a reason for being | jung jaehyun

twenty two

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟐

- 확고한 - 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞

🌿

"SEONMI~" HENDERY'S VOICE SANG softly from the walkie-talkie on her table. she was bed-bound in her room, isolated with no choice but to lay down. jaehyun advised that hendery stays away from seonmi for a few days until she recovered. she 'needed rest,' he reasoned. "why aren't you responding anymore? did you fall asleep?"

meticulously, almost with caution, niveous droplets fell from the sky with grace. the scenery, even as rain never failed to bring her a sensation of elusive sobriety, made seonmi sulk under the layer of thick blankets. her body was burning, and yet the shivers in her muscles were inevitable. the weakness as well — pain penetrated layers of skin and rid her of the ability to move properly, and mrs. cheon had to help put clothes on for her.

it wasn't just seonmi's flu and infection that caused her sick feeling. she felt emotionally distant, as though forcing her feelings towards jaehyun away due to her thoughts had diminished her sense of reality. her recent days felt like a continuous loop, where the same jejune routine she'd lived for half a decade was finally starting to take its toll on her. because there'd never been a time where she avoided jaehyun, or even doubted her feelings like some stockholm syndrome  condition.

 to seonmi, his kindness was out of obligation — for payment.

and in a way, it was, but it was an insignificant reason. there was so much more to it than obligation and a paycheck, yet seonmi couldn't see it.

with droopy eyes, seonmi absorbed herself into the false reality of the tv, all whilst glancing now and then at the walkie-talkie and debating whether she should answer or not. even as all energy in her body had minimized to nothing, she still wanted to answer. she felt bad leaving hendery on edge, but her exhaustion and weakness drained her of motivation to respond.

the days were of this routine recently—  wake up, take medications, and sit with an empty stare for hours before eventually falling asleep. so many days had passed, and yet seonmi was merely experiencing a never-ending loop of melancholy.

mrs. cheon, who was a few feet away, sat with her eyes closed as she let out soft little snores. the girl smiled to herself, seeing as the elderly woman was finally starting to get somer rest. as she began to drift off as well, the door creaked open. through droopy eyelids seonmi saw jaehyun, who carried a tray with various assortments on it.

"miss mok, i have your lunch," he murmured quietly as he set the tray beside her bed. the girl was too tired to move, so she kept her eyes shut and pretended she was asleep. his voice felt distant, unfamiliar. it felt way too formal for her liking, as though he were speaking to some prestigious doctor whom he idolized. and something about the tension in the way he uttered her name made seonmi wince.

"miss mok," he continued. "i'm well aware that you're awake. please take your medications with the food i have prepared for you."

why is he talking so differently? it's almost as if years of friendship never existed, seonmi pondered.

"i'm unable to leave unless it's been ensured that you took your medication," jaehyun reasoned, avoiding landing his eyes on seonmi who was still laying down with eyes shut.