"It's the unknown that draws people."
-E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly
- - -
"I just don't get what's wrong with me," You pouted, leaning your chin on the table. "Do you think I'm really destined to be single?"
Seokjin, but you mostly call him Jin for short, your neighbour and childhood friend, closed his book and sighed, "Here we go again. . ."
"Maybe something really is wrong with me. But I— what the hell is wrong? I have already dated so many people but nothing seemed to work out." You ran your hands through your hair frustratedly as Jin nodded uninterestedly.
"Y/N, maybe it's because you've been rushing too much to be in a relationship? I don't know, but I think great things take time." He sipped on the orange juice you gave him. "Don't sweat it. Just wait, maybe now isn't the time."
You raised an eyebrow at him and rolled your eyes. "Jeez, look at you being Mister Wise-Pants just because you already got yourself someone."
Jin smugly shrugged. "What can I say? I'm too attractive for my age."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." You waved him off. "Get out of my house."
He laughed, but nonetheless he left right after. Jin only went to your house because he actually just wanted to borrow a ladle for cooking.
You plopped down unto your couch and closed your eyes in exasperation. You were really unlucky at love, you see. No matter who you dated, it always ended as a break-up. Mostly you were the one who broke up, because somehow, every one you dated shared the same negative trait.
They were all. . . trying hard too much to excel. You never really liked the feeling of a suffocating relationship, and most of them made you feel in that way. It wasn't suffocating in a bad way, but also not in a good way.
Even you can't understand yourself anymore.
You slowly opened your eyes and looked up to the ceiling, staring into white, blank space of chipping off paint. Blowing out a small sigh, your legs moved and you stood up from the couch. You had nothing to do at home anyway. You were done with all the chores you needed to do to make sure you were still living inside a breathable and healthy house because no one had to do the chores for you, considering you were living alone.
Grabbing your coat and keys, you made your way out of the house and locked the door shut to ensure safety. Not that you really had anything so valuable inside, most of the stuff are only nonsense. Atleast most of them. You sometimes keep things you shouldn't really keep, like the old vintage book inside your bedroom or the dead, wilthered flowers enclosed in a vase sitting just at the corner of your kitchen.
The cold air was crisp and the sun was bright, a few people walked around, both alone or with company, and several cars passed through the streets. You hugged yourself right after you pulled on your coat, softly cursing at the coldness of the month. It didn't help your misery of finding a suitable partner for yourself, it was just adding gasoline to the fire called longingness inside you.
Turning your head to the side, you looked over at Jin by his window, who was currently in his kitchen, cooking. It was one of the things he was good at. Taking care of other people. You sometimes thought that maybe he'd be a good chef or personal nurse or something.
You started to walk down the sidewalk, trying to avoid interactions as much as possible. You never really liked short conversations with people you randomly meet at the street, or wherever. You just didn't. Making a left turn by the corner, you could already spot the McDonald's down the block. There were more people around the area. You pulled your scarf to cover your face up to the nose bridge and quickly walked, making big strides to get there faster.
At last, you reached your destination. Faint, pop music played in the walls of the fast food chain and people were seated at random tables, talking softly with one another. You went over to the counter and joined the gradually increasing queue, but after a few minutes, it was finally your turn to order.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. What's your order?" the lady behind the counter asked, brightly smiling. She was wearing her work uniform that was composed of red, black, and white hues, relating to the color of the restaurant. She had her hair up in a loose bun and a hairnet over it. She was pretty.
"I. . . uh," You trailed off, looking at the food options plastered above the counter. "I'll have a Double Cheeseburger with large fries and. . . um, Sprite."
The lady tapped in the order into the machine with her frail hands and asked again, "Any add-ons?"
"Maybe, uh, a caramel sundae."
She added it to your order and told you the price amount, which you of course payed. You waited by a table beside the glass windows, which had a clear view of the city outside. Daegu was huge and stunning, and it was highly populated.
Highly populated.
That's why you didn't understand why everyone you have dated were all the same. They shared nothing different to each other. You leaned your chin on the palm of your hand and looked out the window without any interest.
There were some couples together, holding hands or one arm draped over their shoulders and waists. You found yourself aw-ing over an old couple at the next street, where the husband was putting a shawl over his wife's shoulders to keep her warm.
You heard your number get called so you left your coat at your table to save it, then walked over to the cashier to claim your order. Heading back to your saved table, you were very surprised to see a man sitting there, eyes glued to his phone. Dark hair, tanned skin, wearing cozy clothes. Your coat was hanging by the backrest of the chair opposite to his.
"Excuse me," You called out to him after you reached your table. He didn't respond, then you realized he was wearing earphones. You frowned and called out again, this time your voice louder. "Sir, excuse me. This is my seat."
He perked up his head and your eyes locked. He was attractive. Pointy nose, plump lips, monolid eyes. He was wearing blue eye contacts. The man before you turned off his phone and plugged out his earphones, then his lips curved into a small boxy smile. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought someone just forgot their coat so I sat here, just to make sure no one takes it until the owner comes back. Here, you can sit now."
You were taken aback by his statement. His voice was husky and deep, soothing to the ears. You were stunned for a few moments. You felt like you knew him. "A-Ah, okay. Thanks, I-I guess."
Damn, he's a hottie.
"Welcome. I'll get going then." he bowed his head as a sign of courtesy, then walked away towards the doors. Soon he was out of sight, and you sat back at your chair. Your thoughts were stuck to the man who had just left. He gave off some familiar vibe, as if you had met him before.
Whatever, he's hot. It might even be better if you actually did know him before.
You started eating your food, and after you finished, you went back to your house and rested for a while.
———
"I'm sorry, but I guess this is the end for us."
"Sorry. But I gotta let go, I can't do this anymore."
"Maybe this will be good for us. I hope you find someone better. I'm sorry,"
"I'm breaking up with you. I am so sorry, but I have to let go now."
You cannot even count how many times you have said those lines to the different people you have met and dated. You have already memorized them because of how often breakups happen in your life.
Seokjin was already exhausted because he was the only one you talked to about these things. Almost every other week you'd go to him and barge inside his house without any warning.
One time you barged into his house, you accidentally walked in on him doing zumba fitness dance.
Oh, you could never forget the face he made when he saw you.
"Y/N, what the fu—"
But let's not talk about that.
Anyway, he'll just sit there, listening half-heartedly. But you were glad that even though your rants were tiring to hear everyday, he would still listen to you without any complain and even give you advices.
"What the heck are you doing," Jin didn't even turn to look at you, heaving a sigh as he continued reading a recipe at his thick, newly-purchased cookbook. Silence was between the two of you and you started getting bored, so you started poking him with a tape measure you picked up from his kitchen counter.
You didn't answer and continued to poke him. He looked at you with annoyance, and repeated, "Y/N, what the heck are you doing?"
You could see him getting slowly irritated as time flew by with you poking him and not telling him the reason. He snapped at you, glaring this time. "Choi Y/N, I swear, I will slap you with this cookbook if you don't answer me. What the actual fu—"
"I'm measuring your patience." You answered, smirking at your own pun. Jin looked at you baffled, as if trying to believe your own words.
"Oh, God." he mumbled, closing his cookbook in a swift motion. "I taught you well! Good dog. And stop poking me with that," Jin slapped the tape measure out of your hold with the back of his hand, making the poor thing go flying to a nearby wall.
"Good dog. . .? What? Oppa, I am not a—"
"Yes, you are. You bark at me all the time. Pun intended." He stood up from the stool chair he was sitting on and started to rumble through his kitchen cabinets and refrigerator, taking ingredients and everything he needed for cooking the recipe. "Now, dog, fetch me the cookbook. Come on now, pip-pip-tally-ho my good do— Hey!"
Instead of fetching him the cookbook, you aggresively threw it at him in annoyance. The book bounced around Jin's arms as he tried to catch it. "That nearly hit me! And this is book is new!"
"Hitting you was my intention." You crossed your arms over your chest and stuck your tongue out at him. Jin pointed the ladle he was holding in your direction, a funny look painted over his face.
"Now, you really look like a dog with your tongue out."
"Stop it!" The corners of your lips tugged down in irritation as Jin laughed at his place. He started to work and you leaned against the island counter, placing your face and arms on the cold marble surface as Jin and you chatted.
"Oppa, earlier, I came across this super handsome-looking guy." You said, rewinding your thoughts as you told on Jin.
"Really?" Jin hummed, not even bothering to look back.
"Yeah, he just had this weird aura on him, as if I had met him before." You continued, furrowing your eyebrows.
Jin nodded his head and started sautéing the food in the pan. "That's interesting. Where'd you see him?"
"At McDonald's, the one that's pretty near from here."
He turned to look at you, lips curving into a frown. "Y/N, I told you to lessen your fast food intake. You might end up becoming a whale, and if you do, I won't be held responsible for you,"
"First, a dog, then now a whale? What's next, a gorilla found in a random rainforest?"
"Maybe," he chuckled, and you sent him a harsh glare. "Who are you cooking for anyway?" You changed the subject, watching him retrieve a wine from the fridge and set it down on the counter.
He turned to look at you for a quick moment, as if trying to remember something, before turning back to the counter again.
"Ah, yes." Seokjin snapped his fingers and opened the oven, the aroma of the food instantly filling the kitchen. It was fragrant, you were slowly getting hungry. He put on his mittens and took the food out of the oven and closed his with his foot, placing the newly-baked stuff on the counter in front of you. "Now, dog—" You glared at him. "I mean Y/N, this is the part where you work."
"Really?" You said, getting excited. "I get to cooperate? Wow, that's amazing! What's my job?"
Seokjin looked at you straight in the eye before saying, "I need you to. . . go out the door, and never come back until tomorrow."
You rolled my eyes upward, wanting to slap him right then and there. "I hate you,"
"God, you take things too seriously. I was joking," Jin laughed, removing the warm mittens from his hands. "I just need you to do a quick taste test, that's it."
"Okay," The excitement rushed to you again as you stood up and took a fork from one of the drawers. You went back to the counter and stabbed your fork into the food, taking a large portion.
"Hey, hey! That's too much!" Jin snarled, snatching the fork away from you and putting the portion back to the tray to replace it with a smaller one. You sighed disappointingly. "I said taste test. I didn't tell you to go berserk on the food, Y/N."
"Gee, fine. . ." You murmured, taking the food inside your mouth after blowing it a few times to reduce its hotness. Your eyes widened in surprise as different flavors bursted in your mouth, making you taste different herbs and spices Jin used in cooking. Not only did it smell good, it tasted good too. "Damn,"
"Why?" he frowned, anxious. "Is it bland? How does it taste? Is it too spicy?"
"N-No, no—it actually tastes great!" You stated, and Jin blew out a sigh of relief. He took a fork and tasted the food for himself too.
"Glad that recipe actually worked. Anyway, it's almost evening, why isn't she arriving yet?" He mumbled, looking at the white clock hanging on the wall. You tilted your head at him, curious.
"Oh, you forgot to answer my question earlier, by the way." You remembered, and Jin looked at you sheepishly.
"Yeah, that. My eomma." He answered, untying the knot of his apron and hanging it beside the kitchen towels.
"Your eomma?"
"Yep," he said, popping the 'p' sound. "She should be here anytime soon, but she's a little late. I should probably fix myself a little bit." he began to run his fingers through his raven hair and tidy his clothes, dusting off tiny dirt and unwrinkling some areas. You volunteered to help him and started arranging the dining table for their dinner.
After a few minutes, just right after Jin finished fixing himself, the doorbell outside rang, announcing someone's presence outside. "Oh, my eomma's here!" He said excitedly.
"I should probably leave, I don't want to end up being a maid." You started to stand up from your seat on the stool chair and made your way down the kitchen, but Seokjin stopped you.
"Wait, stay here. Let me show you to her." Seokjin said, pulling you to a nearby couch and making you wait there as he welcomed the visitor in his house. You could hear Jin welcoming the person warmly.
"Eomma! I already prepared our food."
"Really? Oh, that's nice!"
"Yeah. It's your favorite,"
You could already hear them approaching the dining area, so you composed yourself and leaned back to the couch, trying to be as comfortable as you can. However nothing worked, and you only ended up in a strange posture on the couch as they walked in the room.
Seokjin entered the room with an old woman beside him, shorter than Jin by several inches, wearing clothes in dark and pleasing colors, her light brown coat hanging by her arm. Her hair was styled neatly, and she wore a blue pencil skirt with a formal top, along with beige heels, and she also wore circular specs that complimented her look even more.
You nearly forgot that Jin's parents were rich because his father was a CEO in an international company.
The woman looked at you, surprised, then she turned to Seokjin, then back at you again. "Oh! Y/N, you're here!"
"G-Good evening, Mrs. Kim." You stuttered uncomfortably, standing up from your seat as she approached and hugged you.
"Stop embarassing yourself." Seokjin mouthed from behind, leading his mother to the dining table after she broke away from the hug. You stuck your tongue out to him once Mrs. Kim wasn't looking.
"Anyway, Eomma, this is my newly-adopted pomeranian. Pom, this is eomma. I wanna be sorry in advance just incase she suddenly bites and barks at you."
Your eyes turned into slits in annoyance as you glared at Jin, who was looking at you with an amused look. Mrs. Kim was laughing to herself as she watched the two of you once they were seated.
"Well, this Pom will end up biting you, oppa, if you don't stop calling me a dog." You hissed at him, harshly glaring in his way before turning to Mrs. Kim with a soft and friendly look. "How have you been, ma'am? It's nice to see you again."
"Nice to see you again, too, Y/N." she said. "I've been okay. How about you? Do you still live with your brother?"
"Ahh, my brother went to the States to study there, so I live alone." You answered as politely as you can, your lips curving into a smile. You stood up from the couch and dusted off your pants. "I'll get going, I wouldn't want to ruin your reunion here. Enjoy!" You said goodbye and headed outside, closing the door on the way out before the two of them could even protest.
The sky was already turning into dark layers of purple and aquamarine, and the air was getting colder. You slowly walked down the street, skipping lines as a little game. You passed by different stores, houses, and people, greeting a few people you knew.
Maybe if I was more social, then maybe I'd find the right partner for me, you thought, before heading inside your house.