HIRAETH [minsung]

4: Two Different Worlds

Jisung bops his head to his music, wriggling his little hips about and only just restraining himself from yelling out the lyrics and dancing around the kitchen.

He breathes in the gorgeous smell of the wonderful food he's making. Samgyeopsal, jjajangmyeon, chimaekk, kimchi and instant noodles.

Comfort foods.

When everything is frying and cooking, he claps his hands happily and cleans little bits up he doesn't need anymore. He puts the things he used to make the food away, dragging over stools to help him reach shelves because going on his tip toes still doesn't get him high enough.

He gets back down, wobbling a little bit. He straightens up and does a little dance as he drags the chair back to under the table.

He starts to clean all the dishes, looking out the window with a childish smile at the cats that are sneaking into their garden.

One looks slyly left and right before creeping out from behind the bushes. Another prances in without a care. The last gets distracted chasing a butterfly, falling over a few times.

He's used to them coming around because they do so a lot. Jisung always gives them lots and lots of food, kisses, hugs and play time, but whenever his step-mother sees them, she always chases them away, making both the cats and Jisung sad.

Jisung doesn't know what their names are, so calls them Cat 1, Cat 2 and Cat 3.

They belong to a mean old lady down the road that Jisung is 99% sure is an evil witch.

Just when he's about to go out to play with them and give them some treats, a hand grabs his hoodie around the upper back area and pulls him back. He chokes and grabs it, whimpering when he's brought flush to a broad and hard chest.

"Where are you going? You have to finish making my dinner."

Jisung flinches away from the grip.

He hadn't heard him come in.

"I-it's not for you, Haneul!"

"What the fuck did you just say?"

"...Nothing... Sorry."

He moves away from his step-brother.

Jisung can't look at him though he can feel his eyes on him, and it makes him incredibly uncomfortable. It's like a vulture watching his every move, waiting to trip him up or do something awful.

It makes the air thick with awkwardness and tension on Jisung's side, ruining his previous happy mood.

He quietly finishes making dinner, feeling cornered and scared and on edge with Haneul looming over him and watching him in a way a relative never should. It makes Jisung sick and feel like it's his fault.

His heart aches when he hears the cats clawing at the doors, obviously confused as to why Jisung hasn't come out to see them. He so badly wants to pet their pretty heads, they're the closet things he's got to a pet or friend.

"What did you do yesterday?"

"Just homework," Jisung replies softly.

"When you came back from the park, you looked weird. Were you crying?" He snorts.

"It was just cold."

"It's the middle of March."

"Still cold!" He argues.

He doesn't feel like explaining about how he summoned a demon. Nor does he feel like getting teased remorselessly with no one believing him. He wouldn't blame them though, and he wouldn't blame them if they sent him to a mental hospital.