EIGHTEEN | minsung.

chapter 6

summer, 2017

"are you sure you're okay?" jeongin asks him, a mix of hesitance and concern present in the delivery.

"yes, i feel better now." jisung assures his friend. "and if i wasn't, you'd be the first to know." and that was the truth.

the younger was quiet for a while as he observes the boy behind him. "okay," he said.

it has been about a week since it happened. and for a week, he couldn't get himself to do anything but mope and maybe forget—no, it was rather to distract himself than it was to forget. something so impactful in his life would be difficult to unlearn. it was a mixture of different things at once and the weight was slowly wearing him down he didn't know what to do but disappear.

maybe he lied. maybe he has not recovered entirely but he was feeling better than before, that much he believed.

that evening, jisung was walking his way back home from a day with jeongin at the arcade. the sun starts to set and the boy watches it shrinking as it touches the bay. the sun's light reflects the waters and it scatters like a spectrum, adding bright colors to the blue. and it was all very beautiful and unreal he wanted to cry.

"jisung," he encounters his mother at the house's gate when he came home. "let's go?"

and this is where han jisung found himself dressed in casual attire with his mother pressing the door bell at their neighbor's gate. it took a few moments for a response and the boy shrinks closer to his mother's side, almost like a reflex, when someone opens the gate for them.

a woman greeted them inside the house. the fellow thought she was somehow familiar. he believed she was the same woman he saw about some weeks ago. the house owner's daughter, that's the one!

"and this must be jisung?" he hears his name in between his mother and the woman's conversation.

he saw his mother nod. "yes, it's been a while. hasn't it?" a while? have we met?

"oh dear. he's gotten taller now and he's gotten even more charming," the woman told his mother. he scratched the back of his head, shy and also confused. he just can't put a finger where he's seen her some years ago.

"hello, good evening." he was aware his greeting was rather delayed. jisung made a friendly smile to not appear rude, but it appeared as more awkward than he intended.

after having escaped from the conversation and giving his birthday greetings, jisung sat on one of the chairs and silently scanned over the sea of people. there were faces he knew and did not. faces of other townspeople who were invited and faces of people he's never seen before in his life. he wondered if jeongin was here too.

he was surprised to see an unexpected face along the halls. the other boy was there on the balcony, the moonlight hitting some of his features.

annoyance would flicker on those days jisung encounters him. the canteen, the grocery store, and even the repair shop. but it didn't flicker tonight. perhaps, he had no energy. besides, not a word was exchanged between them but glances, no matter how rude and glare-mistaking it often was.

it seemed a bit petty and irrelevant now, holding a grudge on strangers. maybe han jisung was indeed insane. he was insane enough to stand up and consider the idea of approaching him too.