ᴀʙᴅɪᴛᴏʀʏ || baek kyung

"One of My (Best) Friends and His Long Time Stalker are Acting Kinda Sus"-Namju

"One of My (Best) Friends and His Long Time Stalker are Acting Kinda Sus"-Namju

"Did you know that Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy?"

"Fascinating."

"You don't sound very fascinated."

"It's because I'm not. I only said that to shut you up."

Jia made a face, one that went unseen in the darkness, and shifted to the edge of the kotatsu blanket. Her nose still throbbed from when Kyung had slammed the door on her face. There was a bump on her head as well because of crashing on the floor.

When she had woken up, Jia had found herself being dragged across the hallway like a dead body on its way to be disposed of by Kyung. She had flailed her arms and screamed again, smacking her fist against his chin.

Kyung had tried to stay in his room until the next day but it was too cold. Defeated, he quietly hauled his comforter and pillow into the living room with the idea of sleeping on the sofa. He pointedly ignored Jia, who had a red line that went from the middle of her forehead till her nose, and settled on the center of the L-shaped couch.

Then he found out that the heater wasn't working so it was either freezing to death or sleeping under the kotatsu that was probably the only source of heat in the apartment. Kyung lay as far away as he could from Jia and made sure that their feet didn't touch either.

They could feel the awkwardness roll off of each other in the dark. Jia tried to play off the awkwardness by talking unnecessarily.

"Did you know orcas ate moose?"

"I don't know what to do with that information." Kyung replied tiredly.

"Store it in your brain maybe?" After a count of ten, she spoke up again, "Did you know Chrysipphus died after laughing too hard at his own jokes?"

"Jia. Go to sleep."

"Okay."

He grit his teeth when he heard another question escape her mouth.

"What are you going to do once you have your inheritance?"

Kyung turned onto his back, staring up at the high ceiling. He thought about it for a while and then said, "I don't know...find a place to live? Don't you have plans to kick me out?" He stuck out his foot from under the blanket, feeling the heat of the kotatsu grow unbearable.

She flipped onto her back, eyes flitting over to one dark corner of the ceiling to another, and answered honestly, "Not really, no. Geumbi likes you. I don't have to worry about dinner either. Or the dishes. But then again...it's too soon to say that. You've only been here for like...four days?"

"What do you think I should do?"

Jia tilted her head, looking at him. What does it matter what I think? This is your business. I'm not concerned with whatever you wish to do. She almost said what she had thought. No. This is mostly my fault. If I hadn't—

"Pay for your school tuition. And then for your college. Or whatever you want to do after school. You should...make it count, I suppose." She curled up into herself, careful not to touch the heater under the table. "Use it for what's important. Not for shit like...paying rent."

"Okay." She didn't know if he had said that wholeheartedly or just to brush her off. "...Jia?"

"What?"

"What happened to your parents?"

She bit the inside of her cheek, not expecting the question. There's no way in hell I'm answering that. "Apparently you can get STD in your eyes." She changed the topic immediately.