"Wowww." Choon Hee stared at the big cinema hall in awe.
It was her first time coming to a cinema hall. The long queue of people attracted her a lot. She was excited that she would watch a movie with her samchon.
Jeongguk picked her up with his one arm when he saw the crowd of people. It would be difficult to walk her through so many people. It's Sunday today, that's why so many people came to watch movie. The morning one ended a few minutes ago and many people were walking out of the cinema hall, causing a crowd.
He checked the two tickets yesterday which he received as a gift and saw a disney movie called 'Moana'. He then googled about it and found it interesting as the main lead was a girl. Choon Hee would love it, he thought. So he decided to show her the movie. It will be start in half an hour, at 12 pm.
As they had tickets already, Jeongguk decided to enter the cinema hall. But first, he decided to buy some chips, popcorn and fruit juice. He bought them from the store of the cinema hall. Then he walked towards the hall with Choon Hee. A guard opened the door to the hall and they entered.
"Wowww..." Choon Hee looked around in awe as her eyes sparkled. Jeongguk chuckled to see her reaction.
He also looked around and was mesmerized to see the infinite rows of seats, the big screen in front of the seats, the lights and the back balcony. He never saw a cinema hall like this. He just went once in his life to a cinema hall, with his mother and elder sister when they lived in their hometown Busan. He was 18 at that time.
But, this cinema hall was in Seoul, so it's naturally looked very attractive and expensive too. If he did not have any tickets for this cinema hall, he would not have dared to come here.
One stuff member inside the hall asked him for the tickets and Jeongguk handed the tickets to him. Then the man lead them to their seats and Jeongguk saw the exact numbers on the seats which were written on the tickets. He first helped his niece to sit, then sat down beside her, putting the packets of chips, popcorn and drinks in the designated place.
Soon, people started filling the other seats. Jeongguk saw many parents bringing their children. People of different ages came to see the movie although it was a disney movie. Many adult girls and boys also came to see. That's why the worry vanished from Jeongguk's mind.
He was a bit worried thinking why his fan gifted him disney movie tickets when he was 26 already? Did the person know that he had a little girl in his family? He was already anxious about the book he received. But for now, decided to keep his worry aside and enjoy the movie with his niece. A few couples entered the hall and he was surprised a bit at the fact that couples also came to see the movie.
Soon, the wait was over and all the lights were turned off inside the hall, then the movie started. Jeongguk pulled his mask down when it was dark enough for anyone to see his face. The bruises on his lips, cheek and chin were still there, so he put on a mask when they left their house. And he tried to hide the band aid on his forehead with his hair.
He looked at his niece in between the movie and was happy to see her sparkling eyes full of awe and excitement as she enjoyed the movie. He fed her chips, popcorn and juice sometimes as she often forgot to eat because she was too engrossed in Moana's adventure.
Around 2 pm, the movie ended. Jeongguk walked out of the hall as he carried his niece in his arms because of the crowd. He did not think that he would enjoy the movie. But after a long time, it freshened his mind. His niece was very happy and was talking about the movie the whole way to the gate. Jeongguk thanked his fan in his mind.
"Are you hungry?" He asked as they walked through the sidewalk.
"Yes." She nodded her head and that's when her stomach made a noise. Jeongguk chuckled and she giggled.
He entered a nearby restaurant and they settled down at a table. He first ordered a pastry to calm her raging tummy a bit. When she started to dig in, he ordered pasta after asking her what she wanted to eat. He ordered egg fried rice for himself as he also started to feel hungry.
Jeongguk looked at her in awe when she gobbled down the pasta after it arrived. He always wondered where she put the food in her little tummy. She can eat almost everything and anytime, whenever you give her.
"Full?" He asked as she finished the last bite and she nodded her head.
"Not hungry anymore?" He asked and she shook her head, licking her lips.
"Wanna have a bite?" He asked when he saw her eyeing his egg fried rice.
She looked at him with her doe eyes and her signature innocent look. She used it when she wanted to have something without asking. Jeongguk chuckled and held a spoonful of fried rice near her mouth. She happily gulped it down.
"That was one and only bite." Jeongguk said as he did not want her to get sick. Thankfully, she nodded her head and proceeded to drink the water from her glass.
After paying the bill, Jeongguk felt something. He suddenly felt the need to use the washroom. He cursed in his head and looked at Choon Hee. Where would he leave her now? Then his eyes landed at the lady at the counter beside the man.
"Uh..excuse me." He called out and the lady looked up.
"Can you please keep her with you for five minutes? I need to go to the washroom." He said in a very polite tone. The lady looked at the little girl beside him.
"Sure. Why not?" She smiled at him, nodding her head. He felt relief.
"Please, take care of her. And I'm sorry for the trouble." He bowed his head a little.
"It's totally fine. Don't worry. She will be safe here." The lady understood his worry and assured him with a bright smile.
"Thank you so much." He bowed his head again and looked at his niece.
"Stay here, okay? Don't talk to anyone except her and don't go anywhere. I'll be back in three minutes." He cupped her face with his palms as he bent down in front of her.
"Okay." She nodded her head with a smile and he kissed her forehead after pulling his mask down, then stood up as he covered his face again.
As he walked towards the washroom, he turned his head again and again to look back at her. He never left her like that in a public place. When he did, his mother was always with her. But today, she was all alone with an unknown lady. He was feeling uneasy after leaving her like that. He cursed himself for his sudden urge to use the washroom.
After washing his hands, Jeongguk came out of the washroom and walked towards the counter of the restaurant. When he turned the corner, his eyes widened a little. He saw a man was talking to his niece as he crouching down in front of her and holding her hands. Although the counter lady was looking at them with a smile, Jeongguk became anxious and angry to see the man.
He hurriedly walked towards them, almost running. When he reached them, he pulled his niece towards himself and held her head, covering her face with his hands. She became happy to see him again and hugged his legs. The man stood up straight.
"Why are you talking to her?" Jeongguk glared at the man, more angry now, because he couldn't see the man's face because of the mask he was wearing.
"Hey, relax. I'm sorry if I made you worried. I don't have any bad intention." The man tried to reassure him as he shook his hands a little, in front of him. He understood what the guardian of the girl was thinking.
"Shut up. Why would you talk to an unknown little girl who was all alone? I saw you holding her hands." Jeongguk's glare intensified and the counter lady looked at the both men with worry on her face.
A few customers also turned their heads hearing the voices. The man in front of Jeongguk sighed.
"Look. If you're doubting me that much then I have no choice but to show you my face. Then you will understand that this face won't dare to do any illegal act." The man said and then neared Jeongguk.
Jeongguk stepped away from his place with a glare, holding his niece tightly. Then the man stood at Jeongguk's previous spot, facing his back to the customers. He did not want to show his face to others except for Jeongguk and the counter lady.
As the man pulled his mask down, Jeongguk widened his eyes and froze in his place. He unknowingly stepped back in shock. The man sighed, hoping Jeongguk to understand his words earlier. Then he raised his eyebrow when he saw Jeongguk's wide eyes and frozen posture.
"What happened?" The man asked and Jeongguk came back to his senses.
"I hope you understood what I-" The man stopped midway when he saw Jeongguk picking up the little girl in his arms and stormed out of the restaurant in long steps.
The man furrowed his eyebrows, confused at the guardian's reaction, then sighed, shaking his head a little. When he turned his head to the counter lady, he found her with the same frozen posture with slightly open mouth.
"Excuse me. I want to order something." The man spoke out and the lady came back to her senses, then blinked her eyes rapidly.
"OMO..Mr.-" She started but then stopped when she saw him placing his index finger over his lips.
"Please." He said and she understood him, then nodded her head instantly with a big smile on her face and a blush coating her cheeks.
"How can I help you, sir?" She asked with a dreamy look on her face.
"Pack some egg fried rice, jajangmyeon and pastries. 5 packets of each." He said as he put his mask on again.
"Sure, sir. Please, have a seat over there. Come with me, sir." She came out of the counter with an excited smile on her face, wanting to lead him to the very front table.
"It's fine. No need to come." He said but she did not listen and pulled the chair out for him.
The man thanked the lady and she bowed 90° in front of him, then hurriedly walked towards the kitchen area to place the order herself.
After a few seconds, the man's eyes landed on something on the floor, between the counter desk and the wall. He stood up and walked towards it to see what it was. Like he doubted, it was a wallet. He picked it up and furrowed his eyebrows thinking who lost their purse. Although it was a bad idea but he decided to open the wallet to know about the owner so that he could return it to them.
When he opened it, he saw a photo. A man with a little girl and a middle aged woman. He recognised the little girl and understood whose wallet it was. Then he closed the wallet again and looked at the counter lady who was already looking at him in awe.
"Excuse me. I found a wallet on the floor. It was of the man earlier with the little girl. Please hand it over to him." The man said holding the wallet to her and the lady grabbed it from him.
"Ohh...it's Mr. Jeongguk's. I saw it with him when he paid earlier." She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at the wallet, turning it up and down.
"Do you have his contact number?" The man asked and she looked up.
"No, sir. We just have the numbers of our regular customers and those who order a big amount for some small party or picnic." She replied as she bit her lower lip, thinking how she would return the wallet.
"He will come back. Don't worry. Just wait for a while." The man said.
*******
"Halmeoniii..." Choon Hee ran to her halmeoni as soon as she and Jeongguk entered their house.
Jeongguk's mother was sewing the button of a shirt on the sofa. She looked up and smiled at her granddaughter who climbed up to the sofa and sat beside her.
"We watched a cute movie. Moana was so cute and brave." Choon Hee started saying about the movie in excitement and her halmeoni showed surprise, hearing all that.
"Gguk-ah, are you ok?" Jeongguk's mother asked when she saw her son sitting on the other sofa, hands clasping together in front of him, elbows on his knees and staring at the small coffee table in front of him.
"Huh?" He came back to his senses, hearing his name.
"What happened, son? You did not hear what I asked. Are you ok? Are you feeling sick?" His mother asked again in concern and Choon Hee looked at her samchon.
"He fought there." She said in a simple tone and they looked at her, surprised.
"Son? You fought in front of her?" His mother looked worried, did not expect her son to forget his own rule.
"Eomma, no. Why would I? I just.." He stopped and looked at his niece, shaking his head with a sigh.
"It was not a fight. I was just angry at some man who tried to be close with her in the restaurant." He said, defending himself.
"Then samchon scolded him real good." She said again and his mother sighed in relief.
"Then why did you say I fought?" His tone was a bit different as he looked at her and she looked back with her doe eyes, became silent, couldn't pinpoint if he was angry at her or not. Then she looked down and started fiddling with her frock.
"Gguk." His mother said in a warning tone and Jeongguk closed his eyes tightly and leaned back on the sofa, covering his face with his hands. He did not know what got into him.
"Choon-ah, look what I bought for you today." His mother hurriedly picked up something from the coffee table which was wrapped in a piece of some news paper.
Jeongguk opened his eyes and looked at his niece whose eyes lit up when she unfolded the papers and found some cream-cookies. He felt very bad for his rude tone earlier. His heart squeezed remembering her silent state a few seconds ago. He knew, she was stunned for a few seconds, couldn't understand what to feel. He also knew that other children would have gotten scared or cried on the spot.
He got up from his seat and walked to her to hug her tightly and shower her with kisses, bringing back her bright smile again. But he halted in his place when he heard her words.
"Halmeoni, look. It is him. It is that ahjussi whom dada scolded." She lifted the piece of the news paper in front of her halmeoni's face.
Jeongguk stopped in his place and looked at his mother. He watched as she squinted her eyes at first and furrowed her eyebrows, then slowly her eyes turned wide and lips slightly parted. He also saw how she gulped hard, and when she looked up at him with her wide and vulnerable eyes, he lost it.
He instantly grabbed the paper from his mother's hands and crushed it in his fist. Then he turned around and ran his fingers through his hair.
"I..I'll be back. Gonna buy some medicine for you." He spoke out and walked out of the house in long steps before his mother could say something.
He hurriedly climbed down the stairs of their neighbourhood and threw the crunched up paper into a nearby dustbin. Then he walked down the sidewalk in long steps with many thoughts in his head. He did not realise when he reach the nearby pharmacy. When he saw the familiar drug store, he took some deep breath to calm himself down.
He walked into the store to buy some medicine for his mother's cough and cold. And when it was time to pay, he realised his wallet was not in his pants pocket.
He sighed deeply, running his fingers through his hair again. It could not get any worse today. He had a good amount of cash in his wallet and his ID card too. He thought hard where he could lose it. He remembered paying in the restaurant from his wallet. After that, he did not check it. Maybe...
Maybe, he dropped it during that chaos. He took a deep breath again, hoping the wallet would be there and walked to the restaurant.
---------------------------------------------------------
A few days passed after Taehyung submitted his project on Monday and now Friday arrived again. His favourite day. Actually, favourite night.
"I got youuu oo ooo...youuu oo ooo~"
"Youuu oo ooo...I got you, I got you~"
Taehyung walked down the stairs as he sang and spun the car keys around his index finger.
When he reached the hall, he walked towards the main door. That's when his elder brother entered the house and stopped for a moment when he saw Taehyung, then again started walking towards him.
"You're going somewhere, Tae?" Chang Wook asked as he reached Taehyung and the later smiled at his elder brother to hear his favourite nickname from him.
"Yes hyung, you know, the usual place." Taehyung smirked as he reached his brother and they both stood in the center of the hall, facing each other.
Suddenly, Chang Wook lifted his hand and gently cupped Taehyung's cheek after looking at him for a few seconds. Taehyung raised his eyebrows with surprise and glanced at his brother's hand on his cheek.
"What?" Taehyung asked.
"Nothing...I'm just thinking how my brother grew up so much. It feels like, time just passed in a blink of an eye." Chang Wook said as he stared at Taehyung with a faint smile.
Taehyung raised his eyebrows with a slightly open mouth, then he laughed with a confused look on his face.
"What happened to you, hyung? Why are you behaving like this? I can't stay like the little Taehyung forever." Taehyung chuckled at his brother.
Chang Wook sighed a little as he retreated his hand back with a tight lipped smile.
"Just think that I suddenly remember the little Tae." He said and Taehyung shook his head with a smile.
"Okayyy. Now I'm leaving." Taehyung said but Chang Wook indicated him to stop.
"Take a driver with you." Chang Wook said.
"Noo...hyung you know it's my night. I wanna be wild with my bumblebee." Taehyung winked at his brother and Chang Wook stared at him, shaking his head.
"Ok, bye. See you tomorrow." Taehyung waved his hand.
"Take care, Tae." Chang Wook said as Taehyung walked pass him.
"You too." Taehyung replied as he walked ahead while spinning his keys again.
"Tae." Chang Wook called out when Taehyung reached the door and the later turned around.
"Call me if you need a ride, in case you get drunk." Chang Wook said and Taehyung chuckled.
"Sure." Taehyung replied and then walked out of the house.
Soon, he drove out of the gate with his favourite lamborghini. Tonight he will be driving alone to the club. Hoseok said, he would be a little late tonight.
Taehyung turned up the volume a little of the song he was playing and started singing along it.
"Come on, come on, turn the radio on, it's Friday night and I won't be long~"
"Gotta do my hair, put my make up on, it's Friday night and I won't be long..."
His singing continued and he was about to reach the flyover on his usual route, that's when a car started honking behind him. He looked at his rear view mirror and saw a yellow lamborghini.
'Huh, trying to be the original bumblebee.' He scoffed.
'But my bumblebee is the best.' He smirked and sped up.
Soon, the car from earlier started honking at the back again and Taehyung became irritated. He decided to let it go as he was not in the mood of racing right now, he just wanted to reach the club soon and enjoy for a few hours. So, he signaled the car with his back light, indicating to go ahead and the car whizzed past him.
Taehyung scoffed again, a bit angry that he couldn't show his racing skill to that moron. He decided to forget about it and turned up the volume a little more. That's when he saw the car from earlier, stood in the middle of the road. Taehyung immediately slowed down, pressing on the brake and his car stopped 5 meters away from the other car.
Taehyung clenched his jaw as he held the steering wheel tightly. He was already angry when the car disturbed him earlier and now they had the audacity to block his way. He was about to open his seat belt, that's when he saw someone coming out of the driving seat of the car in front of him and stood in the middle of the road, with their hands inside their pockets.
*******
"Hello? Tae?" Chang Wook sat up straight in his chair when he got a call from Taehyung while working at his home office.
"Hyung..." A small voice came floating and Chang Wook became worried at that.
"What happened, Tae? Are you ok?" He immediately stood up from his chair and walked towards the door after grabbing his car keys from the table.
"Our hospital...come.." The voice trailed off and Chang Wook froze in his place, forgot to breath when he heard the word 'hospital'.
"Our hospital? Tae? Are you ok? I'm coming, I'm coming." Chang Wook started running through the corridor, heart hammering in his chest.
When he reached the middle of the stairs, to the main hall, he saw Mrs. Kim and his wife. They also reached the center of the hall after entering through the main door. They both looked at him when they saw him walking downstairs in hurry.
"Why are you in hurry?" Mrs. Kim spoke out when he reached them.
"Tae..in our hospital." Chang Wook just replied in two words as he ran past them with a fastly beating heart.
"What?" Mrs. Kim widened her eyes as she turned around and Eunji was also shocked.
"What happened to my son?" She yelled out, almost in a crying like voice and then ran outside the house, followed by Eunji.
Chang Wook did not let the driver to drive the car although the driver was all ready in the parking lot. He sat down in the driving seat himself and that's when Mrs. Kim and Eunji opened the back door and sat inside the car. Chang Wook drove away from there and when he hit the road, he drove in a very fast speed.
His heart was beating very fast as his hands and legs were shaking a little, but he concentrated on his driving. He did not want to cause any accident because of his anxiety. In the backseat of his car, Mrs. Kim was asking what happened to her son again and again as Eunji tried to comfort her.
Soon, they entered the parking lot of HR City Hospital. Chang Wook ran inside the hospital and asked in the lobby about Kim Taehyung. The owner of the hospital was Taehyung's mother. So, the receptionists immediately stood up.
"Madam Kim." They bowed their heads.
"Where is Kim Taehyung admitted?" Chang Wook asked in a hurry and they started checking in the computer.
"Sir, he is in room no. 7, VIP ward." One of the receptionists answered.
Chang Wook, Mrs. Kim and Eunji walked hurriedly to the elevator and entered it. When they reached the 5th floor, they stepped out of the elevator and hurriedly walked through the corridor. Soon, they reached room no. 7.
Chang Wook swiftly opened the door and entered the room, followed by the two ladies. When he saw Taehyung to the left side, sitting on the bed and Hoseok pacing the room, he stopped in his place. But, Mrs. Kim ran past him and reached Taehyung. Hoseok stopped pacing when he saw Taehyung's family.
"What happened, son? Are you ok? Are you hurt somewhere?" Mrs. Kim asked Taehyung frantically, looking all over his face.
But, Taehyung was not looking at her. He just stared on the bed, looked deep in thoughts as his right thumb scratched his index finger and his left hand's fingers pinching the bed sheet. Chang Wook slowly entered the room while looking at Taehyung with worry in his face.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Kim. He is alright. He just..a bit shocked. The doctor left the room just now after checking him well. He advised Taehyung to rest for a few minutes here." Hoseok spoke out and looked at Taehyung, feeling bad.
Chang Wook plopped down on the couch hearing Hoseok and then heaved a sigh of relief. Still his worry did not go away completely. He knew about this state of Taehyung. It happened two times, a few years ago.
He looked at Taehyung's hands which were doing the familiar act which Chang Wook recognised well. But, he was worried to see that Taehyung's hands were shaking a little too.
"Then tell me what happened. Why is he here, in a hospital?" Mrs. Kim asked as she looked at Hoseok in frustration, still not knowing anything.
"Mrs. Kim, please calm down. I also arrived here just a few minutes ago. Taehyung just told me one thing that a few men attacked him on the road and-" Hoseok was cut midway as Mrs. Kim shouted in shock.
"What? Oh my God! My son..." She cupped Taehyung's cheeks with her hands and looked at him in utter worry and fear.
"Don't scare him more." Chang Wook stood up suddenly and neared Taehyung.
"What? Now I'm scarin-" Mrs. Kim snapped her eyes towards him with a sharp look in her eyes but he held his hand up in the air, indicating her to stop. She stopped midway and huffed, then stood up straight, retreating her hands back from Taehyung's cheeks.
Chang Wook sat down on the bed, in front of Taehyung and gently held his hands, then felt the coldness of his hands. He squeezed Taehyung's hands a little with his warm hands and Taehyung looked up, breaking out of his daze.
"You're totally safe and sound here, Tae. Don't worry. Now tell me everything." Chang Wook said while looking into Taehyung's eyes and the later blinked his eyes, then ran his tongue swiftly over his dried lips.
"I..I was driving my car..that's when a few people blocked my car and-..and I came out of the car to confront them. But then, suddenly they held..my hands and started dragging me towards a van at the side of the road..." Taehyung trailed off and then looked away.
Mrs. Kim gasped out with wide eyes and Eunji widened her eyes. Hoseok started biting the corner of his thumb in anticipation, waiting for Taehyung to spill the next shocking words.
"Then?" Chang Wook asked in anticipation and Taehyung averted his gaze. Chang Wook shook Taehyung's hands a little, indicating him to continue.
"I beat them up..badly." Taehyung lowered his head and everyone froze in their places, stunned.
Hoseok's biting became fast on his thumb as he looked at everyone nervously, waiting for their reaction.
"Tae...you..how..?" Chang Wook stared at his brother, surprised. Mrs. Kim and Eunji also looked at Taehyung with shock.
"They are here..in the general ward." Taehyung ignored the question of his hyung and gave another shock to them.
Chang Wook tried to process the information for a few seconds and the room went silent for a whole minute. Suddenly, Chang Wook stood up from the bed, leaving Taehyung's hands and turned around to walk away from there.
"Hyung?" Taehyung called out in worry.
"I want to see those bast-..those people who dared to touch my brother." Chang Wook spoke out in a low tone and stormed out of the room.
"Wait, you did not tell me you brought them here? Tsk. I'm going to teach them a lesson." Hoseok first looked at Taehyung with a shocking expression and then his expression changed into a disappointed one, then he walked out of the room in hurry.
Chang Wook reached the general ward and stormed into the room, followed by Hoseok. Then he stopped in his track when he saw four men lying on four beds. They had bandages around their arms, legs and forehead. One had a plastered hand over his chest, hanging with the help of a strap by his neck. Another one had a plastered leg, hanging with the help of a strap from the bedpost.
"You pieces of some sh*t, how dare you touch my friend Kim Taehyung?" Hoseok lunged towards them and they screamed out in fear.
"Please, please spare us. No more beating please. Look at us, we are already very injured." One of them cried out while clasping his hands together and begging with fearful eyes. The others did the same gesture.
"Spare you? Spare you, huh?" Hoseok slapped the plastered leg as he glared while thinning his lips.
"AAAHH" The one with the plastered leg cried out in pain.
"Shut up." Hoseok slapped his head and the man instantly shut his mouth.
"Who sent you?" Suddenly Chang Wook asked in a low tone as he glared at the men, one by one.
"We..we don't know. We just saw a masked guy..with a cowboy hat. We met him in a dark alley. We did not see his face." One answered while stuttering.
"You don't know? Just wait and see how you speak like a parrot when the police will welcome you with a wooden stick." Hoseok glared at them and they widened their eyes.
"Please no, please. No more beating. They already beat us up badly." Another one cried out in fear and that caught the attention of Chang Wook and Hoseok.
"They?" Chang Wook raised his eyebrow.
"What they, huh? My friend beat you up alone. Were you hallucinating because of too much beating?" Hoseok asked with a proud smirk on his lips.
"No. There were two. They both beat us up when we tried to grab Kim Taehyung." One of the men said with wide eyes.
Hoseok and Chang Wook exchanged a look with confusion and curiosity in their eyes.
"We thought we could overpower him but the guy never told us that Kim Taehyung can fight and he won't be alone-AHH."Another man said, then yelped out in pain when he moved his plastered hand a little.
"SHUT UP." Chang Wook snapped his eyes towards the man and glared at them.
"Hand him over to the police, hyung." Hoseok said, glaring at the men.
"Don't worry. I will teach them a good lesson that they will remember forever." Chang Wook said in a low tone and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
Didn't think this chapter would be so long. 5340 words, longer than the first chapter.😁
Anyway...how's the chapter?🙂
Get ready for the exciting chapter next.😉
Stay strong, healthy and happy. Saranghaeyo...💜