warning: self-harming issue so if you're not comfy with that pls skip this ily
Hungriness is eating Jeonghan to the point that his angry stomach can be heard from far away. He sighed in disappointment when he checked his cabinet and refrigerator finding only an empty space and water jars. His grocery is every Sunday but he can't believe he needs it earlier.
Jeonghan went to his bed room. His bed room is not that huge because the apartment he's in is only enough for a single person to live in. The living room and dining room are almost together while there is a small space for kitchen and two doors for his small bedroom and restroom.
Jeonghan grabs his blue sweater that is very huge on him and wears his black fitted-pants. He folds the left sleeve into 3/4 so his on-going in healing wounds will dry. His wrist has 6 cuts made last week. It wasn't fully-healed yet, scars from the past cuts are visible. He doesn't mind people seeing it because he's proud of it. It's the only way he releases his anxiety and depression. He brushes his shoulder-length silver hair down to its end as he look himself in the mirror. A thin boy who's sinking from his blue top is standing in front of him. He wants to get mad of himself because he feels so ugly. Well, that's what his parents told him, that he's unpretty.
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Jeonghan found himself in a convenience store instead of a grocery one. Well, his grocery is scheduled every Sunday so he'll just basically grab some temporary things.
"Good morning." said the cashier as he enters the store. He just threw her a slight smile.
Jeonghan heads to the food row first of all. Damn, he's really hungry in fact, he didnt take his dinner yesterday because he was dead tired to even care for his angry stomach.
He works as an editor in a small journal company and he loves his job, even with an average salary sometimes not enough to fulfill him every month.
Jeonghan's payday is still far so he needs to consume his remaining money wisely. He picks ramyun, canned goods, and some junkfoods. Now he's in the personal necessities row, he grabs toothpaste and another set of razor blade.
As he was about to go to the cashier to pay for his damn things, he noticed a pair of dark-looking eyes is following him. He felt suddenly conscious and covers his face with some strands of his hair. Well, maybe it's his first time to see someone as ugly as me. He thought. Maybe it is but the man won't stop staring at him. He could feel it.
He's not used to this, well, a bit? When people stares at him, it's either they are going to complain about how weird he is or how ugly he is. He is not sociable and does not have any friends, except maybe his bestfriend Jihoon.
The situation is really awkward. A man wearing black hoodie and sweatpants staring at a man in a long hair with fresh cuts in his wrist. No one wants to talk nor to ignore, they just remained silent for a long time. As expected with Jeonghan, a wallflower, is like a statue in his position until he finally decided to head towards the cashier after what seems like a forever.
"Good morning-- a-again..." The cashier girl startled, who's not going to? When you see freshly cut wounds in a stranger's wrist. What would you think?
Jeonghan lightly smirks and hand the girl over all of his things. He watches as the girl's eyes widen a bit when she is now checking for the price of the set of razor blade.
"Uhm, $11 for all of it."
Jeonghan quickly handed over the exact money and gets the plastic bag before he went out of the store.
Just the right timing, indeed.
"Hi! Uhm, I'm Seungcheol." A man with a thick daegu accent spoke in his side and he swears, he nearly had a heart attack.
Jeonghan raises his eyebrow in confusion. Is this a prank or what? Who would just come out of nowhere and introduce himself to a complete stranger he just met a few minutes ago from the convenience store?
"I know this is weird but, I'm sorry for staring back at the store. It's rude but don't get me wrong, i was staring at you because...." Seungcheol stopped in his middle sentence and glances at Jeonghan's left arm holding the plastic bag.
Jeonghan is in lost of words. No one can blame him because it's his first time to be in this kind of situation and why him of all people?!
They just had a staring contest when Jeonghan talks, "I-i'm Jeonghan, oh, i-is that it? G-goodbye." He doesn't want to expose his ugly face anymore to the complete adonis in front of him.
"No, wait!"
Seungcheol grabs his left wrist carefully not touching the fresh wounds. Jeonghan panic and immediately pushes the hard chest of the stranger but Seungcheol is too strong for his thin, hungry, and weak body.
"What are you doing?!"
"I'm sorry, okay, hold on for a sec please!"
Seungcheol carefully fishes out two pairs of band-aid from his pocket. He removes the plastic protections and gently blows Jeonghan's wounds.
"I'm sorry, okay?" He said softly before putting the band-aids in Jeonghan's damaged wrist. He let go of the latter's arm and smiles sweetly.
Jeonghan eyed the band-aid. The stupid band-aids. The stupid duck designed band-aids in his wrist enough to cover all the wounds. He swears if he's used to a complete stranger putting up a band-aid in his wrist maybe he's not like this. But no, this is so new to him. This stunt is new. Is Seungcheol concern or something? Maybe he pities him. Jeonghan slightly laugh bitterly at the thought. Being himself is not easy in socializing with people. All that happened this morning is a major shock to him because it's too much. Just too much. So much of a stranger Seungcheol staring at him then randomly fishing out a band-aid.
He had this urge to pull it all back and return it to the stranger but he thought it's the weirdest thing to do ever.
Seungcheol waiting for Jeonghan's words seems like waiting for a green sun to happen, it'll take forever to wait.
"Thank you." Jeonghan took all of his courage to say those words. He is completely flustered and he wonders for a moment if he caught a fever or something. But somehow, the man in front of him radiates a warm aura that he's been longing for. It's been a very long time since someone was concern about him. He's used to living alone and people not wanting him.
"Uhm, so Jeonghan, should I send you to your house or something?" Seungcheol said with a hand at his nape and him, looking to the ground.
Jeonghan surprisingly whispers 'yes' and goes with him.
Maybe it's not bad to have atleast another friend. Or maybe, Seungcheol could actually supply me band-aids whenever I self-harm, right? It'll save me some money. He jokes at himself.
From that moment, he promised that he will keep the perhaps not that stupid duck designed band-aids with 'you're beautiful' hand-written in it.
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a/n; and yet another cliché existed!!! hahahahaha another draft from last month and i decided to continue it today haha i know it's lame but still, i tried LOL
