Love's a Curse

Retreating Emotions

When Yubin woke up the next morning, she was disappointed to find Bora's bed already empty, the washroom was empty too. She didn't get to talk to Bora last night either. By the time she had returned to their loft that night, Bora was already asleep.

She wasn't in a hurry that morning, pointedly ignoring the sadness filling in her chest. She told herself it was due to the fact that her day would start with the most upsetting class for her to sit through, and not that she felt like Bora was avoiding her.

No, it definitely wasn't that, because why should she care if the demon was avoiding her? They weren't friends.

Yubin stepped out from under the warm pressure of the waterfall, pulled her towel around her body before walking over to the foggy mirrors and clearing the glass with her hand. She looked herself over through her reflection, her soft features and delicate shoulders making her look as fragile as a flower.

She hated it. She thinks she looks as weak as she felt, as innocent as they say. Yubin stroked her face with her hand, then felt her arms before draping her hair over her shoulders. She wishes she was stronger.

Giving herself one more once over in the mirror, Yubin got dressed for the day and headed to her first lesson.

In class she hardly pays attention, she's heard these stories a hundred times. She didn't have much of a choice but to learn the history of her ancestors every day of her life. This is what she was raised to do, to fulfill a fate that was set by someone else. And there wasn't much she could do about it.

She hated this class, it hurt too much, hearing the same outcome for different goddesses of purity throughout the years. It was almost always death at the hands of man, and Yubin just didn't want to think about it. It was best she didn't, otherwise it would keep her up at night.

During the lesson the professor was talking about a particular purity goddess that had caught her attention, a goddess that fought back against her fate when it seemed unfair. But it was no use, she ended up dying in the garden anyway. Outcome to be expected, of course, Yubin doesn't know why she thought otherwise, even for a second.

At lunch, Yubin went searching for Bora, but she couldn't seem to find her. She felt as if she had walked around the dining hall several times and hadn't seen her even once.

She went around asking a few other students, who were less than helpful, either not giving her an answer, shrugging her off or asking what they got in return if they told her.

Until finally Gahyeon had found her, telling her that Bora was eating in the garden.

Yubin found the demon of war shortly after, sitting on a bench in front of a small pond in the garden outside the dining hall.

"Why are you eating out here?" Yubin questioned softly.

Bora immediately got up from her place on the bench and took her full tray with her. "Just want to be alone." She told her, and Yubin watched Bora brush past her towards the hall.

It hurt a little, but she didn't go after her. With a slight sting in her chest, she stayed behind in the garden and finished her lunch alone.

At the end of the day, Yubin stopped by evolution to watch the matches between demons, goddesses and warriors. Bora had spotted her arrival and didn't acknowledge her presence.

Yubin didn't wave like she wanted to, afraid Bora would see it and not acknowledge that either. It would hurt too much—- it would hurt more.

During Bora's match, she was losing right from the beginning, against the goddess of love, which was a huge contrast to what Yubin had witnessed before. Bora was such a powerful demon, very smart and skillful in her ability. So watching her lose was new, especially so easily.