❝and maybe this is all part and parcel of life.❞
SOMETIMES, jeon jeongguk would think about how she is doing. if she's living well, if she has settled down with someone else.
if she still thinks about him.
on his way home, the young man passes by the train tracks. the streets are full of people rushing to reach home before night falls and the wind gets stronger. he keeps his head lowered, placing slow and even steps where his boots sink slightly into the snow.
from his peripheral vision, a figure walks past him. as the familiar distant horn of the train sounds, jeongguk turns. pedestrians wait at the sidelines to wait for the train to pass by, and jeongguk tries to look past the crowd to confirm his suspicions.
there eunseo stands, stopping in her tracks and turning back as well. as if she had seen jeongguk too. a glimpse of her face is all he catches before a train on his side of the railway track zooms past. just as the end of the trains approaches, another train, this time on her side of the railway track overlaps the first one, heading in the opposite direction.
as soon as they have both passed by, all is quiet and unmoving once again. pedestrians continue their way, but eunseo is nowhere to be seen. gone. like the trains and the winds.
eventually, jeongguk turns as well. exhales with his hands nestled deep in his pockets, causing visible puffs of air to appear in front of him. continues his way home.
slowly but surely, a sentimental smile appears on his face.
END.
a/n; and sooo that's a wrap! i really hope you enjoyed it!
| STORY BREAKDOWN |
learning to let go of dreams
jeongguk's childhood dream has always been a photographer, and he does go to seoul to pursue his dream, but ends up returning to his hometown and became a teacher again. sometimes, our dreams don't become reality, and that's okay. it's perfectly fine. after all, life is all about coming out from our comfort zones and trying out new things. in jeongguk's case, it's a combination of finding out that photography isn't all he thinks it is, + the fact that it can just be a hobby since he needs to find a more stable job since stable job = more money = can take care of grandma as well.
i guess in a way, you can say that his thinking has matured (:
maybe some people are just not meant to be
in the last scene, 2 trains passed by both eunseo and jeongguk to signify that both of them have moved on in opposite directions. ( eunseo's disappearance + jeongguk's sentimental smile)
all along, jeongguk had thought eunseo was his soulmate and he was so sure of her. so fond of her. but alas, distance had caused the both of them to drift apart and just, yeah. we may be so sure of someone/some things that we tend to hold on much longer than we should have, causing much more pain to ourselves. don't be afraid to let go, especially when you're already drained and exhausted. when the person/thing starts giving you more unhappiness than joy, that's when you know maybe it is time to move on already.
loneliness
this isn't really established fully in the story! but there was this very sheer underlying message that jeongguk felt really lonely all by himself in seoul. i guess it can serve as our journey in life, when we are forced to stand at crossroads and make decisions. even with family and friends by our side, this is the reason why we feel really lonely at times i suppose? we can't be guided through everything and the older we become, the more journeys we have to embark on alone.
so yes, that's the main gist of this story! i suck at explaining sorry HAHAHAHA. (the idea is very clear in my head but i can't seem to pen it down oops) but i hope you find this story to be calming and yeah...
once again, i hope you enjoyed reading this short story! <333
