escort | njm

twenty-two.

"What do you mean her, who else has he ever interacted with for another her to come out?"

"I... It's just a thought, there might be a girl out there that he's dating and we'll never know of unless he tells us about it, right?" There's a slight hint of uncertainty laced in her voice, the scene of the earlier night replaying at the back of her empty head. The way he looked at her, he looked at her as if she was everything he needed. He guided her as if he was a lost boy looking over his lover who he'd do and sacrifice anything for her. Or, Areum could be reading into it slightly overboard.

"You're reading too much into it, I'm pretty sure he'd tell you about her if anything ever happened." Yeah, maybe she's just reading too much into it, all because of the early evening scenes, or it's just how he acts with every other goddess of his that he has escorted. "I need to head home, make sure you get enough rest, I left a pill or two ibuprofens on your counter just in case you might need it, take it when you wake up in the morning. I'll get going, good night." And with that, Areum's slipping into the heels of hers, slinging the bag over her shoulders on a side before almost dashing out like the way Jaemin once did with her apartment.

There's an urgency when she's pressing at the buttons of the lifts, like she's rushing to head somewhere when she actually isn't, just trying to get herself composed, far away from that topic of confessing or love. Areum's steps foot into the elevator, surrounded with huge wide mirrors by the side. She stood in the center of the elevator, reflections of her ruined make-up with smudged black glossy ink cascading down her rosy blushed cheeks. Too overwhelming for one to experience all in a night, exactly why she hated the way feelings were deemed as an advantage when it really wasn't.

A burden on her shoulders with her feet dragged through the concrete flooring, she wasn't exactly lying when she said she's heading home, maybe just a breather by the park would have done it better. Her arms are widely spreaded, feet balancing by the end of the sidewalk, the road empty at dusk. The favourite type of peace she enjoyed, the road is midnight under the cloud, yet beyond is the upcoming dawn. There's a peace so lovely present, comforting in her thick blankets from every situation that could be happening anywhere else.

A peace so beautiful where no one's there to interrupt her alone time when she rightfully needs it, when she's at the near lowest point of her life at the moment, all she could ask for was peace, and she has it her way, for the first time. The way she's dashing away and avoiding every thought of hers yearning to catch up to her headless mind. The juxtaposition between the peace she loved and the peace she has with Jaemin, it's almost so similar but differently appreciated. Areum stops by the wooden bench, with a few petals of pink decorating the end of a side of the bench, adding colours to it like how Jaemin introduces colour to her black and white lifestyle.

She takes a seat by the bench, meeting by the presence of a familiar man, settling himself comfortably beside her by the bench, ruining the peace she once had. "Jaeyun, what are you doing here out in the early morning? The sun isn't even up." Areum glances at the man beside her, his side profile showing at her with a perfectly angled and sharp nose, the type of blushed heart-shaped lips of his. "The same goes for you Areum, what could be bothering you for you to be out here dressed like that with smudged eyeliner."

"Nothing much, a series of happenings in a night, one for me to contain my emotions any longer, it's been pent up for too long." He sits by her, nodding his head, adjusting the baseball cap he has where he's hiding the caramel strands of his under them. "I see, hope things get better for you soon then." Jaeyun wishes with a tug at the end of his lips, it's been a rare moment since they last interacted, when he bumped into her by the hallway on accident. "By the way, you look oddly ethereal in the dress of yours and the ruined make up, not that you have ever been ugly. Just know that you're absolutely gorgeous, I'm here if you need anything, Areum."

"Thank you. You don't look so bad in your rather expensive outfit yourself too, Jaeyun." Her eyes ran down his figure, a thick black Balenciaga hoodie with a pair of Louis Vuitton sweatpants, he sure is rich... There was a smile on her face, but she wouldn't call it a smile, it's just exposing the two front teeth of hers as she bit on her lower lips, hands rising to bid the man goodbye, his silhouette fading away as it blends in with the background of the park. There's a ring at her phone, feeling it vibrate constantly through her purse. There could only be two possibilities, Jaemin or Eun. And she's spot on.

Imessage
Today, 04:57.

Jae‼️:
are you coming back any sooner?

i'm waiting for you, you know?

nevermind, just text me back when
you see these messages itself, thanks.

don't make me worry about you more
than i already should, angel.

you're a grown woman, i shouldn't be
worrying too much over your own safety...
seen, 04:56.

Areum's eyes run over the most recent notification she has resting in her notifications centre. An unknown phone number, in her messages, waiting to be opened. She holds on the notification, peeking at the messages written down before actually replying to it, considering how she doesn't even own the slightest energy to walk up to her house, neither does she have that energy although she's imagining herself being greeted by Jaemin once she opens the wooden door connecting the harsh reality with her little safe hiding spot.

Imessage
Today, 05:02

unknown:
hey it's jaeyun, just checking
if you got home safely :)

Areum:
i'm on my way home, thank
you for checking in.

Jaeyun:
alright, lmk when you get home

Areum:
will do, thank you <3

The last thing she's going to do is to head home, but there's no other choice with her already smudged make-up. There's a puff of condensation leaving her lips at the chilly weather surrounding her in the open, sleeveless but the weather wasn't affecting her one bit, it was those she loved, it's nothing compared with the coldness she felt present in Jaemin's text.

Tonight, reality clearly shows a cultural juxtaposition between rich people and poor people.

It wasn't an experience she would entirely dislike, it's once she gained and learnt a lot from. Jaemin's job, she finally got a glimpse of how his job is carried out and earned thousands just like that. It's a night where she actually enjoys and experiences the life of a wealthy family. Areum stops by the elevator leading up towards her apartment, the once thoughtless mind now clouded with unreasonable ones.

Her fingers find refuge in her messily tousled hair after a hectic night, stepping into the elevator and tugging at its ends slightly before the door closes on her. A sigh for the nth time left her lips, she's been way bothered, studies and friendships, feelings, it came together all at the wrong timing where she hardly even have time for herself to actually breathe. Areum steps out of the metallic box, turning at the corner of the hallway, only to find a man dressed in navy suit with his messy raven hair, standing by the door with his back against it.

"Jaemin? What are you doing here?" Her voice meek, questioning the grown man infront of her, sliding her pad of her thumb on the lock as it recognises the fingerprint. "I told you I wasn't leaving till you got home." Jaemin shrugs his shoulders, kicking off the leather shoes before making his way towards the couch and greeting the puppy by the side. "You want a can of coke?" Areum questions, breaking the awkwardly thick blanket of silence in the air. "No thanks, I'll get going soon, just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"But you... You went to a sleepover dressed like that?" His eyes are basically running over her figure, it's been too long since he has last seen his best-friend perfectly dolled up, with slight curls in her hair as it rests on her exposed chest. "Yeah, why not?" Areum replies, short, sweet and cold, hoping for it not to continue digging into that subject but it was of course the opposite. "Are you sure you weren't with a guy or anything before this?" Even if she ever was with a guy, why would she tell him, it's not like he'd care after how she saw him on his escorting service. "No, why would I be?"

"Then explain why you were with Jaeyun earlier, are you keeping something from me, or any of us?"