Precious Self in the Storm • Seokjin [✔]

10 - The Final Stage of Grief

Seokjin yawned as he stepped down the stairs. He stretched.

"Good morning ahjumma, ahjussi."

The Tan couple warmly greeted him back, and Seokjin went over to the kitchen counter to make himself a slice of peanut butter toast.

The café will be closed today, so things are a little more relaxed. Seokjin is planning to spend some time at the park before finding a quick job to do. Then if there's time he'll visit the library and help the Tans clean out their kitchen later.

"Seokjin-ah," Mr. Tan spoke up. "Are you going out to the park later?"

"I am, yeah."

"I'd like to come with you today, if you don't mind."

Seokjin smiled. "Of course not."

Not more than half an hour later, Seokjin found himself at the park. The sun shines bright that day, with shadows casted by the clouds creating slow moving patterns across the green grass. The air is filled with sounds of early birds, and the chatter of people having picnics around the park.

Seokjin hummed as he strummed his guitar. With a sheet of paper and pen on his knees, he wrote down notes to the melody he's making. It's halfway done to being a song and who knows; maybe one day he'll finish it.

It's been...well, he forgot how long it's been. Five months? Six?

Fuck it; Seokjin doesn't even care anymore.

Beside him, Mr. Tan seemed to be content just sitting on the bench next to him, enjoying the breeze. For long they stayed like that, the calm ambience the park has surrounding them like a familiar blanket. Then Mr. Tan spoke up;

"Say, Seokjin-ah. Have you ever seen the pond here?"

Seokjin stopped his strumming to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "The pond?" he asked. "Wait, you mean..." Seokjin nodded his head towards the general direction of it.

And by pond he means the pond. The spot that he woke up at months upon months ago, after a fight with the members broke out and he woke to a completely different reality.

"That's the one," the man confirmed. "When my wife and I first moved here, many years ago, the people used to tell me about the 'magical wishing pond' located at the edge of this park. They say it can grant wishes. I think people still throw coins in there, and children like to play around it. I think it's all a bunch of tall tales, but I thought it's be a neat trivia for you to know."

The old man chuckled. But Seokjin was caught too off guard by the beginning of the statement to listen to the second half.

"Grant...wishes?"

Mr. Tan nodded. "That's what they say, anyways. I think the rumor is that the pond can grant anyone's desire, but only genuine wishes. They- Seokjin?"

"Sorry, sorry," he chanted as he scrambled to pack up his belongings. "I- I just remembered I need to be somewhere. Sorry, I have to leave."

"Oh, alright."

"I'll be back soon," Seokjin retorted before sprinting off to the other side of the park, guitar and all.

In record time, he found himself running back to the pond. He had to shift his way through some shrubberies, getting his trousers caught on the branches. But even after months he still remembers the place.

The pond is calm, it's clear water reflecting on the dusk sky. Dragonflies flew across its surface with the sounds of crickets singing from within the grass.