The Wind Loop

15 | selcouth

However, her wish was finally fulfilled. She was now on a trajectory as a star, approaching another one to unite again. A mother yearning for her child was something that Ju Ho had never quite understood. How could someone love their child so much that their death destroyed them internally?

Still, he couldn't help but feel that he had been partially responsible for her death too.

Ju Ho was stuck in a loop. The entire system always left him caged in a perpetual feeling of despair. The feeling of responsibility towards others made him suffer and no one knew that excluding himself.

The sound of the doorbell brought his consciousness back to the present again. Petting Marble lightly, he locked the door to make sure that his sudden presence didn't scare off the intruder.

He could make out from the figure standing behind the glass door that it was none other than his neighbour upstairs. With a pull, he opened the door to meet Ye Bin's profile who was holding onto a huge canvas covered with papers. 

Ye Bin didn't care much about greeting him. She motioned him to give her space and went inside almost immediately, carrying the big canvas with a great deal of efforts. Ju Ho had to follow her closely, confused about her sudden appearance altogether.

"Look what I got you!" Ye Bin chirped happily as she placed the huge canvas on the floor, its body leaning against the wall for support.

"Is that my painting?" Ju Ho's hands were already on his mouth, his eyes almost identical to tapioca pearls. That was the only possible explanation that occurred to him.

Ye Bin nodded as a titter left her mouth. She brushed off the dust from her hand.

"That was quite heavy, goodness." her hands reached her back as she stretched, lines forming on her forehead and at the corners of her eyes.

"Why did you carry it all alone? I was just one phonecall away." he scolded as his neighbour just returned him a guilty grin. "I wouldn't want you to get a muscle sprain because of such a trivial thing. You need to complete your commission work too."

"It isn't trivial." Ye Bin dismissed his words with a single wave of a hand. "I'm done with that work too. It's all good and done."

"Are you serious?" he gasped and earned an affirmative nod from Ye Bin.

"I did it, finally." she gave him a sparkling smile, the hint of satisfaction and happiness radiating from it.

"Congratulations, goodness. How about I treat you to something?" Ju Ho was absolutely enthralled.

"I can do with a glass of water now. It's very hot today." Ye Bin squinted her eyes.

He shifted himself from his position quickly, getting her a glass of iced water from the counter. Beads of sweat were resting on her skin, the ceiling fan's blades trying their best to give her body comfort again.

Ye Bin was pulling her shirt to and fro to let the cool air nestle in the creases of her upper body. A look of gratitude washed over her face immediately as she took the glass from his hands, the chilly outer layer of it causing her blood vessels to constrict immediately and cause a sharp pain on her clammy palm.

Ye Bin was quick to sip a considerable amount of the cold water and return it back to Ju Ho immediately. Seeing her wince as the water went down her throat, Ju Ho couldn't help but ask if she was alright.

"I'm not used to having iced water." she shrugged. "I rarely touch ice because I catch colds easily."

Ju Ho immediately apologised. "I'm really sorry about this. I should have asked you beforehand."