Jiho’s POV

Flashback

“Jiho-ah! Listen to me finally! You just can’t stay here, okay? Arasseo?? I only want good for you Jiho-ah. My bunny, you just can’t stay here with us. You need to go. Your father was so happy when they had accepted you on university in Seoul. He was so proud of you! He was talking about his conscientious daughter to everyone! You must go. What will you do here?! How will you help me?! Your sister will be here. Two of us are enough,” my mom was desperately shouting at me. Tears were falling from her eyes. From mine too. So big pain in heart I can even describe it. It is just two weeks my daddy passed away.

“But mommy, I don’t want let you and eonni here. I won’t be alright there without you. I will go crazy thinking if you are alright!”

“ Jiho-ah! It will be worse with you here! Go and study! I will be really angry on you if you won’t go! Don’t you dare even talk to me after that!”

“Eomma!” I cried so much. I even kneeled down. Mom came to me, hugged me so tight. I could feel her warm. “Please don’t make me suffer like that my bunny. I want you and JiAe to be happy. Your father won’t rest in peace until you will be torturing yourself with your own feelings. Please, don’t let me down because of that, bunny. My sweet JiHo..”

 

Second flashback:

“Do you even understand how hard is to be at home looking on our mother who slowly but surely become alcoholic? Jiho, you can’t even imagine it! I sacrificed so much for her and for you! And what about me? What about my happiness? What about my pain I feel? I can’t even cry at home cuz I don’t want her to see me?!”

“Jiae eonni, I understand..but you don’t know either what I am experiencing in Seoul, alone without a family…”

“You live on your own, you don’t have to care about anything!”

“Eonni stop! I do care! I didn’t want to go there! But mom said she will hate me when I will stay here!” Jiae looked at me after I said that.

“I am sorry Jiho-ah, I just…I can’t take it anymore. I try to be stronger for her, for you for myself. I am glad you didn’t stay here.”

“But I am not…”

 

I woke up from bad dream. Not actually it was reality which is chasing me. My eyes are full of tears. Daddy why did you die? I hid my face in my palms and cried for a while. Finally. Something moved with my emotions.

I prepared myself for work. I felt gloomily. Only thing what I was able to think of were these memories. It hurts so much just to remember it.

“Jiho-aaaaaaah!”

I turned my head to voice. Eunsoo hung at me with wide smile: “Good morning, you aren’t angry on me today, right? “

“No, don’t worry about that,” I smiled lightly.

“Jiho-ah what happened. Did you cried?” she looked me into the eyes.

“I am alright, I will be. I just called with my sister yesterday and then had flashback of memories in my dream,” I looked down.

“Honey,” she said and hugged me. I hugged her back. I needed that. I fought against my tears again.

“You know I won’t say it will be alright, I know you hate you to hear that,”

“Thank you Eunsoo, you are the best,” I smiled. She knows better than anyone else.

“Are you sure you want to go to work? Why don’t you call Taeil oppa to take your shift?” she asked.

“I don’t want to. I’ll go crazy if I will be at home today. I need some distraction.”

“Okay, but if anything goes bad, I will call him, fine?”

I nodded. After that she had to go help to her mother with administration work. This is what is usually doing now instead of working in restaurant.

I came to the restaurant. There weren’t many people. But day passed quickly. I was there alone because boss called Winwin not to come, because he doesn’t have a work for him. Around 7pm I saw his name on display. I picked up:

“Annyeo Winwinie~”

“Annyeo Jiho-ah. Are you really alright there alone?” his voice sounded timidly.

“Don’t worry. We don’t have many guests today. Is there somewhere zombie apocalypse I don’t know about?” I tried to sound funny.

“I don’t know I got stuck in school. I need to use my free time for studying,”

“Good boy,”

“Yeah I want to be better in hangul for you,” it sounded shyly. I didn’t understand this comment.

“Mainly for yourself Winwinie, but I am proud of you,”

“I just wanted to know if you didn’t forget about Saturday,” he was curious.

“No. I am really looking forward on it. But be sure you won’t run away from me. You know I told you, I am annoying alien,” he started to laugh.

“I won’t. I swear. How could I? You tied me already to yourself. Do you remember? That’s what you said!”

“Kekeke, yeah of course.” I laughed. He is so cute. I can lively imagine his reactions now.

“Okay, I let you work. I just wanted to know if you need something.”

“It’s really okay Winwinie. Take care of yourself, naeh?”

“Arasseo noona,” he teased me. He knows I hate when someone is calling me like that. “Bye, see you on Saturday,”

“Bye, see you…” I said and put my phone on table. I sighed. I wanted to call my mom but I didn’t. I messaged her instead: “I love u mommy, hope you’re doing great. I am looking forward on you. Just one month and I will be at home J “

“My bunny, I miss you so much. And yeah I am doing great. Still at work haha. Take care of yourself. Don’t get sick. Mommy loves you too.”

I finally smiled more.

 

Mark’s POV:

I was at school again. Bored to the death. I was laying on my desk when Donghyuck patted my shoulder. I looked at him.

“Are you okay hyung?”

“Yeah, I just want to go to work,”

“You miss her right?” he teased me.

“Yeah,” I said without hesitation. He was surprised by that quick response.

“I didn’t expect you to be so honest. It must be serious.”

“Hope so.”

“Ehm, I just wanted to ask if you are going for lunch. Jaemin and Jisung are already waiting there for us,”

“Okay, I just realized I am starving by the way,” I stood up. He was so amused with me for some reason.

We went for lunch. We were talking about our stuff, lucky Donghyuck that he didn’t mentioned Jiho at them. He maybe looks unreliable but it isn’t true. He is true friend of mine along with Jaehyun hyung who left me here on high school and went already on college. At same time we were talking Jieun came to our table.

“Mark oppa, can I sit next to you?” she asked shyly. I raised my eyebrow but didn’t want to be rude so I nodded. Donghyuck, Jaemin and Jisung were grinning at me like three idiots. Jieun is pretty girl and I know she has crush on me since we were in first grade but I don’t look at her same. She isn’t my type even when others boys at school think she is everyone's type.

“Oppa, will you go on party which is prepared for you and other basketball players in your team? It will be this Saturday I don’t know if you’ve heard of it.” I looked at her wonderingly.

“No, they didn’t tell me anything,”

“I will be really happy if you will show yourself there. I want something to tell you, oppa.” She moved closer to me.

“I will think about it. When father won’t give me work I maybe come,” I said just to finish debate with her.

“Thank you oppa,” she said and she gave me quick kiss on my cheek. I wanted say to her for not doing this but she was gone already.

“Oppaaaaaaaaa chuuuu~~” Jaemin teased me and the other two were laughing too.

“I will throw this food on you Jaemin if you won’t stop! Aishh!”

“Calm down hyung, we can see you don’t like her,” they were amused with a situation.

“She isn’t my type,” I said and then looked on my phone. There isn’t any message from her. I wrote her at morning I won’t come again. But there was not respond. Did she read it?

When I was at home it was almost dark and I got message finally.

“Are you feeling better?” she worries about me.

“Maybe,” short message.

“Why? Something happened?”

“Yes No Maybe… I just miss you ;)”

“Mark-ssi!”

“What, don’t you miss me too?”

“I dunno. Wasn’t thinkin bout it,” I want to see her reaction when she is tipping it.

“How was your work Jiho-ah?”

“Fine. There weren’t many people today. Kinda boring.”

“So you did miss me :P” I teased. I can’t stop just to imagine her cute reactions.

“Yes No Maybe ;) “

I wanted to respond her but she was faster: “ Hope I won’t be alone tomorrow,”

“Winwin won’t come?” why I am even asking about him? Aish -.-

“No, I was calling with him today. For tomorrow he has school till evening,” what? She was calling with that brat? I have to know him!

“I see. I don’t know if I will come.”

“Don’t hurry yourself. Your health is on first place,” right now I can feel carrying acting of noona.

“I am alright. Are you on your way home now?”

“Yep, just few meters away,” when I saw this message I clicked on her number to call her. I just can’t lose to that Winwin! He will call with her and I don’t?

“Daeh Mark-ssi?” she laughed.

“Is something funny?” I raised my eyebrow in curious.

“No but I got scared when my phone rang,” so cute she is.

“I am calling you just to make sure you will come home safety,”

“You are so sweet to me Mark-ssi. But don’t worry I am almost there. But I am glad that I hear your voice. It gives me signs you are better now,” she said and my heart wanted to jump out from my chest.

“I’d rather be in work with you. It’s funnier than at home behind these walls of my room. With my parents.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah but you know, they are so annoying. But it’s good. If they weren’t I would think they are not alright,” I laughed for myself.

“Pabo . Just be good son okay? Even if it’s hard,”

Why I have feeling she sounds sad in phone?

“Jiho-ah?”

“hm?”

“I will come tomorrow no matter what,” I said by all means and folded call.

Since I think you are not alright even you won’t tell me anything I just want to be with you and make you smile.

Jiho-ah is it me or you doing something to me? When you smile it’s shining, but for some reason you’re lying inside. …

My focus my control is all you, but the problem is I don’t hate it….

Can I be a little braver now with you by my side Jiho-ah?

 

Jiho’s POV

What’s wrong with him? I smiled when he ended call. I was in front of my door already. And for some reason he made my day better. I smile from ear to ear like an idiot.

Will he come tomorrow? Why it makes me so happy just to hear him or read messages from him? It’s like he is reading inside my mind, but I don’t hate it… to say truth, I like it…

 

Can I be a little stronger now with you by my side Mark?

 

To be continued…

 

Hello, I added two more chapters cuz I will be at work these days and don't know how many time I will find for writing, so I wrote more to not forget on my flowing ideas :) I am working on next chapter ;) 

BTW I used some lines from my favorite song baby don't like it by NCT and remade it in lines which I needed ;)