4. Redolence

It was a quiet evening. The light breeze of the spring carrying the fragrance of the flower blooms around, a peaceful atmosphere settling in and around the neighborhood. There was a distant sound of children playing in the nearby park, concerned mothers shouting for their little ones to be careful and nothing could be more peaceful and heartwarming than this.

Noeul breathed in the fresh air of the evening that she could never get tired of. She felt calm and tension free that she never felt when she used to be with her father. The atmosphere there was always charged with tension, what with him being one of the best and busiest criminal lawyers in the city. There was not one day that she could spend peacefully, not having to worry about having to attend one too many phone calls asking for her father. Not one day went without accidentally having to hear how a poor mother was slaughtered to death trying to protect her daughter from being sold off or a boy beaten to death because he was not ready to give away his daily earnings to some bloody robbers.

Noeul loved her father, more than anyone could ever imagine. But she was never happy with him. Her father was too busy to tend to her needs and one fine day, he decided it was better for her to grow up in a boarding school. She terribly missed her mother when she was away from her father as well. She was starved of love and, she was robbed of the happiness that every child enjoyed with the family. While other parents eagerly and happily visited their children once in a while, her father made a phone call saying he was too busy to visit and could not make it. She grew up with little to no love from her parents but she was still very positive inside. Every time her father said that he was busy and would not be able to visit, she pacified herself saying next time he will. Next year, he will. And this would go on and on. The first and the last visit he ever made was to let her know that her elder brother had cleared the entrance exam to join a prestigious law school. She was happy. She was happy for her brother and her father. But the smallest part of her heart ached with jealousy. The fact that her father came all the way to her boarding school just to let her know that her brother had cleared a test, not once bothering about his busy schedule when it came to his dearest son.

Now that she was back, she couldn't help but hope to get away from that place. Having spent years and years in her little room without being bothered by a ringing phone every other minute, she could not handle the tension that whirled around in her father's place that she used to call home. So it was a relief to know that her mother was in the city too. When her father broke the news about her mother and asked if she wanted to meet her, she was hesitant. Not having met her mother for more than thirteen years had brought a large gap between them and Noeul wasn't sure if she wanted to meet someone who had not been a part of her life for all this while, despite being the most important family member. However, when she found out how her mother had not changed even after being away for more than a decade, the hesitance she had felt faded. They met a few more times on the weekends, her father never accompanying her giving one or the other reasons. It wouldn't come as a surprise if he was just uncomfortable and not actually busy. And this time around, she cared less about her father and his constantly busy life and concentrated on mending her relationship with her mother.

It was not a surprise to her father to know that his daughter wanted to spend a little more time with her mother and announced that she was going to stay over at her place for a few days. So, when Noeul did voice out her desire to stay with her mother, he did not bother stopping her. He knew, he had failed to provide the best childhood memories to his daughter and had been partial to her, concentrating more on her brother and never on her.

She was happy. Noeul was exceptionally happy coming home to the softest humming of her mother, being welcomed by the delicious smell of food made with love and care. Noeul couldn't ask for anything more. Her college life was a mess, of course. But that was usual and could be easily dealt with out of sheer practice. Life hadn't been this easy for her from as long as she remembered.

Noeul walked slowly by the pavement, swinging her hands back and forth, humming softly to the tunes of her favorite song. Her pace increased only when she could see the top of her mother's house, the excitement of spending yet another evening listening to her mother rant about her work while relishing the food she made overpowering the laziness of her tired limbs.

"I'm home!" Noeul shouts, toeing off her sneakers by the shoe rack and picking up her mother's pet cat, which purred in delight on being scratched on the belly and climbed over her shoulder, very much happy to be carried.

"In the dining room!" She hears her mother shouting and made her way to the dining room, anticipating an overflowing amount of food littered around the table.

As expected, the surface of the table could hardly be seen, completely covered with the variety of dishes. Noeul took in the sight for a few moments before sighing and sitting down on a chair looking at her mother with a blank face. When she fails to gain her mother's attention, she sighs exasperatedly and calls out to her.

"Mom! You do realize that we can hold a small dinner party with the amount of food you have made, right?"

"Of course! We should do that sometime." Noeul mentally facepalms herself at that. "Mom, why do you prepare so much just for an evening snack? It's too much and it'll be wasted." 

This is enough for the dinner too. She doesn't have to cook later again for dinner.

"Oh come on! Your mother is cooking all this with so much love for you and what you do in return is complain?"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, alright? Don't assault me with your emotional blackmailing, now." Noeul says getting up from the chair and dropping her bag on a side table. "I'll be back. I need to clean up."

***

The night can't get any worse!

Jungkook thought to himself. Currently, a very drunk and completely out of mind, and a very very clingy Kim Taehyung was hanging off from his arms. In the last hour, he had been slapped in the face at least twice by the said man and he is sure his toes will have to be amputated, taking into account the number of times he was stomped on!

They had been sitting in their usual spot in the cafe, Taehyung chatting Jungkook's ears off while he doodled on his sketchbook, nodding his head to let his friend know that he was indeed listening. Everything was going like usual until suddenly Taehyung dropped his head down on the table with a thud and a silent sniffling was heard. Alarmed by the sudden mood change, Jungkook had put his book and pen away before reaching out to Taehyung's shoulder to gain his attention. Taehyung hadn't budged from his place but his sniffles had grown to become full-blown crying within seconds.

"What's wrong Tae?" Jungkook had asked, voice dripping with concern.

"I - *sniff* - I miss - *sniff sniff* - m-my... my mother..." And cue the loud cries of misery. "I ca-n't go to the US *sniff* to - to see her, to see my f-f-family, Kookie~" Taehyung had burst out crying again, but he did not stop at that, "And... and I miss them... I-I miss them *sniff* so much... And she doesn't h-hel-p... *hiccup* N-N-oeul... she-she k-keeps ig-igno-ring me... *hiccup* Noeul-"

"Oh my god! Taehyung, stop it already!" Jungkook had cut off Taehyung, totally irritated with the constant whining of his friend about how Noeul would not agree to be friends with him. "I told you. She takes a lot of time. She is not the type to go around making friends, like you do Taehyung. Come on! Get over it and if you miss your mom, please call her. Talk to your family every day, it'll make you feel better. Stop acting like you have lost your senses. Please!" 

Heeding to Jungkook's pleading, Taehyung had stopped crying, had called his mother and talked for about an hour, which, to Jungkook's misery, had only made his friend more emotional and had lead to them visiting a club nearby so that Taehyung would forget about his problems for a while. But to Jungkook's chagrin, Taehyung happened to be a lightweight and also very clingy when drunk. Jungkook had half a mind to drop the guy on the floor and walk out on him. But it was next to impossible for him to get rid of the death grip of Taehyung who had gone all koala on him. So he was also considering the idea of buying some strong drink to knock him out so that he could dump him in his house.

"Jungkookie~" A deep and a very slurred voice brought him out of his thoughts successfully.

"What now, Tae?" Jungkook asks, exasperated.

Taehyung pouts at Jungkook's disinterested voice and starts whining all over again which effectively pisses off Jungkook. Squeezing his eyes shut for a few seconds to gather his wits, Jungkook drags Taehyung out of the club, in the direction of his car.

Without a second word, Jungkook starts driving to Taehyung's place