➮ downtown.

@✿ c. miyeon nostalgia hits mingyu like a wave. he didn't think it could be possible for someone to have such an impact on him, to make him feel so small, as if the skyscrapers towering over their bodies only grew taller and he was nothing but an atom in this world. by the many odds of every piece of molecule that made up the earth, he just happened to be standing next to the very star that he broke off from. because after almost a whole decade, cho miyeon was still someone who held an important piece of his memories; she was his origin. she was someone who taught him how to love, who showed him how to bear emotions at the mercy of being vulnerable, and who he had promised to scour the ends of the earth for. but their world had burned, and there was nowhere he could go that she would have been because he wasn't who she wanted anymore.

in his mind's eye, mingyu conjured images of her— those stolen moments beneath the starlit sky, surrounded by fireflies. he remembered wiping a smudge of dirt from her cheek under the soft limelight of the insects, revealing a smile that once took his breath away. her smile used to halt his heartbeat, as if he would die for her, or with her. their dreams had once been entwined in a future they would share, but now, the coffee stains on her shirt evoked memories of the mud stained garments she had once worn— a version of her that now existed solely in his memories.

she remained beautiful, her essence both transformed and unchanged. he noticed how she had grown into her clothing, a style she had always wished to have, even when they were together, though her petite frame had limited her choices back then. her simple office attire had always meant so much to her, which only naturally meant a lot to him. she no longer stood at his collarbone, her adoption of heels adding height to her small stature. she was a paradox, different yet the same, as her voice still sent shivers down his spine, startling him from his thoughts and sparking a twinge of guilt for his earlier outburst.

dense fingers ran through sepia locks, his brows furrowing even closer together before he released them. of course, she wasn't following him. if anything, it would have made more sense to assume he was following her. she was right; he was supposed to be miles away in their hometown, not here, where he had always made known to hate. however, business had called him here, and the stakes were high. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to accuse you," he apologizes, a small sigh escaping his lips as he stepped back, increasing the distance between them.

the anger that had weighed on his shoulders dissipated. their history was distant now, buried in the sands of time. it was time to let go of the past— something he believed he had accomplished, but this unexpected reunion had exposed the fact that he never got over her and the unresolved closure of their story. he simply had pushed it deeper and deeper down as time passed, and refused to acknowledge it. even now, he refused to acknowledge it as his gaze drifted over her attire. she didn't deserve his anger right now. she already seems overworked, her shoulders slumped in her disheveled shirt and the bags beneath her eyes defied her makeup, a familiar sign of stress from what he can remember.

"I can replace your shirt. I'm sure wherever you're headed, it's no longer an appropriate piece of clothing to wear," he offers, extending an olive branch. perhaps he could spare some of his time. "And if you could help me with something, I'd appreciate it." he was making no headway, and she seemed his best chance at locating the elusive supermarket if he wanted to salvage his business.

@✿ k. mingyu miyeon's heart raced, a wild gallop, as she found herself standing before mingyu—the man who had once occupied an irreplaceable corner of her heart. In this charged moment, emotions swirled within her like a tempestuous sea, an intricate dance of love and hate, nostalgia and resentment. her gaze couldn't help but linger on how he had transformed over the years, evolving from the rugged farmer she once knew into a man with broad shoulders and a sense of purpose that eluded her understanding.

as she confronted him, her once-stained shirt and the blemished napkin they'd become now seemed insignificant, mere footnotes in the grand narrative of their reunion. eight long years had passed since their paths had diverged, leading her to the bustling city where she pursued her dreams, leaving behind the idyllic town and the farm where their love had taken root. yet, gazing upon him once more, she felt an unstoppable surge of memories and emotions that she thought she had buried deep within her soul.

mingyu's frustrated question hung in the air like a dense, impenetrable fog, and she couldn't escape the vice-like grip of guilt that encircled her heart. how had she found herself in this moment, at this unforeseen crossroads of their lives? it wasn't the result of a calculated pursuit; rather, it was a twist of destiny that had led her here—to confront her past and the man who had once held the key to her heart. as their eyes locked, she became ensnared in a tangle of emotions, a delicate interplay of defiance and vulnerability reflected in her gaze. her heart teetered between the desire to stand her ground, asserting her independence, and the longing to dismantle the barriers she had carefully erected.

"i didn't expect to see you here," she replied, her voice quivering slightly, a delicate melody of surprise and uncertainty. "i just... i needed to get another coffee, and walking this way was convenient. i wasn't following you, mingyu." the utterance of his name carried a weight of its own, a poignant reminder of their shared history. "i thought you'd still be back at the farm, not all the way out here."

the longer she stood there, her mind became a whirlpool of memories—of the love they once shared, of the heartache and anguish that had driven them apart. she couldn't help but acknowledge the persistent thought that had lingered in the depths of her heart, the what-ifs that had haunted her. life had steered them in divergent directions, and she had chosen to walk her own path.

his presence rekindled a tempest of conflicting emotions within her heart. she harbored resentment for the way things had ended between them, for the choices they had both made. yet, beneath it all, she couldn't deny the embers of the love that had once blazed so brilliantly. as they stood facing each other in this unexpected reunion, she couldn't help but wonder if fate had a message for them, or if this was simply a cruel twist of destiny.

@✿ c. miyeon mingyu was frustrated. he’d never been exposed to new beginnings and new environments, he was used to lush lands with long expanses of green, the smell of wet soil that came off freshly dug carrots, and dirt roads that only gave him the option of left and right. but these concrete asphalt lead him many ways, up and down, sideways, and backwards and he could feel the patience in his countenance losing to his temper. broad shoulders pull tight, tensed as he stands lonesome beside his vehicle, which was broken down and starting to rust, but it has been with him since he was a boy, and surprisingly still running; however, he thinks to himself about how it’s maybe time he leaves the old metal behind, especially if his trips to the city will become a routinely thing. that’s if, he could make it to his destination on time.

business for mingyu’s farm never reached the city, the closest he’s branched out were for small supermarkets that stood just outside the city line, otherwise, he’d always stayed local to his town. this was new. dammit, he should’ve never came this far out.

for the past eight years, he stayed stagnant in his safety net, comfortable behind his wooden fences. it was what he thought he wanted, and he still does, but now, his chest yearned for more, more adventure or perhaps… he wouldn’t admit it. his adolescence shielded him behind tarp walls, canopies, and wagons. farming was all he knew to do, to be, and now that he had been passed down the family business, expanding to different stores was his only way of coaxing that feeling. after all, he gave up his only chance to so many years ago.

the pensive male’s contemplations are interrupted by the bump of a stranger, one walking right into him as he stood, what he thought was visibly, obvious in the middle of the sidewalk. he could hear incomprehensive dialogue from the culprit cursing herself as his hand extended to catch her wrist, it was out of instinct to keep her from falling, but the scalding touch of her coffee forced him to pull away, quit literally being burnt by her touch. she took the brunt of the hot liquid, however, dots of brown now decorated across his blue jeans and he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at the sight. though his clothes were not new, and undoubtedly held stains of gardening in the rain, he surely could live without more blotches to add to his wardrobe.

his name on her tongue is without a doubt his. mingyu? there is familiarity in the way she questioned him, in the way the syllables rolled off her tongue. the chime of her tone reverberates against his eardrums, and it brings him back to a time in his life where he was staring at her smile, a youthfulness and glow to her eyes. his first love. and his only love. now, she stared back at him again, this time more mature. eight years matured precisely.

“miyeon,” he stated, but it was more of a question. she wasn’t supposed to be here, he was sure of it. in fact, he knew because he deliberately chose this supermarket due to it being across the city from her school. the one she left him for. even years later, he still remembered its location, yet it proves as no use because here she was, standing before him in a now stained shirt and blotted napkin. mingyu could feel the frustrations of the day building up as he snaps accusatorialy, “what are you doing here?”

did he think she was following him? of course not, but what are the odds that they would run into each other again. surely, the world couldn’t be that small, could it?

@✿ k. mingyu the city was something she dreamed to be a part of for the longest in her life. it had always been her goal to live in the city the day she went on vacation with her family. she remembered all the tall buildings and busy crowds, as well as the wide avenues and places to sit and eat. most importantly, she remembered all the nice clothes on the displays in every store and wondered to herself why her town never had any of that. since then, she planned on moving out of the farm life on her own for years and was ecstatic about the wait. hence, by the time she had graduated from highschool, she didn't waste any time nor hesitated to apply for colleges far from home and hoped to earn her degree in fashion, all while balancing her schedule as an intern for a rising designer company. however, her plan all seemed too good to be true for her when she was dropped out of college for not having enough funds to pay for her tuition, including her internship too since she was no longer a student of the university. eventually, she was left with nothing than to find multiple jobs to work at to maintain a roof over her head.

"go fetch me my order at the coffee shop downtown." her manager barked that made her bite back her tongue to refrain herself from saying anything before running down the street in her heels to get what they needed. "go fetch me my order." she mimicked with a slight bit of annoyance in her tone while rolling her eyes. "you didn't have to say it in such a y way. like, what if i spitted in your coffee?" after returning from the coffee shop and talking to herself in the midst of a rush hour, she accidentally bumped herself into someone's shoulders /him/ that caused the dark liquid to fly out from the cup and land on her white dress shirt that she had just bought recently for today's fit. "oh. my. god. she's going to kill me right now and ouch that was hot." her anxiety began shooting through the roof when she pictured what her boss would say. it was her only job she could afford to pay her rent at the moment, and she couldn't risk losing it. just as she tried dabbing the stains with the napkin around the cup, she looked up to the stranger to check up on him only to recognize the face that brings her back to so many memories. "mingyu?"

@✿ c. miyeon a heaved breath leaves mingyu’s lips as he parks his white van on the side of the street for the third time, eyes gauging the city view through the window. he was sure he’d been following the dotted blue lines on his phone aid with the computerized voice instructing him when to turn and stop; however, the destined supermarket has yet to show itself. not only was he lost but he was quickly running out of gas as the trip from the country side into the city was a journey, and he didn’t count on losing his way. perhaps getting outside of the car would give him a better view. weighing his options, he exits from driver side and walks around to stand on the sidewalk. the short stroll reminded him exactly why he hated the city: tall structures, wide asphalt, and her. It all made him feel so minuscule in this world.