soy sauce [ryuna] ✩

epilogue

tw: suicide mention

Six months later...

"How was therapy?"

Ryujin rolled her eyes as she met up with Chaeryeong outside of her therapist's office. Yeji was with her, texting a mystery girl that piqued her interest over the past few weeks.

"It was sunshine and rainbows, of course," Ryujin replied as she linked arms with her best friend.

"As it should be! I'm so proud of you for going," Chaeryeong beamed.

Ryujin swallowed down the urge to say that both Chaeryeong and Yeji should go to therapy as well, since they also went through so much. When she initially said something about it before her first therapy session, they assured her they were fine and that they've seen worse. It still didn't sit well with Ryujin, but she wasn't going to force them until it was absolutely needed.

Ryujin, however, was the complete opposite. Not only after being kidnapped and locked in a basement for who knows how long with someone she could've considered a friend, was threatened to get shot despite that same "friend" assuring her she wouldn't get hurt, seeing that same person assault her actual friends, and then seeing them actually shoot themselves with her own two eyes, yeah Ryujin was scarred and definitely needed therapy. She constantly looked over her shoulder, even in her own house, worried that somebody would run up on her and kidnap her again. She wouldn't go outside unless somebody else went with her. She'd constantly text her mom, Yeji, and Chaeryeong a little too often just to assure that they're safe and sound. She'd dream that she was back in the basement, or that Yuna had climbed into her bedroom, or she was back in the apartment complex and Yuna would shoot Ryujin before turning the gun on herself. She could hardly sleep, and when she did she had her lamp on to ease her worries for the most part.

Yeji and Chaeryeong got updates on Yuna. They hesitated telling Ryujin for good reason, but eventually told her once her therapy started. Yuna was alive and in the hospital getting treated for her life-threatening injuries. It was amazing how she didn't die. Maybe she got the angle wrong and missed an important part of the brain. They couldn't get specifics, but Ryujin didn't feel guilty that Yuna was deceased anymore. Although, that didn't stop the nightmares of a gun in her mouth.

Police were investigating Yuna's place and everything that was going on there to charge her and those involved, but Yuna was definitely going to be sent to a psych ward to be evaluated.

"Where to now? Ice cream? I'll pay," Chaeryeong offered.

"That sounds good."

They all headed to the nearby ice cream parlor, Chaeryeong and Ryujin finding entertainment with teasing Yeji about whoever she was texting.

"I hate you guys," Yeji said when they entered the parlor, face the color of the cherries they served on the ice cream.

"We'll really plan out a date for you two," Ryujin said, Chaeryeong nodding along in agreement. "For you and...Soo...?" Ryujin dragged out the syllable until Yeji shook her head.

"Ka...?"

"No."

"Ye...?"

"No."

"La...?"

"No."

"Jung...?"

"Oh my god! Her name is Jisu!"

"Jisu!" Ryujin and Chaeryeong exclaimed at the same time.

They ordered their frozen treats whilst still poking fun at the eldest before grabbing a table to eat at. Ryujin waited for the other two to start eating before she dug her spoon into her own ice cream.

Yeji groaned at something Chaeryeong said before turning to look at Ryujin. "What? No soy sauce?"

Oh, no no no. Soy sauce was the reason she got into that mess in the first place. Now Ryujin can't look at a bottle before getting flashbacks, finding herself in the basement and hearing muffled voices from outside the door. Her mom got rid of any empty soy sauce bottles and made sure to avoid the aisle with that particular sauce whenever they went shopping.

"Can't," Ryujin responded in a tight voice.

"Why not?"

"Too many memories."

Yeji dropped it at that moment, deciding to talk about plans that did not include Jisu.

"My da—I mean, uh," Chaeryeong interrupted herself, casting a glance at Ryujin, who didn't seem bothered in the slightest. "My parental figure who is a male wants to take me to go fishing."

Speaking of male parental figures, turns out Ryujin's father wasn't killed. He wasn't even involved with Yuna's family. Her and the police must've gotten the two men mixed up since they had the exact same name or something. No, her father was just a deadbeat who'd rather not have responsibilities.

Yeji snorted into her ice cream. "Fishing?"

"Yes," Chaeryeong groaned. "To bond or something, I don't know."

"It'll be fun, stop being such a baby."

"Speaking of babies, how hot is Jisu?"

Chaeryeong laughed before yelping as she jerked in her seat. Yeji wore a smirk as she continued eating her ice cream. Ryujin chuckled as she attempted to eat her own.

Ryujin contemplated if she wanted to visit Yuna. On one hand, it would be idiotic as she could potentially undo all the hard work her therapist put into her and she would wake up with more nightmares. On the other, she needed some closure. Or to assure herself that Yuna wasn't going to hurt her.

With a lot of internal discussions, Ryujin decided to visit Yuna, Chaeryeong by her side. Chaeryeong was against the idea, but still went with Ryujin.

It was weird seeing Yuna in a padded cell. Like she shouldn't be there, but also like it was where she belonged. Her gaze was trained on some spot on the ground, and she didn't look up when they approached the window. She looked so...defeated. Her hair was unkempt and greasy-looking, her face looked so pale and sullen, and the clothes looked to be too big for her. Ryujin genuinely felt bad for her, even with everything she went through.

After that day, she kept thinking about Yuna more and more. She dreamed of Yuna in that state more than in the murderous/suicidal one. She didn't know which one was scarier.

A month after that visit, she found herself lying in bed, attempting to go to sleep. The lamp wasn't one, but she didn't realize that that was why she was having a hard time falling asleep. That and how she felt the hairs stand up on her skin, similar to the way they would as if someone was watching her. But there can't be anybody. It was just her mind playing tricks.

However, when she opened her eyes and found Yuna's crazed ones staring back at her, she let out a loud scream that was sure to have woken up all of Korea.

the end! :D

it's up to you to see the ending as it being in ryujin's brain or if it actually happened!

but thank you so much for reading this fic! it wasn't supposed to be serious at all, so if there were some inconsistencies, it's no big deal

i have a similar story up called 'you're mine' but it's more serious than this one, yee. other than that, you can go check out my imagines and request stuff🤠

go support itzy when 'wannabe' comes out, and i'll see you guys laterrrr

okay, bye!