Guardian <remake>

4 ✔️

10th August 2018

The days following Ryujin’s death passed in a heavy blur for Yeji. Grief clung to her like a shadow, following her into every room, whispering in the quiet moments when she was alone. She hadn’t slept more than a few hours since that horrible day. The world seemed dimmer without Ryujin’s vibrant presence, and the emptiness left by her absence felt like an unhealed wound. Her heart ached not only for herself but also for Yuna, who had lost the sister that had been her entire world.

It was a quiet afternoon, and Yeji was sitting in her room, staring blankly at her phone screen, lost in thought. She barely noticed her mother’s footsteps in the hall until her mother knocked gently and entered.

“Yeji-ah, one of your friends is here to see you,” her mother said softly, as if sensing her daughter’s sorrow.

Yeji furrowed her brows, her heart sinking at the thought of seeing anyone right now. She didn’t want pitying looks or words of comfort that couldn’t bring Ryujin back. “Who is it?” she asked, her voice dull and tired.

“She said she’s your friend,” her mother replied, a note of confusion in her tone. “She’s waiting in the living room.”

Yeji felt a flicker of irritation as she got up. She hadn’t told anyone to visit her, and she didn’t need anyone’s company right now. With a sigh, she trudged to the living room, bracing herself for whatever well-meaning friend had come to try to console her.

But when she reached the room and saw who was waiting, her heart froze.

Kwon Eunbi was standing there, shifting nervously, her gaze lowered. Seeing her face was like a punch to Yeji’s gut, and a surge of anger flared in her chest. Eunbi—the girl who had bullied Yuna, the girl whose very presence was a reminder of everything Ryujin had fought against to protect her sister. And now, after everything, she had the audacity to show up here, in her home, pretending to be her friend?

Yeji clenched her fists, fighting the urge to lash out. She took a slow, deep breath, forcing herself to keep her voice steady.

“I didn’t know we were friends, sunbaenim,” she said, her voice laced with bitterness as she met Eunbi’s gaze with a hard glare.

Eunbi flinched at the coldness in Yeji’s eyes, but instead of retaliating or walking away, she took a hesitant step forward. There was something off in her expression—an unusual softness, a vulnerability that felt out of place for the girl Yeji knew.

“Yeji un—I mean, Yeji,” Eunbi corrected herself, stumbling over the familiar way she had begun to address her. “There’s… there’s something I need to tell you.”

Yeji’s eyes narrowed, suspicion gnawing at her. What could Eunbi possibly have to say that would matter? Still, something in Eunbi’s tone gave her pause, and against her better judgment, she stayed, folding her arms as she fixed her glare on the girl before her.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice icy, refusing to let any of her emotions slip through.

Eunbi took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly as she looked at Yeji with a mix of desperation and sincerity. “I know… I know this is going to sound unbelievable. But I need you to trust me, even if it’s just this once. You’re the only person I can tell this to.”

Yeji scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Trust you? After everything you and your group did to Yuna? Do you think I’d believe a word that comes out of your mouth?”

Eunbi bit her lip, pain flashing in her eyes, but she pressed on, her voice soft but insistent. “I am… I am Shin Ryujin.”

The words hung in the air, incomprehensible, absurd. Yeji’s anger flared, and without thinking, she stormed forward, her hands reaching out to grab Eunbi’s collar. She pulled her close, her voice a low, venomous whisper.