she’s a whistle in the catacombs
@mxkangjoon
and then he sees her near the water and he has to stop himself from turning around because people kind of make him nervous. but he keeps walking and he’s thinking aren’t you cold? are you lost; do you need me to escort you back to your hotel or something—
the moonlight illuminates her figure and her face and kangjoon recognizes her as that pretty bartender at that one bar. all the prior questions slip away when he’s finally within a few footsteps of her and there’s only one question that’s left.
“can i have a jack and coke?”
sohee watches as waves lash gently, back and forth, long lines of ripples from the current distorting their soft illumination, as the moonlight reaches out it’s hands upon it and refracts, edges curling in bubbles and foam where the water thins and disappears into the sand; she watches, feet bare and cold buried into the coastline, and wonders, what it’ll look like in the mornings. would it all be brighter? would it feel hotter, warmer? it’s been five years and sohee fails to remember how warm actually feels like.
knees bend inwards and her arms begin to tie around them, chin nesting in the curve her legs create, comfortably, images flashing almost right before her eyes - her father’s there, they’re chasing seagulls all the way to the port, and her soles hurt because the sand is scorching but she doesn’t mind. mother would scold her later, tell her to be more careful. sohee misses her voice. she misses the scolding and the running, everything that came with it.
her apartment feels empty on the good days, smothering on the bad, when sohee’s all alone and there are no books left to read in her own personal collection. she likes wandering, because of that, and because maybe she’s too sentimental for her own good. the library entertains her well enough, though lacks that certain day-time charm. clubs confuse her, too many people all at once, too many scents mixing together to allow her for a clear mind. the beach though - the beach is special, binded with her past enough to stir nostalgia in her soul but not enough to leave her crying. in moments of melancholy such as these sohee likes it best.
except there’s a voice, cracking past the silence, and suddenly she feels exposed, senses previously left idle now fully aware of everything he is - her ears catch his footsteps before he can speak, nose, the drift of wind that carries his scent, and then there’s a certain specialty, one that detects his heartbeat, the blood as it rushes through his veins. she turns around almost to get up and leave, scurrying into the night, but the face is not unfamiliar and sohee’s lonely. her smile is short but heartfelt, welcoming him towards her through her initial shock.
“jack and a coke,” she hums, dragging on the syllables. “maybe later. i do accept payments in advance, though. just be sure to stop by the bar--” she halts, trying to recall his name with any accuracy, “kangjoon.” he had mentioned it once, sohee felt accomplished for remembering “what are you doing up so late? are you lost?” he didn’t look much lost, though, “or are you just here for some fresh air? the water sure looks pretty today. might be how calm it is.”
