Manual Of The Forbidden - Ryeji

Chapter 19

I watched the affection Lia and Ryujin showed each other, instantly feeling uneasy, not to mention the already bruised heart beating beneath my chest.

Yuna nudged me and signaled that we should leave that place. We both felt hurt. I took her by the wrist and led her to my room.

As I closed the door, I knew both of their attention was on us. The last thing I wanted was for Lia and Ryujin to think poorly of me and Yuna, but my heart was too sore to stop and think about anything else.

Yuna sat on my bed, and I leaned against the door. We both looked at each other for a long moment, as if communicating with our eyes. Until she broke the silence.

—I guess you had a lot of fun,— she said.

—More than ever,— I admitted, moving away from the door to sit beside her. —And what about you? Why were you with Lia?—

She smiled.

—Well, since I couldn't find you two here, she called me, and you know I wouldn't miss a chance to be with her, nor would I leave her alone,— she confessed.

I lay down on the bed, sighing.

—Can I confess something to you?— I whispered.

Yuna turned on her seat and looked down at me.

—Go ahead,— she said.

—I love your sister,— I whispered quietly, as if they could hear me.

Yuna laughed.

—I'm so sorry,— she said, patting my leg near the knee.

As the days went by, the guilt didn't disappear, but rather, it grew.

I walked through the familiar streets to reach the Kim's photography lab, where one of the few people who understood and supported me was. However, talking to Winter this time wouldn't be so easy since Chaeryeong was accompanying me. She immediately offered when she found me in the hallway of the building and knew I was heading here.

I looked at her.

—Are you going to ask her out?— I asked.

—Do you think she'll say yes?— she said nervously.

—Of course she will,— I laughed.

—Do you think she'll like me?—

—Find out today,— I finished.

When we arrived, Chaeryeong stood behind me, like a totally shy child, but Winter's clear eyes sparkled instantly when she saw her. I stepped aside to not obstruct her view, and the smile between them said more than a thousand words.

I cleared my throat, making myself noticed. Winter looked at me instantly.

—Oh, Yeji, hi. New photos?— I smiled, taking it as a given.

I gave Winter and Chaeryeong the opportunity to talk, hoping Chaeryeong would really ask her out, while I was developing the photographs. When I finished, I stacked them and looked at each one.

There were about twenty photographs, and most of them had one thing in common: Ryujin's beautiful face.

It had almost become an obsession to capture her, as if to preserve the memory or at least have proof that the moments with her had been real.

I checked the time on my phone screen; it was six thirty-five. I had two options to choose from: one was to stay here with Winter and Chaeryeong to avoid feeding that feeling with Ryujin's company; the other was to hurry up to reach the apartment and find her, because that feeling wanted to be nourished.