Lonely Hearts Club
Lonely Hearts Clubdo you want to be with somebody like me?
LONLEY HEARTS CLUB
Valentine's day; the holiday of love; the holiday that had led Jung Soojung into a tacky twenty-four seven diner alone, late at night, to give herself time to think. She never spent much time with others during the holidays, she never felt the need to - the pseudo-closeness that everyone tried to push was too much for her which was maybe why Valentine's day was her least favourite of them all. As someone who had never pursued any romantic relationships, Soojung wondered if the abundance of teddy bears, flowers and heart shaped chocolate actually meant something to people or if they were just another token of affection to be thrown away when the relationship had taken it's toll.
Commonly known to be an introvert and the occasional (and preferred) loner, it would surprise no one that Soojung stowed herself away in the corner of the diner. She'd pulled out a ratty text book from the backpack that now took up the space in the chair next to her own and opened it up on the table to make it look as if she was doing something and not just sitting idly. She found it somewhat ironic that people who were quite always had to pipe up and explain themselves about such a thing - she aways asked why things needed explanations when she had none to give. When people simply denied "Because I am" and "Just beacuse" as answers, Soojung had given up her questioning - she'd gone down the route of referring to other's problems with her as artistic choices.
"Excuse me? Do you want to order something or are you just here to stare at the table?" A man's voice broke Soojung from her bleak thoughts.
"To stare at the table," Soojung didn't bother look up to meet his glance.
"Are you sure? We do have some pretty good coffee," the man asked again.
"Then I'll have some coffee," she still didn't bother looking at him.
"Coffee it is," the man left with nothing more.
Soojung pulled a sketchbook from her bag having deciding that simply wasting time was a waste of her time. Truthfully, time that you enjoy wasting isn't wasted time but Soojung felt as if for some reason she had to mentally push herself into productivity. Soojung had been an art student for two years, straight out of high school and into university to study it. She'd never really come to grips with the subject because underneath the technical points, there was more she couldn't quite get to and more she couldn't understand. A fine artist in her own right, Soojung's skill was counterbalanced by her lack of muse.
"Here's your coffee," Soojung heard the same man's voice again, "You mind if I sit with you?"
Soojung looked up at him for the first time at this moment and took a moment to look at the rest of the diner behind him. There were empty seats; enough empty seats for him to sit somewhere else. He seemed casual in his advance, he was young - maybe around the same age as she -, good-looking - she may even go so far to describe him as handsome - and was wearing an apron with spills of coffee, tea and various other products that were most likely meant for other people.
"Sure, whatever," she shrugged as she sipped her coffee. It wasn't so much that she actually wanted him sitting there, it was just that she didn't want to be inconvenient - she was too tired for such a thing.
"Thanks," the man took a seat opposite her, looking out of the foggy windows.
Soojung returned to fiddling with a pencil, her steaming coffee sitting to the side of her hand whilst he appeared to be somewhat deep in his thoughts.
Commonly known to be an introvert and the occasional (and preferred) loner, it would surprise no one that Soojung stowed herself away in the corner of the diner. She'd pulled out a ratty text book from the backpack that now took up the space in the chair next to her own and opened it up on the table to make it look as if she was doing something and not just sitting idly. She found it somewhat ironic that people who were quite always had to pipe up and explain themselves about such a thing - she aways asked why things needed explanations when she had none to give. When people simply denied "Because I am" and "Just beacuse" as answers, Soojung had given up her questioning - she'd gone down the route of referring to other's problems with her as artistic choices.
"Excuse me? Do you want to order something or are you just here to stare at the table?" A man's voice broke Soojung from her bleak thoughts.
"To stare at the table," Soojung didn't bother look up to meet his glance.
"Are you sure? We do have some pretty good coffee," the man asked again.
"Then I'll have some coffee," she still didn't bother looking at him.
"Coffee it is," the man left with nothing more.
Soojung pulled a sketchbook from her bag having deciding that simply wasting time was a waste of her time. Truthfully, time that you enjoy wasting isn't wasted time but Soojung felt as if for some reason she had to mentally push herself into productivity. Soojung had been an art student for two years, straight out of high school and into university to study it. She'd never really come to grips with the subject because underneath the technical points, there was more she couldn't quite get to and more she couldn't understand. A fine artist in her own right, Soojung's skill was counterbalanced by her lack of muse.
"Here's your coffee," Soojung heard the same man's voice again, "You mind if I sit with you?"
Soojung looked up at him for the first time at this moment and took a moment to look at the rest of the diner behind him. There were empty seats; enough empty seats for him to sit somewhere else. He seemed casual in his advance, he was young - maybe around the same age as she -, good-looking - she may even go so far to describe him as handsome - and was wearing an apron with spills of coffee, tea and various other products that were most likely meant for other people.
"Sure, whatever," she shrugged as she sipped her coffee. It wasn't so much that she actually wanted him sitting there, it was just that she didn't want to be inconvenient - she was too tired for such a thing.
"Thanks," the man took a seat opposite her, looking out of the foggy windows.
Soojung returned to fiddling with a pencil, her steaming coffee sitting to the side of her hand whilst he appeared to be somewhat deep in his thoughts.
"Why here?" Surprisingly, Soojung was the one to speak.
"Hm?" the man turned his head from the window.
"Why sit here when there's so many empty seats elsewhere?" Soojung continued to look at her sketchbook as she spoke and not at the man.
"Why come to a diner if you're only going to stare at the table?"
"Why choose to sit with a customer you don't know while you're meant to be working?"
The man chuckled at her, causing her to once again look up at him, "Seungwan'll cover for me."
"That didn't answer my question."
"Because I'm on my break," he shrugged, stretching his arms lazily.
In this moment, Soojung caught a glimpse of his name tag, "Jongin."
"You know my name?"
"You have a nametag."
Jongin laughed as if he'd forgotten, "Touche - what's your name then, doll?"
"Doll?"
"What else am I meant to call you? I don't know your name," he shrugged, "Babyface? babe? dollface? babydoll? cut-"
Soojung clearly wasn't into hearing the pet names, "Soojung."
"Nice name," Jongin complimented her as if it was something she actually had a choice in, "I already know a girl called Soojung."
"Bravo," Soojung shrugged, apathetic.
"I don't actually know her - a friend of mine, Baekhyun, keeps trying to set me up with a Soojung," Jongin chuckled, "Apparently she's some cute artist or something - she's his girlfriend's friend's sister which is kind of long winded if you ask me."
Soojung raised a brow at Jongin, "Byun Baekhyun?"
"The very one," he nodded, "How do you know him? Have we met before?"
"A friend of mine called Taeyeon keeps trying to set me up with a Jongin - I've refused every time."
"Does this count as a first date then? If we're actually talking about the same people."
"This isn't a date - this is you sitting at my table and interuppting my work."
"What work? Your paper is blank."
"It's emotion."
"It's blank."
"It's love,it's lust, it's anger and it's acceptance - it's whatever you're feeling right now."
"There's nothing there."
"There's something, you just can't see it. That's why it's conceptual - genius."
"Really? I guess that's kind of cool," Jongin smiled.
"The paper's blank, I have no muse," Soojung shrugged.
"But you said-"
"-I made it up."
"Then why don't you go find a muse?" Jongin shrugged.
"It's not that easy."
"Draw me," Jongin beamed.
Soojung looked as if she was considering the idea for a moment, "Fine," she told him as she picked up the sketchbook so she could work. Jongin, however, could not see the paper but he could see her hand making movements as she started to draw.
"Tell me about yourself Soojung."
"I'm not very interesting."
"You're selling yourself short."
"You don't know me so how do you know that?"
"Lucky guess."
"Tell me about you."
"Me?"
"You."
"I'm not interesting."
Soojung didn't look happy with his response and he could tell - the agitation on her face said it all.
"Fine, I'll tell you about myself so long as you don't make that annoyed face again - my poor heart can't take it," he joked.
Jongin cleared his throat as he began to speak, "My name's Kim Jongin, I'm twenty one years old, I work here part time but my real passion is dancing."
"Dancing? How interesting."
"It was my life for the longest time."
"It is not anymore?"
"You remind me of me, Soojung," Jongin told her, "I lost my muse for dancing, you know?"
"Why? I never lost my muse - I didn't have one to begin with."
"I got injured," Jongin shrugged, "I was being stupid and climbing a tree with some friends and I fell - busted up my ankle."
"When?"
"Last year."
"Shouldn't you be fine now?" Soojung asked, "I'm no doctor but would it really take that long to heal?"
"It's healed but I guess I've not."
"What's wrong with you then?"
"Have you ever been in love Soojung?"
"If I had would I be spending Valentine's day here with you?"
"That's not what I mean, not just in love like that but to have something that makes you feel so much. You're exhilarated, excited, anxious and scared all at once but you're happy at the same time. When you lose it - it's hard to get back but you have to keep thinking that if you try hard enough that you will because if you don't, you don't really see the point in anything whether you have inspiration or not."
Jongin noticed her hand stop, signalling that she'd either finished the drawing or something he'd said had hit a chord with her. And for the first time that evening, he saw Soojung smile.
"I'm done," she told him as she closed her sketchbook.
"Don't I get to see the masterpiece?" Jongin asked, smiling.
Soojung shook her head as she picked up her backpack, putting it on, "You wouldn't be interested - how much do I owe for the coffee?"
"Consider it on the house," Jongin shrugged, "Your company has been payment enough."
Soojung chuckled, "You must have low prices," she told him as she ripped a page out of her sketchbook, folding it in half and tossing it at him, "Consider that payment but don't open it till I get outside, okay?"
"Sure thing bu-" Jongin spoke up Soojung had already rushed out.
Curious, Jongin opened the paper to see something that he didn't expect. Where he thought that he'd find a drawing of himself - as Soojung had seemed to have done -, he found a large scribble in the middle of the page, only accumpanied by the words below, 'You kept talking so I couldn't really get a good angle to draw from but I didn't want you to shut up. We can try the drawing again some other time." And below that was a phone number - presumably hers.
At that point, his co-worker, Seungwan came over to where he was sitting, "Why are you looking at a scribble?" she asked from over his shoulder.
"It's not just a scribble."
"It's just a scrrible."
"It's conceptual - it can be anything you want it to."
Seungwan rolled her eyes, hitting his arm playfully, "Stop being so pretentious and get back to work."
"Hm?" the man turned his head from the window.
"Why sit here when there's so many empty seats elsewhere?" Soojung continued to look at her sketchbook as she spoke and not at the man.
"Why come to a diner if you're only going to stare at the table?"
"Why choose to sit with a customer you don't know while you're meant to be working?"
The man chuckled at her, causing her to once again look up at him, "Seungwan'll cover for me."
"That didn't answer my question."
"Because I'm on my break," he shrugged, stretching his arms lazily.
In this moment, Soojung caught a glimpse of his name tag, "Jongin."
"You know my name?"
"You have a nametag."
Jongin laughed as if he'd forgotten, "Touche - what's your name then, doll?"
"Doll?"
"What else am I meant to call you? I don't know your name," he shrugged, "Babyface? babe? dollface? babydoll? cut-"
Soojung clearly wasn't into hearing the pet names, "Soojung."
"Nice name," Jongin complimented her as if it was something she actually had a choice in, "I already know a girl called Soojung."
"Bravo," Soojung shrugged, apathetic.
"I don't actually know her - a friend of mine, Baekhyun, keeps trying to set me up with a Soojung," Jongin chuckled, "Apparently she's some cute artist or something - she's his girlfriend's friend's sister which is kind of long winded if you ask me."
Soojung raised a brow at Jongin, "Byun Baekhyun?"
"The very one," he nodded, "How do you know him? Have we met before?"
"A friend of mine called Taeyeon keeps trying to set me up with a Jongin - I've refused every time."
"Does this count as a first date then? If we're actually talking about the same people."
"This isn't a date - this is you sitting at my table and interuppting my work."
"What work? Your paper is blank."
"It's emotion."
"It's blank."
"It's love,it's lust, it's anger and it's acceptance - it's whatever you're feeling right now."
"There's nothing there."
"There's something, you just can't see it. That's why it's conceptual - genius."
"Really? I guess that's kind of cool," Jongin smiled.
"The paper's blank, I have no muse," Soojung shrugged.
"But you said-"
"-I made it up."
"Then why don't you go find a muse?" Jongin shrugged.
"It's not that easy."
"Draw me," Jongin beamed.
Soojung looked as if she was considering the idea for a moment, "Fine," she told him as she picked up the sketchbook so she could work. Jongin, however, could not see the paper but he could see her hand making movements as she started to draw.
"Tell me about yourself Soojung."
"I'm not very interesting."
"You're selling yourself short."
"You don't know me so how do you know that?"
"Lucky guess."
"Tell me about you."
"Me?"
"You."
"I'm not interesting."
Soojung didn't look happy with his response and he could tell - the agitation on her face said it all.
"Fine, I'll tell you about myself so long as you don't make that annoyed face again - my poor heart can't take it," he joked.
Jongin cleared his throat as he began to speak, "My name's Kim Jongin, I'm twenty one years old, I work here part time but my real passion is dancing."
"Dancing? How interesting."
"It was my life for the longest time."
"It is not anymore?"
"You remind me of me, Soojung," Jongin told her, "I lost my muse for dancing, you know?"
"Why? I never lost my muse - I didn't have one to begin with."
"I got injured," Jongin shrugged, "I was being stupid and climbing a tree with some friends and I fell - busted up my ankle."
"When?"
"Last year."
"Shouldn't you be fine now?" Soojung asked, "I'm no doctor but would it really take that long to heal?"
"It's healed but I guess I've not."
"What's wrong with you then?"
"Have you ever been in love Soojung?"
"If I had would I be spending Valentine's day here with you?"
"That's not what I mean, not just in love like that but to have something that makes you feel so much. You're exhilarated, excited, anxious and scared all at once but you're happy at the same time. When you lose it - it's hard to get back but you have to keep thinking that if you try hard enough that you will because if you don't, you don't really see the point in anything whether you have inspiration or not."
Jongin noticed her hand stop, signalling that she'd either finished the drawing or something he'd said had hit a chord with her. And for the first time that evening, he saw Soojung smile.
"I'm done," she told him as she closed her sketchbook.
"Don't I get to see the masterpiece?" Jongin asked, smiling.
Soojung shook her head as she picked up her backpack, putting it on, "You wouldn't be interested - how much do I owe for the coffee?"
"Consider it on the house," Jongin shrugged, "Your company has been payment enough."
Soojung chuckled, "You must have low prices," she told him as she ripped a page out of her sketchbook, folding it in half and tossing it at him, "Consider that payment but don't open it till I get outside, okay?"
"Sure thing bu-" Jongin spoke up Soojung had already rushed out.
Curious, Jongin opened the paper to see something that he didn't expect. Where he thought that he'd find a drawing of himself - as Soojung had seemed to have done -, he found a large scribble in the middle of the page, only accumpanied by the words below, 'You kept talking so I couldn't really get a good angle to draw from but I didn't want you to shut up. We can try the drawing again some other time." And below that was a phone number - presumably hers.
At that point, his co-worker, Seungwan came over to where he was sitting, "Why are you looking at a scribble?" she asked from over his shoulder.
"It's not just a scribble."
"It's just a scrrible."
"It's conceptual - it can be anything you want it to."
Seungwan rolled her eyes, hitting his arm playfully, "Stop being so pretentious and get back to work."
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