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—why does it feel like i'm going insane?
OCTOBER 9: JEON JEONGGUK
==
"jeongguk, are you okay?"
it takes a few moments for the words to register in his brain, mind clouded from blank thoughts and lips dry (he hasn't spoken much over the past week). jeongguk looks up, eyes locking with his college friend of two months—a rather attractive woman from college with curly brown hair and dark skin—whom he took to the movies from a promise made weeks prior.
jeongguk swallows, forcing a timid smile and shuffling through his pocket for the scratchy leather wallet he's had for countless years. "yeah, it's...it's nothing, i'm fine. hey, why don't you..." placing a few bills in her hand, he carefully backs up without realizing, "buy the tickets, i'll be right back, okay?"
"jeongguk—"
"trust me, i'll be gone for just a few," he interrupts, bowing his head the slightest in promise. "i just—i think i might have left the car unlocked, i want to check it real quick."
the woman chews her lip in scrutiny and sighs. "is this about wonchol? i know he's been strange ever since—"
"no, it isn't, don't worry." jeongguk nervously barks out a laugh, wincing at his loud tone, but continues to ramble on like a child caught stealing. "why would it be? that's so random, christ."
"well, i just—"
"give me like two minutes, okay? i'll be back before you're even halfway through the line." without waiting for an answer, jeongguk quickly turns on his heel and jogs off into the theater's parking lot, breath misty against the cold night air. his expression soon falls anxious—default, unfortunately, over the past several days—and, turning a corner to an empty area of the lot, he slouches against the brick outer wall.
"goddammit," he groans.
with shaky fingers, he takes out his phone and opens his photos, eyebrows knitting together in careful inspection. there are twenty or so screenshots of the news footage from days back—specifically the man in it—that he just can't seem to figure out. what he's looking for exactly, he doesn't know. but it just won't get off his mind.
just who is that kid in the video? and why is jeongguk the only one who can see him, even in photos? it's quite a tedious cycle, he's begun to notice; he shares the video, no one sees the boy. he asks his friends and peers, no one sees the boy. he shows the entire fucking city and—
no one sees the boy.
maybe the girl is right. maybe, maybe this does have something to do with wonchol—wonchol, a college acquaintance of jeongguk's who lost his girlfriend to the unfortunate subway accident from a week prior.
