i've never been more in love | ryeji

promise me something

To Yeji, Ryujin had never really meant much. She was always quiet and reserved, which made her not want to pry in on her life at all. But when she sees Ryujin crying her eyes out at a bus stop, all that changes.

It was on a Friday, the twenty-fourth of December, that the universe decided to put them in each other's paths.

Seoul was inevitably busy no matter what day it was. The sound of drivers screaming at each other and honking their horns repeatedly as the rain poured heavily was nothing new. But as she walked towards her favorite coffee shop to get her dose of midnight caffeine, she realized that there was one thing new about that day.

It was Ryujin.

She sat there on the bench of the bus stop, her eyes sore. She didn't look like she was waiting for a bus, either.

Why are you here, Shin Ryujin?

Her clothes were soaked by the rain that showed no signs of stopping. Opposing her better judgement, she walked towards the younger. One step after another, heartbeat after heartbeat.

"Ryujin?"

Ryujin quickly moved her head to face where the voice came from, her eyes widening as she saw who it was. "Yeji? What are you doing here?"

She smiled. "I was gonna go get some coffee like I always do. Do you mind if I asked you to come with me?"

"What?"

"It's on me, and if you want to, you can talk about what's bothering you."

Ryujin wasn't one to talk to people other than those she had known since diapers, but something about Yeji made her want to say yes—there was something about the cat-eyed Hwang who stood beside the bench she sat on that made her vulnerable.

"Alright." She stood up from her seat, putting her hands in the pocket of her jeans.

Yeji opened the door for her, smiling, and she could have sworn that she felt her heart skip a beat right at that moment. But, why? All she did was hold the door open. Why would she feel this way over an action so simple?

Shaking her head, and the thoughts away, she finds a table for two right by the window and sits there.

"Black coffee, right?"

She hummed in response.

-

It's Saturday, the fifteenth of February, but Ryujin could have sworn that that Friday had just happened. Yeji this, Yeji that. Yeji was all she could think of. The way her cat eyes formed little crescents when she smiled, the way her voice was so soothing that she swears that every time she hears the older say her name, she melts. But what got her feeling so unnerved was how Yeji could tear her walls down with a single smile—the way she made everything feel so easy, and the way she made Ryujin feel so light.

It's….uncanny.

She groans as she sits up on her bed, getting annoyed by how her phone vibrated non-stop. But that feeling soon dissipates as she unlocks it and sees the chain of messages that Yeji had sent her, and is replaced with a feeling of warmth.

As much as Ryujin hated to admit it, Yeji was the first person to make her feel this way in ten years. The idea of falling in love scared her, and it still does, but Yeji had this power to make her feel like love wasn't so scary after all.

Well, maybe it is a tad bit scary. But that's only because Yeji was her best friend, and the fact that she'd caught feelings for her own best friend already scared her enough. Actually, no. It's terrifying. The thought that she could ruin everything they already have just by being honest with her and admitting her feelings terrified her. But, she loved being in love with Yeji. Being in love with her felt so natural. The moment she'd come to the realization that she felt something for the girl, she wasn't surprised at all. Yeah, it was kind of shocking at one point—to think you've fallen for your best friend. As cliché as it seems, it's shocking at first. But once she'd thought about it all, who wouldn't? Who wouldn't call in love for Hwang Yeji? The girl who can dance, sing, and even rap; the girl who hugs you and kisses your forehead when you feel down; the girl who can make you feel loved so easily; the girl who doesn't push you to open up, but will have you telling her everything at the end of the day. The Hwang Yeji—with her cat eyes and beautiful smile—who wouldn't call for her?