O6-O7-26

A cycle of heavy hearts and spicy cravings. Kyeji woke up on the wrong side of the bed—if he even really “woke up” at all. He felt completely under the weather, his body heavy and his mind even heavier. He couldn’t quite remember the exact moment he finally drifted off; he just knew that the last time he had the energy to check the clock, it was already 4:00 AM.

He skipped breakfast. Then, he skipped lunch. His stomach had been empty for hours, but the gnawing hunger was nothing compared to the weight in his chest. He was bedridden, or whatever people called it when you just couldn’t find a reason to move. His emotions felt overwhelming, a silent flood that he couldn’t quite put into words.

It took four hours of staring at the ceiling just to gather enough energy to sit up. Eventually, he found Ami, his favorite sister aside from Sky—a beautiful, fluffy Ragdoll cat. For twenty minutes, he let himself get distracted, teasing her and watching her reactions. It was a small, quiet relief, but once the play was over, he retreated back to his sanctuary. He lay on the floor of his room, staring at nothing, with no intention of leaving.

That was, until his phone buzzed.

It was a text from his Dada. He was cooking Buldak—exactly what Kyeji had been craving.

The thought of the spice was enough to pull him out of his room. He joined them, quietly sitting down to eat the fiery noodles. To wash down the heat, there was Sharmaine juice—cold orange juice that provided a temporary sweetness to his day. He ate with them, the presence of his fathers and Sky offering a brief flicker of normalcy.

But as soon as the plates were cleared and the spice faded, the heaviness returned. He retreated once more, the brief spark of the meal extinguished as he sank back into his own thoughts.

Back to being gloomy.