adaiko

[adaiko]

[adaiko]

cinderella.

she releases a frustrated sigh, glaring venomously at the closet of cleaning supplies before her. there is absolutely no doubt in her mind that she has finally hit rock bottom. in all her years of life, uemura aiko has never imagined herself as a maid. she had grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth; to see herself fall this low is a tragedy unfolding before her eyes.

and yet here she is, tying an apron around her waist as she gathers her cleaning supplies. working for bang chulsuk is easy money despite the alternative payment of shoes in the past. it is still an incident that raises questions in aiko’s mind, but she blows her bangs out of her face and tells herself to get started, surveying the house with a look of dismay. it is almost as if a tornado has ripped through the penthouse. aiko curses bang chulsuk in her mind.

despite this, though, she begins to work. aiko finds herself in a steady rhythm, going from one room to another until she stops just in front of chulsuk’s office. it is the one room that she has been forbidden to enter. since day one she has been curious about the room and its contents. glancing left to right, aiko’s hand hovers over the doorknob.

“hey, bang chulsuk,” she calls, “are you inside?”

@adchulsuk

[adaiko]

he is the first thing she notices in the dim lighting of the party; there is an air about him that demands everyone’s attention, and an immediate surge of dislike washes over aiko. perhaps it is because she sees her old self in him—the expensive clothes, that rich attitude. it’s like looking at the past. aiko hates it.

and five shots later she’s crossing the room to where he’s standing, her lip curling in a sneer as she approaches him.

“hey.” she says over the loud music, eyes narrowing, “you look like such a spoiled brat, do you know that?”

@adshua

[adaiko]

[adaiko]

since exams are coming up (and it’s my last year of high school so i rly gotta pull) i’m going to be taking a hiatus until friday, june 30th. i swear i haven’t forgotten about the 24985792879428 starters i owe and i promise i’ll reply to messages when i’m back!

[adaiko]

[adaiko]

“i see you everyday,” aiko says, rolling her eyes. “i’m almost immune to your disgusting fashion sense now.” she flashes a brief smile to show she’s joking, and then proceeds to lift the bag in her hands.

“you forgot your lunch,” she states as she waves it in misun’s face. she sets it down on the counter next to misun’s work, the odd instruments catching her eye. aiko tilts her head to the side. curiosity begins to take hold of her.

“what are you doing?” she questions, leaning down to look at the fabric under the microscope. aiko’s eyes brighten and she looks to misun with a rare excitement: “can i watch you for today? please? i don’t have work and it’s so boring when i’m alone at home. and i’ve always wondered about what you do! misun? is that a yes?”

[adaiko]

[adaiko]

abduction.

“have i seen you somewhere before?”

it is the first thing that slips out of aiko’s mouth; she cringes at her lack of conduct, especially to a paying customer, but the feeling of familiarity without particularly knowing why gnaws at her mind. 

she narrows her eyes, continuing to outline the image of a knife below hani’s rib cage. for a brief moment aiko looks up, assessing her customer’s face skeptically. she knows she’s seen her somewhere before, but she can’t quite recall where.

“are you an actress?” aiko inquires, concentration straying from her task at hand. the needle hovers just above hani’s skin as aiko awaits a response. “model? ulzzang? idol? i really feel like i’ve seen your face somewhere.” she blows a strand of hair away from her eyes, frustration holding a tight grasp on her as she tries to remember. she thinks back to the last few movies and shows she’s seen, then users on social media, then acquaintances, then pictures, and then—

“i got it!” aiko exclaims, relief flooding through her. “you look like a girl on this missing poster that’s been circulating around seoul for a while. i keep seeing them; they’re everywhere. but that’s not you, is it?”

@adhcni

[adaiko]

a white light flashed before aiko’s eyes followed by a searing pain. she crouched down, hands pressed over her face as she willed the throbbing to go away.

“what the hell?” she snapped, venom dripping from her voice. she’d only been trying to help the girl out—she’d seen how disgusting those pigs had been and she hated it. and yet aiko was the one to receive their punishment. she let out a bitter laugh just as she felt blood trickling out of her nose. hands still poised over her face, ribbons of the crimson fluid seeped between her fingers.

“wow, thanks, i’m fine,” she replied irritably. her obvious discomfort said otherwise but she stood up regardless, eyes sweeping over her assaulter with minor curiosity. throwing a punch was easy, but throwing a good punch? that was a different story altogether. intrigued, aiko tilted her head to the side. this girl was stronger than she looked.

she waited for the nosebleed to stop before wiping her hands on her jacket. extending her hand, a smile made its way to her mouth. she wondered if this girl would reciprocate her gesture despite the dried blood on her palms.

“uemura aiko. tattoo artist,” she introduced. “and who exactly are you?”

what happens in seoul

[adaiko]

My longing was ruby-colored. I wore it around my neck, and everything was drunkenness and dance, every day a kind of drowning—

Zeina Hashem Beck, from “I Dreamt We Threw Bread Crumbs,” Louder Than Hearts: Poems (Bauhan Pub, 2017)       (via metaphorformetaphor)

[adaiko]

[adaiko]

a strand of hair falls over her face; with her wrist she sweeps it away, eyes trained on jaehyun’s back.

“of course i can fix it,” she says, unwavering and firm. she has never seen a scar this deep before, but she is confident in her words and confident in her talent. leaning against the counter, aiko studies jaehyun’s expression carefully. there is something unsettling about the look in his eyes, something not quite right, and suddenly she feels miles away from him—what is he thinking about right now? the urge to know what’s haunting him overwhelms her to the point of frustration.

“are you sure you want it covered, though?” she inquires, staring blatantly at the scar running down his back. she may be able to cover the physical blemish, but can she conceal the memories attached to it? she knows she is broaching a delicate subject, but the curiosity burns her throat and the question permeates the air before she can stop herself: “what happened?” clasping her hands together stiffly, aiko stares intently into jaehyun’s eyes. this sudden impulse to know everything about him, start to finish, surges over her once more like a series of ocean waves and she can’t quite decipher why she feels this way—all she knows is that she wants to hold on to it.

“you should tell me,” she says, voice softening. “come on, jaehyun, how did you get a scar like that?”

make me love again.

[adaiko]

My hands are full of ash. I burn down everything I touch.

[adaiko]

make me love again.

it starts off as curiosity—a minor form of entertainment to pass the time. from the moment she meets lee jaehyun, aiko knows that there is something interesting about him. perhaps it is the scars that mark his body, or the strange feeling of heartbreak that seems to emanate from within his entire being. aiko finds herself immersed in her wonder for him: how come he has so many scars? why does he want them concealed? what does he do for a living? who is lee jaehyun, truly?

and as she pours her heart and soul into every scar she covers, aiko discovers that he bears stigmas that she cannot see. they linger inside his heart, hardly detectable but always there and it is only because of her own broken heart that she is able to identify this. but she can’t do anything about them. she can’t make them disappear. she can’t tattoo over them, and this realization begins to bother her more than it should. suddenly the curiosity clouding over aiko’s mind turns into something different, something more.

and she does not realize it yet, but that “something” is love.

@adjaehyun

[adaiko]