First Night
The sound of the engine stopped. The door by the driver's seat opened and closed. The next thing she knew, the door of the backseat has opened too, allowing the moonlight to reach her skin which has become much paler than it was days before. The driver took a few steps to the side while still holding the car door to make room for her.
"We're here, miss Taeyeon."
Like a lifeless zombie you would see in a horror movie, she turned her head towards the driver, mentally hoping he'd understand that she didn't want to go out, and maybe he'd get the signal to drive the car back. But the middle-aged man smiled at her instead, sensing nothing out of everything she had just hoped for. Deciding that no amount of hesitance would take her back to where she wanted to be, she slowly stepped out of the car and took a few steps forward.
The sound of the car door being closed echoed behind her as she raised her head to take in the structure and appearance of the place she was supposed to call home from now on. Just the sight of it made her want to turn around and lock herself in the car, but the sound of the engine once again roaring behind her to park the car properly shut her tiny idea down before she could even act upon it.
Big. Grand.
She heard her name being called once more and this time, a maid approached her to escort her inside the house.
"Welcome, miss Taeyeon. I'll take care of your things in the car and I will bring them to your room upstairs. I know you might be tired from the travel so please do rest first."
Taeyeon gave the maid a curt nod before she headed upstairs to her room. She didn't even feel the need to look around her room as the first thing she wanted to do as soon as the door clicked shut was to throw herself on the bed, and she was about to do just that when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She fished it out and sighed before she accepted the call.
"Taeyeon, sweetie. Have you arrived?"
"Yes, mom. We just arrived."
"That's great. Have you taken a good look around the house? Did you like your room? I specifically asked for it to be painted blue because you said you like blue, right? And the-"
"Mom."
"Yes? or did you leave something? I could ask mister Park to drop by here tomorrow and bring it there."
"No, it's not that."
"Then what is it? Do you want something? I'll grant it, just tell me so I can-"
"I wanna go home, mom." There was a pause. She bit her lip, feeling stupid all of a sudden. "So it's a no then?" She scoffed.
"Taeyeon, I thought you already understood-"
"So much for saying you'll grant it. Bye mom."
Taeyeon tossed the phone to her bed. So much for trying to be nice. She finally threw herself on the bed, doing what she wanted to do in the first place. Her phone rang once more a few seconds later but she ignored it, knowing fully well who was calling her.
She blankly stared at the ceiling, now noticing that her room was indeed blue just like how she wanted it, but she would choose her old plain and boring white ceiling any day. A knock on her door soon interrupted her thoughts. Taeyeon lazily raised her head and turned it towards the door.
"Miss Taeyeon, your mother called on the house phone downstairs and she's asking for you." She internally groaned.
"Tell her I'm going to sleep."
"Don't you want to eat dinner first, miss Taeyeon? The cook is almost done with the main dish."
"No thanks. I'm not hungry." She curtly replied. Hearing footsteps getting away from the other side of the door, her head dipped back on the mattress once more.
"Miss Taeyeon, your mother said that she really wants to talk to you. She is also insisting that you eat dinner first before going to sleep."
Taeyeon shut her eyes tight and felt frustration building up inside her. Why can't these people leave me alone?!
"Miss Taeyeon?" Her brows furrowed and she turned her head the other way, opposite direction of where the noise was coming from. The continuous knocking was irritating her that it makes her want to jump out the window.
The window.
Taeyeon's eyes were suddenly fixed on the window and suddenly found it enticing. She didn't know why, the moon is one, but the fact that it was open and wide enough for her to crawl out of may be one of those reasons.
She slowly sat up before she stood and approached the window. She stopped right in front of it and her eyes widened. Wow. She leaned on the window sill as she admired the moon. It was a full moon that night. She wanted to get closer, see it better. But half of it was covered by her neighbor's roof and some trees in the distance.
Taeyeon wanted to see its full form. Maybe then, she would have another reason to jump out the window than just escaping to run back where she wanted to be. She looked at it for a while before she caught herself blinking. Taeyeon chuckled. I'm so desperate that now I'm even fascinated by the moon. She bowed and shook her head while laughing to herself. But then, when she opened her eyes, her smile vanished.
Peeking her head out the window while looking down might be a dangerous thing to do but when Taeyeon looked down, she wasn't really completely greeted by the sight of the grass. Instead, it was concrete. A ledge. Turning her head to the side, she noticed that the ledge continued around the corner, where it looked like it was leading somewhere. She didn't know what came over her but curiosity got the best of her as she lifted her foot to step on the window sill and hopped out, with the wind unconsciously drowning out the persistent knocking and calling on her bedroom door.
Fresh and cold air greeted her and it made her shiver at first. Taeyeon hugged the wall, facing the night view, while taking small steps to the side. She loved thrill and adventure. Approaching the corner, she carefully shifted her body as she made the turn.
One.
two.
three side steps later... her right foot hit something hard. Taeyeon gasped, jerking her head towards the other side, immediately checking what she had hit.
Stairs.
One.
two.
three steps later, Taeyeon found herself on the rooftop. Confusion was the first thing she felt because the first time she laid her eyes on the house, she swore she saw a roof. Now where is it? she cocked her head to the right, then to the left and... bingo!
Taeyeon saw the part of the roof which she saw earlier when she got out of the car. Knowing that it must be the front of the house, she noticed that the roof was enough to just cover the front part of the house, and behind it is the rooftop which she's currently standing on, which is slightly elevated, making it as such that no one would be able to see her even if she sat at the front most part of the rooftop.
Taking a few steps back, she settled on a spot near the center and sat down. Raising her head up, her jaw almost dropped at the sight of the moon. This time, there were no more trees or other houses' roof and chimneys blocking her view. It was the moon in its complete and full form. Very pretty.
For the first time that night, she was able to smile a bit. Being able to cross out viewing the moon at its full form out of her list. Taeyeon wondered if her mom or her dad ever knew of this location in the house when they bought it, or if they were just fooled by the outer appearance and front of the house. She sadly chuckled. It was very much like her life right now. Just how many people have and are being fooled? Taeyeon didn't know the answer to the latter but she hoped that no one else knew of this location or how to get here. At least now she would have a secret go-to place whenever she wanted to escape the insistent knockings on the door, or the non-stop calls from her phone, or just a place to escape, in general.
She has taken a good look around the house, and even though it was just as big and spacious as where she had lived before, things weren't the same. She never wanted this. She never wanted to set up a front and be pretentious.
"Why do I have to live like this?" She spoke to no one in particular. "Why can't I just be normal just like everyone else?" She raised her head up the sky, noticing the twinkling stars complimenting the night sky, along with the moon.
"Do I even have a purpose in this life? Or do I just have to keep on hiding? My mom won't listen, my dad surely won't too.... no one is listening to me. They just don't understand. I know theories of wishing upon a star might be for kids, but won't lose anything if I try, right? I just want to let all these out." Taeyeon sighed, letting the chilling night wind to comfort herself.
"I just want somebody who'll listen to me and who'll understand me. Someone who'll give me a will and a reason to continue fighting before I lose it completely. I wanna be alone, but I don't want to be lonely. Do you get me? I know you moon and stars don't have ears and truly don't have mouths to respond with and that's completely okay with me but... perhaps, could you listen to me? That alone is enough for me. Please, just always be there for me. So at least, even at night, I'll be reminded that I'll be understood and that I won't be truly alone." Taeyeon didn't know why she was this desperate, but maybe it was because she was oblivious to the fact that her wishes may just about to come true, and that other than the moon and stars, there was someone else who was listening to her pleas.