POLAROID

Chapter Five - In Contrast With You

It's around 8:00 am when Jun-Seo's alarm starts blaring. With a groggy mind, he fumbles for a moment beneath the covers before finally locating his phone and turning off his alarm. A slow, lingering yawn escapes his lips as he gradually raises himself stretching out his limbs. Wanting to have enough time to get ready to meet Ha-Jun he had set his alarm to go off way earlier than usual.

The brunette throws the duvet off himself before heading over to his closet. He opens the doors and stands there contemplating what it is someone wears when hanging out with friends, or whatever his relationship is with Ha-Jun.

Naeun gets up early herself and is quick to notice the soft glow of light seeping from Jun-Seo's room. Curious, she makes her way over to his door and gently knocks on it but when there's no reply she opens the door to find the younger flinging clothes out of his closet. "Jun?"

Jun-Seo peers over at her. "W-What're you doing up?" He asks. "I was gonna ask you the same thing," Naeun responds, her gaze shifting to the growing pile of clothes before returning to the younger. "What're you doing?"

"Uh, I-I'm going out later,"

"You are? Where?"

"I'm not s-sure, Ha-Jun hyung's going to show me around,"

Naeun's eyes widen with surprise as she blinks repeatedly. "Did you say Ha-Jun? As in, Kim Ha-Jun?" The younger nods in response. "Wha- how- when did you-"

"I thought my stutter was b-bad,"

"Wha- I'm just a little confused. When did you and Ha-Jun get close?"

"We're not, h-he's just being nice, I guess,"

Naeun can't help but furrow her brow at this puzzling situation. Based on her observations of Ha-Jun, it was evident that he kept his distance from most people, with Dae-Seong being the only exception, a connection that puzzled her enough. What is he trying to pull with Jun-Seo?

Jun-Seo lets out an exasperated sigh as he tosses yet another sweater onto the growing mound of clothing resting on his bed.

Naeun sighs seeing the helpless look on her brother's face and sets aside her confusion for a moment. "Do you need some help?" She asks. "Please," Jun-Seo pouts.

Naeun gestures for him to move then starts rooting through his closet. Amidst the array of clothes hanging neatly, her eyes land on a stylish dark blue denim jacket. She pairs it with a casual black shirt and a pair of comfortable jeans before turning to Jun-Seo, holding out the ensemble. "Here, these should be fine,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you're just going sightseeing, right?" Jun-Seo nods. "Then these are fine, trust me."

Jun-Seo sighs softly, his head dipping in a nod of acknowledgement. Observing his reaction, Naeun falls into contemplation for a brief moment before asking, "Hey, so, Ha-Jun isn't making you go is he?"

"N-No, he asked and I said yes,"

"Right, but you said you guys aren't close or anything so, why?"

Jun-Seo ponders the question for a moment before replying with a simple, "Why not?"

-

Ha-Jun patiently sits in the hospital lobby, his focus is on his phone, leisurely scrolling through its content to pass the time. A few minutes pass before his older brother, Kim Sejin walks out guided by his Doctor. Ha-Jun quickly rises from his seat to offer his support. Together, they express gratitude to the doctor before leaving the clinic.

"How'd it go?" Ha-Jun asks the older. "Still blind if that's what you're asking," Sejin replies with a slight chuckle, a hint of sarcasm in his tone as he casually unfolds his walking stick.