Serendipity (Ryeji)

Avoidance (Pt. 2)

"Where the hell have you been? You even had Yeji worried."

"Please don't mention her."

"So it does have to do with her."

She walks over to the counter to finish peeling the orange, ignoring the question-like statement. "You see I'm alive and healthy, now you all can go enjoy your day."

"You can't send us off like that, Shin." Hyunjin crosses her arms across her chest while tapping her foot, agitated with the response. "We wouldn't be here if we weren't worried about you."

"She's right." Heejin defends her statement. "We're here because we care."

Hoping to shoo them away, Ryujin squints her eyes briefly, then continues to peel, pretending she doesn't care. She isn't sure why she's trying though, aware they'll see right through her petty little act. "So stop caring."

"THAT'S IT!" Chaeryeong storms off toward her best friend and rips the orange out of her hand, tosses it in the garbage.

"Hey! That was my dinner!"

"You're kidding, right?" The pink-haired girl sighs and turns around to reach for another orange, but Chaeryeong swiftly snatches that one out of her hands too. "What have you eaten all day??"

Ryujin slumps against the door of the fridge. "My bottomless pit of emotions."

"Ugh. Hyunjin, take this." Chaeryeong hands the orange she acquired from Ryujin directly to Hyunjin, who takes the hint and happily throws that one in the trash just like the previous one.

"What did my oranges do to you??"

"Hush up. You're dressed already so let's go and get you some food."

"I've lost the will to go anywhere."

"As if you're getting out of this that easily." Heejin scoffs. "If you're going to be lazy, we'll just bring you the food."

No hesitation, Chaeryeong offers to tag along with Heejin, both very serious about making sure their friend eats properly and doesn't let her emotions ruin her appetite. This left a particular two alone, which is normally an okay thing. However, Hyunjin and Ryujin, whenever it comes to emotions, they don't often know how to talk it out. It's not that there is a lack of trust in each other. They've just always been this way, and their personalities were alike from that perspective.

One moves to sit on the couch whereas the other follows. Although they don't typically discuss these types of things, Hyunjin deemed it necessary for this to be one of those rare occurrences. "You know you can talk to me about this, right? Or you can vent if that's preferred. I'll listen."

Happy she asked, Ryujin smiles down at her knees that she had pressed against her chest, currently hugging them. Hyunjin was always a good friend, even if sometimes she had weird ways of showing her affection. Anytime Hyunjin asks her to open up, Ryujin never denies. "Yeji hasn't done anything wrong, but I got jealous yesterday and avoided her."

"Is it because of Yeonjun?"

"Yes." The sound of his name alone annoys Ryujin, but put it in the same sentence as Yeji's and she might just cry. Life's too cruel. "How do I get over her?"

"I don't think that is something you can just decide."

"You don't?"

"Aren't I a primary example?" Hyunjin exhales, gestures toward her friend with a light chuckle. "Somehow she even preferred you over me."

Though the atmosphere of this talk was meant to be serious, Ryujin can't help laughing a little herself. While that was initially true, recently she's seen Heejin give similar looks to Hyunjin whenever the latter isn't looking. She recognizes them, aware she was once upon a time on the receiving end at the beginning of the school year. She didn't see any harm coming out of Hyunjin taking a chance sometime soon now that they've reached winter. "You should try telling her, see where it leads."