Chapter 3

Jieun's father was rushed to the ICU and after intensive care for a few days, her father's test results had come out.

Jieun hadn't returned home for days and spent her nights at the hospital. She couldn't spare a single minute not being by her father's side, especially after losing her mother. But unsurprisingly, she was the only one at the hospital at her father's stead.

Her step-sisters and their mother would only visit once a day after their leisure activities were done and wouldn't spend a maximum of 60 minutes because they claimed that hospital air was bad for their skin.

"You should go home and get some rest," Myungsoo said in a concerned voice as he gave Jieun a cup of coffee.

"I can't," Jieun shrugged. "What if something happens while I'm gone?"

"Your father is going to be fine," Myungsoo squeezed her shoulder lightly and rubbed his eyes.

Jieun glanced at Myungsoo and saw the dark circles wrapping his eyes and his shoulders drooped down from the past nights of missing sleep to care for Jieun.

"Thank you for always being here," Jieun said softly.

"It's your father, of course, I should be here," he said, yawning.

"I'm not talking just about just today," she said. "Always."

Myungsoo glanced at her and smiled, focusing his eyes on his coffee.

"You're my closest friend Jieun. You're precious to me and whatever is precious to you is also precious to me. At times like this the least I can do is be here and look out for you, right?" he smiled.

Jieun smiled.

She was always so thankful for Myungsoo. Throughout her entire life, he was always there for her through thick and thin. He knew everything about her from head to toe and knew her better than she knew herself. He was the type of friend that would sacrifice his own comfort if it meant Jieun could be comfortable. He always knew how to make her feel better when she was sad and always thought of her happiness as his happiness.

He understood her better than her own father, or anyone else.

Myungsoo had become such a big part of her life and the fill to her void when her mother was gone.

Jieun was drowning in her sea after her mother's death and Myungsoo pulled her from the depth and blew warmth into her.

After her mother's death, there were many times she wanted to go down the wrong path. She laid her hands on alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, anything possible to ruin her. Myungsoo was the only one who shed genuine tears and pulled her out of this mess because he didn't want to see his only friend going down the wrong path.

If it wasn't for him, Jieun couldn't imagine how she could have gotten through the tough times.

Jieun placed her coffee down and hugged Myungsoo tightly.

She was too embarrassed to tell him how much she was thankful and how much she loved him for being with her; her big hug was enough to explain everything she felt for him.

"Are you okay?" Myungsoo chuckled and hugged her back lightly. "We should go back to your Dad's room."

Jieun nodded and the two got up, walking towards her father's patient room.

Jieun and Myungsoo stopped at the door to see her stepmother and sisters in the room, gathered around her father's bed.

The three sisters were smiling as they massaged her Dad's legs and the mother was cutting fruit and feeding it into her father's mouth. They looked so happy and it annoyed Jieun to see that sight.

"Where have you been wandering around when your father is here sick?" her mother glared at her.

"I just went to go get some coffee," Jieun said as she walked into the room with Myungsoo.

"You should be with Dad at all times," Joohyun glared at Jieun and then at Myungsoo. "Not go on dates with your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," Jieun blurted. "And I was here for three days straight while you only dropped in once a day-"

"Come and eat some apple dear," her father called Jieun and Myungsoo over, giving them a slice of apple.

"The results are coming out tomorrow right Dad?" Jieun asked, holding his hand.

"Yes," he smiled weakly. "Don't worry too much dear. Go home with your mother and get some rest. Same for you Myungsoo."

"I'm staying here Dad," Jieun said firmly. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Are you the doctor?" the mother said sternly. "People other than Doctors are no help mingling around a sick patient."

Jieun glared at the woman and looked back at her Dad.

"She's right honey," her father smiled. "It's just probably stress-related. Go home and come back tomorrow morning if you really want to be here."

"...Ok," Jieun shrugged.

Jieun walked out of the hospital with Myungsoo.

She really didn't want to go back home with those people; she'd rather sleep in the streets.

"You can.. take the bus home with your boyfriend," the mother squinted her eyes at the two and they got in their car, driving away from the lot.

"I'd rather die than go home," Jieun sighed.

"If..you're ok, do you want to sleepover at my house?" Myungsoo asked, looking down at the floor.

Jieun stared at him, surprised.

Now that she thought about it, he had always slept over at her house but she had never slept over at his house before.

"I.. mean... that's if you're okay... I don't mean..." Myungsoo murmured under his breath.

"Sounds good."

Myungsoo raised his head and smiled.

"But aren't your parents home?" Jieun asked as the two walked towards the bus station.

"They're on a business trip," he shrugged. "They're usually never home anyway."

"Sounds good to me." She smiled.

She didn't know why, but an awkward silence wrapped over them like an itchy wool blanket.

Myungsoo lived in a quaint neighborhood just around the corners of Namsan. It was very shady as it was a narrow alley that had homes and basement residency on either side of the street. There were a lot of basement homes around the area and it smelt of urine and overdue garbage, something that Jieun was not used to.

"You should get home earlier Myungsoo!" An old lady greeted Myungsoo.

"Of course I will," Myungsoo smiled and helped the old lady carry her baggage into her basement home.

"Your girlfriend?" The old lady eyed Jieun and chuckled.

"No," Myungsoo laughed shyly and scratched. "I don't have a girlfriend!"

"I'm just joking," she smiled. "Get home and rest."

"Who's that?" Jieun asked, smiling.

"Oh, that's Lady Oh. She lives just around the corner."

"Everyone must be really close around here."

"It's a small neighborhood," he shrugged. "We're all like family here."

Jieun nodded. Jieun had never seen this side of Myungsoo before. Myungsoo had never invited Jieun over to his house before and always changed the topic whenever Jieun brought it up.

"This is us," Myungsoo pointed and opened the gate to a small house.

Jieun's face spread into a smile at the sight of his home. It was so cozy and defined Myungsoo.

His front yard was covered with brown tiles that stuck up around the gaps. The entire yard was like a garden; it was lined with potted plants on either side of the house walls and flowers bloomed at just the perfect height in the perfect shade. The cheap garden ornaments placed around the garden gave Jieun an unknowing feeling of coziness; something that she felt when she was with her mother.

"Sorry," Myungsoo scratched his head and rushed to clean the cheap ornaments. "My parents don't really take care of the garden so I do it but I've been busy lately and-"

"Just leave it," Jieun said. "It's brilliant."

"Oh," Myungsoo raised an eyebrow. "Ok then."

The two entered the house.

The living room was small and cozy with a small television that accompanied the red couch and the wooden table. There were a bunch of videotapes stacked under the television cabinet and old Japanese souvenirs that encircled the television. Above his couch was a large family picture that hung unstably. The many charging cables and HDMI cords that were tangled amongst each other laid across the floor near the television that naturally led Jieun's eyes to the kitchen.

It was a small kitchen, about the size of her bathroom.

But it fit every necessity which was a wonder to Jieun.

"Sorry, my house is really messy."

"I've seen worse," she chuckled and followed Myungsoo into his room.

His room was quite cozy.

His entire room was plastered with study notes and worn out tape, probably from always exchanging study notes. He had nothing in his room except a desk and a bed. His desk was stacked with textbooks and study notes because there was no bookshelf to store any of his things and on top of this his desk was wobbling because one leg was shorter than the others.

There were clothes stacked all over his bed and in a hurry, he stuffed them in his wardrobe and wiped the dust off.

"Geez," Jieun said. "And I thought my new room was bad."

"Shut up," Myungsoo scoffed and made room for Jieun to sit on the bed.

"Isn't it suffocating to have to be in here all the time?" Jieun asked, looking around his room.

"I've never lived any better," he sighed. "This is good enough for me."

"What's that?" Jieun's eyes landed on a pink envelope on his desk. She grabbed it and tried to open the envelope before Myungsoo snatched it away, hiding it behind his back.

"What?" Jieun tried to snatch it back, poking Myungsoo on the waist.

"It's nothing!"

"Give it," Jieun snatched it from Myungsoo and read the letter, in shock. "A love letter?! Why did I not know about this?"

"It's nothing," Myungsoo snatched it back and scrunched it up.

"What do you mean it's nothing?!" Jieun unscrunched the letter. "This is everything."

"I don't even like her," he muttered. "I didn't even know who she was until she gave me this letter."

"So?!"

"So," he took the letter back. "I have no business with this person."

"Are you serious?" Jieun blurted. "This person could be your first girlfriend. Other guys are dying to get girlfriends yet you're kicking away this good chance? It's not like you like someone else or anything."

Myungsoo went silent, fidgeting with his hands.

"No way," Jieun's eyes widened.

"What?!"

"How could you keep this from me?! I thought we were best buddies man!"

"I don't like anyone," Myungsoo murmured.

"Then why is your face getting so red?" Jieun touched his cheeks that were burning. "It's so hot."

"Whatever," Myungsoo slapped her hands off and stood up. "I'm going to go wash. You take the bed I'll sleep on the couch."

Myungsoo rushed out of the room, breathing hard.

He placed his hands on his heart that was beating so fast.

"That was close."