"I think I'm falling for you, Taeyong."
"Now why would you do that?" He blew the sweet strawberry scented smoke in her face. "I'm a sleezy guy. I have sex with women then take their money. I pity the person who loves me."
sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ» ғᴇʙʀᴜᴀʀʏ 25 20...
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"Ms. Lee, your son is here." The nurse announced before stepping out giving the two of them their time alone.
"Taeyong!" Her face lit up when she laid eyes on him.
"Hey, mom." He smiled back. "I brought these for you." He held out the bouquet of red roses wrapped up in plastic.
"Thank you. I love them." She took them into her arms and sat them on her lap. "And happy belated birthday. I'm sorry that we couldn't celebrate together like we usually do."
"It's fine, mom." He sat on the stool along her bedside. "You just worry about getting better." He held her cold clammy hand.
"I don't know if I'm going to get any better, son."
"Don't talk like that, mom."
"Everyday I feel worse and worse. I want to see you grow up, get older, get married and start a family. A good family, a healthy family. Better than the one we had."
"And you will. You'll get to see me have my family. You'll get better."
"You always were the optimist." She chuckled. "Oh, I have something for you." She reached around her neck to undo the small necklace and place it around her son's neck. The gold shimmered against his pale skin. "I've always wanted to give that to you but, I kept forgetting."
"But, mom..." he touched the cold jewelry. "This is your favorite necklace. You always wear it."
"I know. The old thing was giving me a rash anyway. Guess I had a bad reaction to it. Hopefully that doesn't happen to you."
"Thank you."
"I love the new look." She pointed to his pink hair. "It fits you very well."
"I knew you'd like it." He smiled. "It's your favorite color anyway."
"Yeah, I always wanted to have pink hair ever since I was a child. I would wear a hat to bed, wish on a star that when I woke up that it be pink and I'd take it off the next morning... still black." She laughed. "Because my mom would never let me change my hair color. She was so strict about my appearance."
"What do you think grandma would say if she saw me with pink hair?"
"She'd pop me and you with a ruler, then yell to the top of her lungs. She was a toxic bitch." She laughed again. He was happy to see her smile in the midst of everything she was going through.
He was jealous.
Jealous that he didn't inherit his mother's smile and willpower.
"So..." she calmed down from her fit of laughter. "How's school?"
"School?"
He couldn't tell her.
How could he tell her that he dropped out over a year ago? How could he tell her that his scholarship that she worked so hard to help him get was pulled out from under him and that he dropped out after drowning in his student loan debt.
How could he tell her that he dropped out to become a drug addicted sex worker, living by night and sulking during the day? Surviving off of sex from lonely housewives, widows, desperate young women and parties.
He didn't want to leave from the hospital room with her being upset. He wanted her to keep her smile even though he knew that he'd feel like trash for lying to his dying mother. He'd rather feel that way than to see her smile disappear.
"School is going great."
"Wonderful." She beamed. "And don't be so hard on your father. I want the two of you to make amends. He's not the best person but, please forgive him."
That would be easier said than done.
"Alright." He nodded.
"I love you." Her wrinkly hand caressed his youthful face.
"I love you too." He leaned in to kiss her ontop of her bald head.
