1994.

10. AWAKEN MUSE

AWAKEN
MUSE

RAIN WAS POURING and so was raesun's tears, the sky's showers luckily covering up her sadness. despair flooded the scene as they pulled up outside a vintage–inspired motel, but it looked almost run down from the faded pinks and dulled mint greens. if anything, it made raesun feel even more down: it didn't look all that welcome at all.

she read the lit up sign, some light bulbs starting to flicker: 'awake motel'.

how... fitting?

taehyung lead her in, holding his jacket over her head as she also held open the door for them — it was teamwork really, since each of them knew the other was worn out from the miserable weather.

after encountering a glum woman at the reception, and raesun counting the amount of flowers on the wallpaper, taehyung received their room key. they entered the elevator, shoes squeaking and denim too damp for comfort on their legs.

"hey, i'm really sorry for earlier you know?" the shy taehyung mumbled amidst the rickety noises the elevator made.

she waved her hand and wiped her stray tears away, "it's fine. i need to learn how to handle my emotions, i'm sorry if i seemed dramatic," her eyes looked him up and down, noticing the guilt threaded down to even his clothes, "your opinion is your own, i guess. i can't change it."

"just for the record, i don't hate jeongguk, or anyone for that matter," he stated and stared at the elevator doors, "i just heavily disagree with what he does."

she shrugged at that, "that's okay. but you can't change him either—"

"but you could," he interrupted, "you could change him for the better, i feel like. do you think so?"

the doors opened and the stuffy atmosphere flowed out, the two exiting whilst raesun raised a brow, "what do you mean? jeongguk wouldn't completely change for someone, he's been down the dark route for too long to just up and switch everything around."

it sounded right to her: she couldn't help but think jeongguk would continue to destroy himself until he was defeated by his own scarred hands. the tattoos, the cigarettes, the stolen acrylic paints — it all added up for more havoc yet to come, and he almost seemed unbothered to his lifestyle.

who was she to walk in and decide what he did with his life?

taehyung smiled, the both of them arriving at their room, "i think you could. i think you're the light he needs, the wake up call he's probably been waiting to hear."

raesun bit her lip at that, thinking about their relationship before the tragedy had occurred. could she be the one to turn both of their lives around for the better, despite their differences and clashing similarities?

"i don't know..." she sighed, walking behind him into the small musty room, "i think i need a drink to be honest."

"we passed a bar on our way here," taehyung said as he threw his backpack onto the green bedsheets upon the wooden bed, "wanna have a walk down?"

she smiled at that; maybe the two could talk out their own differences? "yeah, i'd like that."

this could be a good friendship for her, one without guns blazing and toxic love.

well, she liked to think of it that way.

— 雨 —