Where The Compass Points. |Han Jisung

36-The Passenger.

"Says the one wearing spiderman socks!" I snapped at him, crossing my arms to my chest and resting my back in the seat again. It was just a second before my eyes shot wide open, sit up abruptly and look at him with a dropped jaw. "Do you by any chance have a SpongeBob pair of those odd socks?"

"Yes. Why?" He asked in confusion.

"HOLY SHIT!" I gasped, earning a glare from him, followed by his index being pressed to his lips, reminding me to keep the volume down. "It was you?" I whispered at him.

"Me what?" He whispered back.

"That passenger! Did you travel to Paris like a year and a half ago in a first-class double-seat cabin like this one?"

"Yes? And?"

"Damn! I met you before I ever knew." I talked to myself in an even lower voice, making it hard for him to hear.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," I said, resting back in my seat still having my extra confused face. "Don't mind me. I'm having a mental breakdown right now so, leave me alone." I added, shifted in my seat to give him my back while hugging the water bottle that I never uncapped.

***

"Come HERE!" I yelled tapping the floor.

"NO!" Minho yelled back. "You are going to kill me!"

"Good that you know! Now, step out from behind him and come here!"

Minho was hiding behind Jisung who was huffing and rolling his eyes from how loud me and Minho were yelling for good ten minutes. We were at the reception of the hotel we'll be residing for our stay in Paris, waiting for the staff members who were doing the check-in procedures for us.

I've been chasing and threatening Minho since we checked out at the airport cause he knew all about Jisung's situation and he didn't tell me. Moreover, he dared to bring it up before we board just to make me feel guilty again.

"If I told you, you wouldn't have boarded that plane! You would've missed your flight, especially if you get to know that he's the passenger sharing the cabin with you." He uttered from behind Jisung.

"You knew that too?" I glared at him.

"Shit! I wasn't supposed to say that."

"He knew and he hid me in his cabin till we took off and you were asleep soundly." Jisung added while pushing his hands to his pockets.

My jaw dropped even more and my eyes got rounder.

"Fuck You, Ji!" Minho yelled, pushing his friend away, almost shoving him to the ground. "You know what? I'm out of this. You two deal with your hate alone. I don't care if you fight or even eat each other alive."

"You think you would slip ou-"

"Excuse me!" A voice came interrupting my threats to Minho. We looked in the direction to find it was a staff member smiling at us awkwardly. "Here are the keys to your rooms. Your luggage is already sent there." He said, handing each one of us the key.

I looked around me to find other staff already moving to go to their rooms. Others were still waiting for their keys.

Jisung snatched his key from the young staff member and pushed it inside his pocket before he talks. "I'm going to check the hall first." He told Minho.

"Hey! We have today for ourselves! We'll start working tomorrow." Minho protested.

"I'll just check it to see if there is something needed that wasn't listed. And I didn't ask you to come along. You can rest all the time you need." He said before he shoves his eyes to me. "Don't kill him. You still need him for your precious stage." He said before he walks away.

"Workaholic." Minho uttered then shook his head in denial and turned to walk towards the elevator.

***

I watched the sun setting slowly from the window of my hotel room. I was already gloomy just like the weather outside. The excitement I always had for this city was replaced by heaviness and sadness. Being stuck alone in this room made me reminisce again. I had nothing to do after the long call I had with Jeongin followed by another one with granny. That's why I decided to go for a walk to clear up my mind.

I was wandering the streets aimlessly. Sometimes walking. Others skipping. It was all according to the music playing in my ears through the earphones. I lost track of time while doing so. And I lost track of myself too cause hours later, I found myself getting off at the bus stop near the neighborhood where the old house was.

When I finally came to realize where I was stepping, I was confused. I promised myself to never ever step there again. But I guess I was lying to myself cause the key to this house never left my keychain, and the compass never left my neck. As if I was afraid that I would lose directions back to the house if I take it off.

My slow steady steps started to get shaky as the house came in sight. Standing there as ever, with only darkness filling it inside out. I remembered all the nights that I came back late to find it lit inside.

I let out an audible exhale as I passed the front gate. I took the few steps up the porch and stood facing the door. The wooden floor underneath me was creaking, bringing back the memories of the first time I stepped there. I pushed my hand through my pockets and pulled my keys out.

The old key made its way to the keyhole. My hand was shaking a bit which made the task hard for it so, I had to support it with my other. The key was finally in its place and I turned it to hear the clicks of the lock being unlocked for the first time in almost two years.

The door was unlocked and pushed open ahead of me. I took careful slow steps inside. My heart was skipping inside my chest in anticipation. I hoped. I just hoped.

I fumbled to the wall where the switches were supposed to be. Once I found them, I turned all the lights on. An unintended smile crept up my face as the place got illuminated. It was just the same as I left it last time. The only difference was the warmness.

It was warm.

When I expected it to be freezing as always, especially because the wind was blowing cold outside, I found it unexpectedly warm.

I made my way to the living room and stood in the middle of it to face the fireplace and the huge portrait above it. I looked up at the portrait and flashed a broken smile.

"Hello, there." I said faintly.

I stayed in my spot, silent for a few seconds. My eyes were not daring to leave those eyes in the portrait. I could've stayed like that for ages if it wasn't for the lights that started flickering. Those flickers soon proceeded to the lights being cut for a few seconds then return again.

I looked to my left at the window, only to notice that the streetlight outside the house was flickering too. I walked up to the window to see that it already started raining outside. Not only raining, but also lightning was starting to streak. A storm. Just like the one I faced there for the first time as if it was how that house liked welcoming me.

Instead of being scared, I found myself smiling lightly. My hand made its way to my compass to unlock it. I had a thought that the storm was always his way to show up. I turned around and started walking back to the fireplace while looking down to my compass that was going in every direction before I freeze in my spot.

My eyes widened and I gulped hardly. The thunderclaps echoing through the storm wasn't what made me jolt, but actually how the pointer suddenly stopped moving around. It was pointing somewhere to my right.

I turned my body to face where it was pointing, lifted my head slowly, not knowing what to expect seeing. The lights were still flickering and the lightning was hitting along. A few seconds passed with complete darkness around me till the lights flickered again showing the figure ahead of me.

"What are you doing here?" He said.

And I was as still as those antiques all around the room.