Them

4. JIN

He found the journal on the train. By the time, that he had arrived in Gwacheon, he had nothing to worry about. He was born in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, but when he was 1 year old his family moved to Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Always called 'Worldwide Handsome' by his father's colleagues, male and female, he had really nothing to worry about.

Since he was from a well-off family, this helped. His father was the CEO of a company.
His family consisted of: his father who spoiled him rotten, his mother who didn't give a flying crap about him and his older brother, Kim Seok-Joong, who was two years older than him.

Seok-Jin was one spoiled kid though. He was too spoiled, if you asked. By now, he got off the train, keeping the journal in hand, and pushed himself inside of the car waiting for him. The car hugged the black tarmac, bright headlamps illuminating the onward road.

And Seok-Jin looked out the window, as it had started to rain. The rain had lost the ambient temperature of early fall, freezing and paling on the window's glass panes on contact. The path through the park was muddy water in motion, filling deep puddles that hid in the ruts of dryer weather.

"Mr. Kim, where to now?" asked his limousine driver, tugging on the steering wheel with his slightly veiny hands and tilting his black cap slightly downwards. His face was turned away from Seok-Jin.

"Just take me to Jia's place, please, Ellis." huffed Seok-Jin to his American limousine driver. He gripped his hands on the steering wheel and turned the corner to a few blocks away to Jia's place. Lee Jia, was Seok-Jin's best friend ever since childhood. She was a lot like him, but at the same time, she had her differences.

So, on the wait, Seok Jin opened the journal and began to read the first page. A prophecy of some sort. 'All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes, a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadow shall spring; renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crown less again shall be king.'

"Mr. Kim? We've arrived at Miss Lee's place." announced Ellis, with a softer tone. Seok Jin nodded and got out of the car, placing the journal into his brown leather bag. He blew the hair out of his face as he eyed his best friend's house. It was a beautiful mansion, with a sprawling front yard with gentle flowers and beautiful branches.

It was a stunning location. What was not to love? He knocked on the birch door with a sigh,    and with a smile, Jia's mother, Mrs. Lee or Lee Mi Sun pulled open the door. "Good afternoon, Jin! How are you this afternoon?" She asked. Mrs. Lee was sure one to talk.

Even the ladies at her local coffee club even used to speak behind her back about how much she rambled on, on and on. "I'm fine, thank-you, Mrs. Lee." Seok Jin replied and stepped in the doorway, "where is Jia?"

Mrs. Lee lee him to the kitchen, and started to prepare a cup of coffee as she told him, "My poor Jia's boyfriend has just broken up with her. She is in a very distressed state, mind you. And you can imagine how this has scrambled my eggs. And I'm her mother!"

Seok Jin sighed. Jia had been going out with her bastard of a boyfriend for a few years now, and she loved him dearly. To hear about her breaking up with him was news. And big news at that. So, he went and gently knocked on her door, with just three taps. "Jia..." He sighed once more before opening it to find her face buried in her pillow and he sat beside her.

"What's the problem?" He asked.

"What's the problem?" She echoed in a questioning tone, "The problem is that every time I let someone into my life, they walk right out. Except for you. And Mum. It hurts. And it hurts because you keep giving them a part of yourself and they eventually leave? You're left with nothing once they're gone. Nothing but this whole in your chest that used to be filled with promise, hope, and love. Nothing. Build yourself up again from scratch."

Seok Jin stammered for the first time in what felt like months, years even, "But I'm not-"

She interrupted before he could continue, "and don't you dare say that it's going to be different with you. Because that's exactly what they all say before walking all over you and out. Before dojo something they wouldn't do. Beige becoming what they said they wouldn't be. Because it always ends like that."

And she threw herself back into her pillow and continued to cry. Seok Jin could don nothing except try and comfort her, reassuringly patting her back, as she mourned her loss. Outside, the sunset continued to fall, and so did some pictures on her walls that she'd tried to glue on with sticky tape. People smiling. A half finished painting. A picture of tulips and dandelions. Through all of this there was something - hope.