kinetic ⊶ DΞΔN

one

11:33

Kwon Hyuk takes in the empty state of his apartment with a sigh. He was already familiar with the undesirable silence by now. Right after his girlfriend got a new job as an editor at the most elite newspaper company in Korea, she rarely came back home early and blamed it on 'work'. Yes, it was suspicious, but the love struck man had no way to protest as he would usually brush it off, trusting the girl undoubtedly.

He crashed on his couch tiredly and attempts to dial her number but to no avail. It went on like that a couple of times until Hyuk grew quite impatient. Grabbing his keys, he raced to his car and decided to pick her up that night.

Hyuk stepped through the sliding glass doors hesitantly and let his eyes scan the area. He had only been at the company a couple of times and that was to pick her up whenever he finished up at the studio early, but that was a rare case now as he usually came back to his shabby apartment at the crack of dawn.

As Hyuk strolled up the spiral staircase to the office she was assigned, loud moans and grunts echo throughout the halls and he can't help the way his nose crinkles up in disgust. He peers through the tiny peephole and is met with a repulsive scene. He yanks the door open and is forced to witness his girlfriend riding a male who Hyuk recognized as her boss.

It took a minute for the pair to notice Hyuk standing frozen by the doorway, too busy throwing her head back in pleasure with her eyes closed, but once they did, the girl quickly hopped off her lover with a shocked expression plastered across her face.

"Hyuk—" Soojin says quickly, crossing her arms tightly over her breasts whilst her lover hid his special parts behind the desk."—Please leave." She says calmly.

He's surprised. Does she not feel any kind of remorse? He thinks. He swallows harshly and turns on his heel without hesitation. He drives home with the radio playing his favorite song, slightly bobbing his head to the beat. Did he feel hurt or angry? Absolutely not. He felt relieved, free from her constant nagging and accusations and he decided to treat himself to some good convenient store ramen.

The store was brightly lit and not a single soul roamed except the pretty cashier who cared more about what was on her phone than the customer who grinned like a mad man whilst scanning the racks for his favorite spicy ramen. Placing the ramyeon on the checkout, the cashier looks up. She places a few sticks of cheese beside the ramyeon and grins,"It tastes better with cheese." She says.

Hyuk bites down on his lip shyly and nods appreciatively as he pays. He walked towards the counter where he had decided to eat peacefully while watching cars drive by under the cloak of darkness. Tonight was lonely for Hyuk but he felt more at peace and free than when he was ever with Soojin. A part of him wanted to thank her for betraying him but the other part of him wanted to burn her clothes that still remained at his apartment. For the first time in years, Kwon Hyuk was happy.

In fact, Hyuk was so happy, he decided to invite the cashier to have a meal with him. He hopped down from the counter and hesitantly walked towards the girl who was again, staring down at her phone. Hyuk cleared his throat loudly, grabbing her attention almost immediately.

"I— Um... w-well I was wondering if— if you would like to, uh, eat with me?" Her eyes lit up instantly, like a freshly set up Christmas tree. One minute later, Hyuk was sitting next to a complete stranger as they both ate their ramen in silence.

"What's your name?" She piped up, stirring her bowl. Hyuk mimicked her actions and cringed at the way she held her chopsticks."Kwon Hyuk," He replied,"You?" The shy and nervous demeanor he previously had, had disappeared. He quickly grew comfortable to a stranger although the pair uttered not a single word to one another. She just had an aura that emitted good vibes and a face that appeared as innocent.

"Park Min Young."Her voice was soft and sweet. He felt if you held her too tight, her delicate form may shatter. He smiled to himself at the thought, holding her. She was pretty, no doubt, but he had just gotten out of a relationship and even then— they just met.

They talked nonstop 'till past midnight, when both their bowls where empty. Hyuk didn't talk much during his time with her, he was the boring, quiet type while it was obvious his new found friend was outgoing and very much talkative.

"It's getting pretty late, we should both start going." Hyuk said to her as she threw the bowls and empty cheese packets away."Will you be here tomorrow?" She asked excitedly. He nodded sheepishly as a slight blush crept on his face. They parted ways and Hyuk drove home in silence.

He sprawled across his bed in attempts to fall asleep but failing due to all the events that happened. And that made him think, am I really happy without her?