before he moved to seoul, yang jeongin lived a nice and comfortable life in busan with his family which consisted of his mom, dad, and his hyung.
they were a bunch of happy and enthusiastic people living under one roof, they were insperable and they were content with that they have.
jeongin recalled the happy times they shared. how he and his brother would play with eachother and sometimes their parents joined in when they had time.
jeongin's dad had a stable job and his mom had a small home-based business so that she can look after her boys as she helped with the expenses.
"everything was fine, we all had eachother and we were happy." jeongin said with a small smile.
"until my mom got sick."
a young jeongin was crying in the hospital with his brother and dad when his mom collapsed at home.
it happened all too fast for his young mind to comprehend. thankfully, it happened on a weekend and their dad was home and was able to call an ambulance.
he didn't know what he would've done if he was home alone.
the doctor told them that their mother had lung cancer.
the doctor explained everything to them but it was all jargon and he didn't really understood the terms that he had used.
all he remembered was that he cried in his mother's arms that day as she whispered assurances that she'd be okay.
the doctor said that it was still curable and that there was a chance that she could get better.
jeongin didn't understand what his other words were but there was something that did catch his ear.
'she could get better.'
there was hope.
so he hoped.
their lives went back to normal after that, jeongin grew up and was now in highschool and was attending at sopa.
he didn't stay in a dorm. he traveled back and forth from seoul to busan. he didn't care that he needed to wake up earlier than normal just so that he could do it or cut down on his allowance to make said trips possible but if it was for his mom, he was willing to do it.
his mother was everything to him. she was his queen and he wanted everything best for her. he wanted to see her grow old and see him graduate, get married, and find a stable job and be successful so that he could repay her and his dad for everything.
one morning, as jeongin was quietly moving along his home, careful not to wake anyone up since it was still an ungodly hour.
"innie? is that you?"
jeongin turned around and saw his mom, wrapped in her bathrobe and gave him a warm smile.
she looked worse for wear to be honest, her eyes reflected the extensive therapy sessions she had to go through and the sleepless and painful nights she had to endure.
still, jeongin saw her as the most beautiful woman there is.
"mom! why are you awake?" jeongin whisper-yelled as he didn't want his dad to wake up.
his hyung was a few years older than him and was now working overseas so the house consisted of just the three of them.
"i got thirsty!" mrs. yang giggled as jeongin laughed along.
"do you have everything ready for today?" his mom asked, he nodded and smiled at her.
"yes mom, i'm all set for school." he replied.
"my boy's all grown up now, ahh, seeing you in your uniform just warms my heart." she said as she adjusted jeongin's tie.
jeongin smiled at her as she caressed his cheek, the young boy melting to her touch.
"i'm so proud of you baby. with everything you've accomplished and done, you grown into such a decent boy. it warms this woman's heart." she said as jeongin kissed her forehead and pulled her into a hug.
"i love you mom." he said as his mom smiled as she patted his back, "love you too baby."
once they broke the hug, she ruffled his hair affectionately, "now, try and be home early okay? your hyung is coming home today and i'm gonna prepare a nice dinner."
"i can stay and help you if you want." jeongin offered but she shooked his head,
"no, i'm not letting you skip classes. besides, your dad is gonna be here to help me."
"you sure?" jeongin asked again and she nodded.
"mhmm so don't worry mkay? i'll bake you some cookies for you to eat when you get home. now hurry along before you run late!"
"okay okay," jeongin laughed as he grabbed his bag, "i'll get going now."
"bye love, stay safe."
"i will! see you at dinner!"
his mom said nothing but she smiled and waved him off.
"i wish i knew that was the last time i was gonna see her. 'cause once i got home i was too late."
jeongin was skipping the steps as he got close to his home. the day was exhausting and eventful but he was able to convince the school to let him go home an hour early so that he could help with whatever they were doing at home.
he couldn't wait to surprise his mom that he was earlier than usual! he wanted to sit down the table with the three people that mattered to him the most and they exchanged stories of how their day went.
whenever his hyung was home, he brought all sorts of gifts for them and always made sure he spent time with jeongin so the younger was looking forward to that too.
he was so excited that he felt a buzz.
oh wait no, that was his phone.
lol.
"hello?" he chirped enthusiastically.
his smile dropped when he heard crying. worry began to take over, he checked his phone and saw that it wasn't a random number or someone pranking him.
it was his brother.
his brother rarely cried.
"hyung? what happened?" jeongin asked in alarm as he began to run towards his house.
he stopped when he reached the front as his brother replied, "mom's gone."
that day, a part of jeongin died too.
he was too late.
"i rushed to the hospital and i saw my mom's body laying cold on the bed. the oxygen was cut off from her as the doctor announced her time of death." jeongin squeaked as he wiped a tear that cascaded down his cheek.
"it was her last day that day. dad told me that the doctor told her that her condition worsened and she had a month to live and apparently that was her last day."
hyunjin took everything in, he watched as jeongin break infront of him as he shared something so personal with him.
the last he was in a situation like this was with felix. but that wasn't the story right now.
hyunjin instinctively wrapped his arms around the boy as he petted his hair as he whispered sweet nothings to his ear to calm him down.
it was odd. the two of them in the backseat of his car, hugging.
"i- i blamed her for not telling me. i wish she told me rather than have kept me in the dark," jeongin sobbed into hyunjin's blazer.
he clutched the fabric, "b-but i knew she did that to protect me. i-it was scary to lose someone you love. but it was scarier to know when you'd lose them and you can't do anything about it."
hyunjin cupped his face as he used his thumbs to wipe the tearstains on his cheeks, "baby, i'm sorry for having you relive all of this. please don't cry. it's not your fault."
"i feel like it is," he replied, "there's just so many what ifs in my mind. what if i stayed and helped her or what if i just took a half day-"
he rambled but hyunjin shushed him with a soft kiss on the forehead, "baby, it isn't your fault and there's also that fact that you probably couldn't have done anything."
"i could've stayed by her side." jeongin sniffed.
"i know baby," hyunjin said softly as he brushed the younger's hair out of his face, "but your mom wanted you to keep going and reach for your dreams. she didn't want you to let this haunt you forever."
jeongin listened to his words as he continued, "if she was here she probably would've said the same thing. she would want you to keep smiling and try and be happy. she wouldn't want you to worry, besides she's watching over you now and is happy that you're okay."
all his life, jeongin had heard a lot of advice from the people around him saying that what happened was inevitable and wasn't his fault.
but it was only now that he believed such words.
and only know that he felt something inside of him flutter.
hyunjin gave him so much comfort and it felt so right.
maybe he was right, maybe he could learn to move on from this.