DRAGONFISH | NCT's Ten

EAT, PRAY, NO SLEEP

-one

Church of Seoul ; 2:56PM [sunday]

"Did you finish already? Hurry up. We're going to be late"

"Just a sec", Jihae dismisses her sister.

"Quickly. Or I'm leaving you here", her sister, Jisu bluntly states.

"I'm nearly done!" Jihae mutters. "There". One of the many disadvantages about being seventeen was not being able to drive, in Jihae's opinion. Her sister was her only ride when wanting to sneak out etc. and that itself bought many disadvantages.

The two get up and leave the church.

"Oh shit"

"What now, Jihae?"

"I left-"

"-Just hurry up. I'll be in the car", her sister sighs as she goes into her car.

Jihae nods and runs back into the church finding her bag next to a person who was not there before. She just hoped nothing had been taken from it.

She goes to the front row to see a different type of boy - a boy who does not look like any of the other boys she's seen at church. He had his eyes closed and his hands clasped together.

She silently moves next to him, attempting not to disturb his prayers though her squeaky shoes did not comprehend.

The boy seemed a little angry and shot her a sharp look. She smiles sheepishly as she grabs her bag and tries to get past. However, bag in hand, the boy stops her.

"Do you mind?" She questions.

"Do you mind? I was in some deep thought there", the boy replies with a husky tone. Jihae smirks at the boy, in awe that someone that looked like him was in 'deep thought' during Sunday prayer. She chuckles at the thought.
"What are you laughing at?" The boy questions again.

"Nothing. I'm in a church, no reason to laugh", she bluntly answers. The boy lets go of Jihae. "I'll see you then", Jihae jokes before she leaves.

"What took you so long?" Her sister groans as Jihae sits in the car.

Jihae does not answer for a moment, knowing her sister asks these rhetorical questions often and there was no point wasting your breath for an answer that wasn't valued. But this time, she couldn't help herself.

"Nothing", she shrugs and smiles to herself.

Through the rest of the car ride, she couldn't help but think about that boy. It really amazed her. And anyone would think she hadn't met a boy once, because she was fascinate by someone with the looks of him in church, somewhat serious about God.

It bothered her even more because even at home she could stop thinking about it.

Hyehwa-Dong (Jihae's house) ; 3:14PM [sunday]

"Jihae! Jihae!" Yells came from across the corridor.

"Oh my god, what now?" Jihae mutters.

"Jihae!"

"For fuck's sake", she takes her earphones out. "I'm coming!" She shouts. She stomps out of her bedroom into her sister's. "What?"

"Why didn't you come when I could you the first time?" Jisu asks her agitated younger sister.

"I had earphones in", Jihae shrugs. This wasn't a lie, she did have earphones but she was not listening to anything.

"Whatever. Just order some pizza or whatever. There's money on the table. I'm going out, okay. I won't be back until late", her sister says.

"Should I even be expecting you tonight?"

"Shut up. Okay, go away now", Jisu dismisses her. Jihae huffs as she leaves the room. She always suspected her sister had a secret boyfriend who, no doubt, she was going to visit now. If her parents knew about this, well, Jihae didn't exactly know what would happen if they found out. She just thought her sister was lucky that their parents were not in town for the weekend; they were on a business conference in China and wouldn't be back until Monday night.

3:44PM

Jihae hears the slams of her sister leaving about half an hour later.

"Finally", she sighs happily. She then spots a large booklet on her desk. "Shit", she mumbles, in realisation she had homework that she'd avoided for two weeks due the next day.

"Please! Fine", Jihae grumbles as she sets down her phone. Another friend who had again declined helping her with her homework.

She'd considered looking online for answers but her teacher always made up the questions; he didn't like people find answers easily on the Internet, so this prevented it.

Through attempting to start her homework, Jihae stops. She stares out the window that is right in front of her. She looks sad for a moment but then a smile appears on her face. She laughs, and any passer-by would think Jihae had some sort of mental disability, but only Jihae knew why she was laughing to herself like this.

Jihae hurries downstairs, booklet in hand, puts on her jacket and shoes, and goes out the house. She then re-enters because she had forgotten the money that was left for her food. She leaves the house again and walks to a nearby bus stop.

"Finally", she groans as a bus comes. She steps onto it and pays her fare with her supposed lunch/dinner money.

Church of Seoul ; 4:39

Darkness fills the outside air. It had taken nearly an hour (due to bad traffic) to get to a place that would usually take 25 minutes, give or take.

As she steps off the bus in frustration, Jihae angrily enters the church. Though stepping in, she feels a sense of calmness run through her. It surprises her.

She walks to the front, oblivious of the other strangers around her, and stands at the table in the centre.

She closed her eyes, and reads incitations that only she seems to know.

"Please", she finally says, this louder and much more easier to hear.

Upon her prayers, she sees a hand touch the table. She looks to the stranger who stands on her right, to her amazement, is the same boy from earlier that day.

She then looks around the church, expecting more visitors to the place of worship, yet finding no-one. Other than the familiar stranger of course.

EAT, PRAY, NO SLEEP