You Are My Cure

15

Yeji's POV:

After the art exhibition ended and the evening drew close, I said goodbye to my friends and was trying to decide whether to call my mom or catch the bus. Just then, I heard the familiar honk of a bike and looked up, my spirits lifting instantly. 

It was Ryujin, pulling up on her bike with that familiar playful glint in her eyes. She parked the bike and got off, and my mood soared—I couldn't help but flash her my best smile, which she returned with an equally bright one.

As I jogged over to her, she started helping me with the helmet. I couldn't resist a bit of teasing. 

"You know I can do it myself, right?" I said, pretending to be serious.

"Yeah, I know you can do it yourself, but I should take care of my princess, or the queen will be mad," she replied, her chuckle mixing with the hum of the evening.

Laughing along, I decided to keep up the playful act. "So, how was your day, princess?" she asked as she swung her leg over to settle in front of the bike.

"It was good, but I missed a certain someone a little," I answered, keeping up our lighthearted banter.

As we prepared to leave, I briefly lost my balance while mounting the bike and instinctively grabbed Ryujin's hand to steady myself. I noticed a flicker of pain cross her face, but she quickly masked it with a smile.

Confused, I wondered, *Did I grip her hand too tightly?* But it didn't seem like I had.

Pushing the thought aside, we set off toward home, the city lights blurring past as we rode through the cooling night air.

Ryujin's POV:

When we reached home after the ride, I noticed Yeji's mom's car parked outside. As we prepared to head in, I hesitated and kept my gloves on, trying to hide the bandaged wound on my palm from Yeji to avoid worrying her.

She almost caught on, starting to mention, "Ryujin, I think you forgot to take off your glo—" but was interrupted when Mom Selugi burst out of the house.

"Why are you both standing outside? Come inside!" she exclaimed, ushering us in before Yeji could finish her sentence.

Inside, I noticed the beautiful lady from earlier was still there. The house was filled with the delicious aroma of food, causing Yeji to exclaim, "Wow, it smells so nice, Mom! What did you cook?" She dashed into the kitchen and then ran back, throwing her arms around her mom. "Ah, I love you, Mom! I was craving this food so badly today!"

While I watched Yeji bubbling with happiness, her mom responded with a smile, "Woah, woah, kitten, calm down. I didn't cook anything."

Breaking the hug with a puzzled look, Yeji turned to the beautiful lady. "Was it you, Aunty?" she asked.

The lady shook her head, and Yeji's confusion deepened. Her eyes then landed on me, still laughing. Realization dawned, and her eyes widened like a startled cat's. "Oh my God, Ryujin, did you cook this?!" I just shrugged, still chuckling.

Then, in excitement, Yeji ran over and hugged me tightly. "OMG, Ryuddaeng! You are the best!" After a moment, she let go and suddenly remembered the other surprise. "Wait, we have got a cat in our house?" She noticed Dallie, who seemed to have already taken a liking to her. "OMG, Mom, this is the best day of my life!"