Does The Crying Ever Stop?

 

She looks at me, alarmed and confussed of what I am doing in the reception room all by myself and why I went out without even telling her. She grabs my arm shaking it about with her hand gestures.

''Where have you been!?'' she exclaims ''I've been so worried trying to find you''

''Oh, I'm okay. I was just having a quick break'' I reassure her

''What!? A quick break!? What are on about? We where worried sick Joy! This is a huge hotel and you could have been lost!'' she finishes still looking straight at me and waiting for my response only to be interupted by Dad.

''Oh come on now honey. She's 16, plus this is Chairman's hotel so if anything ever happened we would be fine.'' He gives me a wink. ''I saw that you started crying sweat pea, are you okay now?'' 

''Oh yeah sure. I ... guess'' I say to distract my waving hand beside me, telling Jungkook to go before they question anything. Luckly he sees the hand and starts looking around as if he has no idea who I am. I'm so relieved, it could have gone way worse. Although I catch a glimps of Mike staring at Jungkook as he wanders around the reception, analysing his every move.

''Are you sure? Is it about Grandma?'' He asks with a slight softer tone in voice. 

The same thing happens again, just as I hear her being said; my heart dropps out of my chest along with my eyes to the floor as I close my eyes and force them shut. Hoping no one suspects my burning tears that start flooding within my eyes.

''Oh, really. Why didn't you say so?' she says ''Oh come on now. Lets get you washed upstairs.'' she comforts me, wraping her arms around my shoulders to give me support, we walk over to the elevator. I feel as if I am about to trip over and disclose my eyes only to expose a familiar looking guy stading in the corner of the elevator. 

''Oh, Hun I'm off to have a chat with Chairman about some buisness with the hotel.'' He informs us as he starts making his way over to the other side of the resturant. ''I'll be a while.'' He adds as he disapears through the door. 

Mum doesn't respond or even look at him as her eyes are stuck on me, wondering what is going on. She soon sees me looking at the guy that then makes me turn to face her and Mike instead. 

''Oh Joy!'' She says. ''I know it is hard, but we have to let go of the past and look into the future'' She smiles at me, hoping it will make me feel better. 

''But I don't want to forget! I don't want to ever forget my Grandma! She looked after me for 4 years when my you weren't even by my side. She is more than just family, I cannot ever even think about forgetting her like that!'' I proclaim as tears start flooding down my face once again. 

They all stand still as I continue crying infront of them, all watching me not knowing what do say next. 

''Joy, Mum, please. We should really do this some place else, rather than in a public elevator - don't you agree?'' He adds, piercing his eyes towards the guy in the corner, showing that we are not alone. 

''Oh, yes. Right.'' Mum agrees as she comes over to me and gives me a hug. At first I want to push her away, of always being so anoying thinking she knows it all and judging me on my actions before even hearing me out. But I soon find myself give in as my arms raise up and recieve the hug from her. It feels good to let it all out after all this time of thinking about Grandma. It's still all very new to me even though it happened a year ago - it only felt like yesterday.

My eyes open and wonder off around the lift, as I all the tears back in and begin to come to my senses. Mike, staring at me then moves on to the guy in the corner near the buttons and watches him as he covers himself more with his black hoodie. It's definately not Jungkook I think to myself as he isn't wearing any fake beard or moustache. He presses number 12 and finally rests his back against the wall, that seems to look out of exhaustion, glaring up at us. 

I then discover who it is and am not able to control the intense contact with his dark gleaming eyes that they drift away once again as I try and act normal. But I can't seem to look anywhere else in this lift anymore as there isn't anything that I able able to look at. And so they carry on drifting towards his dark hair and sharp jaw line that I then realise how annoyingly handsome he is. He just continues watching me, focused on finding out whats going on and why we are making such a racket in the elevator. Thankfully we arrive at floor number 6 and doors open wide displaying all the busy waitresses running around with trays and pots as if their life depends on it.

Mums head raises as she pulls me out leaving Mike behind and takes me in my room. She quickly helps me wash and get dressed in my unicorn pyjams as I get tucked up in bed. Covering me with a blanket, she sits beside me and watches my eyes start closing. 

''Okay. There, now you deserve a rest after such an exhausting day'' She smilles starting to stand up but I grab her hand pulling her back in. ''Woah there okay I won't leave'' She says in surprisement as she once again sits back down and taps me gently putting me to sleep. 

........................................................................................................................................................

 

The next morning I awake at the sound of my phone beeping a trillion times. It's Lily! I quickly clutch the phone and answer the skype chat. 

''Hey, Hey'' She greets me ''Rise and shine! Come on Joy, right now here its about 2:00!'' 

''Wait what!'' I declare as I sit up and look at my watch only to find that here in Seoul it is 10:00 in the morning. 

''So, did you sleep well?'' 

''Oh, uh I guess'' I answer her, pressing the plam of my hand against my forhead. Just then The digit 10 reminds me that I have to meet Mike infront of his room right now!

''Oh Lily sorry. I just forgot! I have to meet Mike right now for something but I promise I'll be back soon to chat. I'm really sorry but I've got to go.''

''Oh'' she sighs as she sits on her bed. ''Well be quick then, I've got something to tell you, okay?'' 

''Alright I'll be back'' I respond as I end the chat and get changed supper quick in my blue, collared crop top and black Debenhams jeans. I stuff my bag with my phone, headphones and purse, grab my shoes and head straight out the door to his room. 

After a long wait in the lift and sprint down the hallway I find him outside his door playing on his phone and looking at his watch. I realise I am 10 minutes late and rush towards him. 

''Oh there you are!'' He grumbles as he slips his phone in his pocket. ''What took you so long!?''

''Oh sorry, I ... over slept'' I admit as I continue waiting for him to say something. ''So, ... what did you want to tell me?'' I ask beaking the silence. 

''Follow me'' He says draging me into the lift and down to another room which seems to look like a play room with games and activities. I'm so surprised this can even be found in a hotel let alone that Chairman (Suzy's Husband) decided to include it in his hotel. 

He sits me down at a table on the side of the room near the bar, hands clutched together as he looks around. 

I watch his gaze as I then see myself what he is staring at. A young gril, wearing a white and blue striped apron infront of the bar, that looks only about 12 years old. She has her hair braided in two plaits that sway behind her ears and down only to around her chest with a gorgeous gold necklace dangling around her neck just above her collar. She is so pretty! I think to myself.

He turns back to me and grins.

''So....'' I say watching his face turn rosey red full of embarressment. ''What do you expect me to do?''I ask feeling weird that my brother for the first time actually likes someone. Infact this feel awfully weird! I give him a slow motion gentle fist bump in the shoulder as he nudges me away with a dirty look. 

''Okay, I didn't bring you here to mess this up for me.'' he becomes serious, giving me the creeps. 

''Alright, alright I get it!'' I say as I stand and walk over to the girl at the counter whiping the table. 

''Hi there.'' I say coming up to her and giving hr a little wave as she looks up to see me. 

''Oh hi'' She smiles releasing the cloth and walking over to the other side at the computer ready to insert my order. I don't necessarily want any food from this place. I'd rather go to the resturant and have a proper breakfast but I remind myself that this isn't about me and it's a perfect chance to start a relationship with her.

''So may I take your order?'' She looks at me, kind of scared that I am older than her.

''Oh yes please'' I smile back, making sure she doesn't find me weird or different in any way. I look at the menu above her and gasp as I see all the meals written in Korean. She looks at me confussed as she gathers after a few seconds that I don't really read the language that well. 

''Oh, right.'' She says ''You must be English'' She detects as I play with my fingers. 

''Oh um, ... yes'' I laugh a little, not sure of how this is going to work out int he end. 

''No worries, I can speak it as well. Would you like me to tell you what they all are?'' She asks. 

''Oh yes please!'' I say in desperation so glad that she is a smart one too. That already works and can even speak English with a perfect accent, wow she really is inpressive. I think to myself. And perfect for Mike, I grin as she hands me the menu. 

We talk for a while and laugh a little, which feels great as if I have somehow have known her for a very long time. I finally find out that her name is Lee Aurem, meaning beautiful as she explains she was named it after her mother that had passed away when she was only little.

''Oh I'm so sorry to hear that'' I gasp covering my mouth. 

''It's okay'' she says as we stand there looking at eat other. I decide to open up too as she has talking about Grandma.

''I too lost a really close family member'' I add as she looks up at me with sore eyes. 

''Really'' She sobs.

''Yeah I did. And it was actually only last year. My Grandma passed away that I was devistated!'' I explain hoping to make her feel better. ''I didn't think I could ever go back to my normal life ever again without her. She was Like my second mum as she had looked after me when I was really little.''

She nods listening carefully to every word I say. 

''I soon realised that it was something I had to over come whether I liked it or not I had to become stronger and get back to my normal life again.''

''So what happened then? What did you do?''

I watch her as she waits for my answer. ''To Be honest Areum I still cry sometimes about it even today. But I always remind myself that I have to be strong and make her proud as she is watching over me.'' I smile to her hoping she understands me. 

''Yeah, I see'' She says. ''I know I never knew her as I was so young, but I wish I had someone like that next to me when I was little. My dad never really cared about my schol clothes if they were washed or what we were going to eat for dinner. He was so layed back and chilled about everything. It was really hard for me to understand what was normal and what was not.'' She finishes as I watch her start sobbing again. I feel so sorry and bad for her. She must have had a tough life - no wonder she is so young working in this bar. 

 I walk around the counter up to her and give her a little hug. The least I can do is comfort her even though we have only just met it honestly feels so right and normal. After the hug she whipes her tears away smiling at me once again. 

I cannot get over how nice she is being, even smiling all the time at me after hearing wat she has been through. But she also has the most welcoming smile of all, I am starting to become quite jelous already. No wonder Mike has totally fallen for her!

''Wow sorry. If my boss was here I would definately get fired'' She laughs as I join in too. ''Oh your food is ready.'' She quickly goes in the back and comes back in seconds later with a tray of orange juice, and a bunch of rice and noodles that I at first found quite odd as a dinner type meal but learnt from Areum that they eat the same kind of food throught the whole day and there is not type of 'breakfast meal' in Korea, like we have English breakfast in England.

I guide her to were we are sitting, almost forgetting that Mike was waiting for us all that time and sit down to being served my her. She places the plates and bowls on the table infront of us and clentches the tray against her chest wrapping her arms around it feeling a bit awkward. 

I thank her and she smiles back at us leaving the table.