SCENE VI.
GRAND ENTRANCE OF THE SUN
he's got the entirety of the milky
way's stars in his eyes that shined
brighter than stars themselves.︎

LIFE HAS about a thousand reasons heaping on Yoo Yerim as to why love Yang Jungwon as a character. Be it his physical charms no other man could ever attain, or the fact that he's got the entirety of the Milky way's stars in his eyes that shined brighter than the stars themselves. Maybe because he's got the hearts of angels and devils, all sealed as one in his. These were only a few to mention. However, one specific ability of his was quite likable to her.

︎ ︎ ︎'Fine. I'll apply for college. In Gangnam. You owe me an entire meal of curry for this one.'

︎ ︎ ︎His unforeseen tendencies to alter his judgments at the last minute.

︎ ︎ ︎Though it may not always be for the best, and may even be considered a flaw at some point, it was one unique persona of his. There had always been a tale about Yerim along with her love for surprises that once circulated among the campus back in her world, one which showcased the genuine anecdote, of her wrath over an exposed birthday setup.

︎ ︎ ︎"That spoiled brat. I don't even have money!" Such a sour and displeased expression that matched her morning state and frizzy hair fled free from her mouth, after silently reading the short notice that Jungwon left on her door through this blue sticky note. For it had only been the seventh hour of that day, Yerim was only yet to keep up her balance, all dependent on the stagnant wall while running her fingers in between hair strands. Yoo Yerim stood there, inclined, in between the hallways and the guest room, strangling her head, as she looked for a Yang Jungwon to appear and made sure he wasn't toying with her. "Why demand curry like this when all I did was tell him to go to school?"

︎ ︎ ︎Soon, these reflections were discarded into dust and Yerim had to perform her daily morning routine. The tide of loneliness had decided to crash on her again, and she learned it was not a day to tolerate it. She had long ceased merely to dream of the sensation of flowers within her touch, for she was already stepping out of the residence while on the brink of risking Jungwon's trust. With solely a satisfactory scrub and a few borrowed clothes from his closet, she was good to go to face the sun.

...

︎During the long walk along the gray path, she assumed her mind was a beehive and her thoughts were bees, harnessing honey-like thoughts of a brunette and his curry. Sweet, overly-sweet thoughts which stung her cheekbones rather than her cheeks. She tried to divert her concentration back on her steps as the manifold sounds of nature gathered in the atmosphere. Yerim commenced observing the nature of people, as she was certain that it was not the time to reflect on silly boys and their love for curries.

︎ ︎ ︎Compared to hers, this world wasn't any different. As seen, some were displaying their joyful lives, some were concealing their tainted sentiments through lavish grins, some were completely struggling, and others were merely preoccupied with anything. These were the identical scenarios her eyes would descend upon even in her universe. Maybe the only thing that differed was the existence of people based there.

︎ ︎ ︎Like Jungwon, for example.

︎ ︎ ︎There probably were people named Yang Jungwon in her universe, but they definitely weren't the Yang Jungwon she knew in this world. Not those whom she could call her favorite, not those whom she could promise herself she'd mend. They only had a devoid abyss of their own and not constellations she could adore in their eyes. They were thoroughly diverse people living diverse lives in comparison to his— or likely just variations of him she could not recognize.

︎ ︎ ︎Though not one face was usual to her in that world, the flow of movements created by these strangers was the natural state of man. It seemed to her that she never departed from her universe in the first place. When in fact, she was a gazillion— a gazillion light-years away from home. A step followed by another, she couldn't help but think of her family.

︎ ︎ ︎Whatever laid ahead of that road, whatever awaited in the future, and whatever kind of providence she was walking in was not something Yoo Yerim knew. The unrest, a contender for causing the greatest hindrance of this mission, halted her walking for a brief while, giving her pesky bugs that made her itch for home. Yet considering the fact that she had been long away from that exact neighborhood, and walked ten miles to be one with the vast city, there was no longer a space for going back. She still had a job to find and a grown-up to feed— rather would I say— a man's craving to satisfy.

︎ ︎ ︎Yerim was out on the streets of Yongsan, through cafés and food stalls and pastry shops, and facilities here and there, she played with the Yongsan map and dragged her feet along every establishment she could find there for hours in desperation to find a job for the time being of figuring out this huge mystery of her sudden alteration. There wasn't a specific job she was trying to find. As long as it is legal and eco-friendly, everything's good to go.

︎ ︎ ︎What mattered the most? Money.

︎ ︎ ︎"I see, Miss Yoo." The woman, whose intimidation had rattled Yerim, modified the position of her spectacles as she spoke. "You're 19... which school are you from?"

︎ ︎ ︎"Seoul Arts Academy," Yerim responded, gulping. She was sure but hesitant. It was true but it wasn't. She indeed was from Seoul, she indeed was nineteen and studied in that school— but not in this world. As it wasn't her origin, Yerim was already aware that her name won't appear in the school's system. Nevertheless, she did it anyway. She bit her lips and forcefully shut her eyes to this.

︎ ︎ ︎With the weight on her feet frequently pivoting between her heels and toes, her gut missed a pulse as she looked back at her, only the eyes moving, appearing to be flustered. She probably must have thought that Yerim solely had the intention of deception now.

︎ ︎ ︎"Which level?"

︎ ︎ ︎"First year."

︎ ︎ ︎Still seeming militant, the worker's eyes returned skimming at where they were supposed to be; towards the computer which Yerim feared would contain not her name, yet a thousand others that she knew had nothing to do with her. At that moment, she could solely stare, wait, and fidget, the totality of her little anxiety embracing her heart, initiating it to beat quickly.

︎ ︎ ︎It was in a broadcasting building Yerim found herself in. A towering building that seemed prestigious externally but didn't have much elegance in the interior. It was a broadcasting building after all. Though it wasn't as antique as most broadcasting headquarters she had been to before, it did not have quite a pleasing odor, to begin with. Yerim began arguing now; whether she should simply walk out of that room, never come back, and simply give up what seemed like a highway to evident loss, or keep it low at least for five more minutes and then walk out. To think of it, it wasn't a fun job after all.

︎ ︎ ︎She may have attended journalism club in her final years of high school and gained every little detail needed to create a journalist, but it wasn't what a Yoo Yerim would love to do for money's exchange. Wages weren't sufficient, and she'd only be penning most of the day.

︎ ︎ ︎Most of all, her allowance may only be enough to feed her funeral fees if she dies from the suffocating odor of that establishment. At this point, they could use more hiring for maintenance men compared to broadcasters themselves.

︎ ︎ ︎"I'm sorry. I can't find your name in Seoul Arts. How about a valid ID?" There she went, flashing a smile that haunted Yerim forever, in tandem with an eerie tone that was said with eerie words, definitely more dreadful than the concept of black holes. Yerim could've instantly walked out. She could've just rudely escaped that hauntingly small space without a word.

︎ ︎ ︎Rendering a brief, ninety-degree bow, she managed to keep it cool. "I left it at home."

︎ ︎ ︎No, she just didn't have one. At least not in that dimension.

︎ ︎ ︎"Young lady, no one will hire you without an I.D." Slightly concerned, the woman retorted with a sigh, after sorting all sheets and items scattered on her desk. "That's pure unprofessionalism."

︎ ︎ ︎"Well.... never mind. Thank you, though. Bye!"

︎ ︎ ︎All that was left to do now was to stand up, grab her bag and bow down before leaving with her chest buried at the back of her exaggerating palms which soon landed on the door as it closed. Those were exactly everything she ever did in a split second, wandering further away from that room every time a second came ticking by. Following these horrendous events, the building was found not on her relative horizon. She found herself respiring a thousand breaths of relief soon after.

︎ ︎ ︎The first of November was the true Halloween for Yoo Yerim. The number of times she went through the same occurrences, rejections, and failures were as uncountable as the strands of her dark hair, uncannier than cliffhangers and ghost legends, and messier than Antifreeze's finale. For so long she had only been holding onto that little hope that she'd get a job soon enough. Now, it was time to let it all roam free. To let go of it all like the seasons. November's entry became an eerie void of cosmos, with no stars to look at, with only farewells exchanged with the sun.

︎ ︎ ︎All shattered, physically and mentally traumatized by the storm of rejections that made continuous landfalls on her, Yerim went home empty-handed and weary, footsteps heavier as usual. It was no use. There wasn't a chance of earning something in that situation. As the ground came to elevate, a frustrating loop of ruckus in her head emerged, crafted by the incessant no's and sorry's uttered by those people whom she single-handedly attempted to persuade. Yerim later learned it was pointless.

︎ ︎ ︎She puffed air from her mouth halfway through the hill, faintly catching up with all lost breath due to the uplifting road. Yerim took this opportunity to take notice of every person she could see around. From students clustered in an amusing conversation based on gestures to elderly couples seemingly strolling around, all basking in the glory of the autumn gales. Vehicles in that certain neighborhood were miraculously rare occurrences, and that's why Yerim loved it. Despite being the only one robbed of motion, they all were barely glancing at her, as if she had only been an average tree in the streets nobody would care about.

︎ ︎ ︎In an intersecting alleyway where she was about to tread across, a man became the anonymous antagonist of that day. Having walked past Yerim, this man left a miniature piece of candy wrapper faltering to the ground, which she had spotted, still walking even with the awareness of this event. Forgetting she ever had to cross a street, she tailed this man, grabbing the wrapper from the ground and meaning to snatch their attention.

︎ ︎ ︎"Hey! Your wrappers!" Blurted Yerim while picking them up, noticing some other more falling, then followed by another. Soon after, almost twenty meters away from her, the man had already left a trail of wrappers, disregarding the woman's constant calls no matter how louder they got. They soon vanished from her sight with no more candies left, every fallen piece of plastic on her soiled hands. "Ugh, these ignorant people littering everywhere."

︎ ︎ ︎Grimacing, she purposely confined herself away from her daze, trying to find any bins where she could throw those wrappers. Rather than finding a bin, something unveiled out of the darkness, which immediately grabbed her attention in a split second. Blazing lights surfaced at the tip of her sight, attracting everyone's attention out of the blue, including hers, making her curious about what this affair was all about. As it came to be the epicenter of her concentration, she sighted a familiar view. Of a structure standing out amongst the others as the lights that decorated its lovely facade initiated that night.

︎ ︎ ︎Her favorite flower shop.

︎ ︎ ︎That same sight weaved a beam on her lips, the lights awakening something within her to the point that— again— she almost forgot about the garbage in her hand. Yerim, that day, failed to remember a lot of things, for the events that poured on her sunny day were so continuous that even it begged itself to cease. Not until the instincts of her own beheld that the entity of true euphoria was as near as the proximity between her eyes, November first of that year had always been an overwhelming day.

︎ ︎ ︎"Even the flower shop?!" A gasp released, Yerim immediately sprinted towards the shop, its illuminations reflecting in her eyes like a supernova explosion just occurred within them. She still had the wrappers in her hands, and when she found the bin just outside the shop, she instantly threw them, making sure not one piece flew out of the bin, driven by the wind.

︎ ︎ ︎Her heart was found scarcely dipping at the thought of this. Sometimes, she would wish that the people there in that universe were the same as those of hers, rather than places, but the view that her favorite flower shop was there could not make her happier.

︎ ︎ ︎The bliss her mind had sensed not too long ago began to linger near, stronger than it used to, closer than it used to. The thoughts of men and curries disappeared from her very instincts the moment she opened the shop's doors, throwing a glance at the flowers, and then to a person which she mistook was one, while was actually beyond than merely a bud.

︎ ︎ ︎Oh, and the sun?

︎ ︎ ︎The last time Yoo Yerim remembered was that the sun was a fickle entity of the universe that she had already waved goodbye to. She saw it dip among the horizon, leaving a mesmerizing painting on the sky, offering the moon glimpses of its glow. But had it suddenly bloomed out of nowhere? Like an extraordinary sunrise under the spell of dusk? Her sight had only been replenished by one thing since that juncture she had the doors opened— since the first ringing of bells had turned itself to play a melody, and since she decided that the sun was a sight to see, never once did she take her eyes off him again. Off from a man who arose from beneath the table, bracing to address his welcomes.

︎ ︎ ︎Petals of dandelions and sunflowers graced her entry, imperceptible lights blessed her very being as she drove forward with little steps, riveting at the only person in front of her who proclaimed to be the shop's lone worker.

︎ ︎ ︎A glance. All that one glance did, as she understood, was that it mustered an unfathomable ripple of feelings bathed over the gullible shorelines of her heart, enabling itself to propel the ribcage away from her insides until it had occurred to her that she was undergoing an inescapable. Adoration? Was that it?

︎ ︎ ︎When little did she know, the universe reckoned this as an ethereal prelude to the remarkable tale of the sun and his earth. Before knowing it,

︎ ︎ ︎"Welcome to Baragi blossoms! What can I get for you, Ma'am?"

︎ ︎ ︎Yang Jungwon was no longer her favorite character.

Nabi's log! - Aug 1, 2022 3:05PM 
Gasp. The girl didn't literally just
swerved like that. 
Grand entrance of the sun, everyone :)