Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
SUMIN sat in her usual seat in homeroom. Her earphones were snugly fit in her ear and her foot taps along to TWICE's Deja Vu! It had been a very chaotic morning, Sumin's alarm didn't go off which meant she got everything last — the toilet, the bathroom, the cereal, the milk, the toothpaste. Her mood worsened as she was stuck with her younger siblings in the back while Beom enjoyed the front seat, sneering at Sumin when he caught sight of her staring. And then her mother dumped them off on the side of the road and drove off without saying anything back — but it's not like Sumin would've replied. She knows love is false.
Beom abandons Sumin's side the moment their family car disappears from view, even though he promised way back when Sumin started at Hanlim to walk her to the gates before he went to his all-boys school. Sumin's aware of Beom's choices, she's aware of what he thinks of their family, she's aware of every active decision he makes, yet she still allowed him to make room in her way too small heart. It's hard to dig someone like Beom out of your life because he's a fucking fungi. Gross. Hard to get rid of.
It's hard to not feel angry at the world when, day after day, Sumin has to sit through every bad situation there is — a scolding by a teacher, being shoved by her peers who like to make fun of her for being adopted, having to listen to fighting occur regularly in her household (which was supposed to be Sumin's safe haven from school) — it's hard to not want to cuss at the world and kick every smiling baby you pass because that smile will soon fade from their faces when they're hit with the reality of life; constantly having to fight for survival.
Someone pinches the back of Sumin's hand gently and her attention is brought back to the loud and overwhelming classroom. Sumin's vision focuses on a beaming Sunoo who sits at the desk in front of Sumin's. "Good morning, Sumin!" Sumin's still trying to decide if she loves or hates Sunoo's never-fading smile that could rivals the sun during a summer's afternoon. "Did you sleep well?"
"No," Sumin responds, never one for lying — unless it comes to actually speaking about her thoughts and feelings, which don't matter and never will matter.
"Oh," Sunoo's lips jut out into a pout. "Do you mind if I ask why?"
Sumin shrugs, "I have trouble sleeping some nights. Nothing too traumatizing." A half truth. Yeah, Sumin had trouble sleeping at night, but there's a reason why — she wasn't always like this. Sumin used to fall asleep whenever and wherever. It didn't take long for her to float off into dreamland where she dreamt of a happier life, where she imagined her family got along and loved each other. Truly. But, at age fifteen, everything changed for Sumin and reality struck. Hard.
"You should try making some tea," Sunoo offers, "Jay drinks some tea before he goes to bed some nights, he tells me it's supposed to be good for your body." Sunoo shrugs, "I don't question Jay because whatever he says is usually true."
