CHAPTER 08

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(Y/n POV)

Later, I was back on the seat beside mom, her hands clutched back in mines. The Jungs had left, saying that they needed to be ready for the trip to Seoul. Before leaving, Hobi gave me a quick peck to the cheek and made me promise to call him in case something happens. I ended up just nodding to everything he says, being too tired to argue. "I will, I will. Now go will you?" My nudges on him soon turned into heavy pushes towards the door.

"Pfft, can you at least smile then?" I chuckled at his request before giving him a quick grin. "Aish, you've got it. Now go." The boy pouted at first, but then continued to laugh as he saw my grin. Mrs Jung followed behind him, giving my right arm a tight squeeze before she left.

Soon, I was left alone with mom. Looking at her now, I felt my gut wrenched. She did look peaceful in her deep sleep. Maybe I was causing her stress, or being a too much of a burden. I sighed, thinking that maybe I should just skip school for a few days and stay here. But I knew it's not what she would have wanted. She knew how much I loved learning, she wanted me to reach the highest education I could. And she would never do anything to take it away from me.

I glanced around the room, finally resting my eyes on a clock on the wall. Peering closer, I realized it had already been half past 5. It was going to be dark soon, and I knew mom wouldn't like me walking home late. I immediately got up and scooted closer to her bed, nearing her unconscious body.

Gently, I tugged the thin blanket located at the edge of the bed, spreading it out before slowly laying it on top of her, covering her from waist to toe. I tucked in the loose parts, making sure she would stay warm.

"I'm going home now, mom. Have a nice rest, okay?" I felt my voice slightly cracking. , I was getting emotional on her again. I looked down, shaking my head a bit; feeling a bit silly. I turned around, deciding to head for the door. But I felt myself being held back, I didn't know what it was. I resolute on facing her again, moving towards her. I sat myself at the edge of the small bed, taking as less space as I could.

"Do you want me to stay?" I tilt my head, as if she would answer me back. But if she did, it's probably that I've gone cuckoo.

'Maybe I'm tired and should just head home already.'

I leaned in closer to her face, smoothing her hair a bit, she still looked beautiful, despite her pale figure. Like she never aged, only a few visible wrinkles appeared around her eyes. I wondered what dad would say seeing her now, but I bet he would have said the same thing. Deciding that I shouldn't waste time anymore, I stood up again, dusting myself off. I gazed off at her face, leaning in again to give her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"For protection, I love you mom."

Her eyes stayed shut, but I couldn't care less, because I knew, she would've done the same.

I went over to the door, unhurriedly stepping out. I spared her another glance, before shutting the door behind me.

On the way home, I started thinking about mom's job, she worked shifts at the local market. I knew I had to inform her boss for her. I decided to make a stop there, using a shortcut, a short path located close to the woods. I inhaled, a bit scared about going near such a place. Mom had warned me about people going missing or getting injuries when they went inside. But it was getting dark fast, so I made my way through the small road.

At the first three steps, I could already the sounds of rustlings around the bushes nearby.

'Oh god, please no, I don't feel like dying today.'

The weather had become windy out of the blue, catching me off guard. I clutched on to my body, hugging myself. Suddenly feeling the chills crawling up to my spine. I had my hands in an up and down motion, trying to warm myself up. I heard the bushes rustlings again, hearing the sounds getting closer, and made my skin crawl.

'Well , not today spirits.'

I spontaneously took a hold of a stone located near my foot, quickly snatching it off the ground and throwing it into the woods, hoping whatever animal or creature after me had been distracted. I took that chance to run off, heading straight towards the marketplace without looking back.

"I need you to be here by 8 tomorrow. We're getting a large shipment from the fish company. No diddle daddle. Are you sure you're up for this, kid?" I immediately nodded, trying to coax the elder woman who was also my mother's boss. "I'll work as hard as her, don't worry."

"Well I expect you to. I'm sorry kid, but your mother owes me a lot. If you ask me, you're gonna have to work twice as hard." I gulped at her words. Maybe, this job might be hard. I started thinking about work on school days, knowing that it would be hard to balance both.

 "Umm, how about school days? C-Can I—"

"Your shift starts at 3 and ends at 8. Someone else would be taking over the night shift." I stood baffled at her. 5 hours didn't sound bad, but having to run all the way from school to work then doing my homework when I get back home. This was going to be really hard. I shook my head. I'm going to have to do this, for mom. I took a hold of her hand.

"Alright, I'll do it."

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As soon as I arrived home, I locked up the doors and windows, suddenly getting and eerie feeling like I was being followed. I just remembered that the weather report had stated that there will be heavy rain tonight. I wasn't a big fan of such a weather, so I made sure my safety was upmost so I could get a good night's rest for tomorrow's job.

Hearing the sound of lightning and thunder, I felt myself flinching. Quickly heading upstairs to my room and locking the door to it. I headed for the bathroom, getting myself ready and changing into something cosier to withstand the cold tonight. Before getting on the bed, I took a hold of my phone, texting Hobi and saying that I was fine and was ready for sleep. He didn't reply, understanding that he was probably having a fun time on his trip.

I heard the soft patter of rain starting to fall on my window, getting heavier by seconds. I decided to leave the lights in the room opened. My hands shaking as I snuggled underneath the blanket. I felt cold. Lightning bolted again, making my vision black and white. I heard myself let out a squeak. The rain was starting to make me uncomfortable and scared, making me snuggle deeper into the comfort of my blanket.

'At this rate, I'm never gonna fall asleep.'

All of a sudden, the sound of thunder clapped again,

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

And then a blackout.

I shook my head. Now it's not just raining heavily, its dark as well. I kept my face hidden in the sheets. Scared to pop my face out, the warmth from before instantly gone. I felt myself tearing up a bit, but I didn't care, hoping my quiet sobs would drown the sound of rain.

And it did, making me fall in a deep slumber without me noticing.

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(??? POV)

I did hear her crying. And it broke me. Why was she crying? Is something wrong? Was she afraid? I was curious to see her state. I continued hiding between the tree branches, making sure she would be safe every night. I had been following her ever since she left the hospital today. As soon as the sobs died down, I decided to climb over her windowsill. Making sure only the top of my head was seen before lifting myself up a bit more so I could fully see her. I froze when I see her small head popping out of her comforter.

'She's beautiful.'

Seeing that she was fast asleep, I took a hold of her windowsill, and gently lifting it up, trying not to make a sound. As I lifted it, I made sure to have eye contact with her, in case she spun around or anything, but she didn't. I heaved a sigh, carefully getting inside, closing the window after me. It was my first time being in her room, and I wondered what her reaction would be if she was awake. I edged closer to her bed, listening to her soft snores.

Leaning down to her level, I took a closer look, realizing that she was shivering from the cold. Without thinking twice, I took the empty space on her bed, located right beside her. I inched closer, our foreheads almost touching, then wrapped my arms around her, pulling the comforter closer to us. I felt her stirring for a bit, but her position stayed the same, her face softly rubbing against the area of my chest, one of her arms wrapping around me. Her body had stopped shivering so I knew she was comfy. 

I ended up propping my head on one of my hands to have a better look at her, one arm still wrapped around her. She looked peaceful, her calm breathing reminded me that she was in nighmare-free sleep. I let out a small chuckle, "Sweet dreams, (y/n)." I muttered as I kissed her forehead, right beneath her hair before joining her in dreamland.

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PHEW

woah, this was quite a long chapter! But i'm glad cause here it is, the unofficial meeting of you and ??? next chapter is gonna be a real blast though. ahhh? do you think ??? and you will finally meet in the next chap?

be sure to vote, comment, etc; see you in the next chapter!

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