Someone To Stay || c.yj + k.th

01 - Just Another Day

3 years later

A rather breezy day it was for a November morning. There was still a whole week before the winter would've arrived. I pulled at my coat, treading were my shoes against the dirt path.

Cholong was a small town in South Korea, and the most beautiful one in my opinion. The people living there only knew about one thing, bamboos, and it was the only source of income for more than half the households around.

Living in a town like this had its own perks. For one, not a person living there was unknown.

"Good Morning, ajhussi."

"Ah, good morning, Taehyun-ssi. Looking as handsome as always, are we?

"Not as much as you. I can't even tell your age."

We were all neighbours of each other, been there in grieves and delights like a family.

"You are just being humble."

"Not at all."

Yet another day in my life, really.

The bus arrived, and so did our day took a kickstart.

Being in a town, one of our most important means to get to the city was bus-- four of them scheduled throughout the span of twenty-four hours. And some of us relied on these means a lot, with the 9-5 jobs for some of us. Trains were an expensive deal for the everyday travellers.

It was a daily routine in Cholong.

"Ah, Taehyun-ssi! Good morning!" Came the voice of a very excited Yang Jeongin, his eyes smiling along with him. He always sat at the seat behind me, never failing to brighten one's day; truly a sweetheart.

I gave him an acknowledging nod. "Very good morning, Jeongin-ssi. You seem to be in a good mood today."

"It's salary day."

"Already?"

"A month has passed, Taehyun-ssi. Did you zone out through it?" He chuckled in bemusement, I took my cue to fall into my own seat.

"I may have," was my simple answer.

Do not mistake me for a killjoy, but honestly no longer do I feel any amusement with life. I've been like that for a while, and people around me were already quite used to it.

They knew how it felt for me, and, likewise, so did I. We shared a common grief after all.

The scar marred in all of our pasts.

I turned to the window. It really has been three whole years since then, and it still felt like just yesterday. We were still stuck there, somewhere, with a big question mark to our faces. None of us made out of it, and looking around made it all the while more real.

"I am sorry for the late."

I felt someone slipping beside me, shoulder slightly grazing against mine. I looked over.

Choi Yeonjun.

How do I describe him? All I ever knew of him was that he was a good listener.

And that he had a nose piercing. And he wore unmatched socks; that day, it was blue and yellow.

"It's fine, Yeonjun-ssi."

And the journey began, just like any other day.

—•—•—•—

"This was the last batch?"

"Apparently. Guess it's enough for today?"

I checked the clipboard before turning back to Huening Kai. "It was."