13th August 2018
The sky had darkened slightly by the time Yuna finished her practice, a soft evening glow casting long shadows over the field. Wiping her brow, she gathered her things, her thoughts drifting to the phone call she’d had with her sister, Ryujin, just hours earlier.
“Unnie’s cooking something special,” she murmured to herself, a small smile pulling at her lips. The warmth of her sister’s voice still lingered, and the thought of the meal Ryujin was preparing filled her with excitement. Ryujin was always her rock, her safe place in a world that often felt harsh and unforgiving.
As she made her way home, Yuna noticed a gathering of people up ahead, a small crowd spilling out into the narrow street near her neighborhood. Curious, she slowed her steps, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening. The faint sound of murmuring voices and the occasional gasp reached her ears, but the growing crowd blocked her view.
She hesitated. Something about the scene made her stomach tighten with unease, but she brushed it off. Her unnie was waiting at home, after all, with a special dinner prepared just for her. This strange commotion, whatever it was, could wait. With one last glance at the crowd, Yuna turned down her street, quickening her pace as she approached the familiar sight of their small, cozy house.
The front door was slightly ajar, a faint scent of spices and simmered broth wafting out into the evening air. Yuna’s heart skipped a beat, a wave of gratitude washing over her as she imagined Ryujin bustling around in the kitchen, putting the final touches on their meal.
“Unnie, I’m home!” she called, stepping inside and dropping her bag by the door.
Silence. The house felt eerily still, as if frozen in a moment that had already passed. Yuna frowned, her gaze sweeping over the small living room and kitchen, searching for any sign of her sister.
On the dining table, dishes were neatly arranged—each one thoughtfully plated, her favorite dishes in abundance. The rich, savory aroma filled the room, wrapping around her like a warm embrace. But Ryujin was nowhere to be seen.
“Unnie?” she called again, her voice softer this time, a tinge of worry creeping into her tone. Yuna’s eyes caught sight of her sister’s phone, resting on the counter where she must have left it before stepping out. A pang of confusion settled in her chest. Ryujin never left her phone behind, especially not when she was expecting Yuna.
As she sat down at the table, Yuna stared at the meal, feeling a strange hollowness start to build in her stomach. She checked the time on her watch, trying to reassure herself. Maybe Ryujin had stepped out to run a quick errand, maybe she’d forgotten something for their dinner. But as the minutes ticked by, the silence grew heavier, pressing down on her shoulders, wrapping around her heart with a cold, suffocating grip.
An hour passed. The warm dishes on the table had grown cold, their vibrant colors dimmed under the flickering light. Yuna’s fingers drummed nervously against the table, her mind racing with a thousand silent questions. Where was Ryujin? What was taking her so long?
The unease that had begun as a faint whisper now screamed through her thoughts, each second of silence amplifying her dread. She stood up, pacing back and forth, glancing at the door every few seconds, hoping—praying—to see Ryujin’s familiar figure walk through. But each time, all that met her was the empty room and the quiet, unmoving shadows.
Just as she was about to go outside and search the neighborhood, her phone rang, its shrill tone cutting through the silence. Yuna’s heart jumped, a fleeting sense of relief washing over her as she quickly answered.
“Hello?” Her voice trembled slightly, a faint glimmer of hope in her tone.
“Yuna?” The voice on the other end was soft but strained, filled with a tension that made Yuna’s blood run cold. It was Yeji, Ryujin’s closest friend, her voice trembling with something that Yuna couldn’t quite place.
“Yes, it’s me… Yeji unnie, have you seen Ryujin unnie?” she asked, her voice growing more desperate as a knot of fear twisted in her stomach.
There was a brief, agonizing pause on the other end. Yuna could hear a shaky breath, the kind someone takes when they’re holding back tears.
“Yuna… I…” Yeji’s voice cracked, the words barely forming. “I’m so sorry, Yuna.”
Yuna’s world seemed to tilt, her heart pounding so loudly it drowned out everything else. “What…what are you talking about? Where’s my sister?” she asked, her voice high-pitched, bordering on panic.
Yeji took another breath, her voice breaking with the weight of the words she could barely bear to say. “There… there was an accident, Yuna. Ryujin… she—she didn’t make it.”
The words fell like stones, each one sinking into Yuna’s chest, anchoring her in a reality she couldn’t—wouldn’t—believe. She stumbled back, her vision blurring as her mind struggled to process what she’d just heard.
“No… No, you’re wrong!” she cried, shaking her head, her voice rising in a desperate plea. “She was just here. She was waiting for me…she was making dinner…she…”
But the silence that followed was damning. Yuna’s hands trembled as she clutched the phone, her knuckles turning white. She could hear the faint sounds of muffled sobs on the other end, the quiet grief of Yeji, and the finality of it all crashed over her like a wave.
Her legs buckled, the strength seeping out of her body as if it were being drained by the unimaginable grief that now consumed her. She crumpled to the floor, the phone slipping from her grasp as a raw, guttural cry tore from her throat—a sound of pure, unfiltered agony that seemed to echo through the empty house.
The image of Ryujin, her vibrant smile, her comforting presence, the warmth of her embrace—each memory cut deeper, each one a painful reminder of what she had just lost. The realization settled like a weight on her chest, making it hard to breathe, hard to think, hard to feel anything but the overwhelming ache that spread through her entire being.
The dishes on the table, the smell of the food that now felt so hollow, everything around her seemed to mock her grief, a painful reminder of the sister who would never come home. She clutched her chest, feeling as if her heart might shatter from the pain, each breath a struggle as tears streamed down her face, unchecked and unrelenting.
And then, in the blur of her grief, she saw figures rushing toward her—Lia and Chaeryeong, followed closely by Yeji, their faces etched with a mix of sadness and helplessness as they reached out to comfort her. But Yuna barely registered their presence, her world reduced to a spiraling, suffocating darkness.
She could hear their voices, soft murmurs of comfort that sounded distant and hollow, like echoes in a vast, empty void. Her body felt heavy, her mind blank, her soul a fractured, bleeding wound that no words could heal. The weight of her loss, of Ryujin’s absence, crushed down on her, pulling her deeper into the depths of despair.
As the world around her faded, her vision darkened, and her body finally gave in to the overwhelming sorrow. She felt herself fall, collapsing into the darkness as the last of her strength slipped away. The voices around her grew faint, blending into a distant hum as everything went black.
Yuna’s grief had consumed her, pulling her into a place beyond pain, beyond tears, beyond anything she could ever have imagined. And as her friends watched her fall, their own hearts broke for the girl who had just lost the one person who had been her everything.
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I literally crying bleeding losing when i wrote this chapter
YOU ARE READING
Guardian <remake>
FanfictionYuna is just an ordinary high school girl, and for her, bullying has become a routine part of life. But her older sister has always been there for her-protecting, caring, and standing by her side. Yuna couldn't be more grateful to have such a sister...
