May The Best Player Win ✔️

028: Endgame

behold the last chapter :)

Jiwoo's POV

Jimin was still fast asleep when I got up and took a shower. It was another school day. I headed downstairs and saw Yeji helping our mother eat her breakfast.

"Good morning," I greeted in a low voice and got myself some cereal. Yeji smiled warmly while our mother seemed not to notice my presence. I sat farther from them and ate silently. Yeji's phone suddenly rang and when she looked at the caller ID, it seemed pretty urgent.

"Eomma, I'll take this call for a minute. Eat up slowly, okay?" Our mother nodded mindlessly. Yeji excused herself out to the kitchen and took the call.

Left in the dining room, my mother and I ate in defeaning silence. I glanced her way and witnessed her fingers trembling as she brought a spoon to her mouth. I proceeded minding my own business and continued to eat when her spoon suddenly dropped, creating a rich metal clink sound as it fell on the floor.

"Y-Ye-ji?" I finally heard my mother's voice as she called out helplessly. Her movements were slow and she couldn't seem to locate the spoon right under her chair.

My heart raced as I took a deep breath in. I walked towards her and kneeled to pick up the spoon she dropped.

I handed it to her, while given the chance, looked at her closely. Her eyes were tired and droopy, and there were already a number of wrinkles across her face. There was beauty concealed behind her soulless eyes although age and pain took some of it. At that moment I knew that even though it hurt, I still missed my mother.

I rose to head back towards my seat, but my mother's frail hand touched mine and held my back. My heart pummeled as nervousness fast overtook my body. I turned back and looked at my mother's eyes which was no longer blank, but now filled with sadness and longing.

"J-Ji..." she stammered.

Tears were clouding my vision.

My mother pulled me closer though weakly when I burst out crying on her shoulder. "Eomma!" I cried out vulnerably as several emotions rushed over me.

"J-Ji-i..woo..." she continued stuttering as I cried harder at the sound of her hoarse voice completing my name. My knees, growing weak, eventually fell but she continued to enclose me with her frail arms.

"I missed you eomma..." I mumbled, breaking down as she stroke my hair softly.

"The pleasure is all mine, I'll-" Yeji halted suddenly. Her lips quivered and her eyes watered, but it was out of happiness.