08
𝙧𝙤𝙝 𝙝𝙮𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙖

after about thirty minutes, joohyuk finally came back downstairs.

"dude, did you two have tea or something without me—" i was suddenly cut off by something shocking.

very shocking.

joohyuk, who had finally returned from his journey back from the dead, simply walked forward and put his arms around me. i was suddenly engulfed in a tight hug.

one.) i was so fucking confused.
two.) i thought i was going to die.
three.) i'm pretty sure i died.
four.) if i didn't die than my heart probably had beat out of control and exploded.
five.) my face probably suffered the same fate as well.

he was so warm. i hadn't been hugged like this in a very long time. actually, i don't even recall the last time i've been hugged like this. is it possible to fall in love after one single hug?

then, i finally realized that 1.) i had literally met this dude yesterday, and 2.) i was enjoying it too much for my own good.

i cleared my throat and he finally let go. looking at anywhere but his face, i asked, "why did you just do that?"

joohyuk, who also seemed to have flown back to earth, gave me a sheepish smile. "just cause."

"jUst cAuse???" i asked in disbelief. "t-that was really random. d-don't do that again. unless we're close. then you can do that again." what the fuck did i just say??

joohyuk laughed in amusement. "so what kind of labor shall i take on for you today?" he asked.

"you-you can go home." i muttered, my face still red as hell. is hell even red??

"organizing the shelves it is."

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𝙣𝙖𝙢 𝙟𝙤𝙤𝙝𝙮𝙪𝙠

i don't even know how the fUCK i ended up hugging her. it just happened, like my body moved on its own and my brain decided to go with the flow, you know? fUCK.

how many mistakes now? god, she must really think i'm a psycho.

well, the main reason was because i felt sorry for her. she needed some love. she needed much more love than she got, to be honest.

let's go back a few moments to when granny yang told me about why hyeona worked so hard.

"it's quite a heart breaking story. the reason hyeona works so hard, is so she can support her mother."

i cocked my head to the side. "why?"

"her mother is very sick, she has leukemia to be exact. she's been in the hospital ever since hyeona was a teenager. hyeona works jobs to pay for her hospital bills, but she's been working extra hard lately to pay for chemotherapy. she's hanging onto any last bit of hope for her mother, even if it means she has to damage her own health."

my eyes widened, and i could feel the pain in my heart hearing the story. "w-what about her relatives? can't they help??"

"her relatives are in america, and sadly, don't care too much. hyeona is an only child, so she's taking on all these pressures by herself." granny yang sighed, her eyes welling up with tears. "i hope i am able to rest soon, so i can give her this store already."

i understood it all now. why hyeona worked so hard. i felt bad, because i thought that she ruined her own health over something materialistic as money. but i was wrong.

i had barely met this girl, yet i felt like i've known her for ages.

but from that moment on, i knew that my top priority was to help her.

• • •