BENEATH THE FLAMES | YEJISU

• Three •

Lia pounds on the door relentlessly with her fist, knocking with every ounce of strength she has. The panic she feels continues to surge within her, a mix of fear, disbelief, and embarrassment combining into an overwhelming sensation deep in the pit of her stomach.

"Ryujin! Ryujin, open the door! Right now!" She shouts frantically, looking as if she might knock the door down at any moment.

The door suddenly swings open, causing Lia to stumble forward slightly as she loses her balance. A groggy and irritated Chaeryeong glares at her from the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. She appears as though she's ready to throttle Lia any second.

"It's three in the morning. What do you want?" Chaeryeong inquires in exasperation, observing the disheveled girl standing before her. Lia disregards the question, pushing past Chaeryeong to enter the dorm room. Once inside, she begins pacing in a circle, eyes darting around the room.

"Is Ryujin here? I need to talk to her," Lia blurts out hurriedly, her anxiety escalating with each passing second. Chaeryeong's annoyance slowly transitions to confusion as she watches the other girl's apparent meltdown.

"Ryujin is somehow still asleep, despite your attempt to break down our door. Are you okay? What's wrong?" Chaeryeong asks sternly, her concern growing as Lia collapses onto the couch, burying her face in her hands.

"I think I'm going to jump off a bridge," Lia proclaims, instantly sending Chaeryeong into a panic.

"Whoa, hold on now. Let's not do anything drastic," Chaeryeong responds quickly, moving to sit beside the distraught girl and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

Lia doesn't look up to meet Chaeryeong's gaze. "It's hard to explain. Please wake Ryujin up… she'll understand."

With a resigned sigh, Chaeryeong gets up to fetch her roommate, hoping Ryujin can help Lia make sense of her tumultuous emotions. She opens the door to Ryujin's room and approaches her bed.

Chaeryeong hesitates for a moment before gently shaking Ryujin awake. Ryujin groggily rubs her eyes, clearly disoriented by the sudden disturbance.

"Lia's freaking out, and she needs to talk to you," Chaeryeong explains, her tone urgent. Ryujin nods, quickly getting out of bed and following her roommate to the living room where Lia is still sitting, her face buried in her hands.

As Ryujin takes a seat beside Lia, she places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's going on?" she asks softly, her voice full of concern.

Lia lifts her head, her eyes red and teary. She takes a deep breath before launching into her story. "You won't believe what just happened to me. I was cornered in an alley by some thugs, and then Sear showed up and saved me. But I was so embarrassed by my reaction, and I can't stop thinking about it!"

Ryujin and Chaeryeong exchange glances, realizing the gravity of the situation. They listen intently as Lia continues, recounting her encounter with Sear and how she froze up, unable to express her gratitude or even speak coherently.

"I feel so stupid," Lia admits, her voice cracking. "I wanted to thank her, but I just couldn't get the words out. And now, she probably thinks I'm a complete idiot."

Chaeryeong reaches over to give Lia a reassuring squeeze on her arm. "Hey, it's okay. You were in a scary situation, and it's normal to be overwhelmed. I'm sure Sear understands that."

Ryujin chimes in, nodding in agreement. "Besides, she's a superhero. She encounters people in distress all the time, and she probably knows that not everyone can react calmly in those situations. Don't be so hard on yourself."