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The trip back to HQ is silent, Min walks with a limp, half of his uniform either coated in blood or torn from the seam. Even Iseul doesn’t bother with one of his motivational speeches, awkwardly trudging behind the rest of them.
Taeho leads the group at the front, holding up the right of Dahee’s unconscious body as Tsubaki supports her on the left.
Ryujin isn’t so lucky either, she’s used the majority of her essence and there’s a makeshift bandage around her shoulder, at least she could walk on her own.
The mission was a success – they were able to bust one of the Begonia’s warehouses, seizing a large amount of illegal rapture – with the cost of heavy injuries.
A misstep and Ryujin nearly falls to the ground, Sayeon holds onto her jacket before that happens.
“Thanks.” She mumbles, raising an eye when Sayeon’s hand lingers for a second longer.
Sayeon looks away, adjusting her tie as she matches Ryujin’s pace.
“About what happened..” Sayeon starts, “I–”
Ryujin interrupts. “It’s all good.”
“You’re welcome for saving your skin.” She says.
Sayeon doesn’t reply for a few seconds. “That wasn’t what I was going to say.”
“If you just listened to what I said earlier you wouldn’t have injured your shoulder.”
It’s like a bomb goes off in Ryujin’s head – The fuck?
Was she seriously trying to shift the scenario to pin the blame onto Ryujin for breaking her own shoulder?
Ryujin stops walking and Iseul nearly bumps into her.
There’s a look of cold indifference on Sayeon’s face and Ryujin nearly lunges at her.
What a fucking bitch.
Instead she holds onto Sayeon’s wrist, “You guys go on ahead, me and Sayeon have something to do.”
Iseul cocks his head in confusion. “But your should–”
Min puts a hand on Iseul’s shoulder, a silent conversation playing between their eyes.
He bows his head as he sighs, “Okay, get back safe.”
Once they’re effectively out of sight, does Ryujin pull Sayeon into an alleyway.
“What’s the problem, Glasses?” Ryujin hisses out, pointing a finger at Sayeon’s chest.
Sayeon sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Like the whole situation was an inconvenience.
Ryujin scoffs. “I don’t understand what’s going on with you, I saved your life.”
“Why is it so difficult for you to listen?” Sayeon questions.
Ryujin pauses, as if in disbelief of the audacity behind the question.
Sayeon continues. “I explicitly told you not to leave your post.”
“You disobeyed my orders and you got hurt because of it.” Sayeon states – Ryujin feels like a child being scolded by a parent.
Sayeon steps closer, Ryujin instinctively steps back. “You said you would listen, Ryujin.”
“That if I saved your friend you would listen indubitably.”
“You really know how to piss people off, don’t you?” Ryujin bites, “I fucking saved your life and you’re treating it like I screwed everything up.”
“You wouldn’t have gotten hurt if you just trusted me.” Sayeon retorts.
Ryujin’s starting to get light-headed now, if she knew how ungrateful Sayeon would be at her sacrifice she wouldn’t have wasted a single drop of essence on her.
“You wanna know what I think?” Ryujin says.
“I think that you’re just a big fucking wuss.”
Sayeon raises a brow at that.
Ryujin huffs. Yea alright, weak insult, get over it.
“There’s this deep, shameful feeling of guilt in you,” Ryujin continues, “That you can’t handle the thought of someone other than you getting hurt.”
Ryujin doesn’t hold back the venom in her voice. “We talked about this before, after Juni found us.”
“I don’t know what happened before the Corps, Glasses, but is it really that hard for you to–”
Thwack!
The next thing she knows is that she’s on the floor with Sayeon standing over her, fists clenched.
There’s a crazed, distraught look in her eyes and a cold sweat runs down Ryujin’s forehead.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sayeon runs a hand through her hair, a tormented expression on her face. “You have to listen to me Ryujin – You have to.”
What the fuck.
Her aura is practically pouring out of her, any aberrant in a ten mile radius would be able to feel it, it’s so heavy that Ryujin can only grit her teeth, what did she say to make Glasses do a complete 180?
Teal flashes in Sayeon’s eyes before she keels over, a hand clutching her mouth.
“Wh–Whu?” Ryujin sputters, “Did you just try and use your essence?”
Sayeon pants heavily before regaining her composure, she marches over to where Ryujin lies on the floor and holds her by her tie.
She coughs, “S–Say it.”
“Say you won’t disobey me.” Sayeon prods. “Not again.”
Mere minutes ago Ryujin would’ve promptly shoved her off, spitting out a crude remark in the process, but after Sayeon’s outburst all she can do is sit there in silent judgement.
“Did you think I was going to die or something?” Ryujin quips, "What the hell is your problem?"
Ryujin never planned for her to openly spiral – all she wanted was to tell her off for her, frankly, piece of shit attitude.
Instead she furrows her brows. “You're such a piece of work."
She spits at Sayeon’s shoes, saliva hitting black leather. “Is it really that hard to get, Sayeon Lee?”
“You think that I saved you as an act of duty, or whatever other apathetic reasons, that’s why you don’t get it.”
“I took that hit for you because–” Ryujin scowls, as if the words were bitter on her tongue. “You’re like a… friend.”
“A super fucked up friend.” Ryujin adds.
Sayeon doesn’t react – and Ryujin feels her hackles rising – because of course Sayeon couldn’t just take things as they were, she always had to spin them into some pessimistic narrative.
It isn’t until she sees the glimmer of water rolling down Sayeon’s cheek.
Ryujin frankly doesn’t know what to do; for God’s sake just a minute ago Sayeon socked her in the face and now she was having some grand show of water-works?
Maybe Sayeon needed to go to a mental institution.
“What?” She asks, “Is that your first time hearing that or something?”
She wouldn’t put it beneath Sayeon; a stickler for rules, condescending, and at times downright crazy.
Ryujin scowls, "And why the hell are you crying?"
Yea, Ryujin probably wouldn’t have been friends with her in other circumstances.
Sayeon wipes the tear with her index finger, “Umm…I’m sorry I hit you.”
“I just–” Sayeon rambles “I don’t want you to get hurt for my accord.”
She extends her hand to Ryujin, she swats it away, using the wall on her side to get up.
God, does her shoulder hurt.
Ryujin examines Sayeon; she looked like some helpless little child.
For someone so cruel and cold it wasn’t fair for her to have such feeble eyes.
She clenches her jaw, “Too bad.”
Okay. Whatever. Ryujin's hit her plenty of times, she could forgive it this time.
Ryujin pushes past Sayeon, looking back at her as she walks away.
Because, behind those creepy eyes, all those fucked-up choices Sayeon’s made, Ryujin can recognize there’s something so sad, so tragic, so familiar, that she can somehow stick by her side despite it all.
A few haughty quips run through her mind, all ruder than the last, before she settles on a single question.
“Are you coming or what?” Ryujin remarks.
Sayeon quickly catches up, “Wait.”
“Seriously?” Ryujin deadpans, “You used Juni’s card for ointment?”
Sayeon doesn’t respond, walking leisurely next to her.
Ryujin groans. “Fuck, she’s totally gonna bitch on us for coming back late.”
“I mean, I guess we weren’t exactly fighting again.” Ryujin mutters. “Why are you so happy?”
Ryujin grimaces as she shoves her hands into her pockets. “What? Just because you managed to land a cheap shot on me?”
“Hold still,” Sayeon says, leaning down slightly as she opens the box, grabbing the bottle of cream.
Ryujin snorts. “Is that an order too?”
Sayeon states with indifference, “It is.”
Ryujin doesn’t reply further, instead she holds out her hand expecting Sayeon to squeeze the gel out onto.
Instead she dollops a small drop onto her own finger, lightly rubbing it on Ryujin’s cheek.
Where she expects conflict, Sayeon’s pleased to find Ryujin rather docile, only flinching slightly at the contact of her finger and the cold gel.
Sayeon wipes the excess gel off of her finger with the hem of her jacket.
“You said I’m just like you.” Ryujin says, taking a moment to look at the night sky. “I hope it doesn’t mean what I think.”
Sayeon raises a brow. “Is that so bad?”
Ryujin stops to look directly at her face. “Yes.”
“We never got to continue our talk that night where Juni– well – you know.” Ryujin continues.
She huffs, pulling her cap down further. “Still, I guess it’s better for you to have a wish for something beyond the Corps.”
Sayeon stills. “What will you do after you get your revenge?”
There’s an unfamiliar shine in Ryujin’s eyes, something Sayeon’s never seen before.
Thought?
No.
Emptiness.
“I don’t know.” She exhales heavily.
“What about you?” Ryujin asks, “What will you do after you become an officer?”
After you become an officer.
The indication of guarantee makes Sayeon wonder if Ryujin really trusts she’ll be able to reach level five. Well – at the rate they were progressing, she’s been able to see that goal appear closer and closer.
But Sayeon doesn’t know.
Maybe a family?
As if.
“I…” Sayeon begins, “I’m not sure.”
Ryujin hums. “Me? I don’t think it’ll ever get better.”
“Right now, we’re only blue ties, most people just look at us like we’re the bottom of the barrel.”
“If we become red ties?” Ryujin seethes. “They'll look at us like we’re monsters.”
She glances at Sayeon out of the corner of her eye. “Y’know, maybe in another world we could have actually had a chance at life.”
“Would you still choose to be my friend?” She questions, Sayeon half expects Ryujin to deflect the question or give an indefinite answer.
“Yea.”
Ryujin doesn’t look at Sayeon. “I would.”
The words are authentic, they don’t have any negative emotion behind them, it’s a real confession from Ryujin to Sayeon.
Sayeon tries not to look too giddy.
“I told you, didn't I?” Ryujin continues, “There’s just the tiniest, littlest bit of okay-ish inside of you.”
“As long as you hold onto that, I don't think you're a lost cause.”
“I still think you have some things to work out, though.” Ryujin drawls.
The moment they step back into HQ grounds they see Juni perched above the gate, legs swinging in the air.
“Glad to see you two shits are still breaking curfew.” Juni sneers, a cigarette held delicately between her fingers.
She takes a drag before exhaling smoke. “You really like pushing boundaries don’t you, Sayeon?”
Sayeon fishes out Juni’s card as she holds it out back to her.
“Ha! And you spent my money?”
Juni jumps down, looking at Ryujin then back at Sayeon. “So? Why are you two late?”
“Didn’t I tell you if I caught you two fighting I’d disband the cell?”
Ryujin rubs the nape of her neck. “We weren’t fighting.”
Juni crosses her arms. “So, while everyone else made it back to base and received medical attention, you– what– you decided to hang back with Lee and walk around all bruised and bloody?”
“Um, well, actually I used your money to buy some cream for her cheek.” Sayeon says, pulling out the small bottle of Arnica cream.
Juni looks at her dumbfounded. “Lee, you do realize we have a whole medical department, right?”
Ryujin shrugs. “Sorry.”
“Well if you weren’t fighting then what exactly were you two doing?” Juni questions.
Before either of them can say anything, Juni raises a finger. “Actually, don’t tell me.”
“Because the top two reasons for recruits breaking curfew are either they’re fucking or running away from the Corps.”
Immediately Ryujin’s cheeks flare with blood, Sayeon looks utterly perplexed as the tips of her ears go red.
“I always knew there was something between the two of you.” She mutters under her breath.
Juni clicks her tongue before turning her back. “Go to bed.”
"That isn't–" Ryujin falters, "Fuck."