Featuring You ▷II YEJISU

28

Yeji went to the bathroom and never came back. Ryujin's anxiety spiked.

It wasn't like Yeji was a helpless kid—she could very much take care of herself. But she was drunk, alone, and away from their privated area in a bar full of strangers. Best case, she'd run off with some random D-list celebrity. Worst case scenario isn't anything Ryujin would even want to imagine.

After a few minutes, Ryujin's worry overtakes her. She excuses herself from the conversation and makes her way to the bathroom.

It is empty, Yeji isn't there.

Yeji might be drunk, but she isn't stupid. Ryujin's next thought is to check the back door—maybe she had slipped out for some fresh air or a quick smoke.

Stepping into the alley, the atmosphere shifted, darker and quieter than the bustling bar. The faint murmur of music barely reaches her. Relief surges when she spots Yeji a little farther away. But just as she's about to call out for her, she sees someone else—Lia.

The two were drunkenly stumbling, Lia clinging onto Yeji, pulling her into messy kisses every few steps. Her hand rested possessively on Yeji's waist while the latter's arm is wrapped around her neck.

Ryujin freezes, watching in a swirl of shock, confusion, and anger—she couldn't even tell which emotion was stronger.

Lia stops suddenly, pulling Yeji into a passionate kiss, her hand trailing down Yeji's thigh as she giggled, murmuring something about needing to get back to the hotel.

Ryujin thought she understood heartbreak. But this was something else entirely.

Tears spill from her eyes before she could stop them. She turns and flees back inside, with her heels clacking against the floor. She barely holds it together as she collapses onto a high-top chair, burying her face in her arms.

Why? What had she done to deserve this again?

A sudden loud ruckus can be heard just a few feet away, but Ryujin's attention just couldn't focus on anything but her sorrows. "Where is she?" she could hear being repeated over and over by someone, with cusses, similarly to how she behaved minutes ago.

As she continues to sob, lost in her own pain until a figure seats down next to her. She tenses, assuming it was another guy trying to hit on her at the worst possible time. She would've told her manager to deal with him, but everyone was too busy searching for Yeji. Even if she knew the truth about her whereabouts, she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.

"Hey, are you okay?" The voice was soft. A woman's voice.

"No," Ryujin chokes out. "No, I'm not."

A gentle hand rested on her back, rubbing soothingly. The warmth of it only made her feel worse. Yeji was always the one to comfort her when she cried.

"What happened?" the stranger asks quietly.

Ryujin inhales shakily with her blocked nose, before letting another sob wrack her body. She cradles her head in her hands, utterly broken.

"I love this girl," she whispers, voice trembling. "I love her so much, but she... she doesn't love me back. And it's killing me. I have to watch her with all these other girls, and it just... it hurts so much."

Her words tumble out messily between hiccups and sobs. "I just want to tell her. I want to say, 'Hey, I'm in love with you' but I can't. She always loves someone else. Never me."

When she hears her interlocutor hums, she continues, a little more agitated, "And she's a fuckin' liar! She's still hung up on her ex but she'll always deny. I see it on her face! I see it... I can see when she thinks about her... I can see that it hurts her. I tried to help but I feel so powerless. And I love her so much."

Tears stream freely as the stranger pulled her into a side hug, letting Ryujin cry against her shoulder. Ryujin wanted to see who was comforting her, but her eyes were too swollen from crying to even try.

"It's okay," the sweet stranger says. "You'll be okay." Ryujin wants to do nothing but to trust those words, even if they are hard to believe. "I'm Yuna, by the way," the stranger says.

~/~

Ryujin had fallen asleep, exhausted from crying. Her head found itself a comfortable home in the form of Yuna's arms. The latter had tried to wake her but eventually gave up. For once, Ryujin looked so peaceful.

So now, Yuna finds herself carrying Ryujin bridal-style to her own room. It was already a hassle the get her in the Uber, but she couldn't leave her behind so devastated. They'll have to handle the issue of Ryujin's lost hotel key at a later date. For now, Yuna delicately laid Ryujin on her bed, careful as to not wake her.

Too tired to shower, she wipes off her makeup and changes into pajamas, stealing glances at Ryujin in the reflection of the mirror. She was fast asleep, her glittery makeup still sparkled under the moonlight coming in from the windows, and her stage outfit was wrinkled from the night's events.

What have I gotten myself into? Yuna thinks.

Finally dressed in her pyjamas, she ultimately climbs into the small twin bed, turning her back to Ryujin. The bed was so narrow that she knew she'd end up on the floor by morning but that didn't matter at all. Ryujin looked too beautiful to disturb.