Days Gone || Hwang Hyunjin

8

"I don't feel sa-"

"Why do you hide it?"

"You're so persistent" she growled.

"Sorry"

She sighed, bringing her legs to her chest and resting her arms on them. "It's not important"

"Even if it's not important, you should let it out"

"Same goes for you"

"It's...different"

"If you say so.."

"Anyway, if you don't want to talk about it, at least you should-"

"My mom told me she's going to close the shop"  she finally spoke out.

"Why?"

"She said sales have dropped a bit, you know, because of the situation around the world. Tourists aren't coming so she's not making enough money to pay for the rent. Not even with my own money we can pay for it."

It actually hurt me to hear that. She previously told me how valuable that shop was to her and her mom.

"What's the shop of?"

"Paintings" 

"Really?"

"Yup. My mom paints beautiful, and along with my dad she opened that shop. It's always been okay, she has sold a lot of her art, and it was her biggest dream, to have this shop."

"And your dad..is he..you know"

"Around? Nope." She chuckled. "They got divorced when I was in high school, so my mom had to take care of it alone. That's why I lied and accepted what that girl did to me, to protect my mom. She worked really hard, and after my father left it was only harder."  

"Where is the shop located?"

"Uh..a few miles from here. Maybe 40 minutes on bus? I don't know exactly."

"We should go visit it" I suggested. She turned around and blinked a few times at me. I realized what I said and thought that maybe I was being too comfortable?

"Ahh I meant- "

"I would love to" she smiled sincerely, she looked pretty. My heart skipped a beat suddenly, and I felt nervous. She turned her eyes back to the creek, it was like a romantic movie. The moon was shining over us and the water reflected it; we just stood there quiet.

"I told you it was stupid" she chuckled.

"It isn't stupid, don't say that. You were worried and stressed about your mom, your reaction was only natural."

"That's just the biggest problem"

"What do you mean?"

"I have other problems too, frustrations, So my mom's shop issue was just the remaining drop."

"Do you... want to talk about it too?"

"Is it okay?" She looked shy. She buried her face in her arms and knees.

"We have all night."

I heard her giggle slightly "Thanks" she started.

"I just... I love being here, in this little town. I love learning from the elders and spending time with them. I find their stories fascinating, like when they were young, some of them when they went to war and their wives' stories of them waiting.

However I do want to..experience another lifestyle, you know? Like I'd like to go to the city and live there and get to know shops and streets, make friends, have coffee at a cute coffee shop."