cosmic | 2won.

0.1

hyungwon was afraid of time. it was a peculiar statement to make, especially towards people who didn't know what chronophobia was. he felt alone in carrying the burden, because no one knew how to comfort him. the thought of time always catching up to him, permanently tainted him. most of hyungwon's close friends simply presumed he was anxious over the passing time, but a few says he was driven insane because of certain life events. unfortunately, the more rational part was true, he did have a difficult time coping with everything that was going on. even with advice, it never really improved the situation he was in.

hyungwon never wore a watch. as funny as it may sound, the boy never had a small gadget circling his wrist, that told time. he never wanted to check the time. he feared to see the hands of the clock ticking, lessening the seconds he had for each day.

uncontrollable, that was time in hyungwon's point of view. some people suggest it was just his time management that was unstable, but hyungwon feels he's always running out of time.

of course, his phobia of time didn't help him in his studies. senior high school was a hell hole for him. all the deadlines, writings and submissions contributed to his messy sea of thoughts. once, hyungwon was working on a project and suddenly broke down when he saw the sun setting by the horizon. he raked his hair frustratedly and cried, yet none of his friends could help him.

his friends reduced as time passed. it's either they drifted away, or he did. his condition was yet again a problem for most of his human interactions. being so abrupt about fearing time definitely scared people. the fact that he's scared of an entity, eroded his confidence in going outside. he felt like a freak that didn't belong where people actually cherished time.

hyungwon walked on the cemented pavement leading to his counselor. it was a chilled afternoon, so he wore his favorite grey hoodie. his eyes were riveted on the floor, avoiding any possible eye contact. he didn't want to see any familiar faces that might probably ask where he was headed to. he can't answer that he was walking to a counselor, it would make them concerned and he didn't like people worrying over him like that.

his hand grazed over the knob of the entrance as he sighed. hyungwon pursed his lips thinking, 'it's a new session all over again.'

time consuming, was his main thought, but it was for a good cause. he will be bantering with someone who understands him, which makes him less anxious than he usually is.

he finally decides to turn the knob and it chimes a bell hanged above the door. his counselor smiles at his entrance, "ah, hyungwon, my favorite."

"g—good afternoon, miss jung," it was a hard phrase for him to put out, but he still did out of politeness. "it's good to see you again."

"of course, hyungwon. have a seat and let's start our session." miss jung poured some green tea for the both of them. hyungwon sunk into the couch opposite from where she was seated. he licked his lips as his gazed traveled around, looking for a clock. miss jung noticed he had a mannerism of searching for what he feared, a clock, or specifically, time. she shook her head and called hyungwon out, "my dear, i put all the clocks away so you wouldn't have to worry about anything."

"oh," hyungwon faced her. "do i do that often?"

"you constantly worry about time, and this is why we keep having sessions." miss jung explained while handing hyungwon a cup of tea. "this phobia is not common with people, it's quite interesting."

"sorry to trouble you," hyungwon took a sip. "but the more i'm with people who don't understand, the more i get worse to be honest."

"what makes you say that?" she tilts her head, grasping all the little features hyungwon had under the afternoon light. she admired hyungwon for constantly visiting her. she feels that hyungwon wanted something better off of his condition. he was desperate to find something more than just moping around. she pitied the boy for having such condition because she sees so much capacity in him.