song shi ho / wiltingstar.
aside from their figure, another asset that rhythmic gymnasts had to possess was a nice smile. even in the face of excruciating pain, the graceful curl of their lips were to remain intact at all times. it was no longer a natural human reaction as it was for most people, but a calculated, practiced mannerism that their performance depended on. having started the sport at the age of five, habitual smiles had become a familiarity for shiho to the point where she herself can no longer differentiate when it’s genuine and when it isn’t.
nonetheless, when she hears laughter spilling from his lips, accompanied by the rather amused response, the smile that appears on her face is genuine. she’s sure of that much and it startles her. startles her to the point of casting her gaze to the ground before looking up again. still, the smile was there. “i mean… you look like the type that would prefer to eat at fancier places. this makes you feel a lot more approachable, though,” she says, shrugging slightly.
but what he says next is what leaves her feeling taken aback, wiping away the genuine look of joy from her expression for a moment. “a-ah, do i not? jeez, you’re really blunt about it.” a lighthearted tone is used intentionally before a hand makes its way to her face, lithe fingers running along her jaw. you’re fine. tell him you’re fine. “i’m alright, getting enough sl–” a pause. she’s chewing on her lower lip, fingers fidgeting out of nervousness. i don’t want to lie to him. “you know, actually.. i haven’t been sleeping all that much. i tried to stop relying on my sleeping pills. what do you do when you can’t sleep?”
it was nice to see her smile. it was uplifting, and she didn’t appear as tense. ❝ i don’t really have a criteria as to where i eat. it’s the company that i care about. ❞ rough tone no longer evident. he steps beside her and begins to view the variety of products on the shelf.
park jin ho didn’t understand all that went into being an athlete. he didn’t want to understand, at least not in the sense of experiencing it first hand. even knowing second hand what it did to a person, both physically and emotionally, was ENOUGH for him to decide that a professional career in any sort of sport was not for him. it was vital to have a sound mind to ensure that your physical body continued to work properly. under heavy amounts of stress, even the strongest mentality would begin to break. she was no exception to that rule.
he appreciated the honesty for he would have called her out had she attempted to play it off as though everything in her life was going well. ❝ i told you the last time we met that you needed to get on track with your sleeping habits. ❞ he was scolding a grown woman, but it was she that didn’t listen the first time. ❝ you’ll end up in the hospital for a very long time if you keep pushing yourself. ❞ if something worse didn’t occur to her first.
his gaze shifts from the items to her. a slight tilt of his head as he ponders on her question. ❝ sometimes i drink tea. other times, i go for a walk to clear my head. by the time i get back to my bed, i’m too tired to stay awake any longer. ❞
