Chapter Text
Ch.1 - the silence is deafening
After graduating high school, Choi Kyung and Joo Yeri both agreed to room with each other for university. It wasn’t super mutual at first. It was mostly Yeri begging Kyung to share an apartment because she was aware of her lack of responsibility. One thing led to another, and now they live with each other.
As soon as Kyung gets home from her classes, she immediately starts studying as she usually does. Burying her face in books and drowning her brain with laws made time go faster, especially when there was an important exam coming up. She breaks out of her studying trance and glances at her digital clock. 11:00 pm. She didn’t realize how fast the time went by. She never does. She figured it’s a good time to stop for the night and close her textbooks. As she puts her books in place on her bookshelf, her phone dings.
“Kyuungggg pick me up?”
It was Joo Yeri. Since they lived together, it became a habit for Kyung to pick Yeri up from a light night out at a bar or some college party. Kyung groaned at the message glowing on her screen. This little shit, she thought in her head.
“Stay where you are.”
Kyung started her car and drove to her location. Yeri shares her location with Kyung due to how often she needed to get picked up. It was just more convenient that way. As Kyung is driving, she progressively gets more frustrated. She is always doing things for Yeri. When Yeri needs a ride home, Kyung has to pick her up. When Yeri doesn’t pay her portion of the rent, Kyung ends up paying the full price. When Yeri wants anything, Kyung is always the first person she asks.
Kyung arrives at the bar Yeri is at. Usually Yeri waits outside for Kyung to pick her up, but she is nowhere in sight. Once Kyung was nowhere to be found on the sidewalk outside the bar, she parks her car and walks inside to look for Yeri.
When Kyung walks inside, she immediately feels a shift in energy. The bar wasn’t the fanciest place to be in on earth. The floors were sticky from what she hoped was alcohol. There were drunken men shouting at each other for some dumb reason. Kyung didn’t know what she had expected from a bar that sells the cheapest alcohol. As she walks further to the back of the bar, she spots Yeri talking with a group of girls. There were 4 other girls at the table Yeri was at. Kyung remembers those familiar faces. Those were the same girls Yeri would smoke with in highschool. She obviously never took the time to remember any names of inferior classmates. Kyung speedwalks toward Yeri.
Kyung places a hand on Yeri’s shoulder. Yeri looks back at Kyung. “Let’s go” Kyung looked angry. Yeri noticed it, but she didn’t acknowledge it. Yeri looks back to her table and says her goodbye.
“Hey! Choi Kyung, is that you?” A girl from the table shouts. Kyung recognizes her face. She thinks her name is Ara or Hara, she couldn’t remember.
“Yeah.” Kyung says plainly. Yeri stands up from their booth and grabs her purse.
“Omg, Yeri is still friends with that loser?” Some other girl whispers to the one next to her. Yeri shifts in her place and glances at Kyung. Kyung is staring that girl down.
“Ya, who do you think you are?” Kyung says a little too loud with a bit too much aggression. The girls are taken aback by her sudden attitude. Kyung glares at the group.
Yeri senses the tension. She suddenly grabs onto Kyung’s arm. “Let’s just go homeeee.” She whispers in her playful tone. Kyung looks at Yeri's grip on her arm. She turns around without saying another word and walks towards the exit of the bar.
On their way back to the car, Yeri is yapping away about her day, still clinging to Kyung. Kyung stays silent. She opens the passenger door for Yeri. She walks around the front of the car to the driver’s seat. Kyung starts the car and starts driving.
“-and then he still asked me for my number even after I said no. The nerve on that guy.” Yeri complains. She looks over at Kyung. Her eyes are plastered on the road, her hands strangling the wheel.
“Kyungiiiiya, are you even listening to me?” Yeri pouts in her seat.
Kyung’s jaw clenches. “Do you not know how to read a room?” Her voice was sharp enough to cut paper.
Yeri’s eyebrows furrow. “Hmm?” she replies, startled by her tone.
Kyung parks the car in front of their apartment. She gets out of the car and slams her door shut without saying another word. She doesn’t even open the door for Yeri like she usually does. Yeri gets out of the car and catches up to Kyung. Kyung presses the elevator button and the elevator opens. Kyung unlocks their apartment door as Yeri quietly stands behind. They kick off their shoes and Yeri drops on the couch. She watches Kyung march into her room. She can sense something is wrong. Anyone could. Kyung always has something to say.
The drunk girl groans as she gets up from the couch to go check on her roommate. She leans against the doorframe. “Got your panties in a twist?” Yeri flops on Kyung’s bed right next to her.
“Get off my bed.”
“Jeez, what is your problem?” Yeri asks, irritation filling her question.
“Do I have to do everything for you?” Kyung sits up on her bed.
“What?” She scoffs.
“Gosh, I knew you were dumb but you can’t be this fucking clueless. You use me for everything, Yeri. I do everything for you and I get nothing in return.”
“Is this because I keep asking you to pick me up from parties? I can just start ordering an uber instead.”
“Oh my fucking god. Not even an apology. Yeri, you are the most selfish person I have ever known. You take my time away and you think I’ll let it slide because you’re cute. I’m not those fucking idiots you drag home and fuck.”
Yeri hesitates before talking. “You calling me a whore now?” She quickly sobers up from the argument.
“You’re not getting it. I knew you never would.”
Suddenly everything stops. The air in the room feels too suffocating. The silence is too loud. Before Kyung told Yeri to get out, she was already leaving. Kyung gets up and shuts the door just hard enough to get the point through Yeri’s head.
They’ve argued before, but not like this. Their arguments always consisted of Kyung pushing Yeri to work harder in her academics or Yeri pushing Kyung to go out and live her life. Those arguments never left their place so quiet before. Kyung knew she was being too harsh on the girl but she knew if she didn’t react like that then Yeri wouldn’t care. She knew a smack on the wrist wasn’t enough for Yeri. She knew Yeri too well.
The two both laid in their own bed staring at the ceiling wondering what the other was thinking. Yeri loves to think of herself as a nonchalant “idgaf” warrior, when in reality, she is the exact opposite. Kyung doesn’t know it but Yeri has her location 24/7. Kyung only knows that Yeri shares her location with her. Yeri’s favorite part of a party is when it ends and Kyung has to pick her up. Sometimes when Yeri skips a class and goes home early, she lays in Kyung’s bed “because it’s comfier,” but if that was ever true Yeri would force Kyung to swap beds.
As Kyung falls asleep, she promises herself that she will apologize to Yeri… as soon as Yeri does first.