BOOK 4: The Seventeen Heirs Series; Hong Jisoo (SEVENTEEN FANFIC)

12: WEIGHT

MIA KAZZANDRA's POV

Standing at the general store entrance alone, people started to notice me. I could see how people whisper around with each other.

Maybe they think I'm crazy for going here with Joshua Hong. But I think I already lost my sanity the moment I made that deal with him.

Hell, I really don't care about their opinion of me. They don't even know the first thing about me, so why should I care? But for me, I have something I want to have from Joshua and that's what is important to me.

I took a basket from a pile, but I placed it back again when a saw a shopping cart. I grabbed one of those and followed Joshua inside.

I took a few moments to look around a little bit. On second glance, the mini mall resembled the Carat Malls I used to go to at Seoul. Everything that everyone needs is almost there.

There are clothes, shoes, toiletries, food, frozen meat, house equipment, farming tools and animal food, clearly all of equal importance to the people who lived here. And to my surprise, they even have books here.

I stopped to scan the book shelves. Novels, magazine, homemade recipes, and a couple of nonfiction on farming techniques were displayed inside. I grabbed one farming books and a recipe book that I think I need to read while staying with Joshua.

Then I saw Joshua at the very end of the alley. He's talking with a middle aged man who's few centimeters taller than him. But even with the size difference I could still see how the man was obviously intimidated by Joshua's presence.

They both saw e. I just waved at them and the man nodded, acknowledging my presence. Joshua just ignored mea and continued talking with the man.

Snob!

I left them there to buy everything I need. Everywhere I go, I see people looking at Joshua. I see the way their eyes would frown. Without even hearing properly what they have been whispering about, I know it's not something pleasant to the ears.

I saw Joshua leave. People would look away everytime he passes by. My forehead knotted at their behavior.

Surely, Joshua also notice the way they avoid him. But he continued walking as if there were no people around him. He seemed so oblivious around him and he acted as if he doesn't care. Like he's already used to that very situation.

I thought of what my Nana said about him. Is he really a good person? Did he really commit murder? Is that the reason why people seem to be afraid of him?

I looked away, frowning, when I felt that odd twinge inside my chest. And I realized I actually feel sad for him. For being judged by something, earning that stigma and bearing it all his life.

I sighed, shaking my head. It's unfair how a single accident or mistake can tarnish you and cause you a lifetime of pain and prejudice, of how people define you for that. How fast it masks the goodness in you, how it quickly snatches you of so many things, even your own light and happiness.

Nobody really deserves to be punished for something you didn't do.

But what do I know? I didn't really know what happened before.

But for some unexplainable reason, I wanted to believe in his innocence rather than what my eyes saw in those articles.

I have this inexplicable feeling that Joshua is as much as a victim here as that person who died that night on that operation; that there's a reason why he turned that way – reclusive, remote, and indifferent.

I see his innocence in his isolation and his desire to be left alone. And I wanted to believe it.

Nobody exactly wanted to live alone. No one ever wanted to live alone because if there's an emotion that can kill a person, it's the sense of feeling alone.