IZ*ONE Drabbles/One-Shots

The Missing Half (KwonChaeng)

The Missing Half
KwonChaeng

“...and when one of them meets the other half, the actual half of himself, whether he be a lover of youth or a lover of another sort, the pair are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy and one will not be out of the other's sight, as I may say, even for a moment...”

– Plato, The Symposium

It was unexpectedly hot that day. The woman can feel a slight pain on her feet as the heat of the extremely rocky road permeates through the leather soles of her boots. She cannot bear to stop even for a while as she tried to wipe off the sweat on her face with her equally sweaty hands. With nowhere to go and nothing to drink nor to eat, she kept on walking until finally a small house came into sight. After a few more minutes of walking, her sight started to become a bit hazy due to heat and dehydration. With shallow breaths, she staggered on weary legs and saw a faint image of a person before finally falling to the ground.

The intoxicatingly unfamiliar scent of flowers brought her back to her senses. She was a bit surprised to see roof tiles the moment she opened her eyes.

“I guess it wasn’t a delusion.”, she thought to herself as she sat on the bed.

“You’re finally awake.”

The woman immediately turned her head towards the speaker upon hearing that striking voice. It was as if her heart skipped a beat at that moment she first laid her eyes on this woman. And as if breaking the intensity of her gaze, the other flashed a smile which immediately made her feel flustered and a tint of redness became evident on her face.

“How are you feeling right now?” The other woman said as she walked closer, putting a pile of clothes on the table near the bed. “You fainted on the road. Where are you going?”

“The truth is… I don’t know.”

The hostess sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her while she was avoiding the intense gaze. She can feel her heart racing fast all of a sudden and it was probably because she was a tad nervous of the proximity of their bodies. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward since no one was saying a word nor moving from their positions. Until, out of the blue, her stomach growled loudly and the other woman laughed hysterically while she covered her face in embarrassment.

“I figured that out a while ago.” The woman said as she tried to compose herself after laughing too much. “Can you walk to the kitchen? I am making stew for dinner.”

“I do not want to impose so much… Water would be fine. I should leave now.” She said, not wanting to cause any more inconvenience to the hostess.

“But you don’t even know where you are headed.” The woman face-palmed. “Also, your feet are sore and blistered all over. Can you really go?”

She finally looked at the other woman after hearing those words. Her face was truly beautiful. She cannot help but to stare at the smooth, white face with the salmon pink lips, adorned by her silky, long black hair.

“But-”

“Don’t worry. You should rest here at least for the night. You probably haven’t eaten anything for days.” Another smile flashed upon her eyes. “By the way, my name is Anna… and you are?”

Her name. It was just at that moment when it came into her mind.

Chaeyeon.

That was what she wanted to say but she was unable to. It was as if her mouth has a thought of its own as it uttered an unknown yet seemingly familiar name.