Author's Note: I'm actually out of town right now and posting this from my phone, but I really really wanted to update this week so please excuse any typos! Shoutout to EdnaMode101 for wonderful edits and @binjintingz for screaming with me about this. Hope you all find this chapter cathartic like I did.
If you're so inclined, you can listen to "Mikrokosmos" by BTS for this chapter.
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Behind the wheel, the silence in the car is driving Jeong-hyeok mad. Ever since they left her family’s house, Se-ri has barely said anything at all. She just keeps staring outside the window and into the dark forest. Jeong-hyeok checks on her every few minutes, but he's unable to read the expression on her face.
“Right,” she says, finally. Her voice is listless. She's guiding his car perfectly, without even being asked. No last minute turns, no wrong directions.
Jeong-hyeok is worried sick.
He keeps thinking that soon she’ll have to talk, to tell him what happened after dinner to make her so sad. But when they enter Seoul proper and his GPS starts working again, Se-ri stops even with the directions.
Eventually, they’re stopped at a red light, just a few blocks from her apartment. Jeong-hyeok looks over at her. She’s staring ahead, completely lost in a world of thoughts where he can’t reach her.
Jeong-hyeok makes a split-second decision. Instead of going straight, he swings his Jaguar in a U-turn and heads back towards Gangnam-gu.
“What?” Se-ri startles beside him. “Where are you going? My apartment was the other way.”
Jeong-hyeok looks towards her bewildered face, and tries to give her a reassuring smile.
“Come on, I want to show you something.”
***
Twenty minutes later, Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok are standing on the rooftop of VAST headquarters. It seems like a lifetime ago that she’d played that game of truth or dare here with the boys, Se-ri thinks. Now, she stares at the twinkling lights of the city, not really taking them in.
Beside her, Jeong-hyeok tries a set of keys on a tiny refrigerator that's located in the corner of the roof. She hadn't seen it the last time she'd been here because it had been covered with a tarp.
"Aha!" he cries at last, finally throwing the door open. Excitedly, he beckons Seri over, only for her to see tubs and tubs of individual ice cream servings filling the fridge from top to bottom.
"They're Movenpick. Have you ever had Movenpick? It’s the best ice cream. I get it imported from Switzerland and store it up here." He looks towards her expectantly.
Se-ri looks at him with a raised brow, only half comprehending what he's saying. What she does get is that Jeong-hyeok appears to be a foodie with a sweet tooth, which has decided to act up now.
Jeong-hyeok gestures to the fridge. "Pick a flavor," he offers. She wonders what's gotten into him; she's never seen him this chatty before.
To humor him, Se-ri leans down and picks up one of the round tins, even though she’s not in the mood for ice cream right now. Jeong-hyeok picks another, and they go sit on the top of the picnic table at the center of the roof.
The city of Seoul twinkles below her with a thousand little lights; skyscrapers soar proudly towards the sky. And to Se-ri’s surprise, the sugar she’s consuming actually helps. The sweet taste of vanilla fills her mouth, with hints of brown sugar and cinnamon. After a second, Jeong-hyeok leans towards her and peers at her ice cream.
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