[on hold] FLICKER ; lee heeseung

one

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
▀▄▀▄ ♛ FLICKER !
( 1. ONE ╎ ❀ )

━━━━ (閃爍) 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬 ━━━━ (깜박임)

(𝙵𝚁𝙸𝙳𝙰𝚈) 𝟷𝟿 𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝟹𝟽𝟻 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙽𝚎𝚠 𝙴𝚛𝚊
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

   MID-JUNE TO THE ENDS OF AUGUST IN    Eden were the months of subtropical heat waves and humid afternoons. The heat presses in on everyone, sweat trickling down their necks and backs, hair clinging to the heads. It's too hot to think.

   The summer breeze is warm against Eunbyeol's already sweating skin. She wipes a hand across her forehead, hoping it would make her feel less sticky but all it did was remind her of how long she still had left to be under the scorching sun. If there was one thing she hated, it was definitely the heat. It made her on-edge and lazy.

   She checks the watch on her left wrist. It's almost time for her to get off work. Mr Park is a senile, old man but he was the only one who would hire Eunbyeol, given her reputation in the market square. He was nice enough to take on Eunbyeol, regardless of what he heard about her and for that, she was always grateful to him. Because of him, she had money to buy things that she needed and not steal.

   "Mr Park, is it okay if I steal Eunbyeol from you?" She hears a voice from the stall. It's a voice that she knows all too well, a voice she hasn't heard in almost five months.

   "She's just closing up shop, boy. She'll be out in a few," Mr Park informs the voice.

   Eunbyeol, in a hurry, stuffs the remainder of the items in random places around the man's house. She's too lazy to put it back exactly where it goes and she can always just clean up tomorrow. She pulls her bag over shoulder and walks out into the blazing heat.

   "Go Eunbyeol. I have bought you an ice-lolly for all your hard work," the voice belonging to her best friend, Choi Soobin, says, handing her the cold piece of ice.

   "You're coming from Kang's place, aren't you?" Eunbyeol questions, noting her friend's dishevelled appearance.

   She takes the ice from her best friend's hand. It has already started to melt but Eunbyeol could complain. It was a privilege to even hold one, let alone taste it.

   Their friendship was a weird one. Eunbyeol who's a part of Set Five is best friends with a boy from Set Two. Sets weren't allowed to congregate together; that was the law but neither of them followed rules, especially in downtown Eden. Rules were meant to broken, that's their motto. They had been friends since Eunbyeol was seven.

   They accidentally bumped into each other in the market square, Soobin spilling his cold drink all over Eunbyeol. She almost lost it, her heads clenching to punch Soobin across the face when she noticed the glimmering badge pin of the Set Two Nobles. She couldn't hurt him, unless she wanted to spend a day in a cell. They compromised to have Soobin hang out with her whenever he was free for a week but he had turned up everyday to see her. They liked each other's company, they wanted to be friends; regardless of their Set differences.

   Thirteen years on, they are still friends; best friends but things changed when Soobin got elected in The Process. He wasn't allowed to leave the institute whenever he wanted, only during the big holidays like Christmas and Easter. When he won, he had even less time to spend with Eunbyeol; his priorities needed to be on the Crown Prince of Maron. Whenever he was allowed a free day or two, his first checkpoint was to see Eunbyeol.