GIRLS ON TRACK || Ryeji

Chapter 54: One Avenged, Two Anguished

Ryujin's P.O.V

"Yeji left for school already," Aunt Seulgi told me, seemingly baffled at my appearance in front of their doorstep. "She said you wouldn't pick her up today."

"Oh," I uttered, staring blankly at her for a millisecond before I snapped out of it. "I guess I forgot about it." Just like that, I left the condominium and hopped on my bicycle apprehensively. There's a hunch that I'm feeling in my guts and it's definitely not a good one. The feline girl in question has been ignoring my phone calls and texts since yesterday, thus increasing my anxiety. On the way, I almost crashed into a tree due to my cloudy mind, but I reflexively halted in my tracks before an incident occurs.

After attaching my bike to the parking rack, I kicked off my feet and darted past Somi and Yuna without a single greeting. My eyes searched for Yeji along the hallway till I reached our classroom. Her belongings are already set down on— Chaeryeong's empty seat.

"Yah! You didn't even greet us." Yuna headlocked me, but I didn't bother escaping from her grasp because my mind is preoccupied with worries as I stared at Yeji's belongings on somebody else's seat. "Wait. Isn't that Yeji's bag on Chaeryeong-ie's chair?" I hurtled out of the class, accidentally bumping into Soobin, who's entering right at that moment.

As soon as I reached a bench under a big maple tree, I saw Yeji sitting with her shoulders slouched, looking depressed. Then, I rushed over to her and crouched down in front of her. I witnessed her swollen eyelids and bloodshot eyes, so I tried to place a palm on her cheek. Instantaneously as my hand lingered over her cheek, she slapped it away outrageously, making me utterly bewildered.

"Y-yeji," I pronounced, and she shot up from the bench, walking away from me without sparing a glance. Soon, I ran after her and back hugged her. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't want to talk with you," she croaked and unclasped my hands from her chest, glaring at me with tremendous wrath and distaste. She briskly dragged her feet toward the school building, with me tailing behind her as I kept a certain distance between us.

She grunted aggravatedly as soon as she saw her belongings back to her usual seat in front mine, thus she requested Yuna and Chaeryeong to exchange seats with her— which none of them agreed, reluctant to be separated from one another. Next, she tried asking Lia, but the latter was also glued to her chair, stealing a few side glances at Soobin next to her. Finally, Yeji succeeded in transferring seats after Somi offered hers, eliciting an inaudible mumble of disappointment from me.

****

"I'm done eating," Yeji announced, albeit her food being untouched, and she scurried off from the cafeteria.

"Did you guys fight?" Lia inquired, appraising my reaction with keen eyes.

"No. Actually... I don't even know why she's being like this," I admitted, setting my chopsticks down because I just lost my appetite.

"You already asked her, right?" Chaeryeong watched me with an understanding look when I nodded forlornly.

"Ryujin, there's an arts exhibition in the gymnasium after the last period," Yuna reminded with a glint of uncertainty in her orbs. "And you know what that means..."  Right, the confession.

"Oh, we'll be supporting for Yeonjun oppa's artworks," Somi exclaimed exhilaratedly without comprehending what Yuna actually intended to say.

****

Yeji refused to talk to me during every class period, even at intervals where students are allowed to chitchat. Simultaneously as the bell rang and after we bid goodbye to the subject teacher, Yeji left the room. Exasperatedly, I didn't bother following her, and I just went off to an opposite path.