2019.

“Can I sit down?” Before hearing the answer, he already takes the vacant seat across the young woman. Hanbin rubs his hands together, processing what kind of question he should throw out first. “That’s…a good question. Funny, I thought the same thing,” he mutters, the corner of his lips twitches from nervousness. His eyes glue on her, observing every lines and the outlines of her face which resemble the character he drew for the series. “I…don’t know where to begin. But you came to see me today and told me to come here. Do you know something? Did you know the way to come into my head?”

097xp‌:

It was awfully obvious how disinterested yoona was at the comicCon. After all, she came only because she wanted to meet her stalker. She wasn’t even afraid to show how disturbed, angry and annoyed at the alleged stalker. How she has to waste her time coming down here just to get her answers or at least have him stop writing her life. Yoona traced her fingers over the words she had written on the paper prior to entering the hall. The slightly crumpled piece of paper read: I’ll be at angel-in-us cafe waiting for you and i won’t leave until you come. I need to speak with you. Even though she wasn’t sure if he might, she thought it was the best thing to do rather than writing about her purpose and risk getting thrown into the bin by his superior or even by himself. 

When the first few, least important events, in yoona’s eyes have ended, yoona joined the line where fans have gathered together to come to meet the webtoonist - simonBlue. It was her turn after having to wait in line for a good half an hour due to the overwhelming response. Yoona managed to take a look at the surrounding tables that were also filled with many interested fans. Some queued to see several of them and some remained only in one line, content to just meet one webtoonist. 

Despite being a request to have the webtoonist meet her, her usual intimidating demeanor didn’t leave her. With gaze so confident that matches her aura, she slips the note to him when it was her turn. “I have something to say so you better come.” She whispered in a low voice as she leaned in before walking away, causing several heads to turn and a few invisible question marks appearing on heads that were close enough to see the brief, non-enthusiastic exchange. 

Upon arriving at the cafe, yoona had placed an order of her favourite drink - earl grey milk tea. Since she doesn’t know when the event might end, she thought it would be best to not be an empty patron and to order something. “… he doesn’t look like he recognize me..” yoona mumbled to herself upon the realization. It was strange, the entire thing certainly felt strange but the prideful girl has walls so high and thick to actually resort to begging or explaining her reason why she needed to see him urgently.

The queue line feels like it’s never ending as Hanbin keeps inscribing his autograph on the paper given to each individual before they come to his desk. Some people come to him and say appreciative things about his work, which Hanbin feels grateful about. They talk about their own favorite scenes and chapters, self-interpretation of what is coming in the next update. It turns into a fun conversation with different people every time, and he finds it amusing that many people put interest in his artwork even delve deeper into the meaning of it.

If only Hanbin could explain every detail himself, he would. But for the latest work he released, there is no logical explanation enough to back up the ‘creative mind’ people praise him for. One thing that Hanbin can never tell anyone is how he perceives himself as a messenger. The hidden truth is, It was a night when Hanbin was in his slumber and the vision came into his sight. Every night, it could be a repeat of the other scene or a new event altogether. It was too vivid to call it a dream, as the face of the young woman was distinct enough for him to remember. For some reason, the lady would be part of the story as if the world was centered around her. Aside from the universe, Hanbin keeps the image of her as far as embracing her features and sketches it out of his memories, trying to keep it true to his vision. Many thought he could’ve drawn the character better and prettier, but Hanbin found no reason to do such thing. As if he wanted to deliver the message appearing in his dream, maybe someday he will find the answer why he is assigned to tell the story.

He has kept the thought hidden during the events even when some fans try to pull him out of the safe place, until a lady comes forward to his table with a face that’s far too familiar to his memory. Hanbin feels his heart stops for a moment when their eyes meet, and chills running down his limbs. As if she is coming out of his dream, the young woman in front of him resembles the one who Hanbin has been used in his story. She leans in, passing a secret agenda for them to meet, which is beyond what Hanbin expected from a stranger. But something about her draws him in, as if she’s the key to the questions which have been lingerin gin Hanbin’s mind ever since he works on the series. It seems ilogical, but making sense at the same time. He kind of misses the words she was saying, since Hanbin is busy to control his sense upon meeting the woman in his dream in person. The paper she passed into his palm is snatched from his grip immediately, but luckily Hanbin did a quick reading of the letter and memorized the message before it disappears. It takes him another hour to finish the signing event, and his feet can’t stop fidgeting until the very last second of it.

Once the last person in the line leaves the table, Hanbin gets up and ends the event with an abrupt speech. He leaves the booth, grabs his jacket and asks permission from the staffs to leave earlier since an emergency has happened. A little lie, not as big as what he has been offered to his reader, is passed and Hanbin rushes himself to the place mentioned in the letter. He loses the direction at first, but after asking some people, Hanbin leads himself to the cafe where it looks busy in the afternoon. He pulls the hoodie attached to his jacket and covers his head, walking in to the room with a cling on the door as a mark of his arrival. He looks around and passes through some tables until he spots the face he saw earlier.

She is there sitting in the corner with a drink on the table, unaware yet of his presence before her eyes. Hanbin steps closer, trying to process her being which still feels surreal. An untouched image in his mind now appears in a shape of tangible flesh, a more realistic look but less emotions. “Uhm,” he mumbles in a soft voice, not sure if a hello would be appropriate enough for their first meeting. Although, technically he has seen her before. “…your letter. I’m responding now.” Hanbin jumps a little when she looks up. “Holy shit. You’re…really…just like the girl in my head.”

As the second ticked on the watch resting on yoona’s thin wrist, her patience grew thinner. Her face wore nothing but annoyance. The girl leaned against the backrest and closed her eyes for a second as she rubbed the bridge of her nose trying to ease the tension that was arising within her. When that didn’t seem to work, she proceeded to order herself her 3rd glass of beverage. Her repeated orders invited inquisitive stares from the baristas while speculating if she got stood up by her boyfriend of if she were just trying to drown her sorrows from a bad break up with non-alcoholic beverage. Despite hearing them clearly, yoona couldn’t be bothered about being the centre of meaningless gossip. Right after her order is done, she returned back to her seat situated by the window to resume her wait.

Even if it was for a brief moment, there was something different about the webtoonist, yoona thought in her head. No sense of familiarity, no sense of danger neither is there any sense of anything. That just build even more questions about him. How did he know so much about her life and even have the audacity to draw it out and publicize even the private matters of her life. She had kept her business absolutely private, not even a single soul knew about her struggles, the fear instilled by her dead friend, minyoung down to the smallest details that would haunt her each time she thought about it. A low frustrated sigh left her thin lips after sipping her drink.

She had her book out ready for her to read ever since she set foot in the cafe but yoona was distracted, figdgety and needlesss to say, unable to concentrate even a word on the book. Rather than reading the book, even if it was one thing on earth that keeps her sane, she was just hoping that the webtoonist would just arrive already. just arrive already. Even though she did think of the possibility of him not coming but that thought didn’t quite last long. 

Despite her inability to give the book her utmost attention, yoona tried reading it to divert her thoughts. The times new roman font imprinted on the slightly yellowish stale paper eventually worked its magic in capturing her attention. With furrowed brows, her vision was affixed on the pages as her mind visualized and painted the printed words, taking her away from the reality for a moment. All it took was a simple sound coming from the male she had painstakingly waited for to snap her back to earth. 

Coming to the event location so early in the morning is something he has warned about by the staff, but Hanbin happens to ignore it and stay up all night instead to finish his work. It’s been hard to collect his ideas these days as he is too nervous for the convention–he’s told last minute about the open talk and mini fansign event in one booth prepared for him. There is no material ready for the discussion segment, but Hanbin is told to not worry about it. Being unprepared is something they should worry about, Hanbin thinks while he is waiting in the room. Some staffs he has never seen before leading him to the dressing up and prepping his looks for the audience. Hanbin thinks a casual look will do, but it seems to be presentable suddenly becomes the requirement on his part. They say it’s a waste to Hanbin’s feature, which he doesn’t pay attention much ever since he quits going to social events with his friends.

They cut his hair a little, changing his clothes for a softer look as if he’s there to entertain people with his physical appearance. Hanbin is surprised at the result that he almost can’t recognize himself. If only he learned it years prior, he might change his mind about quitting his education and busy going for blind dates instead. What a fool.

Fifteen minutes to the event, Hanbin loses senses on his fingertips. His heart pumps faster and he knows it’s a bad idea to listen to his editor about coming and hoping for the best at impromptu speech. He peeks out through the curtain and notices there are more people than he expected. The emcee of the event greets him earlier, telling Hanbin to be himself and answer the questions earnestly. When the time is up, he enters the stage with steps that try to grasp on confidence. Eyes are on him, staring to the stranger before them whose presents Hanbin doesn’t recognize either. If this was a class presentation, he would hide behind the biggest kid and stay quiet until it’s his turn to speak. From now on, he has to face those eyes alone, since it’s the path he has chosen to walk on. Although, they could’ve been more settle on their whispering, and it makes Hanbin more nervous as he walks to the chair.

The conference is held for two hours with various contents from comic artists explaining their works to open interview by the media and fans who attend the segment. Hanbin gives his best piece of mind during the session, even though it draws some crooked eyebrows when he speaks. He tries to keep himself content to the reaction, which he finds easier to do instead of worrying about their inner thoughts he doesn’t know.

After the long session, they move to the next one where a set of table and chairs are prepared for the signing. They’re moved to an individual desk where the audience can pick who they want to meet.  Hanbin sits down on his chair and plays with the pen, watching a queue line of people with a piece of paper in their hands. 

It was awfully obvious how disinterested yoona was at the comicCon. After all, she came only because she wanted to meet her stalker. She wasn’t even afraid to show how disturbed, angry and annoyed at the alleged stalker. How she has to waste her time coming down here just to get her answers or at least have him stop writing her life. Yoona traced her fingers over the words she had written on the paper prior to entering the hall. The slightly crumpled piece of paper read: I’ll be at angel-in-us cafe waiting for you and i won’t leave until you come. I need to speak with you. Even though she wasn’t sure if he might, she thought it was the best thing to do rather than writing about her purpose and risk getting thrown into the bin by his superior or even by himself. 

When the first few, least important events, in yoona’s eyes have ended, yoona joined the line where fans have gathered together to come to meet the webtoonist - simonBlue. It was her turn after having to wait in line for a good half an hour due to the overwhelming response. Yoona managed to take a look at the surrounding tables that were also filled with many interested fans. Some queued to see several of them and some remained only in one line, content to just meet one webtoonist. 

Despite being a request to have the webtoonist meet her, her usual intimidating demeanor didn’t leave her. With gaze so confident that matches her aura, she slips the note to him when it was her turn. “I have something to say so you better come.” She whispered in a low voice as she leaned in before walking away, causing several heads to turn and a few invisible question marks appearing on heads that were close enough to see the brief, non-enthusiastic exchange. 

097xp‌:

hanverses‌:

Lately, Hanbin has been having a strange feeling about himself. Ever since he takes a full-time course of being a homebody–which include doing all the house chores since his parents have to work during the day and come back late at night–he becomes more attached to the atmosphere the house is giving. Instead of feeling comfortable, there are times when Hanbin feels there is a certain energy that pokes him awake at night. He feels restless. The hours of him staying up increases the more he dives himself into his current comic work. Ideas seem easy coming into his head as if there is a vivid vision of an event happens before his eyes. 

He can’t talk about this to his editor since he might think Hanbin has turned crazy. But Hanbin believes he might have developed a sixth sense out of nowhere. He tries to put logic above it all, and it might be just sleep deprived that control his senses. Yet, the more his body adapts to being a night owl, the more natural it is to draw the next chapter. As if he receives a vision. 

As if. 

The sudden ringing of his phone makes Hanbin jumps off the chair. He cusses to the air and answers the call. 

“Yo!…are you a genius or something?! This arc is great! I don’t think you need to change anything. I got goosebumps with the bloody message written on the mirror. I think you will take over the first rank again this week. Good job! Now, finish the rest of the draft and–”

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

Hanbin pauses for a moment, biting down his lips. “…Do you think it’s possible if my story happens in real life?”

“Well…there are people who believe in ghost.”

“–No, that’s not what I mean,” he cuts off, lowering down his voice into a whisper. “I mean, what if someone experiences this, my story, somewhere? Exactly this? Do you think it’s possible? There are ghost stories based on true events, right?”

“…Dude, I think you need to sleep and stop overthinking things, okay? Yeah, sure, ghosts are real but I don’t think anyone will experience something as dramatic as this.” There is no other resistance coming from Hanbin, so the editor assumes that he is just playing. “Listen, just go to bed, okay? Cut down your caffeine intact and take a good rest for a few hours. Go outside. Take a deep breath. Text me again when the final draft is ready. G’night!”

The beeping sound is the last greeting for the night. Yeah, I’d rather be called crazy, I guess, Hanbin talks in his head. 

The latest paranormal episode definitely left her shaking the entire day. When things get tough for her pertaining to that, she would usually skip classes and other schedules she might have for that day and lock herself in her room, drowning herself in tears and feeling sorry toward her friend. Though she knows nothing would change and minyoung was determined to haunt her for life - still, on most days it would get too much for her and she would turn into a recluse. 

Her parents would dismiss it as her just being in a bad mood since it wasn’t the first or second time they have seen the side of her. It’s a given that they’re worried for her but they trust and knew her enough to know that yoona would come out from her room. 

Days had passed and even though nothing has changed pertaining to the disturbances, there are still days where yoona could take it. 

On her way to class that day, she was leisurely listening to her songs playing through her metallic red earpiece as she peers out of the window, enjoying the scenery passing by. It was one of her favourite things to do, to just relax and watch the world go by. It wouldn’t be a surprise if one could catch her sitting by the field during lunch time. She would just stare into nothing enjoy the solace. That is until, someone bold enough would interrupt her peace. 

The ping from her phone indicated an incoming email stating the details of the comic convention. Looking at the email with determination to find out who the webtoonist was, she made a note on her calendar before resting her device back on her lap. There were many questions going through her mind, mostly about what she would say when facing the webtoonist that everyone was raving about. 

When the day had arrived for the convention, yoona clutched on to a colorful brochure containing the event details and some other things while making her way in. Most of them were in groups sharing excitement about which webtoonist they would like to see the most. Some of the conversation she could pick up were comparing speed on reading a particular webtoon she has no idea of.