My Dear Lunar

13 - SUDDEN CHANGE ♫

-♫-

A few months had passed, and while it seemed like time had slowed down, the truth was that subtle changes were happening beneath the surface. Most notably, Lunar's attitude toward the relentless mockery from the other students had shifted. What once left him trembling with anxiety and self-doubt now seemed to roll off his back. He simply didn't care anymore. Jewel noticed this change and felt a sense of relief. He had been watching Lunar slowly toughen up, and the fact that the mockery no longer seemed to affect him made Jewel happy, even if it also left him slightly concerned.

What Jewel didn't anticipate was how this indifference had come at a cost. Alongside Lunar's hardened exterior, there was something else—something darker—that began to surface. Lunar had taken up a part-time job, which was the primary source of the transformation. At first, it seemed harmless. He started working at a nearby 7-Eleven during the evening hours. Jewel, naturally protective of Lunar, had protested the idea from the beginning.

"You don't need to do this," Jewel had insisted, almost pleading. "If you want anything, I'll get it for you. You don't need to work yourself to the bone. Just focus on class, alright?" But Lunar, in his usual quiet determination, had brushed off Jewel's concern. "I want to do this for myself," Lunar had said firmly, his eyes showing a rare glint of resolve that Jewel found hard to argue with. Jewel had no choice but to relent, though he still didn't like it. He had always felt that Lunar was already carrying too much weight on his shoulders, and adding a job on top of that seemed like pushing him closer to the edge.

Initially, things seemed manageable. Lunar would work a few evening shifts at 7-Eleven, and while the hours weren't great, it didn't interfere too much with his studies or personal life. But before long, something changed. Jewel noticed that Lunar started coming home later and later. First, it was midnight. Then, 2:00 a.m. And then, shockingly, Lunar began returning home between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.

At first, Jewel didn't want to pry, hoping that Lunar was just putting in extra hours. But the signs were impossible to ignore. Lunar had become more withdrawn, and his exhaustion was apparent. The bags under his eyes had darkened, his once lively gaze dulled by sleepless nights. His whole demeanor had shifted. He spoke less, smiled less. Finally, Jewel couldn't hold back any longer. "Where have you been working so late?" he asked one night, his voice tense with a mixture of worry and frustration.

Lunar hesitated for a moment before he responded, almost too casually. "I stopped working at 7-Eleven." Jewel's stomach twisted. "What do you mean? Where are you working now?" After a long pause, Lunar quietly admitted, "At a nightclub." The words hung in the air between them like a ticking time bomb. "A nightclub?" Jewel's voice cracked with disbelief. "You've been working at a nightclub? What the hell are you doing there?" Lunar's gaze didn't waver. "It's just a job," he said simply. "I needed the money, and the hours worked out for me." "But this isn't what you wanted," Jewel pressed, his voice rising with a mixture of anger and fear. "This isn't you! Why are you doing this? Why can't you just let me help you?" Lunar's eyes finally flickered with something—was it defiance? Pain? "Because I don't want to be dependent on anyone," he said, his voice low but resolute. "I don't want to rely on you, Jewel. I need to stand on my own two feet."

Jewel was left speechless. Part of him wanted to argue, to tell Lunar that he didn't need to prove anything to anyone. That he didn't need to go to such extremes to prove his independence. But another part of him—perhaps the part that knew Lunar best—understood that there was no changing his mind. Lunar had made his choice, and as much as it tore Jewel apart, he knew that pushing him further would only drive them apart.

But as the nights stretched on, and as Lunar's routine became more erratic, Jewel couldn't help but feel that something was deeply wrong. It wasn't just the late hours or the nightclub. It was the way Lunar had become so distant, emotionally unavailable. It was as if he had built a wall around himself, shutting Jewel out.