Chapter Text
Sayeon felt lost.
Jaeil was gone, she was sure of it. The pain of her hand, cut open by the broken bottle’s glass, was nothing compared to the piercing agony she felt in her chest.
Still, she had to maintain her composure. She couldn’t let her cellmates know. They needed to trust her, to look up to her. That would be essential for moving up the ranks, for getting the power and authority she needed.
For getting close to officer Ann and choking her to death.
So, she wiped away her tears, healed her hand and steeled herself. Even so, when she got near the fortune teller granny’s apartment, she was not ready for her encounter.
Ryujin was clearly still drunk. She was sitting on the floor outside the apartment, her back to the wall while she smoked a cigarette. When Sayeon approached, the pair of Lucy's eyes looked towards her.
“So you’re back Glasses!” The girl spoke loudly. “Was wondering where you fucked off to.”
“Hey, Ryujin. We’ll be returning to the Corps soon, are you able to walk?” Sayeon asked
“Yeah, of course.” She answered, getting up and wobbling in a way that made Sayeon skeptical that she would really be able to walk on her own. “We’ll have to wait for Min, though. He also fucked off to somewere.”
Min went away? That…certainly was curious. He didn’t seem to be the type to simply wander around. Did he go to visit someone? Do something? Sayeon would need to find out about this. She needed all the information she could get about her teammates if she wanted to gain their trust. If she wanted to get the red tie. If she wanted to avenge Jaeil. If she wanted to… if she wanted to…
“What happened?”
“Huh!?” Sayeon blinked and noticed a worried Ryujin walking towards her.
“I can tell something is wrong, your aura feels like…well, it feels like shit. What happened that got you so worked up?”
She seemed actually concerned when she was looking at Sayeon.
Why?
Sayeon couldn’t understand. Ryujin was always laying into her, making it clear how she didn’t believe in what Sayeon was saying, how she didn’t trust her, and now she suddenly was worried about her feelings?
It had to be the alcohol talking.
“Just stop it. You don’t need to pretend that you care about how I’m feeling. You have already made it pretty clear that you hate me. It's fine, I don’t care.”
Ryujin looked at her for a moment, stunned, before she groaned and pulled her cap over her eyes.
“...I don't...you.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I don’t hate you, Sayeon Lee!” Ryujin looked at Sayeon with a flushed face. “Not really…”
Sayeon just stood there, staring at the smaller girl for several seconds. What was she talking about? Why was she saying this? Lying this way?
Looking towards her with worry, like she was a fragile object dangerously put on the edge of a table. Like she needed to watch over Sayeon with care.
Looking at her in the same way that HE did.
The pain in her chest got worse, she started shaking and tears formed around her eyes. She quickly raised her hand and…
~SNAP~
“What happened that got you so worked up?”
“It's nothing.” Sayeon shrugged. “I guess I just have a lot of stress with everything going on.”
“It doesn’t feel like just-”
“Let’s go back to the Corps. It's getting late. I think Min will be able to go back on his own, wherever he is, so I’ll wake up Iseul.” Sayeon said, quickly reaching for the door. “You can lean on our shoulders on the way back, since you clearly can’t walk on your own.”
“I can walk by myself, Glasses!” She responded while wobbling around, trying to find her footing. “I don’t need your help.”
“Sure.” Sayeon said sarcastically
Soon enough, the three of them were walking out of the building together. It became clear that neither Ryujin nor Iseul were in any condition to take the long walk back to the Headquarters, so Sayeon called a cab and was barely able to convince the driver to take the group of drunk aberrants by offering a very good tip.
She kept glancing towards the other girl who now sat with her cap over the face, probably asleep.
Why did Ryujin say that?
She had already made it really clear how she couldn’t stand Sayeon, which was fair. They had conflicting personalities and values, and at the top of it all Sayeon had personally attacked her by stepping on her cellmate’s precious cap. Ryujin hated her, it was clear as day.
There was no way she didn’t.
It must have been a tactic to get her to open up about what had made her so distraught, just a way to satisfy her curiosity, prying into Sayeon’s life. Or maybe she was just drunk. People ramble and say things they don’t really mean when they’re drunk, don’t they?
It must have been that.
Whatever it was, Sayeon was sure that Ryujin didn’t like her and that she probably never will, and that was ok. She could accept that! Even so, she would need to find a way to make the girl listen to her. A single rogue, disobedient piece on the board could easily throw all plans out the window, and Ryujin would not obey Sayeon, for she didn’t trust her.
However…Ryujin had animosity with the Gyeons, didn’t she? Maybe she could use that.
Affection or trust are not the only ways you could get someone to listen to you, there were other methods.
Sayeon took one last, long look at the girl before they finally got back to the Headquarters.
She would never have Ryujin's trust, no matter how much she wanted it. She would not have her affection. She just has to accept that.
She would never have someone who could understand her again.