Hwayoung #8

There really wasn't much for Hwayoung to today, or lately for that matter. She didn't have any friends here and since school didn't start yet, she didn't have any work to do either. Her days and nights were spent alone with her either cooped up in her bedroom or roaming around the old town. Her first week here has been lonely, she's willing to admit that, and so was her second yet she didn't particularly mind. It gave her time to heal and think. It was beneficial for her well-being after all.

Hwayoung finally began to settle down into her studio and got to know the town quite a bit, due to her endless adventures, and she even made a few acquaintances. The lady that ran the convention store two blocks away, Youngjae, her soon to be co-worker and of course her neighbor, Yongguk. Since they were neighbors, they saw each other on a daily basis and always greeted each other amicably when they met. Much to her surprise, Yongguk was a friendly person, unlike what his looks display. He wasn't talkative per say but between the two of them, he was much mouthy than her.

And from the time he first introduced himself to her, she had never visited the docks again. It wasn't because Yongguk was mean to her, he was the perfect gentleman actually but she didn't want to intrude or be a hassle so her nightly walks were spent elsewhere. For today's adventure, Hwayoung decided to go to the library, again. She had always been a bookworm and found peace spending hours in a building with endless adventures hidden between pages. Since she was a kid, libraries were her sanctuaries.

The library in this town was situated in an old building, filled with fraying books, classic novels, and a plethora of encyclopedias. It was a small space but still had a wide variety of a selection and Hwayoung knew, this was a place she could spend hours in. The soon to be mother traveled downs rows and aisles of books, picking out anything that caught her eye. By the time she had made her way to a free table, her arms were stacked full with books.

Now settled in and comfortable, Hwayoung scanned the two large towers in front of her, contemplating on which book to read first. Her selection consisted of a couple of her favorite books, a collection of poems and short stories, and lastly, a mix of pregnancy and parenting books.

Without much of a thought, her hands reached out for a booklet with the cutest baby on it and in there, Hwayoung discovered a whole new world. There was so many things in this book she didn't know about, so many steps and preparations for birthing and care that it scared her. Not just because she didn't know what the future held, not because of the unknown but with the cold, raw, truthful fact, one that she kept reminding herself constantly, that she was alone. She was going to raise this child all alone with no friends or families to help her.

It made her wonder often, when and how did things in her seemingly perfect life end up this way?

Yongguk was walking around his hometown, taking a break from his most recent project of the week, in search for something to do. He thought about finding his friends to hang out with but unlike him, they needed to work today. He walked down an alley with graffiti walls, an art project done by the middle schoolers here before swinging a left, entering the 'downtown' area of the seaside. Yongguk sauntered by a cafe, a pizzeria, then the library before halting in his steps, his eyes locking on a certain someone's form. His thick lips curved upwards to a gummy smile as he saw someone who could now fill in his boring day.

Yongguk spent a couple of seconds watching his new neighbor struggled with the leaning tower of books in her arms, surprised that she had enough composer and grace to open the door without droppin