DEDICATED TO @/OPEN!
To the untrained eye, today seems perfect.
The sun lounges on top of the coast, spreading an aureate shimmer akin to an apricot’s coat. The waves ebb and flow as if they were breathing life onto the shore. The sand brushes against nearby bystanders, leaving faint tan dots in the form of bleached constellations. Sumin sits comfortably on one of the scattered plastic chairs, matching the tranquil scenery.
It looks out of a movie.
Except, it is not. If it was, Sumin would be more equipped to deal with the situation.
-
The woman hasn’t gotten a restful sleep since she arrived on Jinhae. Her dreams are plagued with the same looming figure, whose limbs walk on the tightrope between supernatural and humanity. But, one thing remains intact.
It is the face— Her face.
“It’s over,” It would tell her until her will to fight sits prettily on top of its lifeline.
She always wakes up before it escalates. There is always one piece left behind though. This time is a broken nail, leaving raw her blushing fingertip.
-
Sumin’s running imagination comes to a halt when she senses a nearby figure. Ignoring the tickle of the sand curling into her nose, she lowers her sunglasses to eye them.
“Hello,” She greets softly before flashing a small smile. “You look tired.” Her right hand reaches for her tote bag before pulling out a carmine colored tube shaped packet. The label 'PURE GINSENG TO WAKE YOU UP!' crinkles at the movement. “Here, you should take it. It’s just ginseng, nothing to fear.”
Sleep had become a luxury in Jisung's life. Because his new book was coming out next year, his publisher insisted on him turning something in every week regardless of the circumstances. Writing anything was becoming more difficult in this intense environment everyday, and while he knew his documents failed to meet his high standards, he couldn't bring himself to care in his current mental state.
Last night he stayed up late into the night revising his document after a long argument with his publisher. It left him fairly sleep deprived. As he searched for coffee, he heard a voice calling out to him. He looked at the speaker with half closed eyes, dark circles decorating his features like a panda.
Ginseng eh?
One of his friends preferred drinking the tea over bitter coffee. Jisung didn't understand how anyone could hate coffee. Maybe he should give the it a chance? "Thank you." He accepted the packet with a polite smile. Sitting down beside her, Jisung attempted to read the words on the package, but his blurry vision prevented him for understanding them. "One of my friends loves drinking Ginseng tea every morning. She swears it wakes her up more than coffee."
"Stupid question, but do you put the contents of the package in water? I'm afraid I'm having problems seeing." He yawned softly while leaning forward with hunched shoulders. "Living without sleep for three days will do that to you. My publisher thinks that I'm on vacation instead of being here."