Sm:)e
Lion & the Lamb
Narrative P.O.V
Ji Eun sat on the platform of the roof, strumming soft melodies on her guitar, harmonized with her voice, as she sang quietly to herself. The sky was dashed with radiant stars, sparkling across the dark nightfall; illuminating the contrast as it shone over the city of Seoul. The warm yet cool breeze kisses her cheeks, ever so lightly. The scent of nature warms Ji Eun’s heart though her mind probed a different feeling; as if an impulsive grief engulfed her back from the incident. A slight irritation pierced her heart, remembering how brutally beaten up Hongki was, while trying to fight against the stronger men for her own defense and safety.
A fresh tear rolled down Ji Eun’s cheek. The silence grew stronger, surrounding Ji Eun into a lonely atmosphere. Being alone wasn’t new to Ji Eun. She had thought she would have been used to it by now, but the hole in her heart lingered longer than she had expected, and the gap in her heart didn’t do much good to her either, since it seemed to have infiltrated deeper in the core.
Ji Eun paused and sat idly while holding her guitar still, as an arbitrary reminiscence flares in her mind. “And I know what you guys do after school behind her back; don’t make me get the teachers involved!” Mr. Choi’s aggravated voice was still fresh in her thoughts as if it had never escaped her mind. “What does that even mean?” Ji Eun’s face drew blank while she looked up at the stars with one eye brow raised as if a big question mark was hovering above her head.
She plucked the 4 strings delicately with the tips of her fingers, humming soft medleys and welcoming temporary happiness into her heart. The image of Hongki comes across her imagination and she couldn’t help but blush when remembering how brave Hongki was during the fight.
“I hope this tears will stop running someday
Someday after this darkness clear up
I hope the warm sunshine dries these tears
When I feel that I’m getting tired of looking me exhausted,
I want to give all my dreams I’ve kept hard
Every time I feel that I’m lacking in many things more than I have
I lost strength in my legs and drop down
I hope this tears will stop running someday
Someday after this darkness clear up
I hope the warm sunshine dries these tears
Every day I hold out comforting myself “it’ll be alright” –
“It will be alright,” A husky familiar voice cuts in Ji Eun's singing. Ji Eun turns her head around, only to realize she is staring at Hongki, who was walking towards her direction. Ji Eun smiles at his unexpected visit as he sits himself next to her and hands over a handkerchief to Ji Eun.
“Hmm?” Ji Eun questions Hongki’s offer.
“Aish,” Hongki sighs at her stupidity and takes back the handkerchief only to wipe away her tears. Hongki’s act of kindness was strange but it was just enough to make Ji Eun’s heart flutter in contentment.
“Oh. Thank you…” Ji Eun startled.
“How are you feeling..?” Hongki averted his eyes to avoid further eye contact with Ji Eun.
“I’ve been okay, thanks to you…” Ji Eun wraps one arm around Hongki’s elbow and rest her head on his arm, softly weeping, “sorry for always causing you trouble…”
Hongki just sighs and tries to budge away from her embrace out of habit, but Ji Eun’s voice turned rough which sent cold chills down his spine, “just this once… Can you hold me?” Her tears dropped heavily on Hongki’s sleeve.
She said it. She said the unexpected. Each word slowly immersed into his mind, letting himself indulge in what he would possibly never hear again…
“Can you hold me?” her voice trembles in Hongki’s heart. His face glows bright red; shining as bright as the stars high up in the sky.
Hongki’s muscles loosen and his shoulders drop, surrendering into Ji Eun’s entreaty. Ji Eun lays her head on his shoulder and dampness forms on his sleeve, as to what it seems to be possibly all the tears draining out from her eyes.
“Sorry… I’m Sorry…” Ji Eun repeats continuously but stops the moment Hongki hushes her quietly.
“It’s okay,” Hongki assured her. He sat still in his position and didn’t know how else to comfort her.
“Can you hold me?” her question repeats in his mind, not sure on what she meant by “hold.”
“A tight hug? A small cuddle? A warm embrace…?” he thought to himself and was too shaken to put his mind to action.
“So, which star is supposedly the ‘Hongstar?” Hongki chuckled, trying to loosen up the atmosphere.
The corner of Ji Eun’s lips curled up into a small smile, she pointed at the sky to the brightest star in the center, “that big shiny one,” her mood seems to go back to normal after a while.
Hongki attempts to wipe her tears again but Ji Eun stopped him, “I’m alright. Sorry for being very careless…” she apologizes.
Hongki places the handkerchief in her palms, “keep it. Maybe when you feel like crying again, you will have something to wipe away your disgusting snot,” Hongki sneered.
Ji Eun giggles and smiles at his remark, though any other girl would have been offended.
“Thank you,” Ji Eun accepts the handkerchief and holds it tightly in her hands.
“Did you eat yet?” Ji Eun tries to bring up a small conversation.
“Not really,” Hongki answers truthfully.
Ji Eun stood up and gestured her hand in front of him. “Let’s eat,” she says.
Hongki stands up on his own instead of holding onto hers for support. Ji Eun, who was still clueless as ever, still took Hongki’s hand though he explicitly warned her before that he hated to be dragged by people.
Ji Eun’s hand clasped onto Hongki’s 4 fingers as she hauled him down the roof and ushered around the kitchen. She looked at Hongki and smiled widely when she opened the dome of the entrée in her hands, while she placed it on the kitchen table.
Saliva floods out from the walls of Hongki’s mouth and the appetizing fragrance arouses his sinus and starts to stimulate his stomach. The scent of home cooked Korean kimchi, stir fried vegetables, spicy deep fried tofu mixed with potatoes, and fresh rice, enlightens his face as he indulges the delightful scent.
Ji Eun sits Hongki down and even before Ji Eun was able to sit herself, Hongki already gorges down the food into his mouth, letting it run down his esophagus and pace down to the pit of his stomach.
“Don’t you eat? It seems like you haven’t eaten all day…” Ji Eun started to worry.
“I do eat…” he lied. “It’s just that home cooked food is just too good…”
“I’m glad you like it…” Ji Eun laughs. “So are you going to be staying with us…?”
Hongki just looks up from his plate and doesn’t answer.
“You get all this food for free… A comfortable bed… Warm shelter… “ Ji Eun pauses. “Accompany…” she gulps.
“Food, bed and shelter are defiantly an offer I cannot turn down… But accompany? More like a troublemaker…” Hongki answers bluntly.
“I’m sorry…” Ji Eun looked down at the table and all the colors drew out from her face. Hongki looks up at her, and realizes his mistake. He stabbed his fork into a potato and gestures it in front of Ji Eun as a sign of an apology.
Ji Eun looks at him confused, “huh?”
“I’m sorry…” Hongki mumbles quietly, still holding the potato up to her face.
“What…?” Ji Eun looks at the potato, “is there something wrong with the-”
Hongki took his opportunity to stuff the potato into while it was still opened.
“I guess I will…” he murmurs softly. Ji Eun raised her brow, completely forgetting what she had asked.
Hongki’s voice was stiff and nervous but he managed to get the words out, “I will stay with you…”
Ji Eun grinned again, making Hongki blush even harder than before.
Ji Eun’s smile can really brighten up anyone’s day, and surprisingly Hongki cracked the slightest smile on his face. And for the very first time, it was from true bliss.
Comments