Day 1
6.12 am
lee haru
unexpected invitation
once we arrive at cheongju's train station
i nudge jeongguk awake
"we're here" i tell him
as he emits a tired groan
i pull my hoodie over my head
and we hop off the train together
thankfully no one's noticed us yet
it's daylight now
the sun is coming up over the horizon
the sky is painted with light shades of
orange and red on a blue sheet
something that looks even better
now that i'm outside
i take a drag of the fresh morning air
it's so much different than back at seoul
i feel like i can properly breathe here
but then i'm pulled back to reality;
chances that we may get caught are high
i wonder if my parents have already
noticed that i'm gone
maybe they will, maybe they won't
sometimes they're just so busy they can't even
bother to come and tell me things like
normal parents would
like "good morning
or "i'll be going to work now"
or "take care, breakfast is on the table"
i guess, that's an advantage for me
i'll only know if they know when they
start sending out search parties
knowing my parents, it'll be on a large scale
"this is my stop"
jeongguk says after we find
a safe spot to rest where there are less people
"where will you be going?"
"busan" i answer, and slump down
on the bench beside him
"but i'll be hanging around cheongju a bit"
"cheongju?"
jeongguk repeats with a raised eyebrow
he looks around the train station
as if he's looking for something
"you're gonna need a bus to get there
we're still on the outskirts"
he seems to know a lot about this place
does he come here often?
"oh" i nod
"thanks, i'll find one then"
jeongguk smiles, tipping his head
as a gesture of acknowledgement
"so," he pauses, "this is goodbye?"
he tucks his hands in the pockets of his coat
"goodbye, guk"
he stands up, looks back at me, smiles
"take care of yourself"
i nod at him and he turns around to walk away
i let out a long sigh
but then my stomach starts to grumble
oh
i hadn't taken dinner last night
damn it
"g-guk!"
i call and he stops in his tracks, turns around
"yeah?"
"can i um..."
i trail off, not sure how to put it
i don't even know if he's still keen
on having me follow him around
would i come off as annoying?
he probably wants some space
this is a bad idea
as if reading my thoughts
he chuckles and motions for me to
come along with his hand
i furrow my eyebrows at him
"really?" i blurt out in surprise
"i can hear your stomach from all the way here"
he says and i roll my eyes
but i run up to his side anyway
"the stores aren't opened yet
so, my place?"
"you have a place here?"
"just something i found
when I was exploring
it's not far from the train station
about... 10 minutes on foot?"
"you seem to know a lot about this place
considering you left a week ago"
i mumble under his breath
but he probably heard it, because he's laughing
"am i sure you aren't just taking me to
some abandoned factory to
murder me like the other girls
you've kidnapped before?"
jeongguk snorts, patting my head
i blink up at him, partially in shock
and he shows me a toothy grin
"you've watched too many movies
i can assure you
i'm definitely far from that"
YOU ARE READING
𝐀𝐋𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 ‣ jjk
Fanfiction"But if that accident is inevitable," I murmur, eyes softening. "Would you want me to let go?" Jeongguk pauses for a moment. "Leave the guilt and regret to me," he replies softly. "Once you start a journey, you finish it. It's only right for you to...
