RAINBOW | hjs

0.1

han jisung.

"how many times do i have to tell you that this business meeting is important, we need to be there," i heard father shout from my bedroom as they entered the house.

"well then how do you expect to ask jisung to go? he's only nineteen and he has to attend a business meeting with absolutely no experience?" my mom retorted back as i watched them argue from the top of the stairs.

"it's good to start earlier, plus chairman oh's daughter will be attending the meeting too, and she's jisung's classmate," he spat, throwing his laptop onto the kitchen island in irritation.

"but jisung isn't the type who'd want to go to business meetings," my mom argued.

"and how would you know that? i for one think that jisung would enjoy these meetings and would be a natural at handling them, he's going to become the heir of our company one way or another," father took his coat off and handed it to one of the butlers standing by.

"of course you wouldn't know anything about jisung. you've been so caught up in your business that the only thing that matters to you is money and success. do you even know what jisung likes to do?" she paused, not receiving any reply from father. "he likes to play, and have fun-"

"have fun? you have got to be kidding me? there is no 'fun' in this household and he will be taking over our business in the future," he put emphasis on the 'will'.

"are you serious? you don't even care about your son's interests and feelings? you're a terrible person," i watched mom get slapped on the cheek by father, and soon after heard crashes.

i ran back to my room and hid under the blankets as lightning struck and thunder was heard again.

i didn't like this feeling, not one bit, and i was genuinely sad that no one was there for me at the times i needed someone.

i shut my eyes tight, pretending to fall asleep as i heard someone knock on my door and open it.

"jisung? jisung, sweetie? are you asleep?" i heard the familiar voice that belonged to none other than my mom.

a tear rolled down my cheek as i recalled what had happened just now. ever since my father had become an entrepreneur and started his own business when i was around three-years old, my family has never been happy, not even once.

my father stopped playing and talking to me and my mom would be the only one who would succumb to my wishes, though she still would be too busy to do so and would only play with me once every two weeks.

unlike other normal children whom i had very much envied, my parents never had time for me, not even on my birthday. they'd just send the butler to give me a cake and a new phone and everything i wanted on my birthday. they wouldn't even wish me a happy birthday, they just left me on my own. it was like i wasn't even living with my parents anymore, we just cut off all contact whenever they were too busy, although there were a few times i tried to start a conversation with them, they never really cared.

and to make it worse, because they were never there for me, i had developed a phobia; astraphobia, the phobia of thunder and lightning.

this was caused by an incident that happened while i was playing outside alone when i was six years of age. i was just playing with my toy cars and toy construction equipments in the sandpit of the neighborhood park as lightning struck the pit that i was playing in and a thunderstorm had occured.

i ran away from the pit into some alley that i didn't know of. i was lost. i felt scared, very afraid, as i slid down the wall, losing balance and strength in my legs.

i broke down there and then, before a figure appeared in front of me. it was a girl around my age, holding an umbrella before opening her mouth to speak.

"hello! what are you doing here in the rain?" she smiled as she asked, before noticing that i was crying.

"oh no, don't cry big brother, you'll make me sad," she said before holding the umbrella above me.

"why are you-" she cut me off.

"let's go! i'll bring you to my house and ask mummy to help send you home to your mummy and daddy," she smiled before reaching out to me and pulling me up to stand.

"are you tired?" she asked as she saw that i couldn't walk properly.

i nodded my head as she simply smiled. "here, you can lean on my shoulder, i'll help you get to my mummy."

and just like that, i met my practical life savior. although i never saw her again, i remember a little bit of her name when she introduced herself to my parents after sending me home. i remember the first syllable to her name was 'min'? 'minji', perhaps?

hopefully i get to see her again, and hopefully i can lean on her and tell her everything, my worries and fears, and hopefully she'll be there for me, and be the one person i can actually trust.