STORMS

treize

013–
TAKING BACK WHAT'S MINE.

"she's back, jeongguk."

jeongguk has been in a constant trance ever since his last smoke yesterday. unfortunately it was with that bastard kim taehyung who was always the bearer of bad news, hell, he was bad news himself. the poor kid couldn't understand this situation. taehyung seemed like a miserable drunk who couldn't have been in his right mind; the man has always been strict about his buttons—perfectly buttoned and loosened at the collar. yet his appearance yesterday struck misery and distress, he couldn't have been speaking the truth.

jimin would also never lie to him. the last time that boy told a lie was in elementary school when he lost jeongguk's favorite toy. but if she was back what were he to do? life isn't the same anymore. the skies are dull as is he and friendship doesn't seem to have a true meaning anymore.

but choi jiho somehow had the key to meaning. somehow, she stirs up emotion and makes jeongguk feel alive. if iseul were back, what would happen to this new meaning?

jeongguk doesn't want to forget her. he'd already started forgetting small things. the only thing he wishes he could forget is the damn summertime. he fucking hates the way the sun glares at him and watches him melt. he feels like the sun is waiting for him to fuck up even more than he has now just like the day the sun watched him stand before her as she ran and ran and ran into the welcoming waves. little did he know it was just a glimpse of the future.

"guk? you haven't touched your watermelon lemonade. did you know it's a secret menu here? my best friend would order it for me all the time." jeongguk snaps out of his thoughts and his eyes dart toward the innocent smile.

"what did you just say?"

jiho furrows her brow in confusion. did she say something wrong? "i said the watermelon lemonade was part of the secret menu—"

"no . . . after that." the serious look plastered across his face worries jiho a bit. perhaps even scares her.

"my best friend ordered it for me all the time? i don't know why that's important—guk are you alright? you seem really out of it." jiho reaches forward to cup her hands under his cheek.

only he would know that. and jimin, taehyung, and . . . lee iseul. it was over the summer when they'd come to the café after a long day at the beach. on days when jimin was working, he'd offer them watermelon lemonade. it wasn't actually a drink on the menu but there were somehow always leftover watermelons to which jimin would use to make a refreshing, sweet drink. but how is it that choi jiho knew of it?

"how—"

"you know what, i have an idea. follow me." she reaches for his larger, cold hands and leads the way to what seems like a walk that never ended. he was tired and his brain felt like it'd ran a marathon from thinking so damn much. maybe what taehyung said was just getting to him, he needed to relax and focus on what was ahead of him. his gem.

eventually the two reach a secluded shop. it's cute inside with wooden tables and . . . mailboxes? "you seem stressed, guk. and whenever i'm stressed i like to come here and write it all out. the store is actually meant for writing letters to a significant other," her cheeks start to become rosy at the term. "you put your letter in the mailbox and they send them out a year after. but they don't mind people doing otherwise!"

his heart warmed at her considerate thoughts and he slowly forgot about the things that he was stressing about. jeongguk sat down and watched as she skipped around gathering paper and pens. "ji, i think i like that idea better though. why don't we write to each other? i wanna know what your thoughts are when you think of me." he watches her cheeks flush a deep red and softly smiles at the sight.

"okay."

jimin had been called into work about an hour ago but it felt as if it's been six. thankfully, it's ten minutes before close and he'd started to pack up the leftover fruit and coffee beans. he never understood why the storage room always had a box full of watermelons if it wasn't even on a menu, but it reminds him of his favorite memories.

"are you guys closing?"

a soft, thin voice echoes throughout the empty store along with quiet overplayed music. it sounds like expensive heels patting against the tile; the scent of floral perfume hitting his nostrils. jimin takes a deep breath and rolls his eyes because he hates when this happens. but he turns around with his best fake smile. "no, ma'am. we close in ten—"

but the sight before him causes him to halt in his steps. a slender figure stands before him in a white blouse tucked into patterned slacks. it was like a model stood before him, and he was almost annoyed that black cat-eye sunglasses blocked his view of seeing the woman's eyes.

"well in that case, i'd love to have your watermelon lemonade."

watermelon lemonade.

it catches him off guard, if he wasn't already—was it coincidence or could it be? jimin reaches into his pocket and grasps the paper that he stole yesterday from the hospital counter just for reassurance. but he doesn't want to overthink it. it's a coincidence, jimin.

the woman before him rests her elbow onto the counter. the other arm reaches up to her sunglasses and pulls them down. slow, unlike his heartbeat, he watches as her eyes come into view. the glassy doll-like irises with the mole right underneath. jimin's breathing stops while his mouth gapes.

"it'd be a shame to watch you die here, so maybe breathe a little? i've really been craving that drink, you know." that tone, the humor, the voice that seems so much more mature now, it wasn't a coincidence at all.

"fuck—iseul? lee iseul? my god, i thought you were fucking dead!" the girl he once knew, now stood tall as a woman before him. she laughs the same as she did two years ago. her long hair is now cut short but still remains silky, her uniform of oversized hoodies and worn-out combat boots is now professional dress. "you're not a girl anymore. what happened to you?"

"what happened to me was a blessing and a curse, chim." along with her glassy eyes, the other thing that remained was her love for mystery. one could never get the simple truth out of her. "but did you really think i was dead? i take a little offense to that." she giggles softly. "when i decided to come back, i don't know what kind of reaction i was expecting. i guess i should've seen that one coming, though."

decided? her running away was merely a decision? everybody assumed what happened to lee iseul was a tragedy. except for kim taehyung who stared her in the eyes as she ran from him. kim taehyung who never told anyone the truth of what happened that night.

"where did you go? i deserve to know. you left me, everybody, without a damn word." he starts to make her favorite drink while awaiting the answer.

"long story." she makes way to the seat she used to sit at before and crosses her leg over the other, elegantly. "i met someone on my way to seoul just a couple miles from the train station. he offered me a life anyone could ask for. the price . . . was my body."

jimin chokes on air, coughing up a storm as he slams his hands on the counter. "and don't fucking tell me you agreed?" he yells with his voice echoing throughout the store.

"you're still the same." she swings her foot left and right in the air, tapping her nails onto the table. "you take everything so seriously, chim." her red lips raise into a mischievous smile. "do i look like a woman who gives her body away?"

"you look like a woman who's full of trouble." he mutters under his breath. it didn't seem like he was going to get an answer on her whereabouts for the last two years. but what she said seemed too real to be just a joke.

"i know you're wondering why i ran away. it was because of taehyung." she spits out unexpectedly. taehyung? what terrible thing could he have done to make someone disappear for two fucking years? taehyung was his best friend, even if he seemed batshit crazy sometimes. but lee iseul was also crazy. hell, she even made jeon jeongguk a victim of her wild games.

"but i came back . . . because of jeon jeongguk."