i see fire ✯
jiyeon was face to face with something important. chopsticks held between her fingers, she stared down at the bowl of noodle soup with a look of pure determination. nutrition. the piece of chicken swam in the warm, savoury liquid, and she plucked it happily, sitting alone at the restaurant table to eat that evening. scrolling down the article she was reading on her phone, she had no need for company, no need to even open her mouth other than to shovel more noodles in. just as she was reaching for the jug of water, ready to pour herself another glass, an unfamiliar smell started to flow through the air, tickling at her nose.
dark grey tendrils with an acrid, bitter smell had begun to swim through the air of the restaurant, the scent of burning becoming clear. some people had not realised yet, or were too distracted. some people had begun to stand up and look around, clearly alert. jiyeon placed her chopsticks back down on the table with a calm demeanour, not even the slightest bit rattled by the air of panic that was beginning to settle upon some of the other customers.
a rumble. that one did scare her – her eyes widening as she looked towards the kitchen. a scream from that end of the building. “get out!” yelled a kitchen assistant, desperate warning in her tone. jiyeon rose, slowly from the table, as people began to walk towards the door. “screaming is not a logical response,” she mumbled to herself, unimpressed by their shrieking terror. then. boom. flash. the fire ripped through the wall separating the kitchen from the main building, and even jiyeon, in her usual laidback behaviour, began to rush.
