once upon a heartbreak ; jungwon

twenty

heiryung took the long way home. the sun had already touched the horizon but she did not care about her parents, she knew they'd leave her alone the moment they see her sunken face.

she didn't even want to go home. but she had to.

the unavoidable things in life.

she was dragging herself. her head was not a haywire of thoughts, rather it was completely empty.

no thoughts going on in her head, no emotions trying to bubble up to the surface except the strong desire to sit down right there on the road and yell and cry till she passes out.

but she did none of that. the reason she took the long route while she couldn't do the bare minimum of walking was to sit by the canal.

the tiny canal which went to who knows where. lost, like her.

she sat down under a tree, the only seatable place, and leaned her head on its bark.

the canal water reflected the sky, a gradient orange. it was very bright yet she didn't avert her tired eyes from it.

she did not let her thoughts wander to the smiling sweetheart sunoo or her entire life, jungwon.

funny how they were both important to her but in different ways.

funny how she failed to recognise herself.

funny but she couldn't laugh.

she was afraid she'd have to lose one of them, but she lost them both and maybe herself too.

there wasn't going to be jungwon by her side. there wasn't going to be sunoo to take care of her. not anymore.

would they ever meet again, leave those grudges behind and greet each other saying, "oh! how long has it been?"

maybe when they grow up?

or maybe in another lifetime.

she forbid herself from thinking about them, knowing the sooner she lets them go, the lesser she'll hurt.

she will not think about them until she ends up mourning all night.

she didn't have the heart to cry, heck, she didn't even have a heart anymore.

hadn't her "once upon a time" story, began with a heartbreak?

. - the end- .