⋆ ☄︎. · ̊ * 🔭
chapter thirteen

━━ ✦ ━━

Yura drinks in silence, hoping that the answer lies at the bottom of the glass and then the bottom of the bottle and then the next bottle and the next.

And so the night drags on. Her thoughts numb with the liquor, her insecurities sticking to her mind and heart though, causing her to drink many more glasses in exasperation.

Drinking cold alcohol in this heartbreak feels like the greatest luxury on earth. The ice falls against the glass, her fingers sliding on the condensation before her fingers regain their grip.

She feels the chill run down her esophagus and her head makes an involuntary shake. A numbness creeps into her brain the way it did when she was a kid drinking too much slurpee too fast.

When the glass is drained she takes the ice between her molars and bites hard, feeling it melt into cold pools on her palate.

"Another one," Yura mumbles while slamming the glass on the table, massaging her throbbing head with her hand.

The bartender gives her a questioning look, slight pity evident in his eyes. "Are you DJ Khaled or something? You keep on saying another one."

Nevertheless, he pours the 'healing' liquor in a shot, placing it right in front of the drunk girl.

A sour and vile taste slips into Yura's mouth, nullifying her, stealing away reality in favor of fantasy. She came to lust after it like no other, the strong tonic becoming her only 'cure.'

She feels the earth rocking beneath her and her mind drifting in and out like the tide. Though her vision wavered, there is one thing she's sure of; alcohol should help her cope with the heartbreak.

Her phone dings many times, causing her to clumsily fish it out of her pocket. A sudden smirk paints her lips as she reads who keeps on texting her.

For Yura, Jeongguk is the sweetest melody on those eyes and ears. She could wrap herself up in his words and sleep more soundly than a baby.

She guesses that's attraction but it feels so deep as if this is the start of a song that plays on and on, something so soothing to her soul.

▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀

thatsjjk
aye ayee
✓ seen two days ago

thatsjjk
hellooo
✓ seen two days ago

thatsjjk
why aren't you answering
✓ seen two days ago

thatsjjk
i think you're busy so
i'll stop texting you
✓ seen two days ago

thatsjjk
don't be too busy tho ;)
✓ seen two days ago

thatsjjk
text meeeee
✓ seen one day ago

thatsjjk
i'm boreeeed
✓ seen one day ago

thatsjjk
i'm starting to get mad :')
✓ seen one day ago

thatsjjk
YURA MAN

thatsjjk
REPLY TO ME

thatsjjk
WHATS WRONG WITH YOU

me

thatsjjk

thatsjjk
yura is that you???

thatsjjk
like i wouldn't mind

thatsjjk
like at all

thatsjjk
but are you okay?

thatsjjk
you never are like this

me

thatsjjk
eye—

me

thatsjjk
wtf lmao

me
luk dUdw

me
yoi ate jyst

me

me
so plEade

me
lEr mR suck tHat diCc

thatsjjk

me
yiU aiBnt eBen muSlim

thatsjjk
well god is watching as well

thatsjjk
are you drunk?

me
mSybE

thatsjjk
why?

me
wHt do yOu csre

me
yoy sre lying abyway

thatsjjk
what the hell are you
saying

thatsjjk
when tf did i lie to you

me
sYOP YEJJING ST ME

thatsjjk
bitch this is text how tf
am i supposed to yell

thatsjjk is calling you
[ ACCEPT ] [ DECLINE ]

me
nO

me
u mean :(

thatsjjk
yura

thatsjjk
pick up your fucking phone

me
NO

thatsjjk
i said pick up your
fucking phone

thatsjjk is calling you
[ ACCEPT ] [ DECLINE ]

thatsjjk
i'm serious

thatsjjk
answer my damn call

thatsjjk is calling you
[ ACCEPT ] [ DECLINE ]

thatsjjk
i will literally go and pick you
up from wherever you are
and then we gon fucking
talk if you won't answer
your damn phone now

me
:(

thatsjjk is calling you
[ ACCEPT ] [ DECLINE ]

"Why the hell are you drunk?" he asks as sharp as a knife as soon as she answers the call.

She replies, "What's so unpleasant about drinking?"

"Ask a glass of water!" He adds, "So why are you drinking?"

Yura pouts, responding while slurring over her words, "You shouldn't be asking that, Mr. Liar!"

He massages his temples. "What the hell are you saying?"

"Why were you lying~" she keeps on slurring over her words, prolonging each word.

"Will you stop spitting nonsense?" Jeongguk asks angrily, clenching his jaw.

A few hiccups escape her. "W-Why are you so mad about it then?"

Her sentence catches him off guard, unclenching his jaw as he thinks deeper about her words.

"H-He texted me again," she admits after a while, breaking their silence. "Told me those things about you."

Jeongguk is simply listening intently, gulping harshly. Sweat droplets build up on his forehead as he nervously nibbles on his lower lip.

Her mood swings do its thing again; tears rolling down her flushed cheeks. "I-I don't know who to trust."

"He n-never lies, except for the cheating part. Everything he said was true. He was honest to me all the time if you put the cheating part out," Yura reveals.

"I'm so stuck," she whispers, many more tears falling down in gravity. "I try so hard but it never works out in the end. I'm so fucking sick of all of this. I'm fucking sick of men."

For the next minutes, they keep on being silent. Yura wipes her tears away, and Jeongguk repeats her words in his head; debating what to do and thinking about his actual plans and actions.

"Hand the phone to the bartender." His words come out cold, topping the North Pole.

Yura gulps, slightly disappointed and sad that he didn't say anything or try to help her in any kind of way.

She holds the phone up to the curious bartender. "H-He wants to speak you," she states like a little, hurt child; big eyes brimming with tears, pout on her lips.

With a sigh he takes the phone, holding it up to his hand. "Where is she?" Jeongguk asks, his voice low.

"Are you her boyfriend?" he asks back, gazing at the broken girl in front of him.

Jeongguk's eyes widen slightly, scratching the back of his head as he debates how to answer. "Um," he mumbles.

"Yeah," he finally admits, nodding his head. "Yes, I am."

"Then you suck at your job of protecting her," the bartender states confidently, shaking his head as he keeps his eyes focused on Yura. "Your girl is over here all heartbroken, and you don't even have a single clue about that."

Slight anger boils in Jeongguk's system. He clenches his jaw in irritation and sighs swiftly to control himself. "Just call a cab over so she can go home."

The bartender sighs, nodding his head. "Yes, I will."

"Good," the dark-haired boy replies before hanging up on the phone.

"Prick." The barkeeper hands the phone back to the girl, swiftly calling another employee over.

After calling a cab, he makes his way to Yura, who looks straight ahead without any emotion in her eyes; feeling empty.

"You okay?" he carefully asks, gazing into her numb eyes.

Yura nods her head. "Of course," she replies ironically, locking her dark eyes with his.

"I'm sorry," he sincerely states, nibbling on his bottom lip. "Let's get you home."

"Rape is a crime," she interjects quickly.

His eyes widen at that, holding his hands up in surrender. "I-I don't want to."

"I called you a cab because your so-called boyfriend told me to," he confesses, rolling his eyes when he thinks about him. "That's why I need you to go outside to get into the car."

"Oh," she blurts out, nodding her head right after. Yura obeys his orders, senselessly standing up from her seat.

Her legs feel wobbly, clumsily tripping over. But the bartender swiftly comes to help, steadying her body with his hands.

His cheeks flush; scared that she'll get him wrong. So he quickly pulls his hands away from her body and holds them up in innocence.

They make their way outside. He's waiting with her, making sure that no one will take advantage of her drunken state.

After the cab arrives and he sees her hop into it, she mumbles with a faint smile, "Thank you—"

"Hyungsik. Park Hyungsik," he replies with a smile, looking down at her.

"Thank you, Hyungsik."