A firm advocate of keeping separate personas for work and home, Yeseul is both the successful associate editor of Han Weekly and the frazzled owner of a highly strung cat. When a younger man moves in next door to her crammed-neighborhood villa then...
"The sun suffocates me and the world strips me naked... I collect myself that's shattered beneath the moonlight."
RM x V < 4 O'Clock >
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A lifeless vibration turns the metallic black device in measured anti-clockwise rotations.
With no music accompaniment, the text message cuts through the silence with a sharp buzz. The screen lights up for a fleeting moment, then fades back into black.
A young lad with short military crew cut hair lays on the bed, wide-eyed. Dressed in a grey hooded track suit, he stares up at the low ceiling with a series of labored breathing. His chest rises and falls slowly, cooling off from the intense workout of the morning.
In the confined living quarters of his gosiwon, the tall and athletic-looking young man reflects in solitude. The eye bags beneath his clear eyes stand out, along with the mini-hoops piercing on the lobe of his ears. With a prominent nose and a pair of rosebud lips to complement his doe-eyes, there is an unmistakable non-conforming spirit to his overall boyish appearance, giving an edge to his already good-looking features.
Growing up, his looks had been the subject of envy among his peers. Fast forward to present day, the successes of his peers has become his envy.
The impromptu reunion last night is a noteworthy example.
Jungkook hadn't seen his classmates from middle school for the longest time. When he'd first made the decision to move into Seoul eleven years ago, he last remembered them as two skinny boys who were just hitting puberty. Bumping into each other on the streets of Busan cemented the fact that while everyone has aged, the familiar glint behind everyone's eyes wasn't lost. Recognizing each other in an instant, nicknames from middle school days flew up vivaciously in the air.
Yunseong and Byungho welcomed Jungkook's return with a mini feast at the humble pojangmacha in their neighborhood, within walking distance from the school. The men, dressed in office attire, were a clear contrast to Jungkook in his black hoodie and baggy sweatpants. The two men also blew out puffs of smoke into the air while Jungkook simply held his glass of soju. Jungkook's eyes moved warily from one to another, still processing the fact that his once soccer-manic, sprint-loving friends were now comfortably holding cigarette sticks between their fingers.
"Wanna have a puff, Kook? It helps make the day a little more bearable," Byungho smiled generously at Jungkook while searching for the packet in his pocket.
Jungkook shook his head. He's grown up to loathe the smell of cigarettes which was always stuck to his dad's shirts. "I think I'm good, Byung."
Putting his hand affectionately around Jungkook's shoulder, Yunseong peered into his friend's eyes. "Are you good, really? I mean life. Is life treating you well, Kook-ah?"
