say the name -

seventeen

He gave out a dry laugh – a small and silent one as he found the new sudden news so funny although Jongin couldn’t lie that it brought sudden twisted churn in his stomach.

No.

Just no.

It couldn’t be.

“Ha. Nice joke. Not that funny, but okay…” his laugh slowed down before he got all serious once again.

“Now where is she?”

There was a sigh and Jongin presumed that it was from the unknown girl who was in in house.

“She’s not here. She already quit.”

“ing hell – she’s not.” He scowled. “I bet she’s here right now, isn’t she? Funny, Yeoreum… very funny. Now come out, I don’t like this game.”

His fists balled tight when he didn’t hear any answers – just the cold air of his air – conditioner and the fast beat of his heart, thumping loudly in anxious as he thought of the worst thing that was happening at the moment.

He swallowed the lump in his throat.

“She’s not here… I’m your new help for now on.”

“Yeoreum!”

He didn’t care about whatever the girl was trying to say. The only thing that he cared at the moment was the fact that nobody was answering to his calls. At that nobody was Yeoreum – why isn’t she coming to him? Why isn’t she answering? Why is it so cold all of a sudden?

And the next thing Jongin knew, his feet stumbled on himself and twisted before he landed on the ground with a loud thud. Immediately, he clenched his jaw, eyes b in tears at the twisted pain of his ankle.

It was black and he was searching everywhere for someone – just seek for any help.

“Yeoreum!”

His breathing hardened and eyes widened in attempt to see something, anything but sensing the same black pitch clouded him, he was in panic.

“Yeoreum…” his calling grew slower and his tears trickled his cheeks slowly.

He didn’t know whether he was crying because of the pain, or the fact that he was crying because Yeoreum wasn’t there – she just wasn’t there and Jongin felt useless because he can’t even ing see anything to save his god damn life.

Maybe it was the truth.

Maybe Yeoreum wasn’t there anymore.

She just not there for him.

His jaw clenched, swallowing the bitter fact.

“Let me help –”

“ing get away from me.” He spat, pushing the hands that were heaving on his arms.

“But you’re –”

“Where’s my mom?”

“Umm –”

“Where is she?!”

“I – I’ll call her, but first let me help you…”

Jongin laughed at that, spatting at her with another mocking laugh. “I don’t ing need your stupid pity.”

His palm searched everywhere and when he touched on what it seemed to be the wall – he used that as a leverage to support himself and get up, hissing in pain and biting his jaw before he planted his forehead against the cold structure.

His eyes were closed, suddenly was aware at how loud and forceful his breathing was and he laughed to himself, mocking the poor self. His heart was beating so fast that it hurt him too much until he had to take another deep breathing to calm himself although that didn’t do any much too him and he gave out another dry laugh at his poor self again.

No.

He can’t do this alone.

“Please…” it came like a soft whisper – begging.

“Please… where is she? Just please…give me her. I need her so much right now.”

Yeoreum had her heart sank the moment the reality had finally drawn to her – that she was all alone in the house without having to take care of Jongin and she had sat still on her bed without moving at all, just staring at the white wall of her room blankly.

Her lips parted a bit, letting the warm feverish breath puffed out every second. Her eyes were hazy, almost to the point where she just wanted to close them tight but she was so cold. Even colder as she thought about the fact that she just left Jongin all alone.

Her stomach churned at the thought, wondering to herself of how Jongin would react to the news that she had quit.

Would he be concerned?

Would he be troubled?

Would he be searching for her?

Would he even care?

She kept on having different thoughts in her mind as she focused on how the boy would react and each one of them brought her heart to shatter – in hurt and pain.

Feeling all down, she brought her legs to her chest, before hugging it tight as she imagined that it was Jongin whom she was holding on and she was muttering soft apologies every second unknowingly as she rocked herself back and forth, closing her eyes and calming herself.

The woman sighed, closing her eyes as she ended the call that she had just gotten earlier. Her brows pinched together before loud grunts were heard.

“Dasom, do I have any appointment after this?”

A young lady in her mid-twenties nodded robotically, not even bothered by the lack of emotion in her boss’s voice before she opened her tab and read the remaining schedule for the day and after she had finished, another grunt was being heard.

“I need you to postpone that entire schedule to tomorrow. I have to take an emergency leave for a while, my son needs me.”

“Jongin?” Dasom suddenly seemed interested. “Why? Is the new help quit already?”

The woman sighed. “No. But I think she’s about to. Jongin doesn’t seem like he take the news of the new help very well…”

Dasom pursued her lips as she didn’t know what to say in return. She glanced at the woman who was still sitting on her chair and rubbing her temple in circular motion. “You shouldn’t have fired the last one…your son seemed to be doing just fine with her.”

Mrs. Kim had sighed for the nth time at hearing that. She glanced at nothing as she suddenly remembered Yeoreum and how lively the girl was. “I know…”

“Why you even fired her to begin with?” the secretary asked and the mother kept mum at the question.

Truthfully, she didn’t know herself.

Perhaps, she was just being guarded as a mother – overprotective and just needed the best for her son.

And she didn’t know what’s the wrong in that.

She sighed, finally stacking up the reports that she had read thorough and cleaned her own desk. After a few seconds, the woman had already walked out of the building, eyes looking worried and frowns on her brows never left.

Her mind was thinking about ridiculous and the worst thing that she could make off when she had thought about Jongin and that only left her heart beating worriedly as she drove quickly to the building of the apartment.

The moment she had arrived in the house, a girl – just a bit younger than Yeoreum was, quickly running to her from the living room and chanting multiple of apologies and told her about what had happened and the mother was so close at losing it when the girl mentioned that her son might sprained his ankle from falling and a bruised forehead from slamming it onto the wall multiple of times.

“It’s okay, Yumi…just stay here. I will check up on him. You did a great job, don’t worry.” She forced a smile before placing her bag on the end of the couch.

When she had opened the door of her son’s room, her heart had sunk at the sudden image.

There were plates of foods on the floor, splattering around as it had just been knocked off and she remembered that Yumi, the new help had stated about how she had brought breakfast, but the boy just cursed at her and knocked the tray of food over before cursing her out.

She gave out a frustrated sigh.

“Jongin!”

The boy was lying on his bed, covered by the comforter as he turned his back on the mother and at the calling of his name, his ears suddenly perked up before his body tensed under the thick fabric.

“I know you’re not sleeping.”

She was never someone who had the tendency to be so harsh on her own kid. She was actually a very gentle parent, always using the soft tone and the kindest affection to show her support, her husband, Jongin’s father was the one who was stern and dominating, but when she had so many burdens on her shoulders, she had to change that role and be much harsher so that nobody would think easy of her.

And that’s how she had treat Jongin.

Receiving no answer, she sighed again. “Why are you doing this again, Jongin? I thought we passed through this.”

Her voice went louder every second as she spoke, venting all the frustration that she had.

“Why?” Jongin suddenly voiced out and she just watched her son pushed the comforter away from him, sitting on the bed.

“Why don’t you tell me why I have been acting like this, mom.”

His voice also went loud, trying to match with her volume and frustrations.

“What the hell is with the new help? And where the hell is Yeoreum?”

Her nostrils flaring. “She quit.”

“Don’t lie to me, mom.” He laughed dryly. Fists balling as he thumped on the mattress blindly.

“We were so fine before. Why the would she suddenly quit? Why the would she suddenly went away from me?”

He breathed out, lips trembling.

“Jongin…” a sigh. “…she’s just a temporary.”

There was a voice in his mind, telling his brain as he went silent and slowly, he mockingly scowled. “She didn’t quit, isn’t she? You fired her, didn’t you? And you didn’t even tell me? Trying to find out if I want that or not?”

“Jongin…” the mother sighed. “I don’t know why you’re so upset over this. So what if I did? She’s just like every other help that came for you. You didn’t care when I fired your other helps before, so…”

He scowled.

Jongin just scowled at that before his jaw clenched tight at the words. “So what if I did? Mom, this is Yeoreum that I’m talking about, not some stupid help that you found. She’s someone so ing important to me and you said what? Mom, you pushed something away from my life without my ing will.”

He spat every words that he said, nostrils flaring as he kept calm. Although, when he wanted to continue, his voice cracked a bit.

“Have you ever seen me with a help like her before? Don’t say you do because I never did.”

“Jongin…”

“She’s the only person that I cooperate with. She’s the only person that bothers to ask when I’m not being myself. She’s the only person who said that it’s okay if I’m acting like a coward. She’s the only person that held my hand when I push her away.”

He breathed out, fists clenched then unclenched at the words that he just spat.

“Yeoreum’s not a help for me. No…” he shook his head. “She’s more than that, and what did you do? You ing let her get away from me.”

“You said you want me to get better. Then, give her back to me.”

“Jongin.”

“Please…”

“Jongin.” She said more sternly.

“I love you, mom. Please…just please.”

“Jongin.” The mother disagreed on that, shaking her head. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“Mom –”

“ – listen.”

Jongin felt the sudden dip on his mattress and the next thing he knew, warm touches on his shoulders – holding him still.

“You’re being selfish here, Kim Jongin.”

The mother started.

“Do you think that it’s easy like that? Do you think her only job in the world was to care for you?”

Jongin had his lips closed at that.

“She has her own life. Do you think that she would spend her time caring for you?”

His heart sunk at those words.

“She needs to get back to college and study and be a good daughter to her family. Do you think she would be leaving all that just to be with you?”

His shoulders slumped at that.

“You are blind, Jongin. You need someone to take care of you professionally, not someone who is your friend who clearly has more important priorities in her life. ”

She stepped out of the room, closing the door silently and walked to the living room where she found the young girl sitting silently on the couch, scrolling through her phone.

“Yumi…”

The girl looked up, quickly standing up and tossed the phone away.

“You can just go home. I’ll take care of him for today.”

The young girl hesitantly nodded and Mrs. Kim just smiled, staring at her. Seeing her, somehow reminded her of Yeoreum.

Although Yeoreum was a bit taller and much mature looking, with her wavy brown hair and small eyes while Yumi was looking like a young version of Yeoreum instead – much shorter, with her big doe eyes and plump lips along with her short bob hair.

“C – can I perhaps ask you something?” Yumi suddenly asked, whirling around her body and faced the woman and she just nodded, urging the younger to continue.

“W – who is Yeoreum?” she asked.

The mother just gave out a flat smile. “She’s the help before you. I think I have mentioned it before when I gave you the brief intro about my son.”

The girl nodded at that. “Yeah, you did. But…she seemed really close with your son.”

“Sure she is…”

“Do you know that your son cried when he found out that the girl wasn’t