[Stray Kids FF] Seraphina is a warrior. She's certain in her abilities and knows why she does what she does. But when strangers bring the so-called "east wind" with them, things are bound to become dangerous. [Contemporary Fantasy / AU]
~Yuánfèn~ It...
Chan's back in side view resembled a crescent moon; bent deeply forward, his arms like a nest in which Minnie lay with her paws dangling. He scratched her chin and behind her ears, Minnie's eyes were squinted into thin lines, then she rolled onto her back, stretched, and Chan laughed softly as he stroked her fluffy belly.
I smiled sadly. Whatever Chan was going through, it required full commitment from Minnie. Her air-kneading paws were working overtime. When I looked closer - a trick Gerti taught me, and I usually only used on friends - I saw a murkiness; like smoke behind ornamental glass.
Minnie stretched so far that she almost fell and meowed indignantly. Chan followed her gaze, and he noticed me. The sudden eye contact snapped me out of my trance. I felt transported back to my childhood and bowed as low as a proper apology required.
"Joesonghabnida."
I expected a moral lecture or a beating. But when none of that happened, I was the adult Seraphina again.
Chan looked at me with wide eyes, no wonder, I had used very polite and formal language. I felt my cheeks getting warm.
"Your Korean is pretty good," Chan said.
His voice sounded like he was trying hard to appear relaxed. But the wet spots under his eyes said otherwise.
"Thanks, I... I grew up in South Korea, but I haven't had a proper conversation in years."
Have I said too much? Why did I suddenly feel so embarrassed? Nonsense. It was just a misunderstanding and Chan tried to defuse the situation.
"May I ask where?"
"In a very small village on the east coast. Oh, this..." I took two steps, closing the distance between us, "this is Minnie. Best cat and very special.
"Where do you come from? Your English has an accent that's new to me."
"I grew up in Australia but have lived in Seoul for... many years. Professionally and stuff like that."
Chan's expression brightened the longer we talked. As it turned out, we both moved to another country when we were 13; Chan from Australia to South Korea, I from South Korea to Austria. He was three years older than me, which made the deep bow from before no that embarrassing anymore.
At some point Chan became quiet and I sensed that the conversation was over. We wished each other a good night, very informally. Once I was out of sight, I glanced around the corner and was dissatisfied to see that the haze had neither decreased nor increased in intensity.
Something seemed to be consuming him from the outside and nothing he did would change it.
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