Guardian <remake>

7 ✔️

8th August 2018

The sky was overcast, heavy clouds gathering as if mirroring the weight of loss that hung over the small crowd. Friends, family, and neighbors slowly filed in, each person carrying with them a sense of sorrow that filled the air like a suffocating fog. The scent of freshly turned earth mingled with the faint perfume of flowers, and a stillness settled over the gathering as people came to pay their final respects to Ryujin.

Near the entrance, Chaeryeong, Yeji, and Lia greeted the mourners, their faces pale and drawn, eyes rimmed with red. They offered polite nods and murmured words of gratitude, though their voices were barely above whispers, each syllable laced with grief. As each guest came forward, they shared memories of Ryujin, quiet words filled with warmth and sorrow, reminders of the light she had brought into the lives of everyone she touched.

Amid the murmurs and quiet sobs, Yuna sat alone, tucked away in a corner of the room, her small frame almost swallowed by the shadows. Her eyes were hollow, red and swollen from a night of endless tears. She stared blankly at the floor, her fingers twisting a small ribbon Ryujin had once gifted her. The exhaustion was evident in her every movement-she had cried through the long, empty hours of the night until no more tears would come, and now, her body felt hollow, too tired even for grief.

Chaeryeong glanced toward her, her heart breaking at the sight of Yuna's stillness, her quiet suffering. She nudged Yeji gently, and the two of them exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them. They both knew how close Yuna had been to her sister, the bond they had shared-a bond deeper than words, stronger than anything they'd ever seen.

The two girls walked over to Yuna, their steps slow and hesitant, as if afraid that even the softest whisper might shatter her delicate composure. Chaeryeong lowered herself beside Yuna, wrapping her arms around her in a gentle, protective embrace. Yeji knelt in front of her, her hands reaching out to rest on Yuna's trembling ones.

"Yuna," Yeji's voice was soft, tender, trying to soothe the raw edges of Yuna's pain. "Don't cry anymore, please... She wouldn't want to see you like this." Yeji avoided saying Ryujin's name, knowing that it might only deepen the wound.

Yuna's lip quivered, and she blinked, her vision blurring as fresh tears started to well up. Her voice was barely more than a whisper, hoarse from hours of crying. "Then why... why did she leave me alone?" Her words wavered, each one filled with a depth of agony that only comes from the loss of someone irreplaceable. "She promised me... she promised she'd be there when I got home... We were supposed to celebrate my first win together. So... why did she leave?"

Yeji and Chaeryeong exchanged a glance, their own hearts aching with the weight of Yuna's words. They knew there was no answer, no explanation that could ease the unbearable loss. All they could do was hold her, hoping that their presence might offer some small comfort, even as they felt the emptiness of their own words.

Yuna's voice grew softer, almost childlike, her expression filled with a mixture of confusion and despair. "Did she hate me? Is that why she left?" She paused, a single tear slipping down her cheek as she continued, her voice barely audible. "Was I... just a burden to her? A spoiled, annoying sister she didn't want around anymore?"

Her tears began to fall in silent streams, each one tracing a path down her cheeks, each one carrying a piece of her shattered heart. The thought of Ryujin leaving her willingly, abandoning her to face the world alone, felt like an unbearable betrayal, even though she knew deep down it wasn't true. She was grasping at straws, trying to make sense of a loss that defied reason.

As she wept, a gentle sensation brushed against her cheek-a soft, almost imperceptible touch, as if someone were wiping away her tears. Yuna's breath caught in her throat, and for a brief, fleeting moment, she felt the familiar warmth of her sister's hand, the same comforting touch Ryujin had always offered whenever Yuna cried. Her heart leaped, and she looked around wildly, her voice catching as she called out.

"Unnie?" Her voice trembled, tinged with a fragile hope. She looked around, her eyes darting from face to face, searching for a glimpse of her sister in the crowd. "Unnie, where are you?"

Yeji's hand tightened around hers, and Chaeryeong's arms wrapped more securely around her shoulders, anchoring her in place. They exchanged worried glances, a mix of sorrow and understanding in their eyes. They knew Yuna was in denial, clinging to any thread of hope that Ryujin might still be with her.

"Yuna," Chaeryeong's voice was gentle but firm, trying to bring her back to reality. "Ryujin... she's gone."

Yuna shook her head, a look of stubborn disbelief etched into her tear-streaked face. "No," she whispered, her voice filled with desperation. "I heard her. I felt her hand on my cheek... just like she always did when I cried..."

Chaeryeong and Yeji shared another look, their own hearts breaking as they watched Yuna struggle against the truth. Chaeryeong reached out, resting a hand on Yuna's shoulder, her voice trembling with empathy. "Please, Yuna... you have to let her go. It's what she would want."

But Yuna couldn't let go. She couldn't bring herself to accept the unbearable reality that her sister, her unnie, her rock, was gone. She pulled away from them, stumbling as she stood up, her gaze darting around the room, searching desperately for Ryujin. Her voice grew louder, more frantic, the sound of a heart breaking in real time.

"No!" she cried, her voice echoing through the room, filled with a desperation that silenced everyone around her. "She's here! I know she is... Unnie, where are you? Please... please don't leave me alone..."

She took a shaky step forward, her knees weak, her vision swimming with tears. The familiar faces of friends and family blurred around her, fading into a sea of indistinct shapes as her mind clung to the faint hope that somehow, her sister might still be there, somewhere, waiting for her.

But as she staggered forward, the full weight of her grief finally bore down on her, crushing her under its suffocating hold. Her legs buckled, and her vision darkened, her strength sapped by the relentless ache in her chest.

As her body crumpled to the ground, Yeji, Lia, and Chaeryeong rushed forward, catching her before she could fall completely. But it was too late-Yuna had already succumbed to the darkness, her grief too heavy, too consuming for her to bear.

In the dim, heavy silence that followed, the three friends held her, their own tears falling freely as they watched over her, feeling the depth of her loss, her despair, as if it were their own. The sight of Yuna's fragile, broken form lying limp in their arms was a heartbreaking reminder of the girl she had been, a girl now lost in a sea of sorrow with no one left to guide her back.

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