#jiseokyh

[hanabilatte]

“Do you need help with that?”

·˚                    (   *   & . Holding off on grocery shopping couldn’t wait any longer, unless the two housemates wanted to starve to death out of sheer laziness. Cereal was their dinner for the past three nights before Daewon finally said *fuck it* and finally went. The pantry and fridge would finally be full, but it left him with a trunk full of groceries he was sure would take three or four trips. As much as he wanted to be *that guy* and do it in one trip, it wouldn’t be without disaster.

“No, I think I-“ Daewon turns to shoo the approaching neighbor away, only to be surprised by the face of his current object of affection. He nearly drops a case of water he’s lifting out of the trunk, but is quick to stabilize and avoid making a total fool of himself. “Oh, Jiseok!” A nervous chuckle accompanies the exclamation, thanking the cooler air of the approaching evening from giving away the fact his face was starting to heat up. “Hey, hi. Good Evening to you.”

This was pretty much a great opportunity to get to spend time with his neighbor, though if it were anyone else he would’ve declined. Not that Jiseok had to know that. “I… well, if you wouldn’t mind.” he offers a timid smile. “I’ll definitely make it up to you. It’s a lot of groceries, after all.”

[yhyeol]

sleepless nights in seoul were a torture no less, but at least it was something he was used to. the sound of midnight traffic was as distracting as it was calming; a constant reminder that he wasn’t as alone as he felt. they said the tranquil of this small town would make it easier for him to fall sleep but boy, were they wrong. when night hits the town of yunhwa, utter silence envelopes him. not even a snarl from a passing motorbike, nor the roaring engine of a neighbour pulling up could be heard. the silence was deafening; it was too quiet, so quiet that the noise in his mind echoes a little louder. his surroundings might be peaceful and calm, but the state of his mind was anything but that.

tossing and turning in bed now becomes a nightly routine, one that drains whatever minuscule energy he had left in him, but unfortunately, not to the state of slumber. he’s tried it all, he’s downed a glass of warm milk, infused his room with essential oils, he’s even resorted to counting sheep (though not without rage quitting at the 134th sheep; made it pretty far if you asked him) — he’s tried everything, yet his hand still reaches out for the same bottle of sleeping pills by his bedside. after all, it was the only thing that worked for him.

tonight, he found his fingers wrapped around the same bottle yet again, only this time, it was a lot lighter, almost like it was empty? he pops it open only to confirm his suspicions, a vague memory of him finishing the last pill just a night ago coming to mind. fuck. he curses under his breath, groaning as he kicks his covers off to peep at the time on his phone, debating if he should pop by the clinic to get more pills. he promised his manager he would only bring a bottle with him to yunhwa and that he wouldn’t replenish it after he was done with it. perhaps, it was the unfamiliarity of the quaint town that made it harder for him to fall asleep at night, but he found himself slipping on a jacket and heading out the door, unable to keep the promise he’s made.

just as he had expected, the clinic was rather empty at this time. he glances around unsurely, taking small, hesitant steps towards the reception counter ahead of him. with a light tap of the call bell, he clears his throat and meets the gaze of the person behind the counter. “uh, hey. you’re not closed yet, are you?”

for @jiseokyh

[hanabilatte]

sweetener | closed starter 01. daewon & jiseok 02. location: house #2021

·˚                    (   *   & . Close to twelve hours was the typical work day for Son Daewon. There was the occasional surgery that had him working overnight and taking a nap at the office until he felt awake enough to make the hour drive home. It was a routine that he grew accustomed to over the couple of months he’d been in his new town,

It was one of those atypical mid-mornings that had him driving back home for the day at around noon to make it to a doctor’s appointment later in the day. While sadly unavoidable, he wasn’t booked as heavily as he normally would be. God forbid some huge emergency happened.

It’s barely 11:00am when Daewon rolls up into his shared driveway, downing the last remnants of the now lukewarm coffee in his tumbler. The “strangers” waiting on the front porch fail to grab his attention at that time. All that’s on his mind at the moment is the fact that he had a doctor’s appointment in three hours and he would love to squeeze a nap in until then. He yawns as he slides out of the car, pulling his backpack from the passenger seat along with him and swinging it along his shoulder. Then he notices.

There’s a moment of silence from the veterinarian as he tries to comprehend the fact there are people waiting outside of his house. The course of his day was already outside the norm of his routine, what’s a little more?

“Oh… hey there.” Daewon greets slowly, now fumbling with the house keys he was just about to use. “Can I help you? Are you looking for Daesun, by any chance?” his eyes dart back and forth between the adult male, to the little girl, and to the littlest child being held by the adult male mentioned. Maybe they looked familiar. “He’s not home and I don’t think he’s supposed to until tonight.” he offers a polite smile, especially towards the children in front of him. “Was there something you needed to grab from him? Tell him? I can grab it or pass along a message, if you’d like.”

@jiseokyh