Breaking News! The funeral of Kim CO.’s CEO took place this morning at Forest Lawn Cemetery. The ceremony was devastating and ...

Bull, I thought as I drifted my attention away from the news reporter’s voice. It all blended in with the background noise, with the sound of people chattering away, enthusiastic from being in the presence of their friends and from finally being able to enjoy some free time.

I felt so distant from all those people, as if there was no way to bridge the distance between two separate minds. Disconnected from the world around us, we kept going. It was as if the only thing that mattered was to center our consciousness around our own existence.

Searching for a place to sit down, I instantly felt like the odd one in the pub. The atmosphere itself was intriguing, but my mind kept drifting from the crowd to the TV for a while.

The family of the deceased have expressed their regrets. It is still unkown who will inherit the business empire left behind way too early. The announcment is supposed to be made sometime this week.

I was in no way ready for the choice I was forced to make, the thoughts were flooding my mind with the speed of torrential rain and there were few things I could cling to that would keep me on the surface, safe from drowning.I wanted to turn off my mind and stop seeing his devastated face whenever I closed my eyes. I sat down at the bar.

"Two shots of whiskey, please."

The bartender gave me an odd glance but I did not dwell on it. I wasn't the first, nor the last person that night that he had to serve. And I wasn't the first nor last to be drinking to forget the pained look of a loved one.

Before I was even aware, the mix of feelings started dissipating. The sole emotion I couldn't repress, the only one that still took over me so intensely was love. Somehow it was awakened all over again and I knew there was not much I could do to run away from it.

I had not expected this outcome and right when everything was starting to fall back into place, when I could almost feel the same closeness to him as before, our worlds got turned around once more, for the worst. I had to make a choice and I had to make it quick.

I kept recalling the situation, needing to remind myself constantly of the events that have occurred, so that I wouldn’t lose track of my own thoughts again. A few days ago, shortly after the funeral, we found out Jongin’s dad had passed the business on to one of his employees and not to his son, as it would’ve been expected. There was also nothing in the will for him, everything went to miss Kim. It was as if, because of the divorce, his father had suddenly decided to disown him and change his will without any warning.

Left without a job and with no future prospects, he would be unable to keep paying the rent for such an expensive house. Soon enough it would be the end of the month and both him and Sunyeon wouldn’t be able to afford a roof above their heads and I, implicitly, would move back in the university dorm. I didn’t care much about what happened to me, because as a student I had several options and could easily get a part-time job if needed. But Jongin’s situation was different. He had to provide for two, get a new job within a limited time and he wouldn’t be able to rely on anyone.

I wished I had the means to support him, but with no income and no work experience I was lucky I could, with the insignificant scholarship I had, afford to take care of myself.  Right now, I had fled the house because I needed to clear my mind, but I knew that back “home” Jongin had already started packing.

Time passed by without me noticing and when I left the pub it was already dark outside. I felt more composed than before, so I headed back to his place determined to talk it out and find a solution together. We hadn’t done much talking ever since, given that he simply had withdrawn within himself and avoided expressing his fears and worries. I knew, however, that he was distraught and shaken to the core, desperately trying to keep himself together. As I got inside the house, there was a visible change already. It started lacking personality again and there were, once again, several boxes ready to be transported.

“Jongin?” I searched around for him, until I found him on the balcony of his bedroom. As soon as he sensed my presence, he turned his head to look at me.

“Hey, welcome back.”

“How are you feeling?” I could hear the genuine concern in my own voice.

“I’m alright.”

Heavy silence fell upon us and I avoided looking at him, half angry that he wouldn’t be truthful to me and half worried, noticing how the sound of his voice told a different story. I gripped the handrail, standing by his side and looking in the distance. Finally, I broke the silence.

“I want to help you. I know I can’t do much... and I don’t have anything to offer, but you don’t have to go through all of this alone.”

I waited for a response, but the closest thing to one that I got was a heavy sigh followed by more silence. Just like the past days, he was still withdrawn and refused to talk about what was happening. I knew I could either continue pressing the matter or wait for him to come around, but I was done waiting. I wanted to act.

“Talk to me. I know we will find a solution. It is a difficult situation, but I’ve got a feeling everything will work out in the end...”

Finally, he reacted. “I thought you only relied on reason, not intuition.”

“When I’ve got nothing else left I turn towards intuition... it keeps me grounded.”

“What do you want me to say? I’m a mess...”

I glanced at him in the darkness and our eyes met. He looked disoriented but I was glad that, for once, he didn’t hide his emotions. Without shying away, I kept trying to drag more out of him.

“Did you think of anything so far? Anything you could do?”

“Job interviews... when I tried to call my mother she didn’t even pick up the phone. All I wanted were some answers, but it seems she’s gonna avoid me from now on.” The painful loneliness could be sensed in his tone.

There was something I desperately wanted to say, but my heart started racing at the thought of opening the subject. Before he had moved away from Korea, I spent as much time as I could at his apartment, trying to get away from my parents who had become, to say the least, unbearable. The day after he left I found out he had put the apartment under my name, a last gesture to show that he wanted to take care of me and keep me away from my hostile home.

“We can always go back to Korea,” I whispered.

“But what about your studies?”

“I can find a good university there as well... it won’t be such a big deal...”

“Yet it wouldn’t be what you want. Don’t feel like you owe me anything.”

I shot him a glare at the mere statement. How could I not feel forever in his debt when, once again, as soon as I was in need of a job, he offered to take care of me, without any other ulterior motive than having me help him raise his baby son. I knew he was selfless when it came to me, which was why I wanted to be able to offer him everything I had in return. He was obviously surprised by my reaction.

“I told you I want to help. You can’t just tell me to be at peace with this whole situation!”

“That’s not what I meant...”

“You’re trying to keep me out of it. But I can’t just ignore what’s happening. That apartment is empty right now and you’re going to be evicted soon. You don’t have to worry that you won’t have a roof above your head anymore. If you don’t want me to quit my studies then I will stay here, I’ll go back to the dorm, I’ll figure something out.”

He kept hesitating. Whether it was because he didn’t want to leave without me or because he didn’t like the whole idea, I didn’t know. After a few moments, he turned his head away from me.

“If you don’t want to go back, then we can just sell that apartment and get a place here. It would be smaller than this and not as ... luxurious, but it would be stable. We could start from scratch... I can still help you raise Sunyeon and you could find a job in the meantime...”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?...”

I nodded firmly, feeling like I finally managed to get through to him, like a weight had been lifted. We stayed up a while longer to plan everything in advance and, the next day, taking only a few things and a sleeping baby with us, we went to the airport, both feeling scared, yet slightly enthusiastic about what the future had to offer.

A/N: Meep here! Yes, I am back! I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting and I'm so grateful that I didn't lose my dear subscribers during my hiatus! Thank you for baring with me! Unlike before, I won't update on a specific day anymore, because writing on a schedule is something I just can't do. I will try to do it  frequently nonetheless, but no more promises made this time! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, made it a lil bit longer than the others to express my gratitude! ^_^