Yeji
The next time that Yeji saw Ryujin was at Lia's party.
After multiple insistent demands and a phone conversation with Lia, she agreed to be there. She didn't know that she and the others kept in contact with her two best friends. Apparently, it was only her and a certain brunette that stopped talking after the incident.
She couldn't blame them, they weren't involved in it anyway. Chaeryeong and Yuna offered to decline had Yeji said that she's uncomfortable being anywhere near Ryujin and her friends – but she didn't want to stop them from enjoying a friend's celebration.
Besides, it has been more than three months. And, if she's being honest, she misses her. The notifications from the brunette containing yet another link of a "funny" video that Yeji would absolutely not get, but she kept on sending them anyways; some news about fossils and historical discoveries; the random pour out of questions from a minor subject that she finds hard to understand; and even the midnight calls when she won't say anything but a straight plead to pick her up, followed by the address of where she's at.
Over the course of her absence, Yeji has come to make peace with the fact that she would rather go back to when the brunette needed her, however one-sided it might seem to others, than be without her at all.
Gosh, have I really gone this crazy?
They decided to settle by the corner table after the light interaction with the birthday celebrant – her two best friends not letting Yeji out of their sight, as if she's gonna run any minute.
"I told you guys, I'm fine. Go ahead and socialize. I see some of your classmates here."
She assured them for the nth time. They eventually listened and went ahead to greet their friends from classes.
Yeji was getting bored by the minute. She was never one to enjoy at parties, and she always has prepared an alternative to times like this. An e-book, or a game that she could focus on for an hour or so. But for some weird reason, she forgot to prepare anything.
She was seconds into falling asleep when she caught a glimpse of her.
She looked more tired than usual. Nonetheless, she's still sporting that goofy grin as she approached Lia and hugged her. Everything seemed to have stayed the same – her energy, the way she's always comfortable interacting with people. Although her hair seemed to be a bit shorter than she last saw her.
Yeji continued to watch from afar – burying down the obvious quickening of her heart's pace.
Ryujin
Ryujin instantly saw Chaeryeong and Yuna the moment she arrived. She knew this because she asked to meet them a few days prior to the party – hoping that she could at least apologize and explain her side to the feline eye's best friends.
And although they weren't rude or hostile, they refused to hear anything from Ryujin aside from the fact that it wasn't part of some scheme to make Yeji like her and break her heart after. Instead, they insisted that she talk to the feline eye directly and clear everything up.
Hence, her growing anxiety as she entered the place of celebration.
She made her way towards Lia and gave her a lively greeting. She also bumped into people from the university, and some friends from the outside.
She was almost convinced that Yeji didn't come until she made her way to the bar and caught a glimpse of the feline eye. She almost lost her balance when she realized that the girl was already looking at her.
A mixture of emotions washed over Ryujin as everything else around them seemed to pause. She nodded curtly as she slowly threaded her way towards the girl – as if giving her the time to send some kind of signal if she wanted her to stop.
But she didn't. Instead, she kept her gaze.
When she reached her table, she noticed the sudden shift in Yeji's body language. It was subtle, but there. She seemed a little more guarded – which was called for.
"Hey." She started.
"Hi." Her answer came as a whisper.
"W-would you mind if I sat across from you?"
The other girl shook her head.
"How have you been?"
She asked awkwardly.
"I've been better." Yeji smirked.
"But it's surprisingly easier than I imagined... seeing you again after what happened."
There was a pause. Still as straightforward as ever.
"I predicted the worst."
Another pause.
"But you, Ryujin-ah. How have you been?"
She had to shake her mind out of the sudden chaos after hearing Yeji say her name.
I have not been okay. And I look for you everyday.
She thought, but instead replied with "I've been well, I think."
"You think?" Yeji raised a playful eyebrow.
"Well... you know. It was weird. Not seeing you around."
"Same."
Ryujin let out a small chuckle, and Yeji did the same. The air was still thick but she at least had a slight assurance that they still exist in each other's lives. And she's willing to work with that – no matter how small the chance is of them getting back to how they were. As long as there is one.
Whatever it takes. She told herself when she decided to 'make things right'.
There was a temporary silence after the minimal exchange – both of them seemingly weighing where the interaction will go from there.
"Your break went well?" Ryujin tried to open up another exchange.
"Uh-huh."
She waited.
And hoped.
"I... I really didn't do anything important. I slept a lot and bugged my Mom the whole time."
There it is. The chance.
Ryujin smiled – a real one this time.
"Well, I guess that's a good thing? You'll be away again for months and she seemed like the type to miss you a lot."
"Yeah, that's true. She's pretty... clingy. Unlike me."
The brunette gave her a cheeky grin.
"You're right. You are the exact opposite of clingy."
The rest of the conversation flew from there. And although there was still a tinge of animosity in the air, Ryujin was happy that she got to talk to Yeji again.
In between their conversations, the brunette would instinctively trace the familiar lines of Yeji's face, noting the small changes since they last met. She looked sleepless, but beautiful nonetheless. Her smiles didn't quite reach their eyes like they used to, but she feels a tiny bit of relief that she still didn't completely lose them. It would've been devastating not to see her smile again.
She appreciated every little detail of her stories. Thanking her silently for trying by nodding and arching her body forward, making sure to maintain eye contact while at it.
How did I even fuck this up?
She kept her cool and minded the other girl's body language – if she had a choice, she would stay glued to her chair if it meant that she'll get to talk to Yeji a bit more.
But there are other people that need their time and attention, and the day has to end.
By the time she got home, she was itching to call the feline eye, but didn't.
A win is a win. And she wouldn't dare ruin it by being impatient.