PARK JISUNG | Eternal Sunshine

eight

CHAPTER EIGHT
the table partner

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1 September 2024
29 days till the end of the world

— LOTTE Supermarket

A stab to the heart.

Jisung was one to forget promises, but he always kept to the ones he made towards either Jia and Chenle. To say he was shocked that Jia doubted him was upsetting.

"Then maybe you're right. It was probably just the alcohol last night," Jisung said coldly, letting go of Jia's hands before walking away.

"Jisung please," Jia huffed out tiredly, stopping herself from chasing after him.

Instead of hearing what little explanation Jia had to say, Jisung spared the heartbreak. In fairness, Jisung had never been open or honest with himself about his feelings towards Jia. He did regret the fact that he only came to terms with his feelings just when the world was about to end.

But over the course of 11 years, Jisung was aware that his mind was occupied with Jia one way or another. It took him 11 years to realise that he loved Zhong Jia.

These were the things Jia wanted to hear. She wanted Jisung to be honest, she didn't expect him to leave it at that. Yet, she was a hypocrite for not being honest with him either. The world was ending and communication was an issue.

Her hangover wasn't helping.

"There are many reasons why relationships are infuriating and I happen to be a prime example," Jia thought aloud frustratedly, throwing every kind of firework, firecracker or sparklers she could grab in her basket.

"Are you going to blow up the world before the comet strikes?" a deep yet familiar voice spoke behind her.

Turning her head to the boy who disrupted her mini-rant, Jia came face-to-face with James Yang. His cat-like eyes sparkled cutely as his head tilted sideways.

Apart from being Mr. Yang's son and Jisung's enemy, James was Jia's table partner during their senior year at high school. Although James was a coward, he was surely a great school partner to Jia.

"Hello James, wanna help me do that then? Blow up the world?" Jia chuckled while playfully rolling her eyes.

"Woah, it's been two years since I last saw you and you're... different," James hummed, striding his way towards Jia and her basket of explosives.

"Different? How so Yang?" Jia looked up at the taller boy with black-framed glasses.

Squinting his eyes briefly at her with his eye smile upturned, James and Jia held each other's gazes. A familiar face was rather comforting in a mind full of doubt and stress, it was always from that one person you knew that would never hurt you.

James Yang was an introverted, stressful and complicated person, but Zhong Jia was that one person whose company he never minded.

"You're still short... but you're prettier than the last time we graduated high school," James stated bluntly, pushing up Jia's black shades up her nose bridge.