1.1 | Desiderium ✓

49|forty nine

HaRoo felt stupid. He did not have an English name yet. He mumbled something and looked away, too coloured to face the stranger in his eye. 

"Sorry, didn't catch that." The stranger spoke with a crisp, sauve American accent which made HaRoo conscious of his own way of speaking, and he decided to be loud and clear. 

"San HaRoo." 

"San? Oh… San Hyeok's son?" 

"Yes, and I don't think I know you yet, Mr. Kang." 

"Oh, I am not from that side," he smiled a bit, showing his unnaturally pointed teeth. "My father owns Ruen News. We get invited over, I reckon you know how this all works." 

"Yes," HaRoo said, "I know it all too well." 

"I was just looking for some fun but see, I am stuck here now." 

"I feel the same," HaRoo agreed, although his eyes kept finding their way back to Hwang JiYeon, who was amiably chatting with some women. HaRoo's breath would hitch in his throat whenever she would smile or laugh, or even shake her head. 

"You know you've been staring at her for about an hour now," said James, and HaRoo snapped his neck towards him, eyes narrowed down and lips pressed in a thin line, ready to burst out in suitable excuses. 

"How would you know?" Asked HaRoo, but the boy next to him only laughed. 

"No, I won't get interested in her, she's too flat." 

"Excuse me?" HaRoo's fists clenched. 

"I don't just stop at staring. I like to do more. And just saying, I don't like the girl you like. She's bland. Not my type. The woman next to her though," James lifted his hand up and his lips touched the rim of his champagne flute, "she's a work of art." 

It was HaRoo's turn to laugh. "She's married. Look, there's her child." 

"So what?" The stranger tipped his glass back and all the alcoholic contents it held went tumbling down his throat. "Doesn't matter what she wants anyway." 

All of a sudden, HaRoo didn't want to be near him anymore. "There, that woman is a mother. Look, there's a child holding her hand. She's happily married —"

"Oh," James Kang tilted his head, "her child looks just like her. How pretty." 

"What the fuck dude," HaRoo stepped away, "you're weird." 

"Such a pretty boy." 

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It had been five days since Shin had last visited SooMin's house. Barren tree branches had shed all the October leaves and Shin had duly bombed the monthly exams with the lowest rank he resolved he would ever achieve in his life. 

Twelfth.

He had not been able to concentrate. 

Shin pressed the doorbell of SooMin's house and moved a step back, bouncing on the balls of his feet and feeling the parched dryness of his throat. He wondered what was making her take so long, for usually SooMin answered the door herself every time and she was pretty quick on her feet. Shin waited for what felt like eons and finally, when he heard footsteps on the other side of the door, a strange twinge of guilt made his heart plummet to his stomach.