“You visited who?”, Wonwoo stopped on his tracks as he heard his cousin utter one forbidden name.

 

“Jung Eunbi”, his cousin meekly responded. Sipping his afternoon tea midst the rain shower, he knew he was supposed to feel warm, but he didn’t. He couldn’t.

 

“Are you crazy?”

 

Wonwoo tried to compose himself as he sat beside his cousin.

 

“She also told me the same thing, maybe I really am”, Jungkook was just staring into the void. Wonwoo wasn’t really sure if images are flashing inside his head. He doesn’t really know how a blind person’s imagination works.

 

“Why did you go there without me knowing?”

 

“You wouldn’t allow me for sure”

 

“Of course, it’s for your safety. That woman attempted to—”

 

“—Eunbi didn’t. I’m telling you”

 

Wonwoo stared at his cousin’s face and he was certain Jungkook didn’t want to discuss that topic again. But he can’t help it, he saw Eunbi attempting to kill Jungkook. She’s at fault of Jungkook’s blindness as well. There’s just too many reasons to resent that woman and let her rot into prison or be thrown to hell. But his cousin was still persistent in his stand.

 

Eunbi is currently staying at a rehabilitation center after being in paralysis state for months. After the accident, both Eunbi and Jungkook’s lives went downhill. But it’s not like their lives or their relationship were better before it. It can no longer be salvaged. Jungkook was just holding on blindly, and it was a sight painful for Wonwoo.

 

“I want to go to my room”, he paused then continued, “Ah, hyung, send me my greetings”

 

Jungkook’s aid and eyes lead him the way to his room, leaving Wonwoo and his taken aback expression alone in the living room.

 

The rain continued to pour and its droplets were carelessly hitting the glass panes, creating a harmonious melody within him. He continued to immerse himself in deep thoughts and the lullaby of nature, but he got distracted by a sudden beeping sound from his phone.

 

“Hello, Wonwoo?”

 

There was another sudden change in his facial expression — annoyance completely took over him.

 

“Yes, mother, why did you call?”

 

“Are you with Jungkook? Let me talk to him”

 

“I am, but I won’t let you talk to him”

 

He hears his mother click her tongue, but there’s something more than that faint sound coming from the phone. Crunch crunch. He realized how those light crunches were from his mother’s habit of biting her nails when she’s nervous.

 

He’s lived with her for years that he could tell by the slightest change in his mother’s mood. He’s observed too much.

 

“Mother, you’re nervous”

 

“Yes, Wonwoo, so please let me talk to him right now. You want your mother to calm down right?”

 

His mother was too much for him to handle. He loves her, but there are just times wherein he cannot really fulfill his supposedly duty as a filial son.

 

“... you’re about to tell him lies again, am I wrong?”

 

He knew that his mother’s habits were strongly real, but beyond that, he knew his mother was up to something evil, probably. And he cannot risk his cousin’s welfare for her desires.

 

“How dare you accuse me like that, Jeon Wonwoo. I’m still your mother. Give me the res—”

 

Apparently, Wonwoo was about to lose his cool, so he chose to cut his mother’s call, instead of possibly disrespecting her further.

 

He lets out a deep sigh, enough to make Jungkook’s aid who was halfway towards him

hear it.

 

“You seem to be in a lot of worry, sir”

 

“Oh, Mingyu, this is nothing. How’s Jungkook?”

 

“He told me he wanted to sleep, but I don’t think he will”

 

“I see, by the way, why didn’t you tell me you visited that woman?”

 

Mingyu gulped his confused loyalty, but he managed to stay poised.

 

“Sir Jungkook told me specifically to be quiet about this. I figured he would tell you anyway since he trusts you”

 

He was sweating inside, especially when Wonwoo shifted to a stronger gaze towards him. Monster eyes, he thought.

 

“Listen to me, Mingyu. You will tell me everything about my cousin, especially when it involves the name Jung Eunbi. I was the one who hired you”

 

Mingyu could only nod.

 

Wonwoo then glances at his watch and notices how the time flashed by so quickly. It was already 16:02 and so he decided to leave his cousin’s house.

 

“I’ll go somewhere first”

 

He moved towards the door, and right before he opened it, he turned to Mingyu and said, “Make sure he doesn’t do anything risky again. Call me if anything happens”.

 

“Rest assured, sir”

 

With Wonwoo leaving, he let out a big sigh of relief. It’s been a month since he was hired, but he still can’t grasp the whole situation especially the personalities of the people he’s dealing with.

 

As he sat down, he realized how he was left all alone inside this large house once again. Although Jungkook was just at his room, probably sleeping, Mingyu the feeling of loneliness was still overpowering the house. The gloom of the afternoon rain wasn’t helping either.

 

“I should make myself some tea”

 

He paced towards the kitchen and prepared himself a drink. He was then brought back to the time when he was offered the job.

 

Firstly, he took up this assistance job because it was his passion to be an aid. He’s had two previous assistance jobs and he could perfectly chat with them. There was connection, but he cannot sense it from Jungkook. Maybe the guy’s still uncomfortable with him. Or maybe because his case was a little different.

 

“Hysterical blindness? So you mean it’s more of an emotional cause rather than a physical one?”

 

“Yes it is… the doctors say it’s just temporary and I hope with constant therapy, his vision will return”

 

He can clearly remember his conversation with Wonwoo when he was screened for the job. It was the first time he has encountered someone with Hysterical blindness or Conversion Disorder, and that makes his job a lot more difficult to handle.

 

But the second reason that compelled him even more was the salary. It was something that could help him and his father and sister a lot.

 

While drowning in his thoughts, he suddenly heard a loud crash from Jungkook’s room. He rushed over to see him on the cold floor. He assisted him and brought him back to his bed.

 

“Did you fall?”

 

He wasn’t answering. Inside Mingyu’s head were possible reasons of why he fell, but he couldn’t really conclude.

 

“Sir, did you fall?”

 

“I tried to get off the bed, but there was a misbalance. Nothing serious, so you don’t have to report to him”

 

He knew, Mingyu thought.

 

“I won’t, but I’d like you to tell me the truth”

 

Jungkook stared at him as if he knew exactly where his eyes were. It was chilling.

 

“You know Jung Eunbi right? The woman I visited earlier”

 

“I’ve heard about her from your sleep talks”

 

Jungkook managed to smirk from his remark, but what he didn’t know was that Mingyu knew more about Jung Eunbi through his diaries. Yes, it was invasion of privacy, but accidents happen and reading Jungkook’s journal entries about Jung Eunbi was one of them.

 

“Then you must have heard a lot”

 

Jungkook sighed a deep sigh, just like Wonwoo’s. And Mingyu can feel the heaviness and sadness that were brought alongside it.

 

“I probably did…”, Mingyu thought how this could be a stepping stone to a more comfortable relationship between them, so he initiated. “... was she a dear friend?”

 

He expected Jungkook to be bitter about the question and shut him out, but it was the opposite.

 

“Yes, she was a lovely and beautiful friend… and was once my lover”

 

He started to open out which made Mingyu more curious. The latter grabbed a stool nearby and was ready to listen to Jungkook’s stories.

 

“I figured, you were always calling out to her as if you’ve lost someone so dear”

 

“I met her during an open mic”

 

“Open mic?”

 

“A spoken poetry event, she was great writer, a passionate one at that”

 

“So you performed there as well? I cannot really imagine”

 

Jungkook chuckled at Mingyu’s question. And he can’t help but reminisce the starting point of it all.

 

“I didn’t, this was what happened—”

---

 

2018, Tangents’ Bar

 

“Noona, where are you dragging me?”

 

A freshmen college student Jungkook was all frowns when his friend/noona, Solbin, made him accompany her to some place.

 

“Here”

 

And they stopped in front of an eerie-looking bar.

 

“I don’t drink”

 

“You don’t have to”

 

“My grandmother’s going to skin me alive if she finds out I failed that exam and instead of studying, I went here”

 

Solbin slapped her friend’s wrist out of frustration.

 

“Failed the exam? Wonwoo told me you had three points deduction and you call that a failure? And have some social life”

 

After some arguments, Solbin still managed to win over him and they went inside the bar.

 

Contrary to what Jungkook expected — gross-smelling atmosphere, blinding disco lights and loud electronic dance music — the place had few people in it. They were all immersed to writing and listening at the same time. Some were even shedding a tear, because of the person on stage.

 

“Yes, I finally saw her”

 

Solbin lightly squealed as she dragged Jungkook to a nearby empty table.

 

“Who?”

 

“Eunha, the one performing”

 

“Eunha? Galaxy?”

 

“That’s her name, ”

 

Solbin flicked her younger friend’s forehead and sighed a bit.

 

“Damn, you—”

 

“I wish Wonwoo was here”

 

Jungkook started feeling annoyed when she flicked his forehead, not to mention, she dragged him here because Wonwoo wasn’t around. And no he wasn’t jealous, he just wanted to mourn over his precious exams. But this annoying older woman friend dragged him here.

 

Waiters came to their table and Solbin ordered some beer for her and pineapple juice for Jungkook.

 

“Don’t like drinking right?”

 

“”

 

“What did you say, you prick?”

 

She flicked his forehead once again, and smiled at him.

 

“Be good to your future sister-in-law”

 

“Please add some nachos to that”, Jungkook told the waiter.

 

When both of them finally calmed down, they began to be immersed. After hearing Eunha perform her second piece, she began tearing up.

 

Jungkook was weirded out at how sensitive Solbin was, but he can actually understand why she cried.

 

“...And no, this isn’t about me who was hurt upon loving him, because I fell short in doing so. This isn’t about me who discovered a piece of him that somehow disgusted me, because that is just me being unfair. But this is about him who carried on loving me, even when I pushed him away. This is about a fool who was blinded with his love for me. This is about how I wanted to say sorry and thank you for loving me when I’m killing you. But above all, this is about me wanting to tell you to stop all your pushes, and start focusing more on yourself. Because you deserve your self-love. You deserve the love I can no longer give to you”

 

“This piece is beautiful”

 

“I know right? She manages to make me cry every time I listen to her pieces”

 

That was the first time Jungkook peeked a bit about Jung Eunbi’s life and sorrows. She seemed like a shattered glass, a murder scene that’s barricaded with weepings and hesitations… but for the first time, Jungkook might have felt that he wanted to go in to that bloody crime scene and look for her in that painful place.

 

“Oh she’s coming this way, Jungkook!”

 

“Ah, hello, Ms. Eunha, I’m a fan”

 

“Thank you, Ms?”

 

“Solbin, and my younger friend, Jungkook”

 

For some reason, Jungkook can’t take his eyes off the woman. She seemed so enigmatic, more enigmatic than the tests he’s faced in his subjects, that he can’t help but be pulled towards her.

 

But he also finds himself questioning the heavens at the moments, ‘Why is she staring at me?’

 

“Nice to meet you, Solbin and … Jungkook”

 

“A black hole”

---

“That’s the first time I saw her”

 

Mingyu can’t help but laugh at Jungkook’s romantic appearance. He couldn’t associate his cold features to the overall fluttering mood of the story.

 

“Are you laughing?”

 

“No, I’m not”

 

“You’re lying to me”

 

“No, I’m not… but I’m not gonna deny, that was a lame pick-up line”

 

“It wasn’t a pick-up line!”

 

The afternoon was gradually shifting to evening, but the rain still hasn’t stopped. It was still pouring out and sending shivers to the places its raining on. But this house felt a little warmer than any of the homes around, especially with Jungkook and Mingyu’s conversation.