#starling: thread

[lostw0n]

RETROGRADE / @fatedandbound — INT. ONYANG CAFE, 10 AM

won hasn't gotten much sleep lately. not since he heard his own voice echo through his kitchen that night. glitching, repeating, saying things he knows he's never said. it's nice here? nicer than i remembered? like hell it's nice in onyang. why would he even admit to being back in town? admit defeat? it's not him, he knows this. and yet, it undeniably sounds exactly like him. like something had crawled inside his throat and used his voice, learned to speak like won, but not as him. that's one nightmare he's had, anyway.

so he's found himself leaning on coffee more than usual the past few days. but his usual brew of cheap, instant coffee in his grandma's old kitchen finally lost its charm this morning, landing him in the onyang cafe. with laptop in hand, eyes dark and shadowed, navy blue baseball cap hiding a mess of hair beneath it.

"iced americano, for here," he mutters, voice low and rough like it's been out of practice. his eyes are trained on his wallet as he fishes out his card, and his mind is elsewhere too. far enough away that he doesn't quite register the barista's voice behind the counter. even as he pays, takes the receipt with his order number printed on top, his gaze is avoidant, an attempt to hide exhaustion beneath the brim of his cap. "thanks," he responds mindlessly, slipping away toward an empty table in the corner.

by the time his number's called, he's barely more awake as he drags himself back to the counter. this time, though, his eyes lift when he reaches to take the cup from the barista. and now, he sees her. baek jinri. for a split second, he freezes. maybe from shock, maybe something else. but he quickly regains, eyes almost smiling, "well, would you look at who the cat dragged in."

he grabs his drink from her hand, no longer missing a beat, "what, did winning awards get boring? or was pouring my coffee your real dream job?" he grins as he stirs the straw before taking a quick sip. it tastes bitter as ever, but not half as sharp as seeing jinri again. here, in onyang of all places. that woke him up more than the caffeine ever could.

[lostw0n]

DEAD ENDS / @ech0h — INT. THE CROW'S NEST, 10 PM

there is a special place in hell for jung ilwoo.

at least, that's what won thinks as he bumbles through the cave, blood drying on his shin, dirt crusted into the cuts on his palms, and water dripping down from his shirt. that and other expletives and plans to dig out a hole in hell himself if one isn't vacant already. he ventured into the depths as the sun rose, and now as he emerges from the mouth of the underground maze, all light has left once more. all because of jung ilwoo.

is it partially won's fault for believing a word coming out of ilwoo's mouth? maybe. but how is he to resist? duct taping his mouth is his first thought. or better yet, knocking his teeth out. won spits the lingering taste of stagnant water into the dirt, starting towards the crow's nest; fantasizing the many ways he could prevent hearing ilwoo's proclamations in the future.

his hair is wild, white tee still damp and stained with grime from the cave as he shoves the bar door open, frame rattling. he scans the room, hunting for a familiar figure. the dead eyes on the walls feel as if they're burning into him. following him. as if they smell it on him, as if the stuffed crows could possibly know he's searching, looking where he shouldn't. but won ignores the slight unease, blood boiling hot again as he spots ilwoo waving at him from the bar with a grin on his face.

"you think you're real funny, don't you," he spits out sarcastic, intercepting the drink the bartender was sliding towards ilwoo. won downs the liquid, both from the thirst of exhaustion and to spite the other man. it burns going down and his temples begins to ache, stomach grumbling as a reminder to feed it first. but still, he slams the glass back down and gestures for another round. "if the goal was to waste my fucking time, then congrats you won, but if you were hoping i'd get stuck down there," he scoffs, "then you're gonna have to try harder than that. "