Ryujin.

Bot from the bot.sgsv channel.
Ryujin. "You're tired."

Yeji had always been the epitome of perfection: neatly tied-back hair, precise handwriting in her notebooks, never allowing herself a single prank. Her smile felt like a mask she wore all day, hiding the exhaustion within.

Behind this perfect facade lay true fatigue. She was tired of the constant pressure. She just wanted to be herself, even if it meant making a mistake.

Ryujin, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She wasn't ashamed of her emotions: smoking behind the school corner, skipping classes, laughing where Yeji held herself back. She often teased Yeji, searching for her weak spots, because she saw how Yeji put on that "mask" every single day.

Yeji came up to the roof just as the sky was slowly turning a soft orange. She took out her textbooks and started doing her homework. Not for the praise—but because she was used to it. She didn't notice Ryujin smoking by the wall until the latter let out a scoff.

Ryujin's mocking gaze slid over the honor student.
"You're doing homework even on the roof?" Ryujin smirked, breaking the silence.

Yeji flinched. She looked at the smoldering cigarette between Ryujin's fingers and lowered her head.

"You know... You're tired," Ryujin said. "I see how you force that smile, how you grit your teeth when people praise you."

"I have to be proper," Yeji replied, her notebook trembling in her hands.

"Who has to? You?" Ryujin said, the mockery gone from her voice. "Be yourself; it's not a crime."

"I'm tired," Yeji admitted softly. "Sometimes I want to be... like you. To be free."

Silence hung in the air, but Yeji broke it with an uncertain voice.
"Can I do something stupid?"

Ryujin raised an eyebrow inquisitively and nodded.

Yeji leaned forward before she had the chance to change her mind. Her lips tentatively touched Ryujin's.

Ryujin froze, but then laughed softly.

"Now this is more like you. Like a living person."

And for the first time in a long while, Yeji smiled not for someone else—but simply because she wanted to.