Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
for jungwon ; ❛then, do it for me❜ ────────────
ꨄ
"I'm sorry, I know it's not much."
I anxiously twiddled with my fingers, cracking a few of my knuckles in the process. His dull eyes explored the room, picking up on every little detail.
The plant pots, the fish tank, the mess of papers and books thrown over my coffee table.
It's as if he were trying to memorize every aspect of my home. Eventually, his lips curled up into a soft smile.
"I like it. Everything seems neat and tidy." He pointed out.
"Oh," I chuckled nervously. "Thank you, I try my best."
Truthfully, my house had been a total disaster for the past few weeks. I had no energy to clean up after myself, with all the chaos in my mind. But, when Jungwon suggested coming over to privately talk about the library incident, I forced myself to get back on track, starting with my house.
I didn't want to appear unstable in his eyes, even though I was struggling to keep myself sane.
He made himself at home, sitting down on my couch and immediately melting into the cushions.
"Can I bring you anything to drink?" I offered, closing the front door behind me.
His response made me stop in my tracks.
"What happened to your fish?" I turned to look at the boy, but his eyes were glued on the lonely aquarium that sat above my wooden multi-drawer cabinet.
The filter inside the tank was still running, and the plants were overgrown. I had cleaned the house top to bottom, but forgotten to pull apart my pet's enclosure. Maybe, I just couldn't bring myself to.
"Honestly, I ask myself the same thing." And he simply nodded his head in apprehension. I cleared my throat awkwardly, before sitting down on the soft rug, my hands now sorting through the endless mess of papers upon the table.
"I'm very sorry about that." He finally said.
And so I laughed, brushed it off, and the conversation quickly drifted elsewhere.
We talked about the library, and the energy that came from within it. Clearly, something about this town wasn't right, but it took me 19 years to notice.
