“Gwaenchana. Umma is here..”

 “saranghae.”

Tears slipped down to his cheeks, arms limped to his sides. He had a hard time to breathe as he saw the unmoving body, lying lifelessly on the bed. Wires attached to her. “Umma..” he managed to mutter. Namjoo came in catching her breath. Sungyeol’s hand was shaking trying to reach his mother’s head but he stopped only a few inches from it. He slowly pulled back his hand, clenching it. His sobs becoming clearer. “Umma… mianhae.. you shouldn’t have touched me.. Look at you.. Please open your eyes.. umma..” he sniffed restraining his tears that was urging to burst. Namjoo looked at Sungyeol. “I told you not to touch me.”

-FLASHBACK-

“Umma! I’m going on a trip,today!” Sungyeol cheered.

“Really? Okay, where?”

“Mm… Mollayo.. the teacher told us that it’s a secret. It’s a 3 days trip. I’m going.”

“Okay. Lemme hug you first.” His mother said and opened her arms wide.

“N-no~ umma~ you’ll get bad luck!” Sungyeol backed away.

“You still believe that? I told you to forget it…No! NO! no! what if I’m not here when you come back?”

“Umma!!” Sungyeol frowned and bit his lip. His eyes saddened as his mother wrapped her arms around him silently.

“Umma, hyun- What is this? Why didn’t you call me if you want to have a family hug? Unacceptable!!” Sungjong who came out of his room after packing ran and joined his mother to hug Sungyeol.

However, Sungyeol.. the feelings of guilty, warmness, and sadness mixed together. His hands slowly raised and hug his beloved family. These two means the world to him.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

Namjoo was left alone in the room with Sungyeol’s unconscious mother. Sungyeol had gone to the bathroom to wash his face. He washed his face and went into one of the cubicle. He sat on top of the closed toilet bowl hugging his knees close to his chest. He started sobbing. The voices came back. The painful voices.

-FLASHBACK-

“Congratulations! You’ve got a baby boy.” the doctor said to Mr.Lee.

“What should we name her dear?” Mr. Lee asked his wife.

“How about.. Sungyeol? Lee Sungyeol.”

“And that’s how you got your name!” Haeri said to a 5 year old Sungyeol. “Should I tell a story about how little Sungjong got his name?” Haeri spoke and turned to a 3 year old Sungjong. Both of them nodded. “Aigoo.. Sungyeol.. you already know how your brother got his name…” the mother teased and pinched both of her sons cheek.

“But I was only 2 years at that time! How can I remember?” the black haired boy pouted.

 His father came back and suddenly pulled her and Sungjong away from Sungyeol.

“Yeobo! I told you not to touch that kid! “ he pointed at Sungyeol. The boy just flinched, tears froming in his eyes.

“Museun.. mariya?”

“He’s the one who will make us apart. The fortune teller told me that he brings bad luck to people who touched him.”

“And you believe that?”

“Yes!Yesterday, I brought him to my office and today I got fired. Even the company is going down!” his father shouted. Sungjong held Sungyeol’s hand.

“Fine! Suit yourself! I’m getting a divorce! Stay with hi all you want!” he said and went into his car. He never appears in front of them ever again.

9 years later, Sungyeol had confessed to Jia, a girl that always  smiles. They had been coupled for 3 days when..

Jia was holding hands with Sungyeol. They were happy. Jia kissed Sungyeol’s cheek and bid goodbye. When Jia was crossing the road, a car came making her fly in the air for a second. When she was out of the hospital, Sungyeol  came to her. “Don’t touch me!” Jia shouted.

“W-waeyo?”

“I had enough of you. You bring bad luck to me. when I’m with you, I always feel uncomfortable.” She bit her lips.

“Jia…”

“Geumanhae! Don’t say it! I don’t love you! Not even once! I just sympathize you but you took it the wrong way! When you confess, I don’t have the heart to reject you nicely.”

“Please.. it’s not true..”

“Let’s break up.” Sungyeol felt his world colliding as he heard the words. He nodded and got away.

One year later, Sungyeol dated Fei. She’s like Jia. Sungyeol was so happy until Fei met with an accident. Fei had to gone through a surgery and her face was wrapped. “Because of you I became like this!”

“Fei..”

“I hate you!”

“Ani..”

“I should never accept your feelings! You bring bad luck!”

Everyone thought he brings bad luck. Sungyeol cried in his room. “Yeollie…” Sungyeol freed his head from under the blanket.

“Umma..” he sobbed.

“Aigoo… Look at my cute son who is even cute when crying…” his mother came in and tapped his head. “You shouldn’t believe in that. All of them are lies. You know the truth.” His mother smiled. She wrapped her arms around him slowly bringing him up to sit on the bed. He didn’t know how his mother knew what he was thinking. “Let it out. It’s okay.”

“But umma.. It’s true.. I keep giving people bad luck.” He tried to pry off her arms only making his mother hugged him tighter. Tears threating to spill out.

“Geokjongma, nan yeogi isseo.” Those words….

“But umma.. You’ll get bad luck!”

“Ani. If you give bad luck to other people, why it didn’t affect me? I always hug you and be here with you. I didn’t receive any bad luck.” She said calmly, her son’s hair.

“It didn’t affect me either.” Came a voice that both of them know too well. A sleepy Sungjong had woken up and was rubbing his eyes cutely. “If you give bad luck to other people, why it didn’t affect umma and me? Hyung, stop believing that it’s true. There’s no such thing as a bad luck child. It’s just your thought. They’re just believing it because they read a story  I read. “The Bad Luck Girl”. It’s just a fiction book. How can they believe it? Ugh…” Sungjong plomped himself beside Sungyeol.

His mother and Sungyeol watched the little boy looked up cutely at his brother. They’re right. If Sungyeol really give people bad luck, why it didn’t affect them? They were the ones that were closest to him. “Umma, you can go to sleep. I’ll sleep with Yeol-hyung. don’t worry.” He pushed SUngyeol to lay down on the bed as his mother went out of the room. “Stop believing it, eo?” the younger boy hugged the elder boy’s arm, closing his eyes. “Let me sleep with you to prove you’re wrong.” He nuzzled into the other’s arm.

“But what if you get bad luck tomorrow and- Ow!” Sungyeol didn’t manage to complete his sentence because of a flick on his forehead.

“Stop it! I do what I want! Who are you to bother me around.” The brunette pouted, plomping himself back on the bed after glaring at his own brother. He blew his bangs away frustratingly. “Hyung is being mean. I just want to sleep with him and he doesn’t approve it. What kind of brother does that?” he heard Sungjong mumbled to himself as the younger boy crossed his arms, glaring at the ceiling.

He chuckled a little and closed his eyes not wanting to receive another cute glare from the younger. He heard some shuffling before he felt something warm on his forehead. “Sorry for flicking you too hard,hyung. I love you. Umma and I will never leave your side. Don’t ever forget that.” He felt the other’s smile on his forehead as he pulled away. “Aish, why did I flick him.. now it’s turning red.” He heard the younger mumbled to himself once again. He smiled.

He opened his eyes the next morning just to see Sungjong was hugging him tightly. His arms were around his torso. Legs tangled with his. He chuckled as the younger nuzzled into his chest comfortably. He hugged back mumbling a faint ‘thank you’ and kissed the top of his one and only younger brother’s head.

END OF FLASHBACK     

“And that’s how it happened.” Sungyeol heard a voice when he came back from the restroom.

“Umma..” he mumbled. He was outside of his mother’s ward. He was hearing his mother’s voice. the light of his life.. he was about to push the door when, “Do you think he brings bad luck, Namie?” those words stopped his actions. he didn’t know why his stop but he had the feelings of wanting to know the other person’s answer.

A light giggle was heard. “Namie? No one ever calls me that. To answer your question, I don’t think he brings bad luck. I think.. no, scratch that. I believe that he brings good luck. He made people smile with his childish actions. when I first saw him, he gave me a warm and happy feeling that I thought I was dying. His face, his active characteristic that made people love being around him. that’s why he was chosen to be the president” Namjoo smiled slightly looking out through the window with a longing look.  “Unfortunately, the smiling face he make, all of them were fake. I can see that he was lonely but his loneliness was filled by his loved one, Yoon Bomi.”

Sungyeol widened his eyes. No! It was Yoon Bomi before but right now, at that moment, it’s different!

TO BE CONTINUED