The puppies welcomed Chae Eun and her mother into the apartment. After receiving the call, Jay immediately fetched his keys for his motorcycle and marched for the door. That was the first time he heard her sound like that. Chae Eun didn't give any more details expect that she was in need for a place to stay for the night. Jay didn't hesitate to mention that his house always has a room for her.
Then Mr. Kim reminded him of the fact that there were two people that he was going to pick up and a motorcycle ride wouldn't be ideal for it. The older man offered to pick up the mother and daughter. Jay eventually conceded.
"I'm really sorry to bother you at this time of night." Chae Eun greeted Jay with an apology. For a brief moment while waiting for the car Jay sent for them, Chae Eun had a change of heart. They hadn't known each other very long but the boy had always been kind to her. But asking for a place to stay would be abusing that kindness and she wouldn't have that. She then received a text from Jay.
"You can talk to me if you want once you get here. Even just to listen."
Chae Eun didn't know Jay had four dogs. He mentioned he had dogs but she just assumed he meant two. Her eyes glazed as Jay stepped aside and the litter charged at her. She and Eun Tae shared a love for these adorable furballs. She forgot for a moment their situation and crouched down to pet the dogs. Eun Mi looked on her daughter, the twinkle in her eyes a breathe of fresh air in tonight's happenings. She then turn to the blonde boy and greeted him with a smile.
"What my daughter really wants to say is thank you. We'll try not to be too much of a burden to you tonight." Eun Mi bowed her head in gratitude.
"You can stay as long you need to, Mrs. Jeong."
Dinner was waiting for the mother and daughter, with Jay joining them in dining. They were silent all throughout the meal but it was surprisingly comfortable. When they finished, their host showed them to their rooms. Jay gave the guest room to Mrs. Jeong and he guided Chae Eun to Joy's room. His sister's room seldom has an occupant in it because Joy's still living with their parents, her just occasionally visiting Jay.
"I can sleep on the couch, really. I couldn't impose." Chae Eun was being pushed inside Joy's room by Jay but she was resisting at the doorframe. "As long as my mom sleeps okay, I can just—"
"Chae Eun, you're my guest." There was finality in Jay's voice that left no room for objections. "Accommodating you is my job."
She pursed her lips, the fight in her dying down with his stern yet soft voice. Without noticing it, she'd surrounded herself with kind people. She felt like she didn't deserve any of the kindness she'd been receiving from that point on. "I..." Chae Eun started but she let the protest hang. "Thank you, Jay."
The sincerity and genuineness in her words made Jay smile. "Get a good night's sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow if you want."
Chae Eun tried, she really did, but sleep didn't seem like it'll be visiting her tonight. There was just so much in her mind that it's all blurring together and the muddy thoughts was keeping her up. She doesn't like sleeping with something bothering her—she simply can't.
At about 2 am, she finally gave up on sleep and slipped out of the room. The whole unit was quiet and Chae tiptoed to the living room, careful not to make any noise. The sight before her garnered a soft gasp from her. Jay lived in the busy part of the city and his building was in the heart of it. The city's nightlife was on full display on the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was mesmerizing and Chae Eun was now certain that she's not going to sleep tonight.
She situated herself on the lounging couch by the window walls, her eyes fully reflecting the lights from the myriad of buildings outside. The spacious couch reeled her mind to think about her best friends and how much they'll love the view before her. Maybe she should call them up and let them know what happened.
Jace would surely be sleeping in at this time of night—the boy wasn't a known night owl unlike the two. Eun Tae would be working out now or somewhere out on the streets taking a walk. Since it wasn't even a question, she rang for Eun Tae's number, keeping a mental note to call Jace first thing in the morning.
"Chae Eun, it's the middle of the night, why aren't you sleeping?"
Eun Tae was sipping on a chocolate milk carton when he picked up her call. He was at the convenience store, keeping little Daniel company. It has become part of his daily itinerary to visit this friend of his.
When Chae Eun mentioned the night's events and where she was staying at for the night, Eun Tae was already grabbing for his jacket and marching to the double glass doors of the store. The clerk looked on, confused.
"Send me Jay's address, I'm picking you up." Eun Tae said in a gruff tone. He was a bit hurt that Chae Eun didn't think to call him up first to ask for a place to stay, not to mention the nature of tonight's affair. He still hasn't forgotten his promise—that he'd do everything in his power to protect her. She may as well be one of the reasons why he wanted to grow strong. He didn't want to see any more bruises on his best friend's skin and he most especially didn't want to see her tear-stained cheeks she'd desperately wiped at to hide the fact that she'd been crying.
"Don't be ridiculous. Go back to whatever the hell you're sitting on and sit down." Chae Eun should've expected that this was going to be his reaction. It's going to be a task calming Eun Tae down over the phone. "Where are you right now?"
There was a long pause before he answered her. "At the convenience store. I'm with little Daniel."
"Pass the phone to him." There was another long pause. And then she heard a scuffling noise in the background.
Daniel was all sorts of surprised when Eun Tae practically stomped his way over to the counter and shoved his phone towards him. He grunted "It's Chae Eun" before dragging himself to the booth he was sitting on earlier, looking defeated.
Chae Eun? This is Chae Eun? He looked down the phone, the idea that the girl he was just thinking of not a while earlier was on the other line of the call. With a faint tremble, he placed the phone on his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, Daniel. How are you?"
"I'm good, I'm good. Thanks for asking." He can feel his palm beginning to sweat. "What about you?"
"Couldn't be better," She chuckled. "Listen, could you do me a favor and make sure that Eun Tae doesn't go anywhere? Distract him with anything, just don't let him out of your sights unless he tells you he's going home, okay?"
The clerk turned to where the sulking Vasco was sitting. Daniel cupped a palm on the phone's speaker to whisper, "What if he lies about going home?"
At this, Chae Eun genuinely laughed. "Trust me, Daniel, he couldn't even if he wanted to." Aside from being the kindest person she knew, Eun Tae was also the most honest. And that was often an annoying rather than a commendable quality of his. Chae Eun and Jace can never tag him along with their lies so he was usually left out of ones. "I'll pay for the chocolate milk and lollipops he'll get. Hey, can you ask him if he's eaten yet?"
"Vasco, Chae Eun is asking if you've eaten yet?" Daniel was immediately answered by Vasco's stomach growling. The latter dropped his head in shame and proceeded to slump his head on the table. "I don't think he's eaten yet." He told Chae Eun.
"Can you feed him too before he leave? Anything with soup is fine. He's not particularly picky with food but he loves gopchang and dumplings." Feeding Eun Tae was never a task but he can be hard headed when he's angry. Chae Eun wished she was there in the store so she can feed him herself. She had constantly reminded that best friend of hers to never skip his meals. "I know I'm asking a lot but can I count on you, Daniel? I'll pay you back everything I'll owe."
"N-no need!" Daniel was quick exclaim. "I'll take care of Vasco, don't worry." Even if he's not asked to, he'll take care of his friends. Especially of the man across from him who's done so much for him. "But are you okay, Chae Eun? Did something happen?" With the way Vasco reacted earlier, Daniel assumed that something bad happened to her.
"Oh?" For a second, she had no idea what Daniel was talking about. But then she remembered where she was right now. Eun Tae must've overreacted and Daniel saw. "It was nothing, really. I'm fine. I'm sorry for disturbing you this late in the night but also thank you, Daniel."
His heart fluttered at the way her voice soften towards the end, with the mention of his name barely a whisper. Daniel gulped.
The line was suddenly silent and Chae Eun wondered if the call got disconnected. "Hello? Daniel?"
When he heard her call his name again, he fumbled for a reply, assuring Chae Eun that it was no big deal before handing back the phone to Vasco.
Chae Eun heard Eun Tae's loud breathing and knew the guy was throwing a tantrum. He was refusing to talk to her. She sighed. "I'll let you pick me up tomorrow, okay? We'll go to school together. I'll let Jace know too. I'll text you Jay's address." But then again, she understood why he was upset. She would be too if the situation was flipped. "I'm sorry, Eun Tae. Tonight was just too much and I don't want to unload it on you. I can't do that to you anymore."
Eun Tae clucked his tongue, a hand slamming on the table. The abrupt sound of the action startled Daniel. "When did I ever make you feel like a bother, Chae Eun? Because I won't and you won't ever be one." He knew he was being unreasonably angry but he can't seem to stop himself. Lucky him, she knew just how to handle him.
"I know. And I'm always thankful that I have someone like you in my life. All I can do now is say sorry." Chae Eun wrapped her own arm around her, mimicking a hug. "I'm hugging myself right now because you're not here."
He didn't even miss a single beat as he hold out his arm, pretending to be hugging Chae Eun in front of him. Again, Daniel watched him, confused. "I'll give you a proper one tomorrow. Get some sleep if you can. See you then."
"Alright, see you." Chae Eun was smiling before she hang up. She let the phone slip out of her hand and into the couch when she heard a soft thump behind her. She quickly turned around to see the source of the noise.
Jay was awkwardly standing at the door of his room, a sheepish expression on his face. He was trying to get a glass of water in the kitchen but once he was out of his room, he got stopped by Chae Eun's conversation on the phone. He remained still throughout the call and only moved a muscle when she ended it. That's when she turned around.
Chae Eun clutched at her heart. Once Jay's face registered on her, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Jay? What are you doing standing creepily over there?"
"I was going to get water."
"Get out of the dark then, you're still creeping me out."
But instead of going to the kitchen, Jay walked towards Chae Eun and sat down beside her. "Everything okay?"
"At the moment? Not exactly. But eventually, it will be." Chae Eun surprised herself by how honest and cheesy that sounded. But she thought that Jay at least deserved her honesty.
"You want to talk about it?" It's not that Jay was curious or anything—he just knew the physical feeling of overflowing and having no one to help you stop the stream. He wanted to be that stopper for Chae Eun, even if it's just tonight. He knew she must be yearning for her friends.
She directed her gaze downwards, hoping that Jay would get his answer from that. Chae Eun appreciated his gesture but she can't talk about her family affairs to him. That's a bit heavy to unburden with only a year of friendship to back it up. It'll be uncomfortable for the both of them. But that doesn't mean she doesn't trust Jay—she's actually beginning to.
Jay understood. He won't force her to say anything and so he'll just offer his presence. "Want me to keep you company then?"
"You're not going back to sleep?"
"I usually wake up around this time," That was a lie but Jay had a knack for making convincing statements. Chae Eun smiled and told him he can stay if he wants. "I overheard your phone call—I didn't mean to eavesdrop, really—but do you want a hug?"
His arms were already stretched out for a hug before he even finished his sentence and Chae Eun laughed. That was adorable of him. "I don't want to sound childish but hugs are only reserved for Eun Tae and Jace. I don't how they do it but they always know. It's strange now that I think about it." She noticed the shift in his face albeit it being covered by his bangs—it seemed like Daniel and Chae Eun were the only ones who can read Jay—and she immediately felt bad. "But we can compromise."
Chae Eun scooted closer to him. She raised his arm and draped it on her shoulders. She fitted herself onto his side. And then she picked up his free hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. She gave it a squeeze before looking up at him. "My mother used to hold me like this whenever I'm sad or upset. It's a guaranteed method to calm me down."
Skinship wasn't an activity Jay practices or partakes in. Though he was sure that he'll be indifferent to it, he found himself getting warm by this contact with Chae Eun. But it wasn't the heart thudding kind of emotion but more of like a snug feeling in his chest. He can feel the light and fluttery feeling spreading over him and that garnered a smile from him.
"Is it working then?" Jay asked.
Her face funnily scrunched up for a split second before saying, "It doesn't work right away. You have to wait." Chae Eun rested her head on his chest, snuggling on the warm material of his pajamas. "But talking always help. Can you tell me about your dogs?"
Jay would be more than happy to. He slipped his dangling feet under him, with Chae Eun doing the same, and he guided them together to lay back comfortably onto the couch. He gently rubbed at her shoulder—she found the action soothing. "What do you want to know?"
She scoffed. "Everything, obviously."