A/N : Everything in this chapter is Taemin's POV okay...

 

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Taemin's POV

 

 

I walk down stairs, ready to go to school. Yet what I saw make my face turn sour. Appa spitting harsh words and omma barking back to him. They are fighting again. Like usual. Every morning.

“I’m off.” I said as walking pass them. They didn’t reply me, maybe they too busy. They seem busy. “Omma, appa, I’m going to school.” I repeat. My parents didn’t even bother look at me. 

*Oh Lee Taemin, please be an understanding child. Can you see your parents too busy defending themselves over there? Of course they will care less about you.* The little voice sang in my head.

I’m heading to the door and slide my feet into my school shoes. I slam hard the big wooden front door behind me. 

“Rude son! I don’t know where the ing hell I found you!” Appa's faint voice strike into my ears. But clear enough to make my heart hurt.

“Sick old man.” I mumbled and continue walking. They said I’m a blessed kid. Rich, good looking, good grades, nice parents, perfect family. So perfect! We used to be a perfect family everyone wants to be, but its long time ago. Everything changed after I’m a high schooler. I don’t even know why.

A pond of tears start forming when the old good memories flashing before my eyes. 

* all that stuff!* I kick the empty can near my feet with all my strength to let out my frustration.

“Ouch!” 

 I look up and saw a girl wearing white dress storming toward me. *Woah! She looks piss off.* 

“Yah! Take back!” She snarls and throws the can on my forehead.

“Oww.” What the hell? I feel like somebody stabbing on my forehead. This girl sure strong. 

“Say sorry.” She demands.

*What?* I roll my eyes. “Why must I? It was an accident. You should! You threw that to my forehead. And now it’s swelling.”

The girl staring at my forehead. With her straight face. “I have to go.” I said as I fixing my fringe to cover ping pong ball sized bump.

Before I could walk away, she suddenly bows 45 degrees. “I’m so sorry.” She stands up straight to her original position.

“Apologize accepted.” I said as I begin to make my way.

“Huh? Now your turn.” She stops me.

“Okay, sorry.” I reluctantly apologize to her.

“Okay! Where are you going?”

“Obviously, school.”

“Oh. Interesting.” She poking, smelling, and checking on my shirt. Is she crazy?

“Where’s you school at?” I ask while brush off the invisible dirt that I maybe got from her.

“Me? School? No.” She shook.

“You don’t go to school?! Why?” She answers with a small shrug. “Where do you live?” She shrugs again. Eh? What what’s wrong with her? “Are you lost or something?”

“No. Do you have to go to school? Is it a must?” She bites her lower lips, tapping the tips of her index fingers together.

“Yes~”

“I wanna eat ice-cream.”

“So? I have to go. I’m really late. Bye.” I waving at her and run ahead to school.

As soon I arrive at the gate, I stop. *W-what?!!! W-why is she here?* That crazy girl standing right in front of the school gate, waving at me with smile plastered on her cherry lips. 

“Oppa!” 

“You follow me?”

She shook. “Let’s go eat ice-cream!”

“No, I can’t. I have to go to school. Bye-bye!” 

“Oppa~” She’s stomping and run after me. “Please~ I don’t have any friend.” She hangs her head low and kicking the pebbles around her small feet.

I sigh hardly. “Me neither. But I really have to go to school. Or my parents will scold me.”

“Then, I will be waiting here okay.” She sat down on the road divider and wraps her arms around her knees. “Don’t worry. I will be here.” She teethly smile to me. 

I walk to her and held out my hand. She's tilting her head up with those deery eyes. “C’mon.” I said with smile. You only live once right. 

“Yeay!!!” The girl standing up and spin around. “Let’s go!” She clutches her arm around mine. I was very shock and almost slapped away her hand because I never held girl’s hand before. But for unknown reason, I let her. 

The girl humming gleely which make me want to sing along. “By the way, I’m Kang Jiyoung.” She said. 

 

 

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Omma approaching me while I’m watching TV in our living room. “Taemin-ah, omma and appa have to go to Busan for business trip.”

 It’s not surprising at all. They always leave me alone and I already get use of it since I was 12. 

“Taemin-ah, you will be fine right?”

“Yeah.” I retort while munching the snack. “For how long?”

“Emm, a week maybe. Could be more or less. I can’t promise anything. We’re going tomorrow.” 

When I wake up the next morning, I found out my parents already left. “Without saying goodbye to their only son huh? Great.” I snarl as I stomping back to my room. Since today is weekend so I don’t have to go to school. I can sleep all day long. Play anything I want. I can even party hard, alone. But who cares, I’m always alone. I didn’t have close friends I can hang up with.

On my way upstairs, I heard cracking noise. It is quite loud and seems like it came from my room. I reach for the baseball bat and tiptoe-ing carefully across the hallway. I tighten my grab around the bat till my knuckles turns white, ready to attack whoever the person is and slowly pokes my head inside the room.

The bat fell off from grasp and my eyes widen. “Jiyoung?”

She turns around and cast me an angelic smile before she put back the picture in her hand on the shelf. “Hi.”

“How do you get in?”

“Guess.” 

“You climb?”

Jiyoung shrug her shoulder with smirk curved. “Let’s go out.” She’s dive into the bed and rolling over. “Can I sleep here tonight?”

Is she lost her mind? Sleep in the same room with boy she just met yesterday on the same bed? My room and my bed? Unbelievable. “Of course cannot! I don’t know who the hell you are.”

“I’m Kang Jiyoung.”

“I know your name but I do know who you are. Now, get out.”

“Can you be nice to me? Because you will see me quite often.”

“What do you mean?” I tilt my head a bit. *Is she planning to stay here? Hell no.*

“You should know.”

On that night she really slept at my house, in my room, on my bed. So I have to sleep in my parents’ room.

 

 

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I became closer and open to Jiyoung as time flew by. She always drop by at my house to accompany me when my parents outstation. Omma knew about Jiyoung but she never met her yet. One day maybe.

I came home late from school today. “I’m home.” I said as I put my shoes on the rack. Appa was on his laptop at the living room, his fingers swiftly moving on the keyboard. While omma in the dining hall also with her laptop. I walk in the dining hall and sit next to her.

“Omma.”

“Hmm.” Her eyes still on the sting laptop screen.

“Can you come to my school tomorrow?”

Her shoulder drop and the expression on her face change. “What have you done now?” She mutters, taking off her glasses. 

“No omma. You have to take my report card. I told you last Sunday.”

She sigh amd put her glasses back. “I thought you said it’s on next week. I have meeting tomorrow with big clients.  Let see first if I can make it okay honey.”

She forgot again. *Let see first huh? You never come if you said that.* A small cynical smile curling at the corner of my lips. I rose from the seat and walk out from there.

Well, let’s ask appa. Maybe he can go. “Appa.” I sit down on the floor, kneeling on the hard cold floor. “Can you go tomor-“ I didn’t even get to finish my words before he cut me off.

“I can’t. I have to visit our new site view.” He monitoring.

The teeth of mine are clenching tight, they really don’t care about me. I study hard in school to get good grades and ranking so they can be proud of me. 

I rose up and stomping to the door. “Where are you going Lee Taemin?” Omma shouting. Since she ignoring me earlier so I decided to do the same.

I let my legs take me wherever it wants. Walking aimlessly. There’s a bench in the playground not far from our house. I take off my backpack and placed it next to me. I look up to the sky. There’s so many small star brighten the dark sky. I smiled while appreciating the beautiful night view.

“I wish Jiyoung was here.” I mumble under my breath. Then, a girl walking toward me under the dim streetlights. 

She lifts my school bag and sit, putting the bag on her lap. “Don’t be sad. They love you, really.” Jiyoung said trying to convince me. Sadly it didn’t work because I know my parents better than anyone else.

“Whatever. How you found me?”

“I just know.” Her feet are swinging back and forth.

“How come you know everything about me? You’re so weird and scary. Are you stalking me?”

“You are my best friend, oppa.” She playfully punches my arm. “If you need a shoulder to cry on, I can lend mine.”

“I know.” 

She is a great friend. She can smell when I sad, happy or even in my despair state. Jiyoung always there beside my side to blow back my lost spirit. Jiyoung knew everything about me. But one thing she don’t know is my heart always race when she around me. She didn’t know I have feeling toward hereto be more than her friend. 

“Ahhh~” She lean back with arms supported her body, inhaling the night air. 

“Jiyoung-ah. There’s something I have to tell you.” The cold sweats start running on my forehead.

“What is it oppa?” She questioning without looking at me. Her pearly smile still unerased from her pouty lips.

“Look at me.”

“Wahhh! I saw a shooting star!” She is pointing up to the sky.

“Whatever. Look at me. This is really important to me.”

“Let me make wish first.” She pats on my shoulder before clasping her hand together. Her big deery eyes slowly shutting down. 

“You believe on that such thing?” I chuckle. She hushed me. She’s really testing my patient. “Kya! Kang Jiyoung!” I harshly grab her waist making her spin facing toward me. In a split second, I laid my lips on her soft pinkish lips. I feel spark over my head. Jiyoung didn’t move an inch, either broke the kiss or kissing me back. So I guess its okay. I continue kissing her before broke it gasping for air.

“Sorry.” I whisper softly while resting my forehead on her shoulder. “I love you Kang Jiyoung.”

Jiyoung let out a small laugh before encircle her arms around my hips. “That what I wished just now.” She said as she snuggles into my chest.

 

 

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 Months go by pretty quickly. It’s been a year already. Our relationship is blissful. Jiyoung filled the empty space inside me. I promise I will marry her after I’m graduated from high school. I know omma and appa won’t agree but I believe I can convince them. Jiyoung are my everything.

Omma know about Jiyoung. I brought her home a few times. I know omma like Jiyoung even though I never saw they talking to each other every time Jiyoung came. But Jiyoung told the other ways. 

“Taemin-ah.” Omma gently shook my skinny body to wake me up. I let out a few groans before slowly open my eyes. I blinks a couple times before softly rub it.

“Wake up honey. I’m taking you somewhere.” Her voice sound shaky. She plants a kiss on my forehead. “I’ll be waiting downstairs okay.”

I nod and lazily get off my bed. *Where is she going to take me? Vacation? But she didn’t ask me to pack. Maybe they taking me to grandfather. Whatever.* I enter the bathroom to take shower.

After 15 minutes, I went downstairs and found omma waiting in the dining hall. “Taemin, eat your breakfast.” She’s layering the empty plate in front of me with delicious food.

“You cook all these?” Omma smile and sit back. “Where’s appa?”

“He's waiting in the car.”

“Where are we going omma?” Instead of answering me, she stuffs my mouth with more food.

After done taking my breakfast, we’re heading to the car where’s appa already waiting inside. Our car drove away. The journey seems very foreign for me. “Where are we going?” I ask for the fifth times. Both omma and appa didn’t bother to answer me.

The long journey finally ends when our car parked in front the white building. I get off the car and stretching out my hands. My eyes darted on the sign board wrote ‘Psychiatric Hospital’. Blood rushing into my face as my heart pumping very quickly in panic state.

“What are we doing here?!”

Appa patting on my head. “We’re visiting my son. Come.” I look to omma, she’s nodding. As my parents and I make our entrance, I texted to Jiyoung telling her I smell something bad going to happen. We reach the third floor and the elevator door wide open. The scent lingering into my nose. I don’t like the scent. Omma asked me to sit on the hallway while she and appa talking to a woman in white coat. I don’t know what they talking about.

A few minutes later, the three of them approaching me. “Taemin-ah my son, we have to go.” Omma said with uneven breathe and teary eyes while offering her hand.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To cure you.” The woman retort.

“From what? I’m not sick.”

“Oppa!” Jiyoung voice echoing in the empty hallway.

“Ah! Jiyoung-ah!” I immediately run toward her and hugging her tightly. “Come on Jiyoung. We have to go. They are taking me away.” I said as I looking back to the trio. Omma was sobbing while appa trying to calm her. Unlucky me, after a few steps, I was stopped. Two buff men holding tight my left and right hands. 

“Jiyoung-ah!” I lost my grip on her hand. “Jiyoung! Jiyoung! Run! Go get help!” 

Jiyoung stays, warm tears rolling down soaking her red cheeks as her hands also reaching for me.

“Oppa!”

I struggle to free myself but the men dragging me away from Jiyoung. “Jiyoung!” The woman in white coat approaching and stick out something on me.

“Y-you drugs me?” That was the last words I said before knock out.

 

I don’t know for how long I fainted before I awake. The fluorescent light are blinding me. I hovering my sight with bare hand. I look around and found myself in the white room with no window, just a small white door.

“Where am I?!”