Hi...! If you came straight to this chapter, please read the previous one first, since I’m doing a double update today!

Junmyeon stepped into a bookshop, which was situated a few blocks away from his dad’s house. After stepping out of the house, he made his way straight to this bookshop.

A familiar person looked up from the counter, and his eyes widened seeing Junmyeon there, at that time. “Hyung!” he said. “What brings you here at this time?” He asked.

“Hi... Kyungsoo.” Junmyeon said, walking up to his friend. This bookshop belonged to Kyungsoo’s mom, and he used to stay as the cashier while she was away. “Hyung? Did anything happen?” Kyungsoo asked, searching Junmyeon’s eyes. Junmyeon nodded with a smirk. “Kyungsoo, you said once that your mom is looking for a part timer for this shop. Is the vacancy still there?” He asked. Kyungsoo answered with even more widened eyes. “Well yeah, I can’t always stay here since I’m doing private music classes for middle schoolers now. So we need someone to work as cashier here.” He said. “Is there anyone you know hyung?”

Junmyeon nodded. “I’ll take the job.”

“You?” Kyungsoo blurted out. Then he took a closer look at Junmyeon’s face, noticing something. “Hyung...., did you...get slapped?” He asked hesitantly, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, and pointing at Junmyeon’s reddened left cheek. Junmyeon gave him a bitter smile. “Got slapped, and also got kicked out of the house.” He said. “It’s a long story man. I’ll tell you everything later. I have to earn my expenses and I’m returning to my apartment to live with Yixing.”He said.

* * * * * * * *

Junmyeon returned to his apartment and Yixing was more than delighted to have his friend with him again. This made Junmyeon feel even more guilty. He woke up late next morning and found that Yixing had already left for college. He was dragging his feet to the kitchen still half asleep, when his phone started ringing.

“Yeoboseyo?” He answered the call from an unknown number.

“Is this...Mrs. Lee Yeongun’s son?” A lady’s voice asked from the other end.

Junmyeon was surprised, hearing his late mother’s name after a long time. “Yes...I am. Who is this?” he asked back.

“This is Twinkles music academy. The academy Mrs. Lee Yeongun used to teach music at, if you remember.” The lady went on. “We first called your father, but since he was too busy with his meetings, his secretary gave us your number.” She said.

* * * * * * * *

Junmyeon got off the car, and looked around. The garden of the music academy was full of daffodils, which recalled the memories of his mother. He sighed and walked inside, to find the lady who called him earlier.

“We didn’t change this room at all for the past years.” The middle aged lady said, opening the door to a room, which she said that used to be Junmyeon’s mom’s room. “But unfortunately, the staff is increasing and we don’t have enough rooms, so we had to clean and take this room too.” She went on. “Madam Yeongun was the sweetest lady we’ve ever known, and such a great music teacher. We wanted to keep her things unchanged with us, but now we can’t help but remove them.” She said in a disappointed tone. Junmyeon gave her a small smile and nodded. “That doesn’t matter. I’ll take these things home. Thank you, for keeping these with you for such a long time.” He said.

The lady left him in the room and went away, leaving him alone to choose his mom’s things from her office to take home with him. He looked around the room, and at once felt the warmth of his mom, in the simple yet beautiful arrangement of the interior.

He started emptying the table, piling up the books on it to a cardboard box. There weren’t much, only some manuscript books and a few note books.

Then he took the two white china vases which were placed on the window sill, since he was informed that they belonged to his mother. Her planner, a scarf which was hung on a peg on the wall, and even a perfume bottle which had expired several years ago, he took them all to take home with him. To Junmyeon, each and every small thing that belonged to his mother, meant world. Finally he went to the small book shelf nearby the door, which was almost empty, but had a few books on it.

They were classic novels, and some biographies of famous musicians. He remembered how his mom used to tell him stories about various musicians. Beside those books, he saw a tiny key. It was too small to fit in a door lock. He took it, and went back to the table where his box of stuff was kept.

He remembered a book with a padlock. So he rummaged the box again and took it out, a book with a maroon cover and a small padlock. It was a diary. Hesitantly, he unlocked it with the key, which fit in luckily, and opened it.

It was his mother’s diary. The diary of the year that she passed away. He went through the pages, which was mostly empty, probably too busy to write anything. But whenever he found anything written, it was about him, and his dad.

12th February

Jaewook’s birthday. He was too busy to take us out, so I went to his office, taking lunch for the whole staff with Myeonie. He was amazed to see his dad in the office, and said he also will sit on that chair one day. My Myeonie...I know he definitely will.

Junmyeon gulped and turned the pages.

23rd April

Myeonie is sick, I’m in hospital with him. My baby’s looking all frail and pale. My heart aches to see him like that. Hope he gets well soon.

Junmyeon felt a lump in his throat. He missed her caring for him. He missed he staying beside him. He missed his mom so badly.

Page by page, he read, everything written about him and dad, all beautiful memories. Then he came to a page, where something he clearly remembers was written.

4th August

Myeonie’s swimming competition is going well. He made his way to the finals and tomorrow is the finals. Jaewook will take him in the morning and I will go there after my morning class. Myeonie wanted that pair of sneakers he saw at Kenny’s shoe mart last week, and I promised to buy them for him if he wins the competition. But no matter if he wins it or not, I will take it for him tomorrow. All I want to see is my baby smiling, that’s what any mother would want. My Myeonie, he has the most beautiful eyes and the most adorable smile, I want to see them every day...

His vision blurring with tears, ad his fingers trembling, he turned to the next page. Just like he guessed, it was empty. That was the last thing his mother had written in her diary.

Junmyeon put all the stuff in his car, thanked the middle aged lady, and drove out of the academy. He was on his way to his apartment, when the traffic of the Seoul roads made him halt.

He was waiting in the traffic, humming ‘Walk On Memories’, when his eyes suddenly caught the board of a nearby store.

“Kenny’s Shoe Mart-Imported Shoes and Sports Wear”

It was the shoe store which he saw that pair of sneakers and begged his mom to by them when he was twelve years old. She promised to buy it if he won that tournament, and he won it, and waited till she arrive to cheer him, and take him to by those sneakers. But as soon as he came out of the pool, he was taken to the hospital by his dad, saying that she met with an accident. He never got to see his mom alive again after that day.

Junmyeon looked ahead of the road, recalling his childhood memories, and his eyes stopped at the crosswalk a few meters ahead. Suddenly, realizing something he never did before, his heart started beating in an unexpected rate, and with trembling hands, he t