Roses and Thorns (Jinlia)

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆-𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗲 | the rage of a sister

Book 1, Chapter 29
𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖱𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝖠 𝖲𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋

Jisu paced restlessly, her mind swirling with anxiety. Ryujin had promised to visit today, and as the sound of the gate creaking echoed through the quiet air, her heart skipped a beat. Ryujin had arrived.

The front door slammed open, and Ryujin’s gaze immediately locked onto Jisu’s. But instead of the warmth Jisu had hoped for, she saw only betrayal and fury burning in Ryujin’s eyes.

“Ryujin--”

Without a word, Ryujin’s hand flew through the air, connecting with Jisu’s cheek with a sharp slap.

Jisu stumbled back, her cheek stinging from the force, her eyes wide with shock. She stood there, speechless, trying to process what had just happened.

“How dare you, Choi Jisu!” Ryujin’s voice cracked like thunder, the anger in her words making the air tremble. The veins in her neck bulged, a clear sign of the fury coursing through her.

“What the hell did I do?!” Jisu screamed, tears springing to her eyes. Her voice trembled, a mixture of confusion and pain flooding her chest.

Ryujin’s gaze hardened, and though guilt pricked at her conscience, she didn’t soften. She stood tall, her jaw clenched, fists balled at her sides. Jisu could feel the tension radiating from Ryujin, her body rigid with suppressed rage. She was no longer the comforting presence Jisu had grown to trust.

“Yes, Jisu, what did you do?” Ryujin’s words were biting, cold.

Jisu’s lips trembled, her breath catching in her throat. She tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. She swallowed hard, attempting to steady herself, but the weight of Ryujin’s anger made it hard to breathe. Her eyes filled with unshed tears as she fought to keep them at bay.

Seeing her so fragile only seemed to fuel Ryujin’s fury. “I am utterly disgusted,” she said, the venom in her voice unmistakable.

“Let’s talk this over, moon of--”

“Don’t!” Ryujin shouted, her finger raised in warning, trembling with the intensity of her emotion. “Don’t you dare call me that.”

Jisu’s breath hitched, the ache in her chest intensifying with each passing second. She knew that calling Ryujin that name would only add to the growing distance between them, but the words had slipped out before she could stop them.

“How do you find the courage to call me that after betraying me?” Ryujin’s voice was quieter now, but it trembled with raw emotion. It was as if she couldn’t understand why Jisu would hurt her in such a way. Her tears began to fall, but she quickly wiped them away, a mixture of anger and frustration on her face.

“What in the...” Jisu tried to defend herself, but only a bitter chuckle escaped her lips. “You’re being really harsh, Ryujin.”

“Did you even consider how I’d react before you went behind my back?”

The words hit Jisu like a punch to the gut. She froze, the weight of Ryujin’s accusation sinking in. She could see Ryujin’s perspective nowㅡmisunderstanding everything she had done. But this wasn’t betrayal.

“It’s not what you think! I would never cheat on you!”

“I’m not an idiot, Jisu!” Ryujin shouted, her voice cutting through the air. She pulled something from her pocket and threw it at Jisu with force. “Take a look at these damn pictures, then try to tell me you’re innocent!”

Jisu collapsed to her knees, trembling as she gathered the photographs from the floor. Her fingers shook as she examined them. The images showed her and Yeji in a close embrace, the gifts just barely visible in the frame. The memory of the moment came rushing backㅡYeji’s confession, her plea not to be distanced. But how had these pictures surfaced?

Ryujin yanked Jisu to her feet with a brutal grip on her shoulder, her eyes blazing with fury. “How could you do this?!”

“R-Ryujin... you’ve got it all wrong. Please, just hear me out--”

Ryujin scoffed, the sound full of contempt. “Hear you out?” She grabbed Jisu’s arm, her voice dripping with disdain. “Save your explanations.”

“I didn’t cheat on you,” Jisu insisted, her voice breaking with desperation. “I wouldn’tㅡI couldn’t ever do that.”

“Wasn’t my love enough for you, Jisu? Why betray me?” Ryujin’s anger cracked, giving way to raw pain. Her voice dropped, filled with heartbreak. “It’s tearing me apart.”

Jisu reached out, wanting to comfort her, to make Ryujin understand. But Ryujin recoiled violently, the rejection cutting deep.

“This is the end for us, Jisu.”

Jisu’s world shattered. Her chest tightened as if her heart had been ripped from her body. The words hit her harder than any slap. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t form the words to make Ryujin take them back. She stood there, staring at her, silently begging her to reconsider.

But Ryujin merely shook her head, turning away and walking toward the door. Jisu’s legs felt like they would give out beneath her, but she managed to stumble after her.

“Ryujin! No!” Jisu cried out, her voice breaking as she chased after her. But by the time she reached the driveway, Ryujin was already getting into her car.

Desperation flooded her as she slapped her hand against the window. “Ryujin! Please, open the door! Don’t end things with me!”

But Ryujin started the engine, her car pulling away from Jisu in a blur of speed, vanishing into the distance.

“No!” Jisu screamed, her heart a tangled mess of disbelief and sorrow. She ran after the car, the sound of her feet pounding on the pavement drowning out everything else.

But the car was gone, and Ryujin was out of reach.

Jisu collapsed to her knees, her body shaking as she cried out her name. Her grief was all-encompassing, her mind struggling to hold onto any semblance of reality.

Then, arms wrapped around her, steadying her, pulling her close.

Jisu's sobs intensified as she recognized the person holding her.

“It’s going to be okay,” Chaeryeong murmured softly into Jisu's ear, guiding her toward her car.

“Chaeryeong-ah...” Jisu whispered, her voice broken as she allowed herself to be led away from the wreckage of her heart.

──⇌••⇋──

“Here, drink some water,” Chaeryeong said gently, handing Jisu a glass.

Jisu’s hands trembled as she took it, Chaeryeong’s watchful gaze never leaving her. The bruises on Jisu’s knees were starting to show, and her body shuddered with cold.

“What happened?” Chaeryeong asked, concern furrowing her brow.

Jisu recounted the events, Ryujin’s cruel words replaying in her mind.

‘This is the end for us, Jisu.’

The words echoed relentlessly, each one stabbing at her heart with more force than the last. The pain was almost unbearable, a physical ache that gnawed at her insides.

“Is it my fault?” Jisu asked quietly, her voice thick with uncertainty. “Was it wrong to offer Yeji comfort? I just wanted to show her kindness.” The sorrow was overwhelming, dragging her down further into despair.

“You’ve done nothing wrong,” Chaeryeong reassured her firmly, her voice full of conviction. “And I swear, I’ll make Ryujin regret the way she’s treated and shamed you.”