Love You Goodbye (ryeji)

2

The condo felt empty when Yeji stepped inside. The quiet hum of the refrigerator, the soft creaking of the floorboards beneath her feet, and the distant sound of cars passing outside were the only things that greeted her. She didn't bother to turn on the lights.

There was no need..

The darkness was her only company tonight.

Her phone had slipped from her grasp, landing softly on the couch as she entered. She closed the door behind her with a quiet click, but the sound felt too loud in the oppressive silence.

Yeji had been waiting for Ryujin all night—anxiously, hopefully—but the truth had settled in long before the call ended.

Ryujin wasn't coming.

Ryujin had chosen to stay away.

And the worst part? Yeji had no idea why.

Her eyes blurred with unshed tears as she sank onto the couch, curling up into herself. Her body felt heavy, like the weight of the world had settled on her shoulders. The emptiness of the condo mirrored the emptiness she felt inside.

Her chest ached, and every breath felt like a struggle.

I miss you.. Yeji thought.

She missed Ryujin.

She missed the woman who had promised to stay by her side. But tonight, that promise felt as fragile as glass, and it had shattered into a million pieces.

She buried her face in her hands, the tears finally falling freely, soaking her palms. She hadn't cried like this in months—years, even.

She had always been strong, for both herself and for Ryujin. But tonight, her heart broke wide open, and there was no holding it back.

Yeji didn't know how long she cried. Time seemed to blur into nothingness. Minutes turned into hours, and by the time she finally pulled herself together, her eyes were swollen and red, her throat raw from the sobs that had wracked her body.

The night was cold, and the silence was deafening, but she couldn't seem to find peace.

She wandered toward their bedroom, the faint sound of her footsteps echoing in the hallway.

The bed felt too big tonight. The bed looked too big without Ryujin in it.

She slid under the covers, clutching a pillow to her chest as if it could somehow fill the space that Ryujin had left behind. The smell of Ryujin's cologne still lingered on the sheets, but it felt distant, like a memory that was slowly fading away.

By the time the tears had stopped flowing, the clock on the wall read 1:45 AM. Her eyelids were heavy with exhaustion, but sleep didn't come easily.

How could it? How could she rest when the one person she trusted most had just shattered her world?

As the minutes ticked by, her eyes fluttered closed, but the haunting thoughts kept her awake.

What was Ryujin doing now?

Where was she?

Why hadn't she come home? Yeji thought.

The answer to that question came unexpectedly. The sound of the front door creaking open at 3:00 AM shattered the stillness, followed by the familiar sound of footsteps in the hallway.

Yeji's breath hitched as she lay there, frozen, unsure of what to do. Part of her wanted to run to Ryujin, to confront her, to demand an explanation.

But another part of her just wanted to stay where she was, to pretend that everything was fine, to act like her heart wasn't shattering into a million pieces.