C H A P T E R 3 7: Red marks of debt.

Not even a week had gone after Jonghyun had spoken the words, till both boys were seated in a car on their way to Daegu.

Kibum had phoned with his cousin the day before and had almost shed some tears – again – when he heard how happy Jinki was to hear from him. The younger boy was still fragile from his previous experiences and it was clear that it affected him now that the reality was knocking on his door, and now that he and Jonghyun bit by bit had started to settle down in their apartment. During the last week Kibum had, had several breakdowns, where he just had been lying in their bed and crying his eyes out – and in the meantime Jonghyun would be seated by his side all the time.

Jonghyun of course, tired to understand Kibum, and he tired to understand how it was to lose everything and to expect never to get it back.

Except that no matter how impossible it had seemed, Kibum actually did get some of it back.

“Bummie sweetie, wake up – we are here already,” said boy felt himself shiver a bit as he fluttered his eyes open, the first thing meeting his sight being the face of his absolutely gorgeous boyfriend.

“I am sorry that I fell asleep,” Kibum muttered tiredly as he disorientated looked around the car and out the window to figure out where they were. And after a second or two of just staring out the window – waking up – Kibum suddenly felt a pang in his heart, when his eyes was met with a big white residence which certainly was more than just a little bit familiar to him.

“Do not worry about it Kibummie. It is still early and it was a long trip after all,” Jonghyun commented and leaned forward to look out the side window as well – he had to admit that he was quite surprised by the size of the house. “Is… Is this even the right place?”

“It is,” Kibum answered with a few words – still looking out the window at the house he used to live in.

Jonghyun had a bad feeling. With a house so big, how could it be that Jinki not was able to collect enough money for the long needed eye surgery? For a moment he thought about asking Kibum but he ended up not doing so – he knew that said boy was feeling horrible right now and he did not want to risk making it worse, by stepping on a sore topic.

“He is here now,” Jonghyun muttered – breaking the rising silence – as he looked out the rear mirror and saw a car pull up behind them.

Kibum turned around excitedly to check that Jonghyun was speaking the truth (not that he did not trust him, of course – it was just pure instinct), before skipping out the car door when he noticed that his cousin really was there.

Jonghyun smiled at this – remembering his first meeting with Jinki and how he had been jealous on him, just because he had been close to Kibum. But of course he did not know that they were cousins at that time (as if that actually would explain anything at all). Jonghyun used a moment to refresh the memory, smiling stupidly for himself, before exiting the car and joining the two cousins.

As the two boys had discharged from each other, Jonghyun reached his hand out to greet Jinki – but instead of getting a hand in return as expected, Jinki smiled widely and embraced him, patted him friendly on the back and announced how great it was to see him again.

“It is nice seeing you as well Jinki,” Jonghyun answered, while he somewhat tried to return the hug without feeling way too awkward about it all.

“I am glad you could come,” Jinki continued and broke the hug.

“Me too,” Jonghyun answered and took a hold onto Kibum, who now was standing beside him and kindly caressing his arm while looking at Jinki. “And it means a lot for Kibum as well – of course...”

* * *

After standing outside in the cold and chitchatting for a while, they eventually decided to enter the big house that used to belong to Kibum and his now departed parents – which also had been the actual purpose for coming there, in the first place.

Jonghyun soon got an answer on his earlier unasked question – and in the meanwhile also the shock of his life.

Looking around the house – which had been so fine and wealthy on the outside – all that Jonghyun was able to see now was a bunch of red marks, indicating that pretty much everything was going to be taken away and sold on action to highest bidder.

Jinki explained to him, that even though Kibum had his parents had been living a good life in a huge home; truth was that they had been having a huge debt – and now that his father was dead the debtors only had two choices (if you asked them): either to take it all or to hunt down Kibum for money that he does not have.

The first solution did indeed seem most appealing.

As Kibum and Jinki were standing and talking about something – and Jonghyun had to be honest; he was not really listening to their conversation, instead of he strolled upstairs to find a particular room.

The sun was shining through the window – almost enclosing the room with a magical feeling.

The gray carpet was soft as fur under his sock clad feet – fitting the simple pink wall color perfectly.

The scent that reached his nose was almost arousing – smelling so much as Kibum, without smelling as Kibum at all.

Jonghyun stood and looked around the room – stunned.

It looked like it was taken out of a magazine.

Besides a bunch of papers – lying here, there and everywhere – everything seemed to have its own place.

It was no doubt that Kibum just had cleaned his room, before going on vacation.

The bed was placed by the window with a neatly bedspread and a couple of cushions placed in the top – Jonghyun almost felt like laying down on it, but the thought was cut short, as a pair of fragile arms wrapped around his waist.

“Let us get my stuff and then get away from this place.”