"How are you feeling today?"
Chaeyoung lets out a humorless laugh. "I'm not."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't feel. I was born with a sensory illness. I don't feel pain, temperature, pressure. So I'm not feeling today."
"Oh," The blonde stops. Then smiles. "I'm blind. And Momo!"
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Chaeyoung thought that nothing in life could surprise her anymore, but this strange girl certainly did. She finally looks at her; eccentric glasses, a dazzling smile, a positive attitude - it makes no sense in Chaeyoung's head.
"...Okay." Is all she says.
Momo's smile widens.
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"Are you alone?" Momo speaks as if every day is exciting, and it annoys Chaeyoung.
"I have no one."
"I see," Momo stops to laugh at herself. "Well, I don't, actually. But you get what I mean."
Chaeyoung doesn't answer her. What was this girl's deal?
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"So, are you busy right now?"
"Look-"
"I can't." Momo interrupts, then slaps her knee again, chuckling. Chaeyoung frowns, then sighs.
"I'm just waiting for the bus. We don't have to talk."
"But we do!" Momo leans in. "You can't feel, I can't see, but we both can speak!"
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Momo is annoying. Chaeyoung tries to get up as silently as possible to get away, but arm gets stuck. She looks back to realize that Momo is holding her wrist.
"Don't go."
"How did you-"
"You can't feel, but I feel too much." Momo sounds serious for the first time.
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"Let me go."
"Come with me!" Momo insists, getting up to face her. "If you're not busy, come with me."
Chaeyoung doesn't know why she hasn't shaken her arm out of her grasp yet. She blames curiosity. "...To where?"
"On an adventure!"
Something sparkles.
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The thing is, Chaeyoung is used to routine. Her life is mundane; nothing exciting ever happens. She goes to school, breaks a pencil or two, eats alone, goes back home. Rinse and repeat.
This girl feels misplaced. Like she doesn't exist.
And yet, she makes her feel something.
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At that moment, a thought crosses her mind. Many times, Chaeyoung wished she didn't exist, either. There's not joy in her life. Therefore, there's not fear of losing it.
Maybe she could dive head first into the unknown for once. If it kills her, so be it.
"All right."
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Momo smiles, brighter than ever, and grabs her cane. "An adventure it is! Come on, follow me!"
It's almost funny, how Chaeyoung effortlessly starts following a blind stranger. Momo walks in crooked steps, and Chaeyoung thought she was dizzy.
She realizes she's just dancing.
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Momo asks her lots of things on their way to... somewhere.
"Do you live alone?"
"Yeah."
"What do you do?"
"I study. High school."
"What's your hair color?"
"Uh... dark brown." She can't hold back a question of her own. "Do you even know colors?"
"Nope!" Momo laughs loudly.
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"If you're a high schooler, why do you live alone?" The questions continue.
"My parents can't deal with me. They pay for my stuff since I can't get a job, but they didn't want me around the house anymore."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm a freak." Chaeyoung laughs bitterly.
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"What's your favorite subject in school?" Momo changes topics, but it doesn't feel like she's ignoring Chaeyoung's problem. She can't put a finger on it, but the way Momo speaks is light, somehow
Like Chaeyoung can just vent, and she wouldn't try to fix it.
"Art." She replies.
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"Oh, that was my favorite too!" Momo breathes out, nostalgia clear in her voice. "My paintings were great. All over the place. Abstract art was my thing you know?"
The situation is so absurd that Chaeyoung can't hold back a laugh. She laughs a lot.
Like she's never done before.
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"The sound of your laughter is beautiful," Momo compliments her, looking over her shoulder. Chaeyoung realizes that she's not looking - she positioned her ear to hear her better. "You should laugh more."
Her laughter winds down. "There are... not many reasons for me to laugh."
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"Of course there are! You have yourself. What's better than that?"
"You... want me to laugh at myself?" Chaeyoung doesn't get it.
"Yes, yes! You are your greatest source of happiness. No one in the world can make you laugh more than yourself."
Chaeyoung thinks Momo is insane.
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"That's why you joke about your blindness all the time?"
"Of course," Momo stops and turns around a corner, her cane sweeping the floor swiftly. "If you laugh at yourself enough, no one can hurt you. I've made all the blind jokes in the world already. Can't beat me!"
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"Not everyone can turn their disabilities into a joke, you know." Chaeyoung tries to sound more upset than she actually is. Momo has a strange effect on her.
"You're not turning it into a joke. You're accepting it as part of yourself."
Chaeyoung stops walking.
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"Accept it?" She clenches her fists, nails digging dangerously into her skin. She can't feel it. "Accept that I'm a freak? That no one wants to talk to me because I can't feel them poking my shoulder to grab my attention? Because I break shit all the time? Accept that??"
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Momo turns, walking slowly towards her. "No. Accept that not everyone will accept you. That you weren't put on this earth to please every single person. That you are you, and those who matter will love you for who you are."
Momo puts a hand on Chaeyoung's cheek. "Accept this."
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Chaeyoung's eyes water. She has no idea why. No one's made her cry in years. "This...?"
"Accept that, just as you can see me, I can touch you, and feel good about it." Momo's smile is gentle for the first time. "Your skin is really soft."
Chaeyoung is left speechless.
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Momo doesn't move, and Chaeyoung thinks there are tears down her face. She can't feel them, but Momo brushes her cheeks.
"You're not a freak. You have feelings. They're just on the inside." Momo keeps rubbing her skin. "Maybe you should let them out."
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"Who are you?" Chaeyoung asks finally, because none of this seems real.
"I'm Momo." Is all Momo answers. "And who are you?"
It dawns on her that she never told Momo her name. She didn't expect to come this far. "I'm Chaeyoung."
They both smile. "Nice to meet you."
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They walk side by side now, talking about life. Momo tells her about all the books she's read in braille, and Chaeyoung tells her about her favorite artists. Surprisingly enough, they have a lot in common.
After an hour, Chaeyoung realizes Momo has been holding her hand.
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They watch the sun setting together, sitting on a riverbank. Chaeyoung does her best to describe the scene to Momo, and Momo in turn describes the grass under their palms. They laugh when they fail at doing both.
There are some things you can't describe.
At least they tried.
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"How did you like it?" Momo asks as they walk back to the bus stop. Chaeyoung is amazed that Momo even remembers the way back.
"Like what?"
"Our adventure!"
Chaeyoung thinks about the sunset and the grass, and smiles, looking up to the sky. "I don't know. I can't describe it."
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They have to part, because they have lives. Chaeyoung wishes they didn't.
"It was great talking to you, Chaeyoungie." Momo smiles brightly as always, reaching out to touch her arms. She slides her palms until she can hold Chaeyoung's hands.
"You too," She could cry. "...Momo."
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"Oh, before I go!" Momo turns around one last time. "How are you feeling today?"
Chaeyoung always knew the answer to that. Now, she changes it. "Good. Happy. Relaxed. A little bit in love, maybe."
Momo stops, then laughs loudly. "Same time tomorrow, then?"
"Yes, please."
END
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