The Others | Joshua Harem

First Contract

"No! Absolutely not," Jisoo immediately refused, crossing his arms in front of his chest to strengthen the point.

Chan's glowing face fell. "But why?"

"I don't know how to take care of a Forcebearer so I'm definitely not a good option. You should find someone with more experience," the Wielder said sternly.

"But you're already taking care of me and I want to pay you back somehow." Chan's eyes turned wide and pleading and his lips formed a cute little pout. "Please, hyung?"

Jisoo forced himself not to give in and stared at the wall to prevent himself from falling into the younger's trap. "No, Chan. You've only known me for about three hours; don't give away your freedom so easily."

"But you seem like a good person and I'd much rather be bonded to you than get forcebonded by another Wielder." Chan had moved closer while talking, their knees were touching again and his pleading face was even more potent up close.

The Wielder sighed and tried another approach. "I can't afford to house another person. My apartment is tiny and there's barely enough money to cover my rent."

"I can help you out! I can get a job and then there'll be enough money. And I don't mind sleeping on the sofa. I can take care of myself, hyung."

Jisoo snorted and shook his head at the boy's over-enthusiasm. "Life is really not that easy, Chan. People from normal families don't just get a job; we have to go to interviews and work hard. Also it's much harder if you don't have a college degree. Trust me, I've tried it for years before moving to Seoul."

Chan's forehead furrowed in thought. "But if I was your Forcebearer, I'd be able to go to university with you and get a degree."

The Wielder rubbed his temples in desperation. "I can't afford to pay your tuition, it's expensive."

"Then I'll get a scholarship," Chan replied full of confidence, as if it was the easiest and most logical thing to do. "I'm a good student and I've been homeschooled by private teachers my whole life. I'm sure I can pull it off! Okay?"

Jisoo buried his face in his hands with a groan while the younger sent him a winning smile. "Let me think about it for a while," came the muffled reply from behind slender fingers. Chan's smile got even brighter.

Jisoo remembered that he was supposed to go grocery shopping as soon as he opened his fridge to prepare dinner - and only a single sad tomato stared him in the face (sitting next to an almost empty carton of milk). With a low sigh, he closed the fridge again and grabbed his wallet from the kitchen table. Returning to the little living room, he found Chan deeply engrossed in a drama, still cuddling his blanket.

"I'm going to buy some groceries," the Wielder announced and the boy immediately perked up like a puppy.

"Can I come too? It's been years since I last went into a supermarket."

Jisoo sent him a disbelieving look but judging by the hopeful smile on his face, he didn't seem to be joking so the Wielder simply nodded. "You can keep wearing my clothes and I'll get you my spare jacket. Try on some of the shoes while I'm searching for it."

After everything was settled and Chan was securely wrapped in one of Jisoo's jackets - wearing three pairs of socks, so he would not skid around too badly in Jisoo's sneakers - they left towards the supermarket. By now it was already past 9 and the streets were much less crowded than during the daytime.

As soon as they arrived, Chan looked like a child in a toy store. He even grabbed Jisoo's hand to pull him towards several of the aisles that caught his interest, happily pointing out the most mundane things. Especially instant- and cup-noodles seemed to have caught his attention and he stood in front of the shelf with ramyeon for several minutes, diligently studying all the different types and flavours while the Wielder gathered the rest of the much needed groceries.