Eternity [ryeji]

Chapter 1

Ryujin places her brush on the small towel next to the sink and turns off the tap just in time to hear the distant sound of the front door closing and the voice of her housemate.

"Unnie? Are you home?"

She wipes her hands and walks away from the sink, towards the canvas at the other side of the room.

As the familiar footsteps approach, she lifts the canvas off the easel and holds it in her hands, observing the painting on it: her latest work.

The door behind her soon opens.

"Home so soon, Professor Shin?" she asks without turning to look.

"I thought I'd give them a break before the finals next week," says the tall woman who calmly comes to stand next to her. "Finally finished it?"

She nods. "What do you think?" she asks as she turns her head, randomly noticing the new shade of lipstick her friend is wearing.

"Since when does my opinion matter?" the young woman also turns her head, meeting Ryujin's gaze with a cheeky smile on her face.

"Since today," replies the artist as she returns the grin.

"Oh? Well, I like it. You've managed to perfect your newest style, huh?"

"Maybe." Ryujin takes the canvas with her and puts it down on the floor, leaning against a stack of other canvases of different sizes.

"See? I told you I liked it and you immediately put it in your 'this is crap' pile." The younger woman sighs and shakes her head. "I should've known."

"I appreciate your opinion and I'm glad you like it but it's still crap," says Ryujin, heading out of the room with Yuna walking behind her. "Thanks for noticing my fresh attempt though. I'll try to come up with something better."

"You do realize that your definition of crap is still worth something, right?"

"Of course. They're our emergency meal ticket after all," she replies with a chuckle. "Come on. Let's eat out tonight."

"Okay but I'm buying."

Ryujin smiles and pats her housemate's shoulder. "Thank you for your generosity, Professor."

———————

"What's for dessert?" Yuna asks as soon as they've arrived back home.

"I still have some ice cream left." Ryujin walks ahead, going into the kitchen.

She takes out a tub of ice cream and two spoons, sets them on the counter and brings two glasses of water for her and her housemate. Then she sits down, puts her phone near her glass and starts eating.

The device beeps a few minutes later, halting their conversation, but Ryujin only glances at the message that pops up on the screen before continuing scooping the cold treat as if nothing has happened.

"Let me guess," Yuna says after noticing Ryujin's behavior. "Yeji?"

"..."

With a small sigh, Yuna puts her spoon down and drinks her water before she asks, "Have you been ignoring her?"

"No," replies Ryujin in a mumble. Her eyes are fixed on the creamy content of the carton tub she's poking at with her spoon. She knows that Yuna can tell that she's lying but she just doesn't want to get into this right now.