Eternity [ryeji]

Chapter 4

“Unnie?”

Yuna closes the door behind her and takes off her shoes.

She switches the lights on and takes out her phone from her bag before placing said bag on the couch.

There’s an unread message from Ryujin saying that she’s going to go out to dinner.

“With Yeji?” Yuna sends the reply and goes to the kitchen to get herself something to drink. Then she goes to the study that doubles as their personal library.

She places her drink on the wooden desk then goes to a large corner shelf. She takes out one of the big dusty books on the top shelf titled ‘The Complete Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs” and presses a small obscure switch hidden behind it.

Low rumbling sounds are heard as the large shelf begins to slowly move to the side, revealing a door, just like in the movies.

Yuna places the big book back in its place and lifts a small flap on the wall right next to the hidden door. There’s a fingerprint scanner in it and as she scans her thumb, she can’t help but smile, grateful for technology. In the old days, they had to make yet another hiding place to hide the keys to their secret library.

After the small light on the fingerprint scanner has turned green, she pushes the door open and disappears inside the room.

There’s nothing but books in it but they are ancient and of great value to them both financially and personally. Her personal journals are there too, along with parchments and other documents that their families had passed down to them before they perished.

There were times when they couldn’t bring this precious collection into their home and had to rent storage spaces that they would then convert to accommodate and preserve the books. It cost them a lot but it was worth every penny because this was their story, their identity.

Yuna takes out a book decorated with ancient symbols that not many on this planet can decipher. It contains a copy of every parchment they’ve had throughout the years. She had personally, painstakingly, replicated everything and put them into books because some of the parchments were deteriorating and because it was easier to carry books than rolls of fragile ancient paper.

When Ryujin told her about the strange sensation last night, she had considered checking this book but didn’t have the time.

Her phone beeps a moment later, with a new message from Ryujin.

“Yes. You just got home?”

“Yeah. What time are you coming home?”

“Not sure but it won’t be that late.”

“Okay. Have fun.”

Yuna sets the phone down and starts reading.

———————

Ryujin stifles a burp and groans. “I’m full,” she says, patting her round stomach.

“You should be. We nearly finished one whole pan,” replies Yeji from the other side of the table where she, too, is having trouble breathing.

Ryujin looks at Yeji and smiles. “They say that you tend to eat more when in good company.”

“Who said that?” Yeji turns her head to meet Ryujin's gaze.

“They did.”

“Who’s they?”

“I don’t know. People? Scholars? Lyricist? People caught in a rain that turned into a storm?”