Choi Mujin Imagines

All too well - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1: Present Day

35 – Mujin

I walked through the door with you
The air was cold
But something about it felt like home somehow

Mujin walked on the familiar street, finding a huddled crowd around the corner of it. From afar, he could hear the faint singing of the teenagers who were standing side by side with huge smiles on their faces while they swayed with the music.

This is the usual spot for teenagers who likes busking. Having witnessed the sight in front of him just now brought back so many memories. As he scanned the crowd, he saw his younger self standing with them, watching the performance with a hint of a smile on his face.

He used to frequent this place when he was a teenager too.

He looked around the whole street, noticing its changes throughout the years. He used to live around here and everywhere he looked, only brought back more memories. Each piece of memory made him sigh, resulting in him seeing his own breath in the air, he suddenly realized how cold it was, but it still felt like home.

All of a sudden, some teenagers ran past him. They were in a rush, causing them to bump into him, Mujin felt himself accidentally bumping the other person who was walking behind him.

The group of boys halted and faced the two of them, bowing their heads while muttering their apologies politely. Mujin only gave them a nod to acknowledge it, and they disappeared quickly, running to the crowd. "Hey, be careful, boys!" The woman behind Mujin called after them.

Mujin was stunned upon hearing that voice. He almost could not believe his ears.

"Aysh, mister, are you alright?" The woman continued to ask him. Her eyes were glued to the teenage boys who now joined the crowd while crossing her arms. "Look at them. They're so young and excited...." He heard her sigh as if she was reminiscing her teenage years too, similar to what he was doing a while ago.

"....I used to be young like them." And he knew, he just knew that there was a hint of a smile in her face just from hearing her voice. That's when he finally allowed himself to look at her, just as she turned her head to look at him. The look in her eyes must have mirrored the ones on his own.

Her eyes showed a number of emotions.

Shock.

Familiarity.

Sadness?

Whatever those emotions were, he's certain that he had seen them all before. Maybe just not all at once. It took years for him to familiarize himself to each emotion, and seeing them right now, flashing all at once, brought him back to all the times that he first witnessed them.

Their first meeting, first touch, first good bye, and first kiss.

Each moment, engraved in his memory.

"Mujin?" She asked with a tone of disbelief, a tone that he knows all too well. She almost couldn't recognize him.

He stood there, clad with a tailored suit, hair neatly styled, and the smell of his cologne was oozing in the air.

He looks and smells expensive.

She stepped back a little to have a good look at him again, now masking the emotions in her eyes. Something that Mujin was also very familiar with.

She smiled, but it failed to reach her eyes, she's still having a hard time masking all the emotions flooding her, accompanied with memories. Their memories. "I didn't know I'd bump into you here."

All that Mujin could do was nod, still in shock. His eyes were rapidly blinking, still not believing who he just saw. The memories and emotions that came back to him were overwhelming. These emotions, he almost forgot how to feel like this, having been accustomed to his lifestyle for years, the only thing he felt for the past recent years was anger.

"What..." He was confused, and he cleared his throat, now looking for words. "What are you doing here?" He allowed himself to scan her too. She's just how he expected her to be, even better.

She raised her eyebrows, surprised by the question. Then she smiled again, and this time, Mujin was certain that it was a genuine one. "What do you mean? The same reason why you're here, I presume?"