✓ SIX THIRTY ━ johnny suh

. . . . chapter fifty-three.

( ❑❑❑ )

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩

SONG OF THE DAY :
so   high  -  doja  cat

. . . . . .

"you really need this too. your weed tatoo's been looking very lonely."

"it's not weed!"

though the alcohol in chia's system wore down while they walked to the itaewon's famous tattoo parlor, she still remained overly blunt.

he was warned. he just didn't expect her to voice out thoughts as rash as ones now.

"i don't care about the symbolism, it looks like fucking marijuana at the end of the day."

butting in their uncanny conversation, a buff man holding what seemed like a checklist asked, "what are you getting?"

chia was eager. she stood up from her seat like a name-called high schooler, holding the hand to ink on up.

"6-3-0 here." she traced down the side of her wrist, smiling.

youngho mirrored her expression as a mix memories all came back. that smile. that hour. those times where he'd look forward to each rooftop sunset just to have insignificant conversations reeking of cigarettes with that girl with pink streaks in her hair. he missed it.

quickly, he averted his gaze from her eyes to avoid getting sucked into the longing the memory of her held.

"same thing for me then. she'll go first."

his initial plan was to sit by the entrance couches until it was his turn, but her pull on his arm as they were dragged inside was strong.

plus, he couldn't resist that drunken pout.

the first thing she said as she settled down the tattooing chair widened his night's frustrations.

"is that . . . soju?"

the artist had also widened it much, much more.

"would you like some?"

that wasn't good.

there and then, chia had another batch of alcohol swigs, leaving youngho's voiceless yet passionate 'no' signals towards the two unnoticed.

jesus.

( ❑❑❑ )

thanks to the two unflavored soju bottles the tattoo artist gave, she was wasted again.

this time, her drunkenness pushed her to pull the money out to pay for the service. he did not want to do so. in his eyes, it was basically stealing.

but she persisted. for the fifth time, they kept pushing each other off the front of the counter with bills in their hands.

"it was your birthday right? february? this is my gift for you, i'll pay," she said.

he replied, "no, it's okay! you can barely pull your wallet out."

"i insist."

"i insist."

"if you don't."

chia swatted his hand away. youngho'd admit that hurt a little . . . or maybe not a little. either way, it was an effective scaring technique.

"i'm being thoughtful here. imagine being given a gift a month after your birthday. just accept it." slowly, she turned, eyes shifting from blank to investigative. "when's my birthday anyway?"

"may 25."

her eyes were decorated with sparkles. she squealed as if it was such a big deal, unable to conceal a grin.

"you remember! only my bestie and my brother do. and now you. hehe, i love you."

what.

what did she say?

internally, youngho was glitching.

"y-you what?"

what she said right after was way different. "i feel so fucking high i could kick a horse."

that caught the attention of the artist as she was already paying (perhaps more than the asked amount. she was too out of it to know). she looked at him with a slacked jaw, chuckling awkwardly.

oh if things couldn't get any worse.

"i-- i hope you don't think i'm high or anything i'm a good . . . clean citizen. the term 'high' goes both ways, right?" she leaned forward. "well, i did do cocaine once when i was sixteen but it was a peer pressure thing and besides the—"

youngho pulled her away from the wide-eyed artist.

"we should go now. thanks!"

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩

( ❑❑❑ )