KNITTED
FLORAL
"JEONGGUK? IS THE girl okay?" a mature woman's voice rang out from what was probably the living room, the two barely coming off the last step of the stairs. jeongguk sighed, walking off towards the room and raesun amidst his footsteps.
there sat an elderly woman; hardly any grey littered her dark head of tar waves tied into a loose bun. her fragile pale hands clasped two knitting needles, what seemed to be a small blanket pooling at her feet as her nimble fingers worked their magic. raesun was shocked at how much jeongguk resembled the elderly woman, from the golden spark in her own ageing irises to the way her tongue poked her cheek in concentration.
"oh! hello, dear," her peony lips pulled into a smile, one hand letting go of the needle to motion to the seat next to her, "please, take a seat, you must sit down after your collapse—"
"grand mama, she needs to go home—" jeongguk tried to interject, softly, but the woman just chuckled.
"but she doesn't want to, now does she guk?" at his lack of an answer, she laughed again, smiling wider at raesun when the shy girl sat gently on the couch. she mentally sighed at the worn yet comfy material, spotting pots of different flowers scattered around the living room and old classic novels.
"if you don't mind, could you get us the lemonade? it's hot outside and i think it's needed, don't you?" jeongguk immediately went to, what raesun guessed was, the kitchen.
leaving her with his grandma.
said woman checked to make sure he was busy, before setting down her knitting needles and eyeing her, "you're kim raesun yes?"
the sudden question baffled her, leaving her rosy cheeked and wide eyed; she gulped, "uhm, y–yes mrs jeon—"
"no no, please don't call me that dear," she waved a hand dismissively, "jaehwa will do. but let me ask, and correct me if i'm wrong, but kim namjoon is your brother?"
kim namjoon.
the kim's golden child: perfect grades, perfect appearance, perfect everything. his and raesun's parents always bragged about him at gatherings, his name being mentioned one way or another to make the kim name seem more significant. raesun never understood how her older brother was so admired — she remembered days where he'd be muddy from football or he'd sneak in late at night smelling like cigarettes.
but, raesun knew how to keep secrets, for she had many of her own.
"yes, uh... jaehwa," she mumbled, hearing the sound of glasses placed on a counter in the kitchen.
"ah, so that's why you looked so familiar," the woman nodded, her golden necklace catching in slight sunbeams and floral perfume starting to become suffocating. raesun gulped.
she didn't look like her brother, so how could she look familiar?
"m–may i ask how you know my brother?" raesun whispered into the air, tension gathering and wrapping around her throat.
jaehwa smiled, going back to her knitting while the younger girl paid attention to smooth words, and how the other's light blue skirt matched well with the yellow and peach wool, "namjoon was always coming here asking for my grandson, with jin — is that is name? tall, broad shoulders, sweet..."
the reminiscent smile on the elder's face almost slipped past raesun's view as she dropped her gaze to the floor. namjoon? with jin? it couldn't possibly be him.
it couldn't be.
namjoon was raised just like raesun: to hang around people from the same sort of family. she could only ever remember her brother with jocks or his study group, how his blue letterman jacket was identical to other boys, and the way he'd stand awkwardly with those same athletes when they'd laugh at younger pupils.
but... there was something there in the back of her mind that sent doubt to cloud her memories. something in the form of a picture... hidden... somewhere...
raesun's face dropped, "i'm afraid i really do have to go home, mrs j—"
"jaehwa," she corrected the teen.
"jaehwa," with a nod, raesun stood, just as jeongguk came in with two glasses filled with refreshments, the lemonade replicated in the sparkle of his eyes.
nevermind him, a voice in her head spoke, find that picture!
she shook her head, "it was very nice to meet you, i'd love to see you again."
kim namjoon, what have you been up to?
— 杏 —
