haechan's pov
"Stop staring at yourself and shower quickly" I stop looking at the mirror and turned to my toilet door and rolled my eyes. This bitch. "I'm not going to the breakfast meet, so just give up waiting for me and go alone" I stated, while combing my dry and messy hair. "Well you have to or they won't release your album" He replied. I turned on the faucet of my bathtub and heard Yang yang screaming, "Donghyuck, you dick head!" I chuckled and got in the bathtub. I'm clearly wasting my time and he knew that too.
I finish washing up and walked out from the toilet to see Yang yang sleeping on my bed with his pull over on. I turned to my closet to see my suit there, hanging. I threw myself on my bed and he woke up.
"Thought you left" I said and he rolled his eyes and continue closing his eyes. "Well, I should've but you didn't want to go so... you owe me breakfast" I pushed him from my bed and he slapped my leg.
Yang yang has a house nearer to our company but here he is, breaking into my house every time we share the same schedule so we can go together. "Didn't your manager call you?" He asked, then chuckled. "Yeah. About eighteen times" I laughed and he showed me his that indicates 38 missed call.
"Not surprised. You missed every meeting that involves that prick" I stated and he sat himself up. "Well, what's so good about him anyway? Plus, they knew they can't fire us" He continued and I laughed, agreeing.
"You're still finding, aren't you?" I stayed silent while he stood up and look at all the canvas of my portrait that was done in oil painting, neatly arranged beside my window. "This looks epic. Where's this from?" He blurted out with laughter because of how the painting didn't even look like me. That portrait was done at a street, and it was a pretty gorgeous person who painted it. Maybe beauty outside don't always represent talent.
11.59 am
I walked in the company with my bodyguards around me. There isn't any makeup on my face that makes the reason of why using a bucket and a mask was a reason. I took the the elevator that's only for staff and went to my manager's office. I greeted him and he sighed.
"I hope that reason was valid" I bowed, apologizing and he led me to the lounge. I took out my mask and bucket while he started explaining to me my schedule for the upcoming days to my album release.
After our meeting has completed, he went out to his office while I'm still here, seating. I have enough time to spare before going to the practice room. I looked at my phone and knew it so well from the date, it's my mother's birthday. I closed my face to hide myself from stressing.
I'm still finding you, mommy.
I don't remember how she looks like. Dad left her for another woman and put me in the orphanage home after a year with his mistress, saying I'm a burden to him. I remember mom kneeling in front dad, to see me once more but she gives in after getting kicked at from my step mother and only wave to me from afar before leaving me once again. Mom wasn't her. She was so pale and weak.
All mom left me was a portrait of someone she oil painted back in the days before she visits me one last time. Behind the canvas, has a handwritten note that says: I'm waiting for you, my son. I'll be here, I promise. I kept her promise and is still trying to find her.
I studied mom's painting technique just to have my portrait done in a lot of places to find the person mom painted. What I believe was that, this person was her student that mom ask me to search for and that this person know mom whereabouts.
"Donghyuck. Coffee?" I let go of my hands from my face and look up to see Vera, someone I trained with since my pre debut days. She's nice but sometimes, she's shows too much affections to me. "Thanks" I took a sip and she sat beside me.
She could've sit anywhere else but why beside me? I stood up and she stopped me by holding my hand. I let go of my hands from her and she quickly back hugged me tightly. "Vera, stop it" I removed myself from her and she was taken aback. "I'm sorry, I just-"
"Just what again? This isn't the first or second time! enough is enough. I'm sick of the same old stupid rumors, Vera! and one more thing! It's Haechan" I walked out from the lounge and went straight to my practice room, pissed at her attitude and at how she kept calling me Donghyuck when she knew it so well only mother and Yang yang called me that.
11.47 pm
The lights were still on, and there's still chattering inside. I walked nearer to the store door and knock. Someone opened the door and tried looking at my face that was covered with my mask and a hood. "Sorry... but we're close. Maybe tomorrow?" She adjusts her bag and turned around to look at her colleague. "Who's that?"
I heard that familiar voice and look away from facing the inside store. I heard her footsteps coming towards the door and continued, "Um Katie, you should leave first. You have school tomorrow, right?" I just stood there while they both continue chatting. The person who I assumed is Katie then leave. I look up and she sighed.
"You look different without makeup" She said and I just go along with it, since it's true. I remove the hood and mask while I walked to the counter to realize the tulips, I bought for her ended up on the bin. I picked it up and readjust the tulips and threw it back to the bin. She looked at my actions and got clueless. "I forgot, you hated it" I said and she look away, probably embarrassed. She went upstairs and I follow her.
She opened a door and turned on the lights to a room, which I assumed is her storeroom. I went in and was so surprised at how much canvas there was on the floor and shelves. "It's here. Your portrait" I heard her and turned around to see my portrait she painted. I held the piece and I suddenly felt a floating heart inside of me. I tried looking harder and harder at the details and brush strokes. It's familiar and similar.
I threw the canvas out from the room, madly and rush to the other canvas that was neatly placed on the floor to see the other paintings. I searched and searched to see the other paintings she has done but it's too much. I gripped my face and started screaming in frustration.
I walked to her and she started crying while looking away, knowing the reason of why I acted this way. "Where's my mom? Where is she?" I couldn't control myself and leaned myself on the wall, in pain. Tears flow out continuously and I couldn't do anything but to close my mouth from shedding too much tears.
I felt someone pulling me to their warm embrace while caressing my back continuously with a soft hand. I couldn't do anything but to just hide my pain in the solace. I couldn't open my eyes and felt like this was something I was, too, searching for; this comfort. I got so weak that all I could do was to only share my emotion with this person.
I opened my eyes to only realized I've been sleeping on this person warmth. Her right hand was securing my head the entire time and the other one on my back. As much as I have to leave, I don't want to split our embrace. I put my hands around her waist and tightly gripped her.
"I miss you, mom" I whispered to myself, while closing my eyes with a small teardrop sliding out. I felt my hair getting touched from and I slowly tried smiling. I slowly remove myself after so long in her embrace and look at her, with tears stains on her cheeks. I tried wiping her cheeks but she looks away, while wiping her own tears away.
"S-she left" I looked at her face, and she continued. "It's been twelve years since... since she couldn't fight for her cancer. I'm... I didn't-" She burst out into more tears and I just sat there, mixed feelings. I felt completely empty. Everything in me suddenly disappeared.
I felt nothing, the moment I've been looking forward to in my entire life is suddenly, meaningless. I just stare at the floor while she stood up and run out to leave the room.
