Hellow everyone! Finally! A new update! I'm not usually on AFF anymore but I would like to finish what I started (usually) and plus, I already have rough drafts for this story anyway so might as well publish it. It isn't the best tbh but it's here! Remember to subscribe to get notifications! (Also, it's been a while since I've been on so can anyone tell me where the old theme is? I really don't like the new theme ever since it came out)

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"...Hyunjoo?" He couldn't believe his eyes. She was right in front of him. He was afraid to pinch himself, afraid she would disappear.

She rolled her eyes. "No, I'm your mom." He smiled in relief, glad she wasn’t a dream. "But who was that girl? She was so annoying I had to do something."

Ilhoon blinked. "You…busted her tires? How’d you manage to do that?"

She gave him a one shoulder shrug and leaned against the counter. “Like I said, she's annoying." Oh how he missed the way Hyunjoo could make him smile so easily without trying. "So how’s it going? Anything new?" She was speaking like they were still in good terms – like they haven’t seen each other in weeks when it in fact has been months. She acted like she wasn’t locked out of his home and abandoned by him and his friends. He didn’t know how to react to her nonchalance. Was he supposed to as her where she’s been? But she looks fine. If he asks, will she suspect his feelings for her?

While Ilhoon’s head was going through all this she took it as a sign to change the subject. "When do you close?"

"Uh…Eight."

She looked at the time. It was almost six. "I don't think you can leave four hours early so I'll wait for you.” He nodded as she walked behind the counts and sat down on a vacant chair. He just stared at her for another five seconds before he finally got his thoughts together. "Why are you here?" He asked.

"I had a day off," she answered

"What... What school do you go to?"

"Somewhere far from here. Have you heard of A-Cube? It's an all girl’s school."

He shook his head. "Is it better than Juyang?" he asked her.

"No. Do you know girls are wild cats? They gossip about every single thing. And when they try to fight," she stressed the word try, "all they do is pull each others hair and scratch each other. It's pathetic."

"So do you want to be categorized as a guy?"

Hyunjoo glared at him before kicking his shin. "Ow!"

"So how's school lately?" she asked him.

"Uhh..." he didn't want to tell her about his failing grades but heck, it's not like Hyunjoo really cared. "I'm failing most of my classes." he confessed. She kicked him in the shin again. "Ow! I'll get a bruise!"

"I don't care. What I want to know is why you've been such a failure. You're failing your grades, you're getting skinnier, you didn't even bother to retouch your roots and you're being a ."

Ilhoon blinked. "A what?"

She crossed her arms. "You heard what I said. That girl from earlier. You were being pretty rude to her. I mean, she was just trying to talk to you. In fact, do you talk to girls like that? I've never seen you talk to anyone but me and your friends. Have they taught you anything?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "They're... They're not my friends anymore."

"What?"

"That time you rang my doorbell, they locked me up in my own room so I would be able to open it. I thought you went back to that store again and I kept making up horrible scenarios of you sleeping in a place like that. Ever since, I haven't forgiven them."

Hyunjoo softened a bit. She never knew he would worry about her well being. She kicked his shin for the third time. "I said it you're going to give me a bruise!" Ilhoon complained.

"You're pathetic. For your information, I'm not that weak. I'm Lee Hyunjoo."

He rolled his eyes. “So how have you been? Why haven’t you come to see me? Do you know how worried I was? I-“

"Let's close the store early," she suddenly said, cutting him off.

He blinked. "Why? You just said I shouldn’t close the store early…"

She stood up. “I changed my mind. Let’s go.” She pushed him to the back room to get his coat. Once he was out she had a bunch of bread on the counter. "What's this?" he asked.

"I'm buying these," she told him, while searching for money. He shook his head with a smile. "Help me put all these goods in a bag too. We're donating them." Once they passed by the food bank, they headed to Ilhoon's place for him to change. When he was done, he walked out where Hyunjoo was waiting.

"Where are we going?" he asked her.

"First, we need to do something about