Managing you || Ryeji

Chapter 49

They didn't speak for various minutes which was making Ryujin a little uneasy. Mostly because Yeji seemed to be in what she assumed to be shock. She wasn't crying or speaking. The entire time they were in Ryujin's car, Yeji was simply staring ahead.

Ryujin hadn't asked Yeji for her address. Mostly because she assumed that it would be worse for her to go back to the house she shared with Yeonjun. Especially after what just happened with her parents. If she went there, it would be very possible for her parents to show up at their door.

That's why Ryujin asked her driver to take them to her house. Such information would not be easily known and now that Yeonjun owned her company, Yeji's parents wouldn't be able to find it.

They would be safe at her apartment. Or at least she would hope so.

It didn't take too long for them to arrive, causing Yeji to finally wake up from whatever daze she seemed to be in as the car came to a full stop.

They made their way upstairs to the apartment in silence. Neither of them speaking a word until the door to her penthouse closed behind them.

Yeji looked at her with soft eyes. Making Ryujin want to simply hold her. She wanted to give her all the comfort possible. All the reassurance that everything would be alright that she shouldn't have given her years ago.

"Your neck." Yeji whispered, closing in the distance between them, her fingers hovering over where her father had his hands earlier.

Certainly she would have been left marked in that spot but honestly? The bruise on Yeji's cheek pained her much more than her own wounds.

Ryujin gently touched the older girl's face, turning it slightly to get a better view of where her father had connected his hand to.

"I was too late."

Yeji shook her head, looking at her with eyes that looked to be shinning. "What he did to you was much worse."

She shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

Ryujin brushes her hair back with her hand, one of the many habits she seemed to have. "I should have realized earlier. I should have known. I-" her voice started to falter her. She was so angry at herself for not realizing things earlier. For not having figured that Yeji would have never done something like that if she didn't have a reason.

"How could I have thought you'd-" she took a deep breath, trying to fight off the tears that threatened to come out. "I know you, Yeji. I know how good you are and yet I hated you. How could I? I should have known better."

"No. You were right." Yeji placed each hand on either side of her face, looking right into her eyes. "I betrayed you in so many ways. I wasn't strong enough to let go off you and ended up hurting you. You were right to hate me."

"That's not true." Ryujin countered. "You're the strongest person I know. You're so brave, Yeji. And selfless. You did all that. Suffered so much and all to protect others but what about you? Look where that got you."

Yeji didn't say a word back, she simply stared at Ryujin with what looked to be surprise.

"Do you want to know how I'm certain you're the best person I know? Even after all this. Even after all the pain it caused you. After losing everything just to protect me, my family and Yeonjun. After losing your family and everything you would have to your name. I bet you'd do it all again, wouldn't you? I bet even after knowing all you did was lose, you'd still do it all over again. Am I right?"

No words came out from the others mouth. Instead, she simply nodded, tears staining her cheeks once again.

"You're the most beautiful person I've known, Hwang Yeji. Don't you ever forget that." She sounded like she was threatening the woman in front of her but she quickly replaced her stern expression with a big smile.

"I hate that you made me hate you, Hwang Yeji. And I hate that I fell right into your lies. But you know what I hated the most? That even when I hated you, I loved you."

"Ryujin." Yeji whispered. Probably not knowing how to respond to all she had just admitted.

"You don't have to say it back. Or acknowledge what I said. It's too early to be talking about all this or even trying to figure out our feelings. Although, I figured them out before you even explained why you had done what you did. Which might be surprising to you. But that's a conversation for another time. Hell, you're not even divorced yet. And after everything, I know it will take a long time for us to be alright again. Even as friends."

"All I did, has been because I care for you. But I do need some time. I need to just be my own person. Without being attached to someone else. As a daughter, girlfriend, fiancée, wife... I need to just be me. To just be Yeji. Nothing else."

"We'll be working together. So for now, we'll be coworkers and then... well, time will tell."

Yeji nodded in agreement.

Ryujin smiled, hugging Yeji tightly. She was feeling overwhelmingly happy to see Yeji like this. Determined to be her own person rather than live a life according to anyone else.

"Don't wait for me." She muttered against her shoulder as they hugged.

"I don't want you to wait for me because I can't promise you that I will ever be ready. I don't know if I ever want to be with someone. For now, I can't imagine putting myself or someone else through that. Not when I'm all kinds of broken inside. And even if I can fix myself and piece every small broken piece together again, I don't know how I'll feel about you. I know that I love you. I do. I think I always will. But I can't ask you to wait for me to find myself. What if the free thinking version of myself doesn't want to be with you? I can't ask you to wait on a whim."

Ryujin chuckled, pulling away from the hug with her whiskers showing. "Silly. You don't have to ask. I volunteer. I'm sticking with you forever, as a friend. I don't want you to ever feel pressured to return my love. I just want to have you in my life. Honestly, even if you come to the conclusion that you don't love me, it won't change the fact I do love you. So don't be surprised if we are 80 and you've gone through a whole marriage with someone else and I'm on my death bed still professing my undying love for you."

Yeji smiled, looking to have loosen up at Ryujin's humor. But deep down, they knew. Both of them were aware that there was not a hint of a lie or sarcasm in her words. Ryujin meant everything she said.

She would be by Yeji's side as her friend, loving and caring for her. She would never pressure her nor expect anything of her. Ryujin would just be there, reading to give any love that Yeji would accept.

(Author's note: I have an idea for a time jump after this but give me your thoughts about this chapter and your opinion on my idea of skipping ahead)