Icy like diamonds || Ryeji

Chapter 33

"This is Jiu." Ryujin introduced them, not really by choice but because Jiu insisted she did so.

She would have preferred to avoid such things. Both of them were part of very different versions of her life and knew different versions of her. She didn't need them interacting.

Her mind was going on some tangent as she got lost in her own thoughts, not hearing a word that was said around her but vaguely aware the others were speaking.

Yeji, Jiu and Lia.

Lia glanced at her after a minute or two of her silence, not stopping speaking as she seemed to study her stance. As if on cue, probably due to the fact she could easily read her, her best friend made some excuse for Jiu and her to go somewhere.

Yeji didn't ask. She didn't even look curious about it but it was eating at her. She didn't want to keep that from her.

"She's my ex." she blurted out, catching the other off guard. She could see how Yeji suddenly stopped drinking and looked at her curiously.

Ryujin isn't sure what had her staring as if she was searching for something. Furrowing her eyebrows, she stared right back.

"I didn't ask."

She nodded, sipping on her drink before shrugging. "Just thought you should know."

Yeji didn't reply but she hummed in response, looking at the crowd instead.

The little break from the other's presence was nice but it soon came to an end as Lia and Jiu eventually came back. She could see Lia's apologetic look as they did so. As if to say that it hadn't been her idea to join them again and Ryujin smiled at her. She knew Jiu. How the other had no sense of boundaries. She was bold and impulsive, just like her. That's why they got along so well and eventually dated.

She was always up for her crazy, and often stupid, ideas. It was fun. She was fun.

"Is it her?" Yeji asked eventually while the others had excused themselves once again to go get more drinks for their group.

They were by a corner, observing the crowd mingling as some generic pop song played on the speakers. To put it lightly, they were deadly bored but they had to pretend to care so they stuck around.

Ryujin never expected a question to come from Yeji though as soon as the other girls had left them to stand alone.

"I'm not sure I follow." she truly didn't.

She could feel Yeji's eyes on her, even when Ryujin herself was staring off into the distance. Meeting her gaze as soon as it registered that she was staring at her.

"What?"

Yeji looked over to Jiu and Lia who were waiting for the bartenders to serve them their drinks, no doubt Lia stalling as long as possible. Judging by the look she gave Ryujin as their eyes met. She would have to thank her for her efforts.

"You mentioned having someone else before." she dropped that so casually that it took a second for it to fully register in her mind. What Yeji was speaking about and what exactly she had just asked her.

Was it Jiu she wanted to have an affair with.

"I hadn't really..." she ran a hand through her hair, feeling just a little awkward about the subject. "I didn't give it much thought lately, actually."

Yeji hummed but she was still staring at her ex, something that only made it more awkward for her.

"Have you?"

She's not sure why she asked. It's not like she really wanted to know the answer to that but it came out of her mouth before she could stop it so all she could do was wait for an answer.

"A few times."

Oh. Okay.

Ryujin suddenly gulped down the rest of her drink, chuckling nervously afterwards. "Good for you. Who's the lucky guy?"

Yeji stared at her with a raised eyebrow as if calling her out for asking such question.

"Right." she cleared her throat watching as the other girls were starting to walk back towards them, thankfully. "I guess we'll both keep it a secret then."

"Fine with me."

"Okay."

"Cool."

"Yep."

"Here you go." Lia said with a big smile, handing out a drink to Yeji as Jiu handed one to Ryujin who smiled as a thank you. Not failing to notice Yeji's glare when their hands touched as she held the drink.

An hour later, Ryujin found herself alone. Standing in the corner by herself as the others mingled. She was silently observing everyone when she spotted Yeji with some guy.

Normally she would brush it off since they often needed to mingle with the guests but this interaction caught her attention.

Yeji was smiling at him, clearly enjoying their conversation. Ryujin could swear that she even laughed at something he said, at least it looked that way to her.

She felt envious, as she often did whenever Yeji interacted with anyone else.

But she continued looking, curious as to what would happen. Were they going to continue speaking like that for the entire evening? Would Yeji eventually excuse herself?

"They seem to get along." someone spoke softly and too close to her. Making her jump at the suddenness of it all. Ryujin looked their way, catching sight of Jiu who was staring at Yeji as she had been seconds before. Sipping on her champagne before looking back at Ryujin who only looked back at her fiancée.

"Yeah, they do."

A moment of silence passed by them without either saying a word when Jiu finally broke it.

"It isn't real, is it?"

She didn't have to ask what that meant. Nor how she had noticed.

It wasn't actually difficult to figure it out. It wasn't hard to notice how Yeji never smiled at her, how they never made physical contact, how the older girl enjoyed the company of others much more than she enjoyed hers. It was obvious, actually.

Ryujin sighed, almost deflating before shaking her head and chugging the rest of her drink. Her eyes still fixated on the pair across the room. Yeji slapping the man's arm while hiding her smile and him looking at her as if they were something more than friends.

It was gross and she couldn't bare to look at it anymore.

"Want to get out of here?" Jiu offered and that caught her attention.

She knew that it was a bad idea. Terrible, really. Ryujin should not disappear from the party with her ex girlfriend. She really shouldn't. But then she looked over at Yeji once more, seeing as her hand rested on the man's forearm and she felt all the common sense leave her body.

Looking back at the hopeful and slightly mischievous look on Jiu's face, she found herself nodding. Placing her now empty glass on the nearest table before reaching to hold Jiu's hand and drag her out of the party. Not bothering to let herself consider the consequences of her actions. Nor giving a shit about it.

Yeji could continue flirting with whoever that was. She didn't care.

Of course, that was far from the truth but that's what Ryujin told herself as she walked away from the party.

'I don't care.'

'I don't care.'

'I don't care.'