TW: strong and vulgar language

A week earlier...

Jimin inhaled the grey stench from the burnt cigarette pressed between her dry lips as she exhaled a generous puff through her nostrils. Her hands were too occupied on something on times like this - especially if the weather was favorable in Mokpo City, South Jeolla Province where the clouds were not dense and heavy in which she could get a luminous view of the starry sky as she was eyeing on the yellow, thin, crescent moon facing left above her. She was sitting on the stack of old newspapers lying on the ground outside in a small, open space, beside the backdoor of the local moon snail restaurant where the trash bins and other junks were stashed.

She was doing a quick sketch of the moon using the mechanical pen she used when writing the customer’s orders in a small notepad, and the scratch paper she found scattered on the ground beside the stack of old newspapers she was currently sitting on where the heels of her black sneakers were few inches away from where she sat so that she could use her slightly inclined lap as the drawing platform. It might not be a convenient stance to draw – not to mention the available resources she had at the moment but she didn’t mind at all. Besides, she only had a limited time anyway so might as well just go with it.

The raven-haired girl was fascinated by the moon. In fact, she had no idea where this allurement came from to begin with and it felt like it just some sort of happened. She felt like there’s this a certain great unknown connection from her to this disk-shaped celestial body. She just loved laying her eyes on it - and eventually did some sketches of it out of habit in every opportunity she could get when she’s having a quick break outside the backdoor from her work at night in which could also be her stress reliever for she felt this bizarre stillness in her heart every time she drew the moon.

Jimin was neither an artist nor aspired to be an artist. It just all started few years ago when she was smoking outside the backdoor in her short break at her work at night in the restaurant when she eventually got sick and tired of just holding the cigarette in her hand every time she took a puff. She wanted to keep her head and her hands engaged by doing other things she thought she never did before so she began scribbling and doodling random stuff on scattered papers she could find there – and then come a time where the moon was the only art subject she drew hereafter.

The night frosty wind blew, making her shivered a bit nippy but it didn’t budge her for she was only few sketches away to finish her quick artwork. Her shabby black trench coat and her favorite chunky gray and navy blue knitted scarf were neatly hung on the coat rack inside the restaurant which left her wearing plain white tees under an oversized Persian blue flannel shirt which the sleeves were folded in three-fourths, denim gray skinny ripped jeans, and black sneakers. The cigarette in gave her warmth somehow as she another smoke, giving her the pleasant heat expanding in her lungs.

“Hey. Stand up. Break’s over,” Sooyoung called Jimin as she peeked her head throughout the ajar backdoor, looking pissed at her niece.

Sooyoung was the younger sister of her father which makes her Jimin’s blood-related aunt. Sooyoung ran the moon snail restaurant where Jimin worked as the all-around helper – from maintaining sanitation, doing food preparation, entertaining customers, and buying consumable goods in the wet and dry market; while her aunt, being the boss herself, was doing nothing but to sit pretty at the cash register counter. Sometimes Sooyoung helped Jimin in doing all the work, but it only happened rarely. Even though they are blood-related, they both didn’t have a “genuine relationship” with each other. Sooyoung never gave a damn if her niece was chain-smoking or drinking excessive alcohol like a fish for she never cared about Jimin’s general well-being in the first place for all she cared about was she needed her niece in doing all the errands for her in her businesses. Jimin, on the other hand, was known to be phlegmatic in their neighborhood for she was feeling on the same page towards her aunt and they’d been like this since ages.

“Yeah,” Jimin responded plainly as well as the smoke comes out from with her eyes glued on the paper even though she knew that her aunt was peering through on what she’s doing, the raven girl didn’t care at all.

“Customers are going to come inside in any minute. I need your help here now!” Sooyoung demanded, clicking her tongue as she swung the backdoor in its fullest extent to create more space in the doorway as an inkling that Jimin should drag herself inside right now or else.

It’s been barely three minutes since Jimin had a short break from the gruesome two hours food preparation she did all by herself before the restaurant will operate for the night. And yet, she should work her fingers to the bone once more in the kitchen and serving the customers.

“Fine. I’ll go,” Jimin fretted, caving in at her aunt’s immutable demand for she didn’t have a choice anyway as she drew in the last fume of nicotine, stimulating her brains for the last drip of dopamine reserved in her parts unknown – if ever there was left.

“Make it faster!” Sooyoung necessitated, glaring at her niece who seemed had heard nothing as Jimin was persisted in doing her own thing in her own precious little slipshod world.

“Yeah,” Jimin replied, breathing out the smoke through , tossing away the cigarette descending on the ground between her feet as she moved a leg to stub it out on the heel of her shoe.

“Hey Jimin! I’m telling you if you don’t bring your lazy here right now, I’ll kick you out for good! Don’t you ever forget that without me, you are probably sleeping on the streets right now and begging for food!” Sooyoung warned, crossing her arm as she leaned on the door, staring sharply at her tenacious niece who didn’t even flinch from her momentary outrage.

Jimin got used to this threat for countless times every time the raven girl was not conforming to her aunt’s haphazard orders on the spot. But no matter how many times Sooyoung threatened her, the older woman failed to walk her talk all the times – and with that said, Jimin had a hard time believing her as she sometimes wondered why besides the fact that her help was needed.

“I know. Just give me a minute,” Jimin appealed as she glimpsed at her aunt then quickly averting her line of sight to the paper in her hands with thoughts in her head telling her nagging aunt to off - but of course, the raven girl was not that a bad ... yet.

Sooyoung resigned, rolling her eyes up as she kept on nagging nonsense on her way back inside the kitchen to the point where Jimin couldn’t care less about what her aunt was fussing out anyway. The raven girl freed a hasty sigh as she shook her head. She rolled her tongue inside , feeling the sensation of the bitterness caused by the smoke lingering around it while staring at the artwork she had created, appeased by how it went – completely unaware that she crept out a smile as she wondered no matter how many times she drew the moon, it felt like there was something refreshing to it night after night –  and each time as she felt closer to it.

“JIMIN! COME HERE NOW!” Sooyoung yelled where Jimin groaned as she finally stood up, folding the paper as she slid it through the back pocket of her jeans. “I’m coming!” the raven girl shouted back as she picked up the funny-looking bib apron she left drooping on the handle of the door – she wore its neck strap through her head, fastening the ribbon on the back of her waist as she went straight to the kitchen where her aunt was.

“Let me just inform you that Yoona has a sleepover party at her friend’s house tonight so you will be the one who will cover up and do all her tasks here,” Sooyoung reminded Jimin in her usual tone once she noticed the presence of her niece who was standing by the doorway behind her while she’s cutting some extra cabbages for the side dishes on the countertop just across from where the raven girl was.

Oh, right. I almost forgot about that brat. Jimin thought to herself as she leaned her right shoulder on the door frame, slithering her hands in the side pockets of her jeans. “Yeah,” she acknowledged without complaining anything for she knew it was just a waste of energy. Besides, when did ever her cousin worked here in the restaurant? Jimin never even saw her held a mop before.

Yoona was Sooyoung’s only child and was three years younger than Jimin but despite of the , Yoona never respected Jimin since the beginning. She used to address Jimin just by her name rather than adding “unnie” to it which was very unacceptable in Korean culture but Jimin didn’t mind at all – like she used to be in every aspect in her life. Her cousin grew up as a self-indulgent rascal since they’re young. Just like a tree that is known by its fruits, Yoona was living her life like a princess. Sooyoung not in any way let her daughter to do any tough chores in their businesses as she always passed the buck to Jimin who did all the work in which her cousin left to do the effortless ones. Yoona always got everything she wished for without a hitch j