Wonder Girls new album on, I moved my head to the beat. Books wide opened everywhere on my queen bed, a yellow highlighter in my hand and my pc on the side, I studied hard. Well, I tried to be serious.
Homeworks after homeworks and, studying and studying again, I got a lot of things to catch up since I did more interesting things this past weekend...I got to do some research on my patients's diagnosis, treatments, medical care, etc. I needed to be perfect for my ongoing internship cause my supervisor wasn't impressed by my performance of last week. I had no choice to stay focus this week, so...no boys.
This week, I would take the bus a bit earlier than them, so we wouldn't run into each other and, avoided all phone calls of them. I mean, only JB and Jackson. Jackson and me haven't really finished that conversation that other day and, I didn't want talk about it anymore. Jinyoung was the only one I had no problem with.
And Mark, ever since that night, our relationship has upgraded of another level. We take care of each other more than before; we talk like best friends, play like children, argue like husband and wife and protect each other like siblings. I don't know what he has become to me, but now, I know that our friendship is more significant. Because of him, and JB, I can't concentrate on my study. Thinking about both of them...I got two men disturbing my mind right now.
Ding dong!
I was too busy in my room, reading on my precious highlighted notes while eating my oreo cookies and sipping some milk, that I didn't flinch a bit.
Tok tok! My mom did on my room door, head inclined to see what I was doing.
"Your friend is here."
I glared at her; raised my eyebrows up, surprised. I was still chewing my cookie. I wasn't use to have friends coming over at my house without warning.
"Who-o is it?" I faltered, still confused.
She did not answer, went out of my room while saying, "She's here. That's her room."
I had no strength to get up of my bed, so I waited to see who was coming with those boisterous and confident steps. That person must be quite hefty lol. I frowned still curious until I catch sight of a shadow on the floor, and--
"Here you are!" He said cheerfully and thanked my mom after that.
You?!
My mom left, with a suspicious look on her face. He was about to close my door, when I abruptly whispered to him, "Don't! My mom...will think weirdly."
"Why?" He had his usual expressive thick eyebrows and shaking eyes, surprised by my interruption.
"Anyways, just don't close it and, what do you want?" I uttered in a defensive tone, crossed arms, not used to have a guy at my house, in my room. He came closer to me and sat on my office chair, whispering like he was about to tell me a secret, "Why are you avoiding me these days? It's about that conversation, right?"
I let out a deep breath before talking, "I'm really not in the mood to talk about that, Jackson."
He looked down and also sighed. "I just wanted to help you..." he expressed, discouraged by my demeanor.
"I'm okay. I don't need your help. I'll let you know when I'll really need you."
"But, don't you--"
"No, Jackson." I said bluntly.
"Just let me ex--"
"No." I retorted sharply.
"Not even th--"
"Noooooo. No." I pointed my shaking face, so he could understand. He frowned and pouted, not understanding why I was like that. He grunted an "Okay." and "...girls are so complicated sometimes..." I gave him a piercing stare and he immediately shunned me.
I continued, "How do you even know I live here?"
"Oh, I asked JB since he used to take you home. Not fair..."
"Eh?"
"I'm a bit jealous since I got closer to you before him." So straightforward.
I reassured him, "You're the first one to come inside my house though. You should be proud of this." I tapped his knee like a mother would do to her son to bring back his cheerful mood.
"Ohhhhhh!" he expressed, more happier, "...uh, JB told me to say hi to you, from him...since you avoided him too."
"Ok."
"You and Mark got closer, uh?"
"Yeah, we can say that" While scanning my room, I then heard him muttering to himself ,
...that's why...
"Excuse me, what did you say?"
"Ah, nothing!" he waved his hand at me, withholding what he just said, "But, why don't you speak to Jaebeom, especially him. You don't even take his phone calls. Has he done something wrong?", he gesticulated in an odd way.
Has he done something wrong to me? No. It's me. I'm still lost. I have a lot in my mind right now.
It's like if we played the runner and the chaser, Tom and Jerry? Maybe not as much as them. While he's trying to open up more to me, I ran away as if I wasn't ready to live my dreams in the real world. The reality.
"No, no. Don't you see i'm busy? Look..." I pointed my busy bed.
"Your internship."
"Yeah. And, I have an exam soon. You don't joke with nursing. One day, If I ever save your life, you'll be thankful to me for all the days I purposely avoided you to study and become a better nurse!"
"Oh! Of course!!!" He had a large grin. He was about to laugh when I successfully put my hand on his mouth before he could let out his ear-piercing cackle.
"I like you Jackson, but I have a lot to do now. Sorry."
"Oh, you like me?" he taunted. I caught one of my pillows and hit him few times with it, "As a friend, of course idiot! Oh my god! Is it mutual?" I stopped hitting him and grinned waiting for his response.
"Yes it is" He said confidently. And, we did our friendly hand gesture like two guys would do."But, stop ignoring me now!"
"Okay, okay, go!", I chased him away from my room and my house while pushing his back. I closed my door and went back in my books and polished my homeworks. I admitted it, it felt good to see Jackson again. Few hours later, I woke up from a vibration; I felt something moving next to me. My books were still on my bed and the music still on. I must have slept.
I grabbed my ringing phone next to me and...JB was calling.
I can't stop talking to you forvever.
I slide the button on my screen and put the phone on my ear without saying anything.
Silence...
A long silence filled both our ears ready to listen to each other. I went first.
"Annyeong." I shyly started, over the phone.
"Annyeong."
I closed my eyes strongly...I really did missed his voice. The last time I spoke to him was when he left me to see Jr. I felt sorry.
"How are you?"
"I didn't know until now. But, right now, I'm doing pretty fine."He missed me. I could feel it in his voice, the way he talked.
"Listen...I'm sorry. I-I--" I stammered. My mind wasn't straight right now.
"Gwenchana, don't worry. Jackson told me you were studying hard, so I called to cheer you up and,... listen to your voice again. It's been a while."
I pouted, feeling sorry. I should just have tell you why.
"Ah, thank you."
"Are you still studying?"
"Well, I fell asleep and then you called, so I don't remember where I'm--"
"Ya, don't exhaust yourself. You need to get some sleep." I missed his cold, nagging tone.
"Ne, appa (Yes, daddy)."
Silence filled the distance between us. I heard him take a deep breath and exhaled after that.
"...I guess, we'll see each other soon when you won't be busy anymore."
"Hm."
"Okay then, I won't hold you any longer. Goodnight, sweet dreams~"
"Goodnight..."
***
After Bambam and Yugyeom left, noises of filling empty shelves with food, cleaning the floor, and then go to the trash can one last time, could be heard in the empty convenience store. Now clean, it was ready to open its door again, tomorrow morning.
Jinyoung's grandma watched him doing all the chores since now she couldn't do it all by herself. She thought her daughter had imposed her son to do all of it, but she said he was the one who insisted, saying he's the man of the house.
Sorrow filled his grandma's heart seeing him working hard like that. At his age, he should do whatever he wanted. His father was seriously the one to blame.
"Halmoni, shouldn't you be sleeping at this late hour?" He chided to her sweetly, cause he worried about her.
Standing on her two old and weak legs, looking at her grandson doing all the dirty job, "I wanna talk to you my little Jinyoungie." She would always called him like that; she didn't used Jr since his father left the family. She hated him.
The two of them went outside, breathing some late night fresh air, walking arms in arms. She kept rubbing his soft hand. He still had that smooth baby skin that every girls would crave to have.
"My little Jinyoungie, what are your future plans?"
"Eh? I already told you grandma, I'm going to teach children at junior school. I'll be a teacher. You know how I like children, don't you?"
"Ah, yeah yeah. Then, you're letting go that Kpop idol thing? That dream you had since you were young..."
"Ahh, that..."
Jinyoung was walking, head down, without giving any answer. He still thought about it, for sure.
They came to a halt, and she held both of his hands, "Jinyoungie, my baby, grandma's little baby, I know you wanna take care of your mom and the store but, you can't keep doing it all your life. If you have dreams, you should take the risks too, instead of a comfortable life...Live your own life."
"However, I'll still have to take care of mom when...you won't be there anymore."
She rubbed his left cheek with her wrinkled, but warm palm, "Ah, you're such a good son. A good son can be happy too. You know I want your happiness. I want to see that beautiful wrinkled eye-smile of yours."
"I know grandma", while putting his hand over hers.
She then lifted her head up, looking at the night sky, "When I'll be up there and looking down at you, I want to see you smile everyday."
Hiding in a corner, not too far way from them, she eavedroped their conversation. Tears couldn't stop falling, crying quietly in the dark. After seeing them walking up home, she waited a bit outside, trying to calm down before going inside herself. While pushing the door, she latched it, then walked upstairs, carefully to not make any noise, when the lights suddenly turned on.
"Where were you my daughter?"
She turned back to face her, revealing her red puffy eyes and swollen face, still moist because of the tears of sadness she let flowed down earlier.
"At the church, praying."
"For me?"
"I always pray for you Omma, and for Jinyoung too. This time,... I went for me."
_________________________________________
Hi everyone!
How did you like this chapter?
Do you think it was good to avoid JB and Jackson? Well, her relation with Mark is getting better.
And, what's going on with Jr's mom and grandma?
You'll get to know in next chapters, of course!
Give me your thoughts :)
Malory~