An idol tells her tale of loneliness, but she's no longer alone.
April 16, 2023, 8:11am, En Route to Ryujin's Hideout, Daegu, South Korea.
As the team plodded along towards the ITZY member's place, Ryujin giddily asked Jihyo what happened to her during these past few months. Jihyo replied by telling her how she got here-- from losing Mina to the Koul'ins, to meeting Zeke, to having a settlement, to having their Manifests.
For the first time in four months... Ryujin was happy that she now had someone else to talk to. To listen to. It was a warm feeling, one that she had been lacking for quite some time.
As Jihyo continued talking to her, Ryujin notices that they're close to her place.
"Oh, wait, Jihyo-unnie, Zeke, Hyungwon, Hangyeol... before we continue, I want to tell you all that my place isn't what you're used to seeing..." Ryujin said. "As an idol I know I should be maintaining my place, but right now, it's all crooked and messy. I hope that's alright."
"I'm pretty sure we are okay with it." Zeke smiled. "Now, come on. I think we have to hurry, my friend here is freezing."
He then points to Hangyeol who was shivering to death.
"Y-you could've just made me a rocket seal...y'know?!" Hangyeol said.
"Sorry, Hyungwon told me to not lend you one again. He looked serious and frankly, I don't really wanna be on his angry side, so..." Zeke said as he scratched his head.
"If it was about earlier, just g-get over it, Hyungwon! It was just a joke!" Hangyeol replied.
"Just returning the favor, Hangyeol, it's funny seeing you like that," Hyungwon smirked as they chuckled.
They soon arrive at Ryujin's place, not too far from the place they were just in.
It was an abandoned chicken restaurant. Massive piles of debris scattered around the area and traces of decimated snowmen lie buried on the snowy floor.
Ryujin opens up a large hatch behind the counter, showing a stairway that leads to an underground stockroom.
"Right this way, lady and gentlemen." Ryujin smiles.
They all went down, and they see Ryujin's place... A place which she has called home for several months.
"Soooo... Welcome to my small home. It's not much, but hey, it's all pretty good to me." Ryujin smiled as they all looked at her place.
It was surprisingly warm, and the place felt relaxing. Ryujin has turned a steel cabinet into a makeshift bed with a mattress on it, and she dismantled all the other metal stalls and turned them into desks, chairs, and tables.
On one of the tables lay a few pencils, some empty antidote canisters, a few small bags of chips, and her phone, that was flashing a Frank Sinatra playlist on its small screen.
On the walls were some taped pictures of her with Yuna, Yeji, Chaeryoung, and Lia. A couple of drawings were there as well, seemingly drawn by Ryujin herself.
Lots of papers are on the floor, and it was a bit messy. But the place was impressive enough for a makeshift home.
"This place... you fixed it all by yourself?" Zeke asked.
"Yep." Ryujin nods as she presses a button on her armor, and it removes on it's own. "Took a while to figure things out but eventually I did. Just had to place my mind into it, like what I've been doing as an idol for years now..." Ryujin then carries the armor and places it on top of the table. She then offers everyone a seat.
"This place is nice and all but... how did you end up here?" Jihyo asked as she sat down on one of the makeshift chairs.
"Hmm... I was here in Daegu because of a photo shoot. Nothing much going on, same ol' job. But this whole stuff happened and the next thing I know, I was on the run. Then I found this place and hid here for a while. The food here kept me alive, but it was scarce, so I was forced to eat raw stuff. It's lucky I never got salmonella. I think it's because of the cold. Either that or I just have a really strong stomach. Must've been from all that spicy food I've been eating all my life...
"And then?" Jihyo asked.
"I stayed here for... what? 4 months tops. I don't go out often, and when I do, I try to make sure I haul as many supplies as I can."
"You didn't... try to get out and get back to Seoul?" Jihyo said.
"I tried. But it was so difficult. Every so often, heavily guarded alien vehicles arrive, bringing in supplies and all toward the park. So... you know, me being only human... I was forced to stay here."
They just listened to her story.
"And then one day... I had this crazy idea to steal some alien supplies. It was a lot of planning. I ambushed Koul'ins for their supplies and put them down. There were instances that I nearly got killed.. but hey, in the end... I got myself some pretty good loot, don't you think? Hehe." Ryujin grinned.
"These are amazing, though," Hyungwon said as he fiddled around with her armor. "I could tinker with this all day... O-of course, with your permission, Miss Ryujin."
"Oh, are you some sort of mechanic, Hyungwon?" Ryujin asked.
"Y-yes," Hyungwon replied. "I've been tinkering with similar things for months now."
"His efforts as a mechanic have helped us for a while now! He's totally reliable." Jihyo added as she smiled.
"Perfect timing! I'll need your help with this. I don't think I have unlocked this armor's full potential so, if it's okay..." Ryujin said.
"Of course, definitely. Anything to help..." Hyungwon said as he blushed. He sees Hangyeol grinning like an idiot, seemingly teasing him again.
"Once we get back to the settlement, you're mincemeat, Hangyeol," Hyungwon said to himself.
"It's... actually surprising that you've managed to do all of these," Jihyo said.
"When you're in a scary alien apocalypse, Jihyo-unnie, you'd do anything to survive," Ryujin replied. "I'm surprised myself that I have lived this long on my own, and never in my whole life have I thought of wielding and using alien equipment like this... But then again, I'm no stranger to sudden twists in my life..."
"I agree... One moment, we're idols, now... we are... different. A lot different." Jihyo said as she nodded.
"Hehe. Sometimes life gives you lemons, and you try to make lemonade, but weirdly enough, orange juice comes out." Ryujin said.
"That... doesn't make any sense..." Zeke said, scratching his head.
"Yeah, exactly. Because life, in general, doesn't make sense, Zeke. Hehe." Ryujin replied. "So... going back to our discussion earlier... I've wanted to ask what are you doing here, Jihyo-unnie."
"We are trying to investigate this place because Sana is in here, taken captive by the Koul'in..."
Ryujin's eyes widen. "Sana-unnie? Here?"
"Mhm... We were hoping to get some information regarding directions on this place, but it's too foggy, and we might run into those damned aliens." Jihyo replied.
"I have the intel you need!" Ryujin said.
"Really?" Jihyo replied.
"Yeah! I've actually been inside, but that was a month ago. I still remember the twists and turns of it. Why don't we go and save her right now?" Ryujin said. "We're prepared, and you have your Manifests. I'll help!"