pleia | svt

bonus ch - siren call

** you can play the song whenever you'd like, but the story kind of cues when it should be played ;)

along the outskirts of the city is where the forbidden land bustles, 

the land of milk and honey.

in rundown buildings and shacks, behind closed doors and dusty windows covered by blankets,

the land of pain and pleasure:

welcome to the red light district.

where businessmen and businesswomen found pleasure after long shifts.

where spouses would disappear to in the quiet hours of the night.

where men and women gave themselves up to strangers just to survive.

"mommy, where are you going?" the boy asked, his long dark hair draping over his chocolate brown eyes.

the woman's eyes softened, clasping the long black trench coat closer to her body. "mommy has work tonight, i won't be home until later. i made dinner, it's on the stove just in case."

the boy nodded, "okay, have fun at work! i'll see you in the morning, i love you."

the woman slipped on her shiny vinyl red heels, her long brown hair falling effortlessly as she slipped one more look at her son, "i love you too, seokmin."

and with that, she disappeared into the night.

seokmin knew where she was going, what she did and why she did it. he wasn't an idiot, he just pretended to be one. he knew it was easier for both him and his mother to pretend he had no idea what she did for a living, to put a roof over their heads and clothes on his back.

their apartment wasn't much, but it was better than most of the places the outskirts had to offer. it was a small place, one bedroom and one bathroom; but since his mother spent most of her nights at... work... seokmin had the room to himself, while she occupied it during the day. 

he ruffled his brown hair, trudging toward the kitchen. opening the pot on the stove, he let out a long sigh, "kimchi fried rice, just like yesterday."

he shut the pot and checked the time that flashed on the oven,

10:59 p.m.

a wide smile gleamed on his face as he made his way to the balcony that was attached to his kitchen, sliding the door open with a newly found enthusiasm. 

"miss lee! are you there?" he called toward the balcony above his, sitting down on the white lawn chair that rested in the corner.

he checked his watch again, and as it flashed '11:00 p.m.'

he sat there for another hour waiting, until he finally heard her.

her sweet voice traveled down from her balcony and graced his ears, "i'm here, of course!" she let out a small giggle that filled seokmin's stomach with butterflies.

"you're late!" he whined, a heavy sigh leaving his lips.

"i know, i'm sorry. i had some matters to attend to, it took longer than i thought."

"it's no problem at all!" he giggled.

miss lee was the person who lived above him. though he had never seen her face, he didn't need to. she had caught him crying one night, when his mother hadn't come home and he had feared the worst for her. miss lee called down to him, like a bright ray of light when his world felt dim and scary. he told her that his mother worked late into the night, and that he felt lonely as he didn't know anyone else his age.