"Yeji!" Yuna called out to her. It snapped her right back into reality. She really did lose track of time for a moment.

"Hi," Yeji replied back while returning the younger girl's embrace. Yuna's hold on the cat-faced girl grew tighter. Yeji knew something was wrong. The younger girl buried her face into the silver-haired girl's shoulder, "I missed you, man."

"I missed you too, dude." The blond whispered, "What's wrong?" She had to ask. Yuna was now pushing her back, away from the crowd, away from the room they were in and into the room adjacent to her. Yeji wasn't even able to digest what was happening.

First, she saw Ryujin Shin in flesh.

Second, they stared at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time, for Yeji at least. Time is relative, she thought. It might barely just be a second but she swears it felt like she grew white hairs, she was already silver-haired to begin with, for how intensely they were returning each other's gazes.

Third, she wasn't even able to make out who the people inside the room were. There had to be at least 5 people inside, including her best friend and the girl she just shared the most intense moment of her life with,

and fourth, Yuna was now crying.

"What?" Yeji asked, "What?" Yeji asked the second time. "We broke up." The person of interest replied after much hesitation. The older girl didn't see it the first time but Yuna was now shedding tears.

That couldn't be, Yeji thought.

Yuna and her girlfriend were together for almost five years, and Yeji was there since day negative sixty. She was the first person to witness her best friend take interest in her now current girlfriend-turned-ex-girlfriend.

She helped Yuna woo the girl. She jumped in on whatever shenanigans her best friend thought of just for the girl to notice her—even if it meant risking getting caught in school writing love quotes on sticky notes, and sneaking into unauthorized rooms just to put love letters in the girl's desk.

Yes, Yuna dated their teacher in high school, and no, they weren't twenty years apart. Her soon-to-be girlfriend at that moment was only in her twenties when she graduated from university. She knew her best friend would fall head over heels the moment the new teacher entered their room in 11th grade. The look on Yuna's face could be seen from a mile away—like how someone looks at puppy for the first time; tender, sweet

Funny thing was it took Yuna three excruciating months of embarrassing herself countless times, including Yeji, to finally get the girl. She was always included in Yuna's plans. If the latter fails, so does Yeji. If she does something stupid, Yeji was probably just right behind her. If she embarrasses herself, even if she and her were miles apart, Yeji would probably hear of the things she did hours later hence, second-hand embarrassment became the older girl's middle name.

Yeji was always included.

Whenever Yuna and her girlfriend had misunderstandings, Yeji always knew first hand. Of course, it's Yuna. Her best friend and one of her best-est friends. They always confided in each other whether it meant sudden 2 a.m. visits at each other's houses with tears in their eyes and snot dripping down their noses or at 8 p.m. with either's favorite food, and their favorite chick flick already paused at the T.V waiting for each other to break whatever news was up for the day.

So, when Yuna broke the news that she and her half a decade girlfriend broke up, this also broke Yeji's heart into little pieces because Yeji was always included. It hurt when Yuna was hurt. She felt happy when Yuna was happy. They're like peas in a pod, the peanut butter to jelly, and the king to the kong.

"How? Why?" The cat-faced blond asked.

"I don't know," Yuna answered back. "You know we always fight. Especially now that she's far away from me, things are just a lot more complicated." The younger girl sighed in frustration. She has her hands balled into fists now.

"It felt like she just suddenly doesn't understand that we're doing this for our future, together." The crying girl explained further. She and her girlfriend are currently in a long distance relationship.

Her lover flew to Hawaii to take up her Master's degree after being scouted at an international conference for her outstanding undergraduate thesis.

Yuna understood that Jisu is very career oriented, to an alarming extent even, but her girlfriend always took the time to make sure that she is always part of her plans, even from miles away.

That is what broke the younger girl's heart in the first place. Jisu suddenly stopped talking about them, and her stories gradually turned into hers only—about where she'd want to travel after finishing university in Hawaii, where she'd want to settle after getting a job, and when she'd get married.

Yuna knew she was too young to think about marrying. Sure, she was three years younger which probably meant there was a chunk of difference between their life experiences, but she doesn't think like her age—she was far more matured, more wise and more capable.

She never admitted this to herself, but at the back of her mind was a gnawing insecurity slowly, silently and gradually knocking at her pseudo-stable confidence. She was conscious of how her age was always an issue to most people, and sadly, even to her girlfriend.

The moment Yuna was able to grasp the idea of existing, her soon-to-be-girlfriend-after-fifteen-years was probably out there coloring books outside the line and eating sand from the daycare's playground.

When Yuna was finally able to hold a two-way conversation with adults, in between hiccups and her childhood lisp, Jisu was probably out there giving mini classroom speeches and getting voted as the second grade muse.

It frustrated Yuna to great depths, and it was probably just her being in denial, but she disliked how Jisu was always a step ahead.

A step ahead in getting born, another step ahead in finishing school, three steps ahead in cementing a career, and a hundred thousand steps ahead and away from her.

And this break up felt exactly like that to Yuna. It felt like Jisu was just somehow over it and the younger girl wasn't able to catch up quick enough to know that the former was moving on to the next chapter of their—no, of her life.

Jisu felt like a dream she was always running to reach, to catch, to hold but was always a second, a minute, a hair too late.

"What did she say?", the cat-faced blond asked in between Yuna's sniffles. "That I'm too young to understand..", the younger sniffled once, "too childish...", she sniffled twice, "and that she loved me still, but not enough to sacrifice her dreams." She broke into wails.

"Aww, baby boo.." Yeji cooed, "Come here." She pulled the giant baby into her arms, running her fingers through her hair and patting her bum with the other. "There, there. It's gonna be okay... It will be okay."

They held that position for a while. The room was filled with silent cries that would suddenly get loud, occasional snorting, intense sniffling and the sound of Yeji's palm patting against the younger's back as she calmed her down.

A soft knock was heard on the door, "Hey..." One of her best friends, Chaeryeong, peeked slightly, "How is she?"

Yeji didn't answer but instead motioned Chaeryeong to enter the room. She made a gesture with her other hand, her two fingers running down her eyes and a pout signaling that the girl in her arms was still crying.

"Still?" The new recruit whispered, "She cried to me earlier but I knew she was just waiting for you so she could cry a little harder." She teased lightheartedly.

Yeji stifled a laugh, "Hey, I'm still in the room!" Yuna retorted with the heaviest nasal voice she could muster, traces of her cries still evident in her voice causing the girls to break into giggles.

"Our giant baby is all grown up now." Chaeryeong teased, "It felt like it was just yesterday when you fell in love, and now, our baby is experiencing her first heartbreak." she dramatically pouted. 

"Our babyyyy~" The two older girls simultaneously cooed with their fingers tickling Yuna's chin.

Yuna couldn't help but break a smile, "I know." her wide smile was now smug, "I know I'm cute so you can stop now."

"Only if you stop crying every hour," The other brunette teased, "Only if you stop wiping your snot all over my shirt," The silver-haired girl added.

The youngest among the three laughed, "Okay. I will stop!" She brushed her shirt off, sniffled for the last time, and wiped her remaining tears with the back of her hand. "Now will you please help me get up?"

Yeji and Chaeryeong grabbed each of the youngest girl's hands and pulled her up. "Sorry to burst the bubble earlier but we better get going now, everyone's rushing to the venue." Chaeryeong chirped.

"Right! Hyunjin and the others are performing an intermission number, " Yuna added, "They're performing first, I think. I don't wanna miss it so, let's hurry!"

"We would have been there already if a certain someone didn't need her diapers changed."

"Rude."

"It's a joke, Yuna."

"Rude times two."

Yeji smiled at the sight of her friends bickering, warmth and endearment plastered all over her face, "I missed this." She whispered more to herself than to the people in front of her.

I really am home, she thought.

---

The venue was bustling with crowds of familiar and unfamiliar faces. She could make out at least thirty people that she was acquainted with. Yeji never really liked crowds especially when paired with eardrum-busting music that she could barely hear what her friends were saying.

"Hey, Hyunjin texted me earlier," Chaeryeong called out in between the blasting thump of music that obviously drowned any chances of her and her friends understanding each other. " —they had our seats reserved in front."

"What?", Yeji responded, a volume louder. They could barely hear their own voices, "Sorry, the music is too loud."

"Our seats are in front," Yuna clarified, her face leaning closer to Yeji's ear, "We should probably go."

Yeji hustled her way through lines of bodies grooving to the beat of whatever was playing on the series of mounted speakers against the ceiling. She winced at the smell of alcohol being passed around—she was never really the drinker, even in university.

The music suddenly changed course, from EDM to a remix of popular pop songs. The vibration of the floor coming from the heavy bass being blasted slowly crept its way up to Yeji's own heartbeat, syncing with every drop and beat.

The lights around her suddenly dimmed, and a flash of light illuminated the stage in front of her. She was looking left and right, finding any traces of Chaeryeong and Yuna who were just beside her a few seconds ago. She fished her phone from her pocket and attempted to type a text when the crowd suddenly went crazy.

A few whistles, excited screams and the sound of hands clapping engulfed the room.

Hyunjin along with few others showed up on stage. She could make out at least three people dancing: Lisa, president of dancing club from 12th grade; Momo, notorious lunch-box eater from pre-school to graduation; and... Ryujin. 

"I didn't know she danced." She murmured to herself, a bit sarcastically and with a hint of interest.

A few songs in and her eyes were practically glued on a certain someone, especially when the music changed course from upbeat to.. sultry. 

She was mesmerized with the way Ryujin danced—her movements swift and perfectly in sync with the music. She wasn't even in front stage but in a sea of people, Yeji's eyes quickly darted and looked for her.

She admired her from a far; in between the screams, whistles, and music, Yeji felt like she was in a void. Her visioned tunneled. 

Her and Ryujin. 

They were the only ones in the room. Ryujin impeccably dancing to each beat as Yeji watches in awe. 

Her eyes were basically cemented on the raven haired girl as she dances—dipping forward and back with her left foot sliding across the slick floor in swift motion. Her body swayed in balletic control; tips of her fingers carefully following suit in lithe details of attempted perfection. Her hands combed through her hair in an effort to pull back strands that were sticking to her face and right there, Yeji caught a pair of doe-like eyes, fierce and dark, that pierced through her soul— speaking volumes and right through her heart.

It felt like tug of war, a rematch—whoever breaks sight first either loses or wins, but both were captivated by each other's gazes failing to look away, not for a second.

Eyes are windows to the soul, and Yeji felt like hers were out in the open—, bare, and vulnerable.

She was deeply conflicted; either the vibration from the hard-top floors rumbled so hard her subconscious had no choice but to feel, or her heart literally did just skip a beat.

---

The voices, cheers, and screams slowly died down;  the previous music slowly drowning the hype that once engulfed the entire room. 

The phone on Yeji's hand suddenly vibrated as she receives a text from either Yuna or Chaeryeong,

"Hey, where are you?," Chaeryeong texted, "They just finished performing. did you miss it?"

She receives another text not long after, most like from Yuna.

"We're at the front tables, you suddenly disappeared earlier. :(" 

Ping.

"Are you lost? Hyunjin and the others said they're coming. Ryeongie went to the toilet real quick."

Ping.

"Yeji!!!! If you don't reply in 5 seconds, I'm gonna scream your name with my entire lungs here!" 

That signaled Yeji to reply quick, she didn't want to hear Yuna's screaming from a mile away, "I'm sorry! I got caught up in the middle of the crowd. I'm already walking." She texted back.

She rushed her way out of the crowd and near where the buffet was. Everyone was busy dancing in the middle floor her only chance of actually leaving the dance floor was slim to none if she didn't resort to sneaking into the buffet area. She was already picking up her pace when she felt someone pull on her left arm,

"Hey." 

Yeji jerks her head, and cranes her neck towards the direction of where she felt her arm being tugged and as if the world decided to drain her with all that she is, the person behind her spoke for the second time. 

"Hey.. again? Hi." He rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand, "It's been a long time. I didn't know you were coming."

It was Soobin. Her ex-boyfriend.

"..Hey." Yeji replied after much hesitation, "Yeah.. I just arrived last night."

"I didn't know you were coming back." Soobin's right hand was still gripping Yeji's wrist, "I thought I was seeing doubles when I saw a familiar face." The music wasn't as loud as before but it was still loud enough to interfere with Yeji's hearing.

"It's too loud here, care to come with me outside?" He suggested, "I saw Yuna and Chaeryeong earlier, I'll text to let them know we're together if that's okay."

"Sure." 

Soobin fished his pocket for his phone and proceeded to type something, "They said they'll be waiting for us, apparently most of them are already there."

He started walking towards the backdoor with Yeji following in silence. She really didn't have much to talk about, or rather she couldn't find any words to say to the former. The door clinked closed and awkward silence soon overrun the atmosphere.

"You didn't tell me you arrived last night," Soobin decided to break the ice.

"I tweeted about it last night." Yeji explained

"You blocked me."

"Right."

"Mhmm."

"So, how have you been?" He tried to keep the conversation last a little longer, "I missed you."

"Don't tell me that." She replied quick as if to block out any chance of whatever Soobin was saying from being true. "I'm already doing well if that's what you want to hear."

He heaved a sigh, "Yeji."

She didn't like it—the way her name effortlessly rolled out of his tongue. She didn't like how it sounded sweet, warm, and familiar. She didn't like the way Soobin sighed, knowing whatever is to come next would have her heart swelling at some point. She didn't have any left over feelings for Soobin, but seeing him up close after a year brought some nostalgic emotions back. It wasn't love, nor attraction but it was a sense of familiarity that she only felt with him. 

"I'm sorry I dragged you out here so suddenly." He explained in attempts to ease the growing tension around him and Yeji, "It's just that I thought we were over it." He carefully laid his words out in the open, careful enough not to put words into Yeji's mouth. "No. I know we're over it but, I just want us to get past it." He corrected himself quickly, knowing how the earlier statement must have sounded like for the girl in front of him.

"I am over it," Yeji states as a matter-of-fact, "I know I haven't been the best to you, and the way I'm acting right now probably gives you flashbacks from when I was such a ." She tried to ease into the conversation, the last thing she wants right now is to give Soobin an actual reason to hate her, "You have been so good to me.. I just find it awkward to have you face-to-face when the last time we saw each other was me slamming my front door right in your face."

Soobin just listened to what Yeji had to say. He knew better than to interrupt her from saying and actually expressing her emotions because honestly, this might just be the first time he hears her say things coming out of her heart. 

"I'm sorry for that, Soobin." Her voiced laced with honest remorse, "I know I said this a lot of times, from phone calls to texts but I have to say it here, with you in front of me for it to actually count." 

"I'm sorry, too." Soobin finally breaking his silence, and unlike Yeji, he didn't state whatever reasons he had for being apologetic. 

Yeji understood, in between Soobin's silence and brief reply, that he was sorry for not being good enough for her, for not being the one she ends up with, and for hurting her in ways he didn't mean to.

They stood there with their words out in the open, and in silence they found what they were yearning for—forgiveness.

Soobin took a few steps in and closed the gap between her and the cat-eyed girl, holding her in his embrace and drowned himself in her space, for the last time. The ultimatum of them being who they were before Yeji left, and the last remnants of it in between the tiny atoms separating what they physically can't bridge.

They stood there like that for quite a while basking in the last moments and failing to hear the subtle cranking of the door handle.

With a loud clank, the door swung open and there she caught her eyes for the third time that day—a set deep hazel orbs boring into her own and this time, a bit more familiar than the last.

With the raven-haired girl breaking the silence, "Uh, sorry, I didn't know you two were together." She diverted her gaze from the girl in between his best friend's arms to the latter. "Hyunjin said to come get you, they're waiting inside." Her voice cold, as if ice crystals would form from the way she breathed those last words out.

"Oh hey, Ryujin." Soobin acknowledged her presence, "Sorry, mate. I got caught up."

"I can see that." Soobin laughed, dryly. He knows Ryujin is never really fond of hide and seek. "I'm going now so, you might want wrap this up. You don't want Hyunjin teasing the out of you." Ryujin bid her last words and her heel towards the backdoor. 

"Wait up!" Soobin exclaimed, "We better get going, the last thing we want is us being the center topic by the time we arrive."

Yeji smiled at his words. She knew how annoying Yuna and Chaeryeong could be, "I know. Race you there?"

"I bet breakfast on that."

"Deal."

---

Yeji was obviously the last one to arrive, and with the remaining seat being opposite Ryujin's, she was feeling embarrassed the whole time. The raven-haired girl just walked in on her and her ex in the middle of... quite an intimate situation. With the cluttering of silver-ware, the murmurs of the group engaging  in conversations, she and Ryujin were the only ones keeping mum.

They never really even talked before and the way the raven-haired girl failed to acknowledge her presence during the earlier incident, she really wasn't sure what to make out of Ryujin's personality.

There were quite a few times where Yeji would purposely try to catch her attention by indirectly mentioning something they have in common with, like "Yuna, have you watched the latest GoT episode?" but to utter failure, Ryujin would just eat whatever is on her plate, and reply indirectly as if she never heard anything by saying, "Damn, last night's episode was crazy, right? Yuna?"

Yeji didn't understand why it felt like there's a huge invisible wall between them. She felt sorry that Yuna had to be on the receiving end of whatever she and Ryujin failed to tell each other. 

She didn't really get why Ryujin would always make her feel like they never really know each other at all. I mean, sure, they never talked in person and this was the first time they were ever really in the same space, but what about the obvious tension between them?

"Ryujin, you lost weight." Chaeryeong pointed out, "You must have been practicing so hard for the past months."

"She's been losing weight each year," Soobin added, "I bet she'll practically be emaciated by next year." He snorted a laugh and Ryujin just glared at him. 

"You'll be shocked by how much I actually eat!" Ryujin defended herself, "Idk, I must have worms inside me." Yeji saw this as a perfect opportunity to engage in the conversation. The topic was lighthearted and everyone seemed to be enjoying teasing Ryujin.

"Right. I also noticed that, Ryujin," Yeji started, "You lost a lot of weight compared to the pictures I saw of you online."

Chomp. Chomp.

Ryujin, instead of paying attention to what Yeji had to say, stuffed her face with food instead and as if she didn't hear anything for the nth time that day, she heaved a sigh, "I can't finish this." in between bites and food swallowing.

Wow. Un-ing-believable. Yeji thought. "Fine," she whispered to herself.

The exchange of indirect replies continued on, and the abundance of eye stares earlier ironically came back tenfold because Ryujin never spared her a single glance for the rest of the day.

Note: Hi everyone! I'm sorry if I took long to update, I actually thought of dropping the fic because I'm not confident with my writing and I thought no one would ever read this but I got some replies and you don't know how much that made me happy!! Thank you so much to everyone who commented hehe. 

I think I'll continue writing the fic. Also, I'm sorry if ryeji aint interacting bwahaha, I want to build the world they live in first hehe but just tell me if you guys are getting bored with my long updates and tell me your thoughts!! your interactions are barely the only thing that motivates me to write :(( i have such low confidence in my writing.

tell me what you expect in the next chapter hehe, i'll prolly update weekly.