📚
———
"Oh." Haneul laughed slightly as she realised she could enter the room with a simple push, thinking it had been locked for the past six or so years. She's never been allowed inside and due to that she was never thought much of it. Though today she was curious, and this time there was nothing stopping her.
The temperature in the room was significantly colder, the scent of her mother's orange blossom perfume lingered beneath the empty smell of an unoccupied space. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in everything at once. The pictures on the wall, the trophies on the shelves, the wooden furniture with accented green tones that decorated the room. It felt eerie and safe at the same time, like she wasn't supposed to be there, but was being told to do so.
Everything was left untouched, as if every trace of her existence was put on hold, left to be forgotten.
"Is this your mother's office?" Winwin asked as he looked over the pictures of her mother on the walls, her smile was bright for the camera's, the only smile Haneul had ever seen her in.
"Yeah." She answered, walking behind the classic wooden desk, the only thing decorating it being a box of pens, one of her many awards and a picture of herself. Her mother had narcissistic tendencies, though that was what she tried to show others. Haneul knew she never really got to see the true side of her mother. She ran a hand over the table, rubbing the dust between her two fingers.
"What actually happened to her?" Winwin asked, the question she knows many would like to ask, and one she had never known how to answer.
"Oh how different would things would be if we knew." She sighed as she opened up a drawer. "I woke up and she was just gone, the only thing that was left out of place was a bottle of Olanzapine I found scattered on her bathroom floor." She lifted a brow at the coincidence as she pulled out an orange prescription bottle she found amongst many others in her mothers desk drawer. "Funny."
"She must have been sick then." He watched as Haneul stared at the half empty bottle, a familiar gut feeling settling within her. It had scratch marks on it, and based on the amount, it wasn't taken well either.
"She's schizophrenic. As I learned a few years too late." She placed it back amongst the sea of bottles. Her eyes catching sight of the photos that revealed themselves as the bottles rolled. She pushed the orange plastics aside as she fished out the two photos.
"Weird." She muttered as she stared at a photo of young Haneul and her mother, her father was completely ripped out of the photo as she caressed the edges softly. Her mother had always told Haneul that she loved her, however she never exactly showed it. It stirred a sense of reminiscence within her as she looked at the smiling faces. Haneul couldn't quite remember where it was taken, but the grass was green that day. As their relationship must have been.
"Who's this?" Winwin showed her the second photo, pointing to a young boy in her mothers arms. Her mother was laughing in the photo, a rarity, and unlike the one with Haneul in it, it wasn't torn. Another point of difference was that the photo was almost completely white with snow. Haneul thinks back as it clicked in her head.
"My older brother I think." She answered as she looked closely, standing beside Winwin. "He died a bit after I was born, his name was Byunghan." She never really knew him, she just knew her parents must have been very different people when he was alive.
"Oh I'm sorry to hear that." Winwin apologised. "Your family is a little complicated."
"Yeah no shit." She laughed, looking at the photo once more. She turned it over, expecting a date as she had seen on the photo with her in it. Instead, in small writing at the bottom, was a message, addressed to her.
"My dear Haneul,
Join Byunghan and I in the snow, it's fun out here! I can't wait to see you again.
I love you always ~ Eomonnie"
"Is that a metaphor for death or something." Winwin stared at the writing as Haneul's mind raced. Her breath hitching as she falls deep in thought, the words jumbling up in her head. It was definitely very odd, as if her mother knew she would come here. Haneul was curious as to what happened to her, but now she was scared.
"This is kinda creepy to be honest." She let out, folding the photo before shoving it into her purse.
"We can go if you want?" Winwin offered, seeing how uneasy she was getting in the room.
"Yeah, I just wanted to know what was in here." She looked around one last time. "Thanks for that mother, now I'm hella confused." She huffed at the photo on the wall, trying her best not to sound as sad as she really is. She may not have been the best mother, but she was Haneul's mother either way, and no matter what, children tend to look to them for guidance. "I miss you."
🚗
———
"Thanks for...everything." Haneul gave Winwin a sad smile. The night didn't turn out the way he thought it would, but then again it may have gone the way Haneul intended it to.
"I didn't do anything." He replied as the two sat parked in front of his dorm, looking at each other as they struggled to find the right words to say. "I was simply there, when you needed me."
"I'm starting to think that's the entire point of a soulmate." Her soft laugh echoes in his head as if he was trying to memorise it. He watched her, something slowly piecing itself in his head. Her eyes sparkled against the external lights, her red lips looking soft as she spoke, the blush against her skin and the constellation of beauty marks on her face was art, one he could stare at for hours.
"You're pretty." He blurted out, his eyes widening as he realised he had said it out loud. Haneul's face fell at the words, which seemed to have hit her hard. "Sorry--I mean you are I just..."
"Sicheng." She faced him seriously, looking him in the eyes. "You keep doing this."
"Yeah I know I--"
"Do you like me?" She asked, the question taking him off guard. It was obvious she had been wanting to ask for a while, and it had been as if he was waiting for it too. She genuinely needed to know, if he was her he would have given up and found someone that can genuinely give her what she deserves. There was one thing that did set the tone however. "You can admit it. We're soulmates."
"I don't know." He sighed, tired of the thoughts and possibilities that constantly raced every time this topic came to play. "You don't have to worry about it or me Haneul. I may figure it out soon, but until then, don't wait."
"Hm." Her lips formed a line. "I mean, I know the answer but I'll pretend I don't for your sake." She turned back to the wheel, tapping her hands against it as she usually does as she thinks. Winwin knew what she meant, but he had no desire to prove her wrong. "Goodnight then."
"Goodnight." He replied before waiting a bit, hoping she would have something else to say. But she didn't. Before being able to hit a painfully awkward silence, Winwin walked out of the car. "Drive safe." He waved as she gave him a nod.
"How was your plant growing class?" Yangyang interrogated the second Winwin stepped foot into the dorm. The kid had been genuinely waiting for him to get back, Ten had simply given him a confused look.
"Plant growing class?" Ten asked as Winwin walked past him, letting out a tired breath before slumping into the couch, letting himself sink into the musty fabric.
"It was the fanciest plant growing class I've ever been to." Winwin lied, he was stuck in his head and couldn't be bothered thinking of lies that would make sense. All he could think about was Haneul and her weird family.
"Figured, I guess rich people are on a whole different level." Yangyang sat next to him, Winwin could immediately tell that he wanted something. "Chenle says that Haneul broke up with her boyfriend."
"She did?" He tried to sound interested, the only thing stopping him from ignoring him completely was that it happened to be about his soulmate.
"Yeah he sounded very offended that I even asked, so something big must have happened between the two." Yangyang said cheerily. "That means I have a chance."
"You can't just do that." Ten butted in. "She's probably hurting because of that. You can't just jump at the opportunity just because she's single."
"Hyung what do you think?" Yangyang turned to Winwin, ignoring Ten's words. "You guys seem to be getting closer because of the plant stuff, you'd know something."
"Her ex is probably a dick." Said Winwin as he undid his tie, throwing to the ground. "He hurt someone who deserves nothing less than the best." He had thought it, but just like other things he had said today, it slipped out.
"I guess you two are getting closer." Ten lifted a brow knowingly.
"So you're saying I can ask her out as long as I'm not an asshole?" Yangyang said, taking a different view of what Winiwin had said.
"I can assure you she'll say no." He didn't like the idea of one of his closest friends asking out his soulmate, it made him very uncomfortable somehow. Though, he would like Haneul to reject him properly just to get it all over with, he was sick of hearing it.
"I'll do it then." He said surely, Winwin letting out a small scoff at the kids determination, knowing the outcome. He made eye contact with Ten, who gave him a confused look. Winwin simply gave him a defeated shrug.
"Good luck I guess." Ten laughed. "You're gonna need it."
"What's so special about her anyways?" Winwin tried to sound as uninterested in her as he could. He thought it may have worked, considering how offended Yangyang looked.
"She has this amazing ability to understand anyone and everyone. She just has this like really calming presence and she's just really pleasant to be around her. Not to mention but she's hot too." He explained with a smile, leaving both the older guys completely speechless. Winwin especially, seeing as he totally understands how he feels. However he would add more, like how self aware she is and her ability to think on both an emotional and logical level. And though he does agree that she is 'hot' he would much rather describe her as beautiful. "You wouldn't understand plantboy."
"Ooh you just got thrashed." Ten joked before getting hit with a pillow by Winwin, his aim was perfect.
"Good for you." Winwin said blankly. He couldn't help but feel somewhat defensive by how Yangyang had described her.
"Thanks." Yangyang said, not picking up on Winwin's tone. "I'll ask her once the Binnie Cha thing is over with."
"Oh yeah I almost forgot about that."
"I never got to try their actual drinks, I heard they make them out of fresh tea leaves and—" Ten started but was cut off by Winwin who sat up aggressively. He knew why it was closing, more accurately, he knew who was behind it.
"It's not going to close." He said surely, looking at the two guys, who eyed each other with judging looks. "I'll make sure it doesn't, no matter what."
He didn't have a plan.
have a good day <3