The silence was deafening. Lee Chaeryeong and Shin Ryujin sat opposite each other, both knowing what was coming.
"You know, I've been the happiest when I'm with you... you made me realize who I am. You're my safe zone, my refuge. You're the only person I loved this much. But our parents despises our relationship so much," Chaeryeong said, looking at her hands.
Ryujin kept silent. She knew that it was for the best. But she didn't want to. She wanted to keep Chaeryeong by her side forever, never letting her go.
Chaeryeong choked on her sobs as she started talking. Ryujin cracked a small smile. "Why are you crying? Now I'm crying too!" She exclaimed, reaching forward and cupping Chaeryeong's cheek as she wiped her tears away.
"Really, thank you so much for everything," Chaeryeong sobbed, holding Ryujin's hands. "But this is the best for us," she continued.
"I understand," Ryujin replied, her voice showing no trace of sadness.
Chaeryeong started crying now. She wasn't trying to hide it anymore. With all her strength, she pushed Ryujin's hands away from her face. Chaeryeong wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as tears flowed down her eyes. Ryujin leaned back on her chair, watching the love of her life with broken eyes.
Suddenly, memories of their schooling days rushed into Ryujin's mind.
It was when Ryujin finally confessed to Chaeryeong. The duo were standing by a large tree, Ryujin rehearsing her speech in her mind while Chaeryeong waited patiently.
When Ryujin finally spoke up and confessed, Chaeryeong was shocked but accepted it nonetheless.
Another memory. It was graduation day. Ryujin was holding a bouquet of blue flowers while Chaeryeong was holding a similar one but with pink flowers. They were talking to a classmate. When she cracked a joke, they laughed. Ryujin glanced to the side and saw the way Chaeryeong eyes crinkled and shone. The simple gesture spoke so much. Ryujin wrapped an arm around her girlfriend, silently wishing that their relationship would last a life time.
Ryujin was snapped out of her daydream when she heard Chaeryeong sniff. She sighed. "I understand," she said.
Chaeryeong stood up, pulled Ryujin up and wrapped her arms around the older girl.
"Ryujin, I'm really going to miss you," Chaeryeong said, gripping tightly at the back of Ryujin's shirt.
"I'm going to miss you a lot too," Ryujin mumbled, holding Chaeryeong tightly in her arms. She never wanted to let go.
"Again, thank you for everything. I promise, you'll always be my one and only," Chaeryeong declared with a smile as she headed to the door with her bags. Ryujin couldn't bring herself to say a goodbye. It'll just hurt her even more. With a final wave at Ryujin, Chaeryeong left.
Ryujin stared at the door. "I want you to come back," she said, the tears that had been threatening to fall since the start of the conversation rolling down her cheeks. "I need you. I can't live like that," she said lifelessly.
Ryujin trudged to her room and sat in a corner, knees against her chest. She buried her face in her hands and started sobbing. She was wishing that this was all a dream and the next time she opened her eyes, Chaeryeong would be standing right there, asking her what was wrong.
At that moment, she heard a soft purring and something soft against her thigh. Ryujin looked up and saw her cats, Byul and Dal. With a smile, she scooped the two cats up. Byul decided to rest on Ryujin's knees while Dal nuzzled into Ryujin's chest.
"To be honest, I didn't want to let her go. But she had to choose for herself. If it's meant to be, it'll be, right?" Ryujin said softly, her voice shaking. "Please... please let it be us," she whispered.
Ryujin could remember the first time they met. It was at a dance event. Chaeryeong was there to support her sister, Chaeyeon and her partner, Yena. Ryujin was there only because she saw a poster on it some where in school.
The lights in the large studio was turned off just as another performer stepped onto the stage. Ryujin turned to her left and that was when she met Chaeryeong's gaze for the first time. The younger girl had stopped talking and was staring at the stranger looking at her. She smiled before turning away, setting Ryujin's heart aflutter.
Ryujin smiled sadly as Byul and Dal scurried away.
Another time, Ryujin and Chaeryeong were already dating. They were on a two day one night trip to Jeju island organised by the school. It was the morning of the second day. The others were still sleeping but the couple had already woken up. They stood in the balcony, holding mugs of steaming hot coffee with scarfs wrapped around their necks. It was quiet as no one spoke. But both girls enjoyed it, they only needed each others' company.
"How can I unlove you?" Ryujin thought aloud, tears dripping from her chin. "How?" She said, gripping her hair. She could barely hold her head up. It was too much for her to handle. Ryujin never wanted Chaeryeong to leave, she wanted to get married, have kids and grow old together. Ryujin was afraid that Chaeryeong was just using the 'parents' excuse to break up. Who knew if she no longer loved Ryujin?
"But I promise, I'll never forget you. You're my everything, for now and forever," Ryujin said through her sobs.
.
.
.
Lee Chaeryeong stepped out, her heart shattering into pieces when she heard Ryujin through the door. She never wanted to leave either. Ryujin was her everything, she was the only person that could make Chaeryeong smile that way and the only person that can break her heart the way she did.
But it wasn't her fault. Both their parents disapproved of their relationship. And to make it worse, her parents found her some random guy she would most likely be getting married to. Chaeryeong loved Ryujin and Ryujin only, her parents just didn't understand.
With a sigh, Chaeryeong walked off, heading back to her home.
On her way, Chaeryeong couldn't help but feel so horrible. Ryujin must not be taking this well. She knew that the older girl looked strong and fierce on the outside but really, she's sensitive to even the smallest of things. If Ryujin could break down just at the thought of one of her dear cats getting sick, how would she handle this sudden blow? Chaeryeong wanted to turn back, hold Ryujin in her arms and tell her that everything would be alright.
"I promise, I'll never forget you. You're my everything, for now and forever," Chaeryeong said, holding the charm that was a gift from Ryujin tightly in her pocket. She crossed the road, took the lift to the 8th floor and knocked on the door of the 4th unit.
