Withered (Michaeng) ✔️

Chapter 54: Happy Ending 🥀

Jeongyeon waits for arriving passenger, he prepares early and be the first person that stands before the gate. Soon after, there's an announcement of the plane's arrival from America to South Korea. It quickly brings a wide smile across his face as he sees his brother, walking with difficulty as his bags weighed him.

"Mark" Jeongyeon mutters as their eyes meet, the said guy smiles and runs towards him and exchange manly hugs.

"Hyung" Mark smiles. Jeongyeon helps him by carrying his bags, which he knows full with informative and confidential papers.

"It's been a tough time for you," Jeongyeon says as he taps Mark's shoulder. They walk across the terminal into Jeongyeon's car. "Have you eat?" Jeongyeon asks as they walk pass by a restaurant. Mark shakes his head while rubbing his stomach. A fragrance invokes a long-forgotten memory, the smell of burnt rice coming from the restaurant. From Mark's peripheral view, he could see the chef scolding his junior for burning the rice then the wasted rice is thrown into the trash can.

"Can you cook me burnt rice porridge?" Mark started and gives his brother a meaningful smile, hoping that he doesn't open the old wound.

Jeongyeon looks at him momentarily. The first meal he ever cooked that taste heavenly that time though now he knows a vomit may taste better compared to that meal but back in the past, the meal that saved them from starvation. And now, no matter how tasty other food is, Mark always come back to the rice porridge as they grew up with it. Jeongyeon hates anything that related to the old memories, as it traps him in invisible barriers that confine and leave him heavy with desperation. But, back then; he was just a child, so immature, pure and insecure. It was a stormy day and he was scared of the sky. With enough pressure though, can change the best of us, including him.

"Okay"

*  *  *  *

Irene heaves a deep sigh as she enters the room. Blue-grey bricks hold the cold inside the room as if it is collecting it. A single dancing light, projected from the last dying candle, flickered across the walls, moving to an unseen rhythm. To her left is a wood panel wall, separating her space from the other. Though by the room structure, she knows that the wood panel is placed to divide the same room into two parts. One is where she is waiting, and the other is for that man. It's the first time she receives a direct call from him asking if they can meet. With a little bit of hesitation, Irene agrees and soon a message containing an address appears on her phone.

Irene sinks into the only chair, waiting for his arrival. It's just then, she realizes a white cloth food cover on the table that attached to the wall. She eyed the cloth suspiciously and decides not to touch it. Few minutes pass, her ears perk as she heard a door open and shut, it creaking noise bringing a chill to her spine. It sounds like some dying animal, crying out its pain and sorrow with its last breath.

Her heart starts to race, in fear of the unknown and what kind of harm it might bring to her. Or maybe it's just her who's overthinking but everyone is for sure, no matter who can feel the black pitch aura coming from the other side of the room. The sickening feeling in her stomach makes things worst as if she's badly affected by those evil aura enveloping and progressively suffocating her.

The man's approaching footsteps clip-clopped down the bleached tile then she heard him sitting on the chair beside her. Irene glance to the wood panel wall and from the small opening she could see his arm and hand. Irene flinch when she heard a small deafening knock coming from the wall. She does the same, informing him that she is there. Listening.