed numbers and this is the only one I still know."
The girl on the other line sounded anxious and out of breath.
"What happened? Are you in danger??" The brunette's thoughtful nature kicked in immediately.
"N-no. It's my Mom. She passed out in her room and the helper found her hours after. She was rushed to the hospital and no one really knows what to do." The girl started to cry.
"M-my dad. H-he-I dddi-..." She started choking up and her voice turned inaudible.
"Hey. Isa... Breathe... Come on, calm down and tell me what to do so I can help you out."
Ryujin started counting slowly and eventually got the additional details from Isa.
When the call dropped, she immediately grabbed her keys and ran to her car. She drove as fast as she could to the hospital and even committed a few traffic violations.
She'll have to pay for that later, she thought. But now, there's somewhere more important that she needed to go to.
When she arrived, she was immediately directed to the waiting room. She glanced at her watch.
Shit.
Yeji's flight landed 20 minutes ago.
She checked her phone and, predictably, she saw the cat eye's missed calls followed by a message –
"Ryuddaeng. I'm here. Are you running late?"
She let out an exasperated sigh and clicked the reply button.
But before she could type in her message, the door to the OR room opened and one of the surgeons walked directly towards her.
"We're now preparing for the surgery. But I'd like to personally advice calling social services on this." The doctor started.
"It's a pretty easy procedure, so she should be out in no time. However, she needs to be closely monitored – I assume you'll be the one staying here for the meantime? We were told that her daughter should be here tomorrow night. Coming from the UK, if I remember correctly. You may return to your seat and someone else will hand in the paperwork to you."
The brunette suddenly felt disoriented – they didn't cover what to do once they arrive at the hospital and there's no way that she could stay here while Yeji was waiting in the airport without any idea where she was.
"What the fuck am I supposed to do?" she exhaled wearily as she got a hold of her phone.
As if the universe was playing a trick on her, she heard the familiar signing out sound before she could even open the messaging app.
Her battery's drained.
"Aren't I freaking lucky?" She whispered as she started to ran around the hallway to find a pay phone.
At the airport, Yeji settled on the empty bench near the entrance of the platform where she landed. She wasn't worried when she didn't see a certain brunette waiting for her by the gates.
She must've been stuck in traffic. It's Friday, after all. She thought to herself.
But half an hour after she saw that Ryujin had read the message but hadn't replied yet, she felt herself shrinking smaller by the minute. Several thoughts running through her mind –
Are we okay?
We didn't really have any conflicts or fights while I was away. We were both busy, but we made time.
Did she get into an accident?
Did she... change her mind?
"Gahhh" The cat eye exclaimed as her brow furrowed in deep concentration, trying her best not to think of the worst.
She decided to calm herself down by watching funny youtube videos.
"You're okay." She whispered to herself as she put on her airpods and allowed herself to get lost in watching.
15 minutes...
25...
45...
1 hour...
Still nothing from Ryujin.
She bit down her trembling lower lip, desperately fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.
She took a deep, shaky breath and opened her phonebook to dial Chaeryeong.
She was waiting for her best friend to pick up when she heard a loud thump by the gates – a collision of some sort.
It looked like someone lost balance and stumbled upon a passenger with a huge baggage cart. A lot of her bags are now on the floor and the cart completely fell sideways.
What an unlucky person – whoever that is who bumped with...
Wait.
Yei walked a little closer to make sure that she's seeing things correctly.
Helping the woman tidy up the mess was Ryujin – she looked flustered and uneasy. And probably not only because she collided with the stranger, but because of something more.
She could see that the brunette was anxiously looking around while picking the bags up from the floor.
When their eyes met, Ryujin paused.
She reflexively let go of the bag she's holding and started walking towards where Yeji was standing – ignoring the complaints from the stranger who was left cleaning up the mess.
As she got closer, she slowly noticed the glistening moisture in the brunette's eyes as she mouthed the cat eye's nickname.
"Yeddeong." Her voice quivering
"You waited..."
Overwhelmed with relief, Yeji sprinted towards the brunette and threw her arms around her in a tight, longing hug.
She bursted out in tears right after she felt the contact.
"I thought you'd never come. I-I t thought you changed your mind."
"But I didn't."
Ryujin remarked as they were recalling the story. "It really was bad timing, but I'll always say this..."
She leaned in and gave Yeji a peck.
"I'm glad we grew up and got it right this time."
The cat eye nodded. "It's a story that I will live to tell people in the years to come. I'm sure they'll find it interesting, too."
Ryujin flashed her whiskers-like grin. "I'll look forward to hearing how you'll tell it."
Not long after, they received the expected call from Seoul.
"Hey you two lovebirds. How's New York?" A grinning Lia appeared on the screen.
"Lovebirds? Do people still call couples that?" Ryujin chuckled. "And New York's amazing."
"But not as amazing as Seoul", Yeji butted in.
"Well, don't bring Ryujin to the best places or else you'll be having a hard time dragging her home. Too bad I didn't remember to hide her camera. She's unstoppable with that one."
The brunette faked a glare as Chaeryeong appeared on the screen and agreed to Lia's teasing.
"I don't mind at all. Even it means boarding on and off in planes, cars, and ferries. I'd be happy to stick with this one more than anyone else." Yeji interjected – which earned an impressed "oohs" from the other line.
"Well... have you guys decided, anyway? I really want to know if I can transform Ryujin's house into a boarding school for dogs." Lia said jokingly.
There was pause.
The couple shared a look and nodded.
"As much as I'd like to stay here because of accessibility and the weather, we'd miss your annoying asses too much. So..."
"We're staying in Seoul."
"I knew it!" Lia and Charyeong were smiling ear to ear as they confirmed the news. They have been very supportive with the two's decision to take their time in choosing, and even offered to visit them often in New York in case they'd decide to live there.
There's already a lot of their traces in Seoul, and it's good that it's where they feel the most at home
"You guys enjoy the rest of your stay there. I'm gonna go ahead and meet Yuna for dinner. Don't want her getting mad at me for being late again." The couple chuckled at Lia.
"Yeah, see you guys soon!"
The night was capped with a nice dinner over live music. Despite the weather forecast that it might rain, the dinner was set on the open area of the boat – the captain insisting that he knew the smell when it's gonna rain, and was certain that they'd be blessed with good weather that night.
He was right.
The couple enjoyed every bit of it.
Ryujin would pause in between conversations to appreciate the woman in front of her, taking in all her features despite seeing them almost everyday now – those piercing eyes that go soft whenever they land on the brunette; the way she scrunches her nose whenever she tries to maintain a straight face, but couldn't because of a joke that Ryujin spontaneously made; and that signature smile that makes her eyes almost disappear.
The cat eye has been aware of it and didn't mind at all. It also gave her the window to appreciate Ryujin back.
All those years of not feeling anything towards anyone else – the days of short mornings and long nights, weeks of not even realizing how long has it been since she stepped outside, the long bike rides to the very few places where she could momentarily put down her longing.
Now, she has completely bid goodbye to it.
In a few months, they will get married and live together.
They will finally be able to live the life that they've always wanted – despite it being delayed, and challenged, and almost turned impossible.
Who knew that this story – a story that took a decade in the making – would be the one they'll carry in their vows. Both of them didn't even think they'd get married.
They laugh about it now.
And all sorts of things, too.