Slow Journey || 2KIM

Chapter 15

It's Christmas break again. Minju can't believe how fast time flies. She really wishes time would just slow down for once and let her breathe for a while. She can clearly remember last year's Christmas holidays as if it just happened yesterday! How numb, depressed but also forced she felt while having to spend her time with her family. She can also remember how she first lied to Chaewon as they firstly met, one on one because Chaewon has lost her power bank.

Now that Minju thinks about it... so many things have happened during last year as she and Chaewon are basically inseparable at this point, unlike last year wherein they barely interacted!

Still, as many things might have changed with her friends or college throughout last year... on the other hand, nothing has changed regarding her family. They're still the same old people she knows and remembers. The same people that make her feel unwanted in her very own house. Last time she has been around here, in these familiar gray walls it was during summer when she was working too hard for them so she already feels too drained as her last memories of this neighborhood as well as her home is her feel tired and drained, barely sleeping for a few hours before she would have to wake up early in the morning again to go to work.

She hasn't been back to the house for long and they're already showing their true colors once again. She's only been back for a couple of days as Christmas has already passed by now and New Year is close instead. As usual, her parents are busy at work so whenever they're back home they're extremely exhausted and always get angry too easily if things don't go their way. Minju already knows that as she's been helping them out at the convenience store once again too since it's a holiday season and the convenience store is busier than usual so they badly need her help too. She won't even comment about how her sister, even if she's older from her, doesn't help out her parents at all and they always wait for Minju to get back from college for college breaks in order to help them as they can't do anything on their own... she won't comment how her younger brother is such an ungrateful kid and keeps stealing money from their parents instead of working for it or trying to help them out at least a bit... She won't comment on any of all those unfair treatments that are always a thing around this household. She just lets it pass by as she's already used to it and minds her own business anyway as she's not planning to stay around here for long anyway...

"You're not going out! That's final!" Minju's father yells once again at his son. Minju has been sitting at the kitchen table, cutting some vegetables as she's preparing the salad for dinner that will be ready in a few minutes. Her mother has stopped cleaning up the dishes at the sink behind Minju as she's also been trying hard to reason with the couple's son, as they, all three of them, are pacing back and forth in the kitchen, fighting loudly as always. It's one of those moments Minju is so used to, one of those moments she knows she has to keep being silent, don't talk at all. It's one of those moments Minju plugs her earphones in her ears and blasts her music the loudest she can so she will prevent their loud voices.

When Chaewon pointed out how loudly Minju listens to music... she would have never imagined that the girl listens to an even louder level of volume of the songs on her playlist than the level of volume she has been listening to music back on that day they talked. In fact, that was probably the lowest level Minju has ever listened to as she always listens to music loud enough in order to not be able to listen to anybody —usually her family fighting. If only Chaewon ever got to know what Minju is going through...

"I'm going and you can't prevent me from doing so. I've already texted my friends! They're coming to pick me up in 15 minutes. So either you give me the pocket money I want or I'll steal them by myself! I know where you're hiding your money anyway!" Minseok yells back at his father. Minju's hands are trembling by now as their loud voices can be heard through her earphones anyway, no matter how loudly she's listening to music. Even if she can't hear them that clearly, she can still listen to their voices and after all, it doesn't matter what they're saying. If Minju can only see their angry faces, them transforming into monsters as they're fighting for dominance... it's already enough to affect her...