Help || Hwang Hyunjin

EIGHT

It had been over a month and the day that I had longed forever was only one day away. It was the day Hyunjin promised to show me what he called home.

When I was dismissed from the store thirty minutes after seeing Hyunjin shirtless on that miraculous day, he still stood by the entrance, supposedly waiting for me. He insisted on walking me home which I reluctantly agreed to. Since then, he had known exactly where I lived and was even invited by mom to come in for she was simply amazed at the fact that I had come home with someone other than Yuna.

So, it was simply fair for me to know his house too.

It was a Thursday evening when I was strolling through the serene parks of our colony. 

Just when I decided to head back home, I saw the back of a lonesome figure, under a tree, looking at what seemed to be the prettiest sky. The clouds had cleared up on the previous day and now the skies seemed to have gained a fresh touch for the first time in more than a month.

I squinted, trying to see whom that godly frame belonged to. I took just a step further and was more than happy to see a lost Hyunjin, standing with his arms folded.

He seemed to be peaceful, extremely peaceful. It was a very heart-warming sight. Though I was tempted to go talk to him, I was hesitant to disturb him at that moment.

Instead, he turned back and looked at my iffy self with the purest smile. I could have been considered a feign if I hadn't returned a smile to that.

"You trimmed your hair," I stated once I was standing beside him, admiring the very same thing that he did too: the sky.

"I didn't expect you to notice that," he said, now averting his gaze towards me. I turned towards him too. Being able to talk to him while looking into his eyes felt like a dream at that moment.

"Well, it was an inch longer yesterday," I said, noticing how his hair length now perfectly suited the pastel-coloured, baggy sweater that he wore. Unexpectedly, I also noticed how his sweater and the sky conversed with each other.

"Eunmi?"

"Yeah?" I replied still looking at the boy who had now gone back to looking into the indefinite azure that hung over us, at an unreachable height.

"Is there any subject that you particularly struggle with?" he asked.

We frequently spoke about struggles but now that this topic had come up, I realized that we never did speak about what academics meant to us.

"Um... all subjects except for math seem to be going on pretty well for me. Honestly, in the past seven days, I can feel that I am coping with math too. What about you?"

Hyunjin turned to me with an indecipherable expression which had me confused.

"English," he almost whispered in a raspy voice that was laced with some sort of worry. I didn't know when and how but the quiet look and atmosphere around Hyunjin then had me concerned.

"Yeah?"

"English is a pain in the ass, Eunmi. It's not easy and it sucks to be the one person who can't pick up the language."

I felt the slightest hint of relief when I realized that he was comfortable with letting his frustration out, in front of me.

"You know, it wasn't easy being the only one in class who couldn't speak Korean properly when I was thirteen years old," I said, leaving Hyunjin surprised.

"Did you not stay in the country?"

I shook my head. "My family and I moved here only three years back. I grew up in Arizona. That is also the main reason for me being so comfortable with the English language. I bet that's how you feel about Korean. Even now, though it has become rare, I can sometimes really embarrass myself with the kind of Korean I speak..."

I was overjoyed to see a ghost of a smile finally creeping up his lips.

He now looked into my eyes, again, giving me an odd sense of satisfaction.

"Will I be able to improve?" he asked, with a certain depth of fear in his complex irises.

"I am a hundred per cent sure that you will. You know, you can always seek help too. I can help if you would like that."

Hyunjin smiled giddily at that.

"I would like that."

Going with the flow, we walked through the streets, with no definite destination in our mind. 

"This might be personal, but is there any particular reason for you to suddenly start worrying about a subject that you don't find easy? I mean, I don't want to sound rude. You know what I mean, yeah?" knowing that the topic was slightly delicate and that I wasn't doing a very good job of picking the right words.

"You agreed to tutor me, right?" he asked to which I responded with a single nod. "You'll know tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I thought you wanted to see my house tomorrow."

"I do. I do want to see your house," I said, noticing that Hyunjin might have not perceived the right message.

"So, do you want me to come with my English books, then?" I asked, trying to cheer him up to which he responded with just the expression that I was looking for.

"Only if you want to", he said, turning to me with a smile.

--- 

When I rang the bell, I was surprised to learn that it was my sister who opened the door. I stared at her, expecting something important to come out of her mouth, but her lips were sealed.

"Chaeyoung?" I asked when I was running out of patience.

"Grandma and Grandpa have gone to Uncle Junghyun's place and Mom and Dad went to the hospital", she said, returning to the kitchen where she was supposedly cooking herself dinner.

"Hospital?" I was a little scared at that.

"Yeah, granny collapsed in the morning. She was admitted to the hospital. Mom texted me saying that she was alright now," she said, referring to my mom's mother who wasn't in her best condition.

"When are they going to be back?" I asked.

"I am not sure, but not before tomorrow evening," she replied.

I did a silent prayer for my granny to recover soon before heading upstairs, to my room.

I was surprised that my parents went to the hospital together. When this kind of situation occurred, usually one of them would go so that the other could stay and look after us. It is surprising that though I was sixteen and Chaeyoung was twenty-one, my parents were still averse to letting us home alone. Apparently, it was because I was still a minor.

I took this chance to skip dinner without any concerns.

As I sat on my bed, all I could think about was the rare sight of Hyunjin's pensive face. The boy had become my only source of optimism and seeing him in such distress had me sincerely worried.

The very same thought was overpowered by the anticipation of seeing Hyunjin's house on the next day. I was more than just excited.

---

I sincerely apologise if you found this chapter boring. It was more of a filler...

But things will get a lot more interesting in the coming chapter(s) so stay tuned^^

Thank you so much for all the love and support!