▬ Chapter 3: Year 8: Helpless ▬

“Hey, daddy,” Taemin looked up from the workbook that he was finishing. Jinki glanced up from the papers that he was grading and sent all his attention to the child sitting across from him. “Will there be times when I can’t help people?”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s this girl in school and she looked sad so I said that maybe I can help make her smile for the day.” The thought made Jinki’s once serious face curve into a grin. “But then she said that she doesn’t feel like smiling or talking to anyone. I just wanted to help because her smile is always pretty.”

“Well,” Jinki took off his glasses and carefully placed it on the table. “Sometimes people just need some time alone to help them think about things. Others feel like they don’t want to trouble other people so they keep to themselves.”

“Even if it keeps making them sad?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Taemin thought for a moment before continuing, “Have you been there before? Like not being able to help when you really want to help?”

“I have tried not smiling for a day and then someone helped me smile.” A memory resurfaced inside him which in return he eased his eyes on the boy.

“Really? How did that person make you smile again?”

“She didn’t do anything special but being with her alone made me smile.”

[ • §§§ • ]

“You’re here again?” The same female voice from a few days ago mingled with the air. He looked back with a flat smile, not even bothering to give a slight nod to welcome her presence. “Why is it that everytime I see you, you’re always looking so glum?”

“This does not concern you,” then he whispered to himself, “human.”

With a shrug, she sat on the grass and started to become comfortable. Unlike before, she only brought a sketchpad and a few drawing utensils which she laid the latter out beside her for ease of access.

They sat in a somewhat comfortable silence, minding each others’ businesses. Only the whistles of the winds and ruffles of the trees graced their ears. Well, at least for the lady.

“Can you turn it down?”

She looked at him in confusion. “Turn what down?”

“That noise that you’re doing.” She stopped her hand midway across the paper to take in what he just said which made the man heave a huge breath. “Thank you.”

Did he mean the sound of me constantly erasing and flinging all the erasures on the ground? But it’s not even loud?

Feeling more confused, she stood up and decided to sit beside him near the cliff with both of their feet now dangling by the edge.

“You thought that my drawing was loud?” She faced him but after a while, she knew that she wouldn’t get an answer from him. “Okay, your sadness is making me feel down too. Do you want to talk about it? Maybe I can offer some advice or help.”

“You can’t help me,” he said in a low, gruff voice. His eyes never wavered for a second as he continued to look over the city.  

“And why is that?” She was starting to become persistent which is slowly getting on his nerves. Why can’t she just leave him be? “You’ve been staring at the same spot for the last fifteen minutes, if not more. Seems like you have a lot on your mind that’s weighing you down. Might as well tell someone about it and lighten the weight off your shoulders, right?”

A huff of annoyance escaped his lips. Humans and their persistence to complete whatever suits them is one of his pet peeves as they tend to become tiresome to deal with. Little did he know that if she can, she would always gladly lend a hand to help someone amidst their troubles because she knew how sadness can claim the lives of others. This same shroud of sadness claimed the life of someone she loved when she was still too young to understand how sadness