Settling boundaries

Chapter 7

-

"I just can't keep trying to save this relationship anymore, Ryu," Yeji said, tears streaming down her face.

Ryujin, struggling to hold back her emotions, remained calm. "I can fight for both of us, don't worry," she said, reaching for Yeji's hands.

But Yeji pulled away. "No, Ryujin. You'll just get tired too."

"Please, Yeji, what's wrong? Tell me. I don't want to lose you," Ryujin pleaded, her voice cracking.

"I'm sorry, but I'm really tired of this relationship," Yeji repeated.

"..Let's end it," Ryujin's world seemed to crumble as she heard those words.

"You can't be serious, right? Come on, Yeji. We've been through so much. We can't end it like this," Ryujin begged, moving closer, but Yeji stepped back.

"Let's take some time to fix ourselves, okay? Maybe in the future, if the world leads us back together, I'll be willing to try again. But right now, I'm really tired," Yeji said, tears are still falling.

"Tired?" Ryujin asked. "Tired from what? Our relationship? Loving me?" she shouted, her own tears flowing freely.

"It's not that I don't love you anymore," Yeji protested.

"If you really did, you wouldn't leave me like this. What's the reason? Tell me instead of just walking away."

"I've told you many times, I'm tired—"

"Shut up! If you're tired, I'll let you rest. Why do we need to break up? You can always lean on me when you need someone."

Ryujin continued to cry, pouring out her pain. "I've risked everything for you. I gave you all my love. I always tried to understand you, no matter how hard it was. When you needed someone, I was always there. But you? You leave my texts on read and ignore me at school. I'm tired too, but I never thought of leaving you. I wanted to be with you no matter how much it hurt."

"Ryujin," Yeji called out, but Ryujin shook her head and ran away.

Yeji sat down, crying, thinking about all she had done to Ryujin.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to herself as she cried.

-

"Wow, Ryujin." That was the only word Winter could say as Ryujin finished telling her what happened six months ago.

Ryujin wiped the tear that managed to roll down her cheek. "Yeah..."

Winter reached out, gently placing a hand on Ryujin's shoulder.

"I'm really sorry you had to go through that. And now you two are paired for this science project. How's it been working with her?"

Ryujin sighed. "It's been... complicated."

"We’ve almost finished the project, but every time we're together, we'll joke and laugh at some shit and then when it gets serious we end up bringing up the past and then there's like an invisible wall between us."

Winter nodded thoughtfully. "It sounds like you both still have a lot of unresolved feelings. Maybe you need to have an honest conversation, no distractions, just lay everything out."

"Yeah, maybe. But I'm scared, Winter. What if it just makes things worse?" Ryujin looked down, fidgeting with the edge of her notebook.

Winter squeezed her shoulder gently. "Or it could be the start of healing. You won't know until you try. And remember, you're not alone in this. You've got friends who care about you."