This is the story of Ryujin & Yeji from childhood, through Itzy, and into retirement. During that time, an intense and sometimes painful love blossoms, made difficult by the demands of fame and the search for meaning and purpose during Itzy and afte...
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She finally broke.
Yeji was barely eating and barely sleeping. She either snapped at the people around her, or looked them in the eye and started crying. Despite being an amazing leader and phenomenal friend, no one had ever known the key to Yeji's heart and soul.
For weeks, Yeji couldn't get the song out of her head. It said what she wanted to scream to everyone around her.
After the show, after they had taken their bows, Yeji rushed backstage. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She skipped changing, and raced toward the backstage exit, still wearing her stage costume.
Yeji couldn't remember who she was, or how she did things, or how she spoke to people. Only one thing anchored her to Earth, to life itself: Ryujin, her beautiful Ryujin... and Yeji was too scared to tell her everything. How could she tell her that she'd dreamed about her for years?
During the show, she had twice lost track of the choreography, and twice Chae had to nudge her back into her position. She knew that little mistakes were rarely noticed, and she hoped that's what would happen. Her mind was swirling; she was driving at full speed toward a cliff, and she had no idea of how to stop - or even if she should stop.
Everyone saw her leave. They assumed she just needed to use the restroom. About a hundred or so Midzys were waiting in the rear parking lot, by the stage door, for a glimpse of Itzy as they walked to the bus.
Suddenly, the rear door flew open so hard it smashed against the brick wall, startling the security guard. Much to their surprise, Yeji sprinted right past them, in her glittering white costume, trying to hold back her sobs. They were speechless.
The driver wasn't back from his break, and the bus door was closed. Yeji grabbed it with both hands and it creaked as she yanked it open. Inside, the bus was dark. She found her bunk, pulled down the privacy curtain, and put her earbuds in.
For Midzys, seeing Yeji run by still in her costume would have been a strange, once-in-a-lifetime event. Definitely social media gold!
But incredibly, the stage door popped open again.
Ryujin came running out, right past the dumbfounded fans, and sprinted to the bus. Her heart was pounding harder than she'd ever remembered - but it wasn't from the running. It was from the nearness of something much bigger.
I'm done. I'm just done waiting.
Ryujin stumbled to Yeji's bunk. A nearby streetlight cast just enough light to see. She gently pulled the privacy screen aside. Yeji was curled up in the fetal position, and her eyes were red and her pillow was damp from crying. Her hand trembling, she reached in and stroked Yeji's forehead.
