Moving On With You, Jinjoo

44: Time & Space

The train station was bustling with activity as Yujin stood on the platform, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. She glanced around, feeling the weight of the past few days bearing down on her, each step towards the train feeling like a struggle against the tide of emotions threatening to overwhelm her.

Minju stood quietly next to her, her presence a comforting anchor amidst the chaos. She reached out, gently squeezing Yujin's hand.

The younger girl managed a weak smile in response, her heart heavy. As the train pulled into the station, her heart clenched with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension of the days to come. She hugged Minju tightly, pressing a kiss on top of her head as she lingered in the embrace for a moment longer than necessary as if she were trying to imprint the memory of her girlfriend's warmth into her soul.

"I'll see you soon," Minju whispered, her voice tinged with sadness yet filled with hope.

Yujin pulled away, nodding as she felt the older girl tucking her hair behind her ear, saying, "You're going to be okay." The younger looked at her with hope, giving her a gentle kiss.

With one final glance back at Minju, Yujin boarded the train.

The older girl watched as the train pulled away from the station, her thoughts consumed by worry for Yujin's well-being. She knew that the days ahead would be difficult for the both of them, each grappling with their own demons in their own way.

—

As Minju stepped through her home door, she expected a wave of relief and comfort to wash over her. After two long months away, she had been looking forward to the familiar sights and sounds of home, and the reassuring presence of Yujin by her side.

However, what greeted her was a heavy silence that hung in the air like a thick fog, suffocating her with its weight.

Instead of the joyful reunion she had envisioned, she found herself enveloped in a blanket of guilt and regret that seemed to smother her at every turn. Being worried about Yujin's well-being led to her ignoring her own. The memories of Taesung's passing haunted her every waking moment, casting a shadow over her homecoming and tainting the joy she had hoped to feel.

Minju was tired. Beyond exhausted.

But she wasn't too drained to ensure that Yujin was doing fine wherever she was. At school or back at the dorm.

Long before she knew, for the whole week, Minju had been staying at home, cocooned in the safety of her own four walls as her messages to Yujin met with a stony silence.

Each unanswered text only served to deepen her sense of unease, adding to the burden of guilt that weighed heavily on her heart. Yet, despite the nagging feeling that something was wrong, Minju couldn't bring herself to confront the issue.

With an important presentation looming on the horizon, she had thrown herself into preparing for it, burying herself in work as a distraction from the turmoil brewing within her.

What did she do wrong? Was she not doing enough? Or was she doing too much by constantly checking on Yujin? Could she have done something, done better when Taesung was around? How did she not manage to connect the dots?

All those thoughts lingered with her as days passed. The silence between her and Yujin grew deafening, punctuated only by the relentless ticking of the clock and the steady beat of Minju's racing heart. With each passing hour, the weight of her guilt and regret only seemed to grow heavier as Yujin's answers went cold.