Last Saturday

ch.01

Minji visits a park. Letting her uneasy worries flow away from her, similar to the ocean's
waves gliding away with the wind.
She sits still on the bench, her eyes looking far away, with thoughts deep in her head. Her
surroundings were filled with murmurs, the voices of the crowd, and the ever so lively
children, not too loud nor too silent. They were enough to be unable to bother her.
The strong wind brushes her hair in all sorts of directions, her clothes a fluttering mess, but
Minji doesn't care.
A dog walks by and sniffs her shoes, the owner apologizing in embarrassment, she smiles,
telling him that it was okay. Minji doesn't care.
A small leaf from the huge tree beside her falls lightly on her thigh. She picks it up, staring at
the vibrant yet calming hue it exudes, letting the wind steal it, flying away from her palm.
Minji isn't surprised, she doesn't care.
She never does, she never cares for anything. The world seemed so boring to her, unable to
find the fun everyone else experiences.
On weekdays, she wakes up, goes to work, returns home, then she sleeps and wakes up the
next day. It's all the same.
On weekends, she wakes up, goes outside to the park, returns home, then she sleeps and
wakes up the next day. It's still the same.
On vacations, she wakes up, she drives to stay in her older sister's home in Busan, they both
catch up on their lives. Then, she goes out to see the water fountain she always visited ever
since she was a child, stays until the evening, returns to her sister's home to sleep, and she
wakes up, packing her suitcase, finally driving home whenever it's the last day of her
vacation. It's always the same.
Minji can't understand how people still manage to smile, despite living the same
everyday. She can't understand how people still live happily and not get bored of the same
life routine they follow. She wonders if it's just her growing up lacking parental figures in her
life with a busy older sister or if she's simply too much of a boring person herself.
Her thoughts keep her distracted from the sky darkening, the clouds fade and the sun finally
sets, revealing a full moon, illuminating the whole night.
The crowds were now lessened to fewer people, roaming around like lost ants. Some shops
were closing while some were still open. It's been hours since she came to the park but it's
alright, Minji doesn't care.
She's still quietly staring into the ocean until she hears a voice that she thinks could probably
destroy her ears, too full of energy, a complete contrast to her own.
"Hello! Do you mind if I sit here?"
She tears her eyes away from the waves to a girl who was smiling so brightly in front of her,
her aura exhibiting pure sunshine unlike the elegant, dim night surrounding them.
Minji's confused as she looks to her sides, seeing so many vacant benches around them,
yet this girl opts to sit right beside her. Though she still nods, and allows her to take a seat,
not like she cares anyway.
The stranger excitedly sits down, pulling a sketchbook and a tiny pencil case out of her tote
bag. Minji can't help but look, admiring the stranger's unfinished yet beautiful sketches
as she flips across them to a clean, blank, and unused page. She quickly looks back at the
scene in front of her, staring at the ocean once again.
The two sit in silence, the only noise being the stranger's pencil strokes and her faint curses
whenever she messes up, the crickets and the faint ocean waves, as well as the light pole
erratically flickering every now and then.
Minji tears her eyes away from the ocean once more, looking at the other girl's drawing,
which was the small kayak boat passing by in front of them from earlier.
She fixes her belongings, aggressively shoving her sketchbook and pencil case back in her
tote bag. She stands up and begins to walk away.
Minji doesn't pay her any attention until a little while later. As she hears the footsteps
walking away from her coming to a halt, she looks to see the girl turn back and step towards
her again.
"Er...are you not going home? Not to be weird or anything, but it's 12am, and you know, creeps...I'm just concerned. We can exit the park together...or if you also live in the Cheongsam subdivision, we could go back to our homes together!" the stranger sheepishly
laughs, lightly fixing her bangs that irritated her eyes.
Minji hasn't faced any danger or harm ever since she started staying in the park until
midnight, but she still accepts the girl's offer and she finally stands up after hours of sitting,
also deciding to give her a smile of reassurance.
"I also live in Cheongsam."
The stranger excitedly gasps. She was slightly shorter than her, Minji could even see the
top of her head. Not like it matters much, but she finds it endearing.
"I'm hanni by the way!" The girl looks up at her as reaches out her hand for a shake, much to
Minji's surprise.
The taller one accepts it, slightly shaking the girl- hanni's -hand, and the two finally exit
the park alongside each other.
Minji's thoughts now as she passes the streets beside hanni is that she can't believe how
she casually accepted to walk with a stranger she'd just met. She's aware of how stupid this
is, there's a literal slight chance of this woman being a thief or a muderer. Minji could
probably even die if she let herself get captured by a criminal, but she only shrugs it off. Of
course, why would someone like her care?
Death wasn't something so shocking to some people, and that included minji herself.
Everyone faces it one day, and it's always unexpected. As much as they prepare themselves,
no one's ever ready to face it when the sad day comes. If this stranger did decide to kill her,
then minji would obviously be shocked, but she wouldn't mind, she'd just have to die a
little earlier than the others, and it's not like she has a lot going on in her life anyway.
"Hey, uh... you haven't told me your name yet." hanni gently nudges her arm.
"Oh, it's minji." She adds.
"You must've been feeling a little sentimental earlier. You were so quiet while I was
sketching as if I was a maniac back there! I'm so sorry if i disturbed you, minji. That
was the spot when the sun set, and that bench was in the middle, it was the perfect view!"
Her smile reaches her ears.
"It's okay."
Hanni's smile fades, and she only nods in return.
Minji suddenly feels a little apologetic, even embarrassed. Failing to engage in a
conversation with someone who seemed so talkative, unlike herself who was completely
disinterested in socializing.
The streets were still lit up, some bicycles passing by, while some store owners were simply
staying in their booths, completely absorbed into their phones, or staring out at the view,
waiting for customers despite it being midnight.
The two girls eventually come back to the subdivision safely, parting ways to go back to their
homes.
Minji lazily enters her house, not even bothering to change her clothes as she launches
herself onto her bed, her belt uncomfortably restricting her body from breathing freely, but
she still ends up falling asleep.
She doesn't care, she never will.
--------------