Mun Yeorin walked out of the hospital, leaving Ri Ta to her troubles. As he returned to campus, his mind still reeling from the encounter with Ri Ta. He couldn't understand why she was so fixated on him, or why she seemed to enjoy pushing his buttons. He adjusted his black and gray checkered jacket, feeling the familiar comfort of the worn fabric. Underneath, he wore a plain black T-shirt, his usual go-to for casual days.
As he walked, he found himself heading towards the one place where he could clear his head - the rooftop of the abandoned office building Jin Seol-A showed him. After his discovery of the place, it had become his solace, his escape from the world. The solitude was a balm to his introverted soul.
Yeorin climbed the stairs, his footsteps echoing off the walls. He pushed open the door and stepped out onto the rooftop, feeling the warm sun on his face and the cool breeze in his hair. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the fresh air, scented with the faint hint of blooming flowers from the nearby park.
He walked to the edge of the rooftop, looking out over the city. He felt small and insignificant, yet at the same time, he felt a sense of freedom. Yeorin liked being alone because it allowed him to recharge, to focus on his own thoughts and feelings without the distraction of others. He found solace in the quiet, in the stillness.
As he stood there, lost in thought, Yeorin's dipped his hands into his bag and brought out his sketchpad, his fingers began to move, sketching the cityscape in the air. It was a habit he had developed, a way to express himself without words. He loved to draw, to lose himself in the flow of lines and shapes. Art was his sanctuary, his confidant.
Yeorin's thoughts drifted back to Ri Ta. He couldn't deny that she was beautiful, but her constant probing and teasing grated on his nerves. He wondered what she wanted from him, what she hoped to achieve by constantly pushing him.
As he stood there, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, expecting a message from Yuna or maybe a notification from school. But instead, he saw a text from an unknown number.
"Hey, Yeorin. It's Ri Ta. I know you're trying to avoid me, but I just wanted to say...I'm not giving up on you yet."
Yeorin's eyes narrowed. How did she get this number? Yeorin had switched from his old number mainly because of Ri Ta's accessibility to it. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he realized that Ri Ta was more persistent than he had thought.
Still in thought, his phone buzzed again, "don't act all high and mighty anymore, I know your secret, LOL."
"Secret?" Yeorin muttered, his whole senses confused by Ri Ta's tect. Just as Yeorin was processing Ri Ta's text, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The door to the rooftop creaked open and he turned to see Jin Seol-A, her face looking at the ground, walking towards the other edge.
Seol-A was so immersed in her thoughts that she was oblivious to Yeorin's presence. Her eyes were red and puffy, and tears streamed down her face. Seol-A approached, Yeorin noticed the faint scent of lavender wafting from her direction, a stark contrast to the turmoil etched on her face. Her eyes, usually bright and inquisitive, were red and puffy, like the first blush of dawn on a summer morning. Tears streamed down her cheeks, leaving behind a trail of glistening silver threads.
Yeorin's gaze followed her as she moved towards the edge of the rooftop, her footsteps echoing off the walls with a melancholic cadence. He remembered the first time she brought him there. It was as if the cityscape held secrets only visible to those who sought refuge.
"Seol-A, what's wrong?" Yeorin asked, concern etched on his face. Seol-A was the only girl Yeorin took a personal liking to, they connected on various levels.
Seol-A fidgeted, shocked by the sound of Yeorin's voice. Seol-A tried to smile, but it faltered. "Yeorin...I'm so glad I found you here. I needed someone to talk to."
Seol-A collapsed onto the rooftop bench, her slender frame shuddering with each sob. Yeorin sat down beside her, the worn wood creaking in protest. He didn't need to ask what was wrong; the anguish radiating from her was palpable.
"Is everything alright?" Yeorin asked.
Seol-A's sobs subsided, and she looked up at Yeorin with tears-stained cheeks. Her eyes peering deep into that of Yeorin."I just got into a fight with my Mom...again," Seol-A said, her voice cracking like the first frost of winter.
Yeorin nodded sympathetically, his mind racing with memories of his own struggles. He knew the weight of expectation, the crushing pressure to conform.
Yeorin's expression softened. Seol-A had told Yeorin about her mother's disapproval of her choice of study. He knew Seol-A's struggles with her mother, who wanted her to pursue a more "practical" major like Law or Engineering. Seol-A, however, was passionate about Economics, and Yeorin admired her conviction.
"What happened this time?" Yeorin asked gently, his words a soft breeze on a summer's
Seol-A took a deep breath, and the words tumbled out like a river breaking its banks. "She found out I'm actually studying Economics...she thought I was studying cosmetology. She thinks it's a waste of time and that I should focus on getting a 'stable' job, you know, since her make up company is the biggest. But I don't want nothih to do with make up, or cosmetics, or fragrances. I just want to be me."
Yeorin nodded sympathetically. "You know you're great at this, Seol-A. Don't let her doubts bring you down."
"You must be really good at being defiant," Seol-A jested. She looked at Yeorin's face and he didn't seem too receptive of her words. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I was only joking," Seol-A apologized.
Yeorin turned his gaze to the beautiful skyline painted peach and orange, before switching his gaze back to Seol-A, "it's fine...it's not like you told a lie."
Seol-A chuckled weakly. "Thanks, Yeorin. Just talking to you makes me feel better."
Yeorin's expression softened, his heart aching in solidarity. He knew the sting of disapproval, the suffocating grip of expectation.
As Seol-A spoke, the city around them transformed. The concrete jungle, once a maze of steel and stone, became a tapestry of stories, each one a thread in the intricate weave of human experience. Yeorin felt the weight of Seol-A's struggles, the burden of her dreams.
The silence that followed was a palpable thing, a living, breathing entity that wrapped itself around them like a warm embrace. Yeorin didn't need to fill the void with words; sometimes, silence was the most eloquent language.
Seol-A's gaze drifted back to the cityscape, her eyes tracing the contours of the skyline like a cartographer mapping uncharted territory. Yeorin followed her gaze, and together, they watched as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the city in a warm, golden light
As they sat there in comfortable silence, in that moment, Yeorin felt a sense of connection with Seol-A that went beyond words. It was as if they had stumbled upon a hidden language, one that spoke directly to the.
Maybe it was because they shared a passion for Economics, or maybe it was because Seol-A's vulnerability resonated with his own introverted nature.
Whatever the reason, Yeorin felt a sense of connection with Seol-A that he hadn't experienced in a long time, a sense of understanding friendship. And as they sat there, watching the sun set over the city, Yeorin knew that he could count on Seol-A to understand him in ways that others couldn't.
The silence between Yeorin and Seol-A was defeaning, they connected but were always out of what to say to each other. Unlike Ri Ta, Yeorin like the fact that Seol-A enjoyed the silence and didn't see it as something awful.
As the stars began to twinkle like diamonds scattered across the velvet expanse, Seol-A turned to Yeorin, her eyes shining with a soft, ethereal light.
"Thanks, Yeorin," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "For everything."
Yeorin smiled, a small, gentle smile that spoke volumes. "Anytime, Seol-A. That's what friends are for."
The word "friends" hung in the air like a promise, a bond forged in the crucible of shared struggles and silent understanding.
"Sincerely I thought you were just a very handsome proud guy would looked down on people, but getting to know you, you just like being alone and I can understand that, plus you're also a good person, a good listner and you have solutions and know a lot of things too. No wonder you have a great life. You're a good friend." Seol-A said with a bright smiled stretevhed throughout her face.
"Great life?" Yeorin said to himself and smiled slightly, "if only you knew."
As they sat there, wrapped in the soft silence of the night, Seol-A realized that Yeorin was the first person he had truly opened up to in a long time. Maybe it was because they shared a passion for Economics, or maybe it was because Seol-A's vulnerability resonated with his own introverted nature. Whatever the reason, Seol-A felt a sense of connection with Yeorin that she hadn't experienced in a long time.
And as they sat there, watching the stars twinkle to life, Seol-A knew that she could count on Yeorin to understand her in ways that others couldn't. He was a refuge, a sanctuary from the storms that raged within.
In that moment, Seol-A felt a sense of peace, a sense of solace that he had been searching for. It was as if he had finally found a piece of himself, a piece he thought was lost forever.
As the night wore on, Yeorin and Seol-A sat in comfortable silence, the city spread out before them like a canvas waiting to be explored. They knew that life would throw its share of challenges, but for now, they had found a sense.