tChapter Three

Its dinner time and it was awkwardly silent. It’s only the plates and the utensils is the recognizable sounds in the place.”Is it really this quiet when I’m not around?” Taehee open up the topic.

Taemin flinched and Hayi caught him. Hayi purposely kick him under that table and Taemin glared at her. *mehrong* Hayi put her tongue out playfully as she shoved another food in .

“I think the kids are just tired.” The old woman replied and goes on with her eating.

“I’m done eating.” Taemin push his plate away and went out of the place immediately. Hayi watch his brother going up stairs and she thinks that it is the right time to talk to his brother. “I’m full too.”

“But Hayi, you barely eat everything in your plate.” Taehee commented.

“Eomma I am already full when I’m having my time with you.” Hayi winked at her and run upstairs. She found her brother getting the bat under his bed and she knows where his brother is going.

“Oppa,” she called him to the sweetest.

“What?”

“Why are you like that eomma? Eomma is trying her best to fulfill all the duties that she missed oppa.” She paused. “She is great indeed!”

“What are saying Hayi? She broke our promise twice!” He yelled at Hayi.

“And so? Are you not giving her another chance? Aren’t you happy that even though she break her promise twice she still went back home?”

“Happy? How can I be happy when she tries to act nothing happened?!”

“You should be happy Oppa that even though she commit mistakes she is still there for us! She doesn’t show any hint of giving up because she lost those seven years! You should move on Oppa! That is purely past! This is present! Eomma is back safe and sound!”

“No! If you are in my situation Hayi you will know how it feels! I tried to stop her when I was chasing her cab the first time she left she said that she will be coming back home but she didn’t do it she just give a crap note and those material things!

“Atleast eomma didn’t fail us! She didn’t abandon us! She can leave us here in Korea and have a new life there but she didn’t! She didn’t leave us because she loves us oppa!”

“LOVES US? DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE YOU SAYING HAYI?”

“YES! AND I THINK YOU ARE THE ONE WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE SITUATION OPPA! DIDN’T YOU KNOW THAT EOMMA WAS ABUSED BY HER BOSS IN CANADA JUST FOR US TO FEED US? JUST TO GET ANOTHER OPPURTUNITY TO GO TO SCHOOL AND TO MEET FRIENDS? SHE SACRIFICED FOR US AND YOU SHOULD BE THANKFUL!”

“SHUT UP HAYI! IF SHE LOVES YOU SHE SHOULD’NT HAVE LEAVE US IN THE FIRST PLACE!”

Taemin storm out of the room; he bump Hayi hardly, and she fall down on the floor with her first. Tears fall down in her cheeks. She doesn’t understand why her brother is very mad to his mom. She don’t get that understand the reason why is he like that. He is older enough and he should be the one who have the big understanding than her.

“I’m sorry Taemin.” Taehee followed his son downstairs. She heard the whole commotion of her children. For her, it’s her fault after all. She forgot her promise of going back home. She didn’t even call to them during the first year that she was gone during that time.

“Sorry?” Taemin stop for a while and look at her. “You said sorry?”

Taehee nod at him waiting for his response. “Then why are there laws? Why do policeman exist when everything in the world can be bought by a simple sorry?”

“I’m sorry.” Taehee was lost for words. What did she do that her son gets mad at her? “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to forget the promise. I was left with no choice but to get another job or else you’ll starve. You’ll---.”

“Shut up!” Taemin cut her off. “YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE LEAVED US IN THE FIRST PLACE!”

“THEN WHAT? Taehee raised her voice in front of her child.

“Taehee-ah, calm down!” The grandmother said.

“THEN YOU WILL BE WHAT? YOU’LL BE SENT TO THE ORPHANAGE IF I DIDN’T DO THAT!” she shouted back at her son neglecting her mom. “I THINK OF THAT IDEA TAEMIN BUT I AM A MOTHER AND GIVING MY CHILD AWAY TO SOME RANDOM STRANGERS IS LIKE DYING HUNDRED OF TIMES!”

“THEN YOU HAVE DECIDED TO LEAVE US?” he roared back letting go of his baseball bat. “YES! BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I WILL BE SEEING ONCE AGAIN! I’LL BE COMING BACK TO YOU—“

“DIDN’T YOU KNOW THAT LEAVING US LIKE GIVING US TO THE OPRHANAGE? YOU SHOULD’VE GIVEN US AWAY!”

Slap. Taehee slap her son in the face.

“Eomma!” Hayi yelled rushing downstairs.

 “How dare you say that in front of your own mother?” Taehee said in dismay. Hayi wrap her arms around her mother’s way. She can’t bear to see the scenes. She don’t like her only family be ruined but she doesn’t know what to do.

Taemin look down on the floor. He didn’t say anything. Taehee was breathing out from the sudden outraged in front of her son. “Eomma, stop this. Oppa forgive eomma.” She begged holding on her mother’s arms.

She looked at her brother but he was rooted in his stand. “I’m going out.” Was all he said, picking up his baseball bat he stormed out of the room.

Taemin ran to hideout. Upon reaching the hideout, he started hitting random things by his baseball bat. He is shouting as he hit those drums, tires scattered on the place. The other gangsters got alarmed and ran outside and find Taemin on range. He stops from hitting those nonliving things and kneel on his knees.

“AARRGGGHHH!” He yelled as a random gangster ran to him.

“Hyung,” he said snatching the baseball bat away from him. He throws the baseball bat to his friend and he tried to pull Taemin up. “Hyung, what’s happening? Did someone hit you? Did they blackmailed you and used Hayi? Tell me!”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”

The guy was shock seeing Taemin in tears. He’d known Taemin for the longest time. They were the tag as the best buddies upon arriving in the gang and he knows a lot of things that the gang doesn’t know.

“Is this about your mom?”

Taemin nods at him. He is still not looking at the guy but he knows that he is just there to help him. “Come with me.” He says dragging Taemin. “Move. Go back inside.” He commanded.

“But hyung, we are you going?” the maknae of the gang asked.

“I’ll just change the screws of the head of this guy. He badly needs a technician or I guess Einstein.”

The boys laugh at that thought and went inside but the maknae didn’t seem to buy the joke. “Hyung,” he takes a step towards them.

“Don’t worry Zelo, I’ll take of him.” He winks at him. “Daehyun hyung, kindly donate some potato chips to our maknae!”

The random guy hops on his motor as he instructs Taemin to do the same thing. “Hold on if you don’t like to be sent on a junk shop for some repair.”

Taemin nods silently and hop in. The guy drives all the way to the streets and stop on a place near the Han River. This has been their favorite spot whenever they are feeling down. Together they sit on the grass and watch the scenery silently.

“I heard your mom’s back.” The guy said.

“Yeah.” Taemin blurted as he throw a stone on the river. “She’s been a pain in the head.”

“Be glad she’s with you, hyung.” He pauses. “I never get any opportunity to be with my own mom.”

“Because she died,” Taemin replied.

“No, she ran away from home and went with another family.” He told the hidden truth. He’s been keeping this truth for a long time and for the first he opens it up to someone who needs a mind to be hammered.

“You lied, jerk.” Taemin laugh.

“I know but I think it’s just so timely say the truth. Accept the fact that your mom’s home after seven long years.”

“I can’t, Kai.”

“But why?”

“She tries everything wrongly.”

Kai rolled his eyes. He wants to smack his friend’s head on the wall or even drown him in the river. He’s such a coward he thought. “That’s the job of the mom. They keep on seeking for your good. They are blind about us but they try to keep in touch. They try to reach you. They are humans who have purest love on earth.”

“How can you say those things after your mom left you?”

“It’s because I still believe that one day I’ll be seeing her in front of our gates. I know that even she turn her back on us. I believe she still loves me and she try to reach me to the possible way.” Kai stand up as his phone alarm. They have another fight on the other city.

“I’ll be going Taemin. I’ll call boss to say that you’re off for today.” He patted his friend’s back and walked to his motor. Before he turns on his engine to life he gave Taemin a last message. “Don’t live in the past hyung.” With that, he drives away from the view. Taemin shrugged and he walks away back from home.