[Wonderlife] Stray Dog
Author: Nichole
Challenge: Licorice - 15. the cupboard was bare
Extra: none
Word Count: 932
Story: Wonderlife
Summary: Chan-wook sleeps; Ling'er's hungry; Mason thinks of Ling'er as his very own stray dog.
The room was tiny, and completely made of wood. The door was sheet iron and the floor seemed to be made of cardboard stuffed with paper. The rent, the cheapest Ahjuhssi had been able to find, was 114,937.50 won.* Yet . . . yet they still barely had enough to eat. Ling’er couldn’t even remember the last time she had had meat.
Stuffed in a corner of the freezing room, her legs up against her chin, Ling’er watched her Ahjuhssi through her thin hair. He was sleeping on their tiny floor, his butt in the air and drool coming slowly from the corner of his mouth. The middle-aged man’s sweat pants and tee shirt were stained with purple paint and appeared dirty - they made Ling’er want to clean herself.
She had to stop herself from jumping when a loud snore escaped Ahjuhssi’s mouth; he sounded like a cross between a lion and a train. A moment later, Ling’er stomach rumbled in hunger. How long had it been since she’d eaten? Two, three . . . no, two days. There had been some tea Wednesday, but. . .
"I’m hungry," Ling’er whispered to the Ahjuhssi’s butt. "I’m hungry, Ahjuhssi." The girl could feel her eyes watering. Sniffing back tears, she hugged her legs against her stomach. "I’m . . . wake up. Wake up and get me food." Ling’er’s Ahjuhssi simply snored louder.
Without thinking, Ling’er made a noise that sounded more like an angry animal than a girl. Forcefully, she kicked out her legs - hitting her Ahjuhssi in the head. For his part, the middle-aged man just snored louder.
*
Geum Chan-wook, Ahjuhssi to his friends, awoke to the blinking of the sun. It was peeking in at him thru a tiny hole in the ripped blue curtains. He grumbled to himself, wondering why Ling’er hadn’t gotten new curtains like he had told her too days before. Honestly, that girl was completely rebellious.
With a snort, Chan-wook shuffled off to the tiny kitchenette, starching his bottom. "Ling’er!" One quick glance around the room told him that she wasn’t around. But, it was possible that she was outside doing some laundry. "Ling’er, go to the store for Ahjuhssi and buy me-" he kicked open the door (which didn’t even fully close anyway) to find the area where Ling’er usually did their laundry empty.
Looking at his watch, Chan-wook was only a little surprised to see it was two in the afternoon. Two in the afternoon on a Sunday and Ling’er was nowhere to be found. Grumbling with annoyance, Chan-wook took his cell phone from his sweat pants pocket. Quickly, he dialed the number to only other person his Ling’er would be with. The other end rang once, before an annoyed voice answered.
"You’re finally awake? Do you even know. . . Ahjuhssi. . . do you know where Ling’er is?"
"No," Chan-wook rolled his eyes. "That’s why I called you. She’s gone missing. I suppose she’s with you?" He sucked some air in through his teeth. "Treat your old Ahjuhssi to something good and I’ll go get her."
There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the line, before: "She’s sleeping. Idiot tried to come find me last night and got lost. She only escaped getting killed or worse because someone owed me a favor."
The girl had gone out into Seoul alone. She would have gotten lost and become scared of all the noises and people. Ling’er. . .
Gripping his cell phone tightly, Chan-wook tried to remain calm. "Did anyone touch her?"
"No. Not that she’s told me." The voice paused, and when it spoke again, it was calmer. "Ahjuhssi, I feed her. I let her shower and she’s sleeping. I’ll accompany her home tonight."
Despite the fact that the person on the other end of the phone couldn’t see him, Chan-wook nodded. "Mason, thank you. You’re a good son and a good Oppa to Ling’er."
*
Ling’er looked awfully small and terribly tiny curled up on his bed. She always slept in a curled in a ball, wrapped in her sheets; almost as if she was scared someone would hurt her. No, more like she was pretending to still be in her forgotten mother’s womb. Shaking his head, Mason gently moved some dark hair out of the girl’s pale face.
"That really was the last time you were safe, wasn’t it?" He scuffed under his breath. "You think you’re safe with me, don’t you?" Ling’er muttered something in Mandarin, before wrapping her sheets tighter around herself. "Don’t try and come see me at night, just because you’re hungry. What are you, a dog?"
Shaking his head, Mason fixed Ling’er’s sheets, before heading back into his living room. Glancing back through the half-opened door of his bedroom and at the small bump that was Ling’er, Mason wondered if they were all just stray dogs. Maybe they just all took turns taking one another in? Briefly, Mason found himself wondering if Ling’er would ever return his favor - he wondered if she’d have time to.
Notes:
Ahjuhssi is ‘Mister’ in Korean
114,937.50 is equal to 75 U.S. dollars
Oppa is what a female calls a male who is older than her in Korean. It is more informal than calling an older man ‘Ahjuhssi’ and is usually used for a younger sister and an older brother. It can also refer to a friend, a boyfriend, or even just an older man that the woman/girl is on good terms with: family friend, close co-worker (off the clock, of course), among others.
Challenge: Licorice - 15. the cupboard was bare
Extra: none
Word Count: 932
Story: Wonderlife
Summary: Chan-wook sleeps; Ling'er's hungry; Mason thinks of Ling'er as his very own stray dog.
The room was tiny, and completely made of wood. The door was sheet iron and the floor seemed to be made of cardboard stuffed with paper. The rent, the cheapest Ahjuhssi had been able to find, was 114,937.50 won.* Yet . . . yet they still barely had enough to eat. Ling’er couldn’t even remember the last time she had had meat.
Stuffed in a corner of the freezing room, her legs up against her chin, Ling’er watched her Ahjuhssi through her thin hair. He was sleeping on their tiny floor, his butt in the air and drool coming slowly from the corner of his mouth. The middle-aged man’s sweat pants and tee shirt were stained with purple paint and appeared dirty - they made Ling’er want to clean herself.
She had to stop herself from jumping when a loud snore escaped Ahjuhssi’s mouth; he sounded like a cross between a lion and a train. A moment later, Ling’er stomach rumbled in hunger. How long had it been since she’d eaten? Two, three . . . no, two days. There had been some tea Wednesday, but. . .
"I’m hungry," Ling’er whispered to the Ahjuhssi’s butt. "I’m hungry, Ahjuhssi." The girl could feel her eyes watering. Sniffing back tears, she hugged her legs against her stomach. "I’m . . . wake up. Wake up and get me food." Ling’er’s Ahjuhssi simply snored louder.
Without thinking, Ling’er made a noise that sounded more like an angry animal than a girl. Forcefully, she kicked out her legs - hitting her Ahjuhssi in the head. For his part, the middle-aged man just snored louder.
*
Geum Chan-wook, Ahjuhssi to his friends, awoke to the blinking of the sun. It was peeking in at him thru a tiny hole in the ripped blue curtains. He grumbled to himself, wondering why Ling’er hadn’t gotten new curtains like he had told her too days before. Honestly, that girl was completely rebellious.
With a snort, Chan-wook shuffled off to the tiny kitchenette, starching his bottom. "Ling’er!" One quick glance around the room told him that she wasn’t around. But, it was possible that she was outside doing some laundry. "Ling’er, go to the store for Ahjuhssi and buy me-" he kicked open the door (which didn’t even fully close anyway) to find the area where Ling’er usually did their laundry empty.
Looking at his watch, Chan-wook was only a little surprised to see it was two in the afternoon. Two in the afternoon on a Sunday and Ling’er was nowhere to be found. Grumbling with annoyance, Chan-wook took his cell phone from his sweat pants pocket. Quickly, he dialed the number to only other person his Ling’er would be with. The other end rang once, before an annoyed voice answered.
"You’re finally awake? Do you even know. . . Ahjuhssi. . . do you know where Ling’er is?"
"No," Chan-wook rolled his eyes. "That’s why I called you. She’s gone missing. I suppose she’s with you?" He sucked some air in through his teeth. "Treat your old Ahjuhssi to something good and I’ll go get her."
There was a pregnant pause on the other end of the line, before: "She’s sleeping. Idiot tried to come find me last night and got lost. She only escaped getting killed or worse because someone owed me a favor."
The girl had gone out into Seoul alone. She would have gotten lost and become scared of all the noises and people. Ling’er. . .
Gripping his cell phone tightly, Chan-wook tried to remain calm. "Did anyone touch her?"
"No. Not that she’s told me." The voice paused, and when it spoke again, it was calmer. "Ahjuhssi, I feed her. I let her shower and she’s sleeping. I’ll accompany her home tonight."
Despite the fact that the person on the other end of the phone couldn’t see him, Chan-wook nodded. "Mason, thank you. You’re a good son and a good Oppa to Ling’er."
*
Ling’er looked awfully small and terribly tiny curled up on his bed. She always slept in a curled in a ball, wrapped in her sheets; almost as if she was scared someone would hurt her. No, more like she was pretending to still be in her forgotten mother’s womb. Shaking his head, Mason gently moved some dark hair out of the girl’s pale face.
"That really was the last time you were safe, wasn’t it?" He scuffed under his breath. "You think you’re safe with me, don’t you?" Ling’er muttered something in Mandarin, before wrapping her sheets tighter around herself. "Don’t try and come see me at night, just because you’re hungry. What are you, a dog?"
Shaking his head, Mason fixed Ling’er’s sheets, before heading back into his living room. Glancing back through the half-opened door of his bedroom and at the small bump that was Ling’er, Mason wondered if they were all just stray dogs. Maybe they just all took turns taking one another in? Briefly, Mason found himself wondering if Ling’er would ever return his favor - he wondered if she’d have time to.
Notes:
Ahjuhssi is ‘Mister’ in Korean
114,937.50 is equal to 75 U.S. dollars
Oppa is what a female calls a male who is older than her in Korean. It is more informal than calling an older man ‘Ahjuhssi’ and is usually used for a younger sister and an older brother. It can also refer to a friend, a boyfriend, or even just an older man that the woman/girl is on good terms with: family friend, close co-worker (off the clock, of course), among others.