𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑭 𝑴𝒀 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻 (Taejin)

Chapter 10

{*The story will be in third person from now on unless stated otherwise. Love you!*}

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Jin remembers when he was 2 years old, a 18 aged girl had been appointed to take care of him. As his babysitter and nanny. Her name had been Areum.

Half his life consisted of memories about his Areum Noona. How she used to run around a toddler Jin who refused to wear clothes after a bath- giggling while running around the large, empty house- water drops trailing after him.

How they used to play hide and seek and Jin always used to hide under the bed but Areum Noona took her sweet time in finding him anyways, just so Jin could enjoy her trying to search for him.

The way Areum Noona used to called him Jinnie, wipe his tears whenever he cried for his father but he never came- either he had been away in business tours or doing god knows what. How she used to knit sweaters for him for the cold winter evenings and used to chase after him in the manicured lawns of their estate.

She never went home- always stayed with little Jin. Perhaps, she never had had a family. Maybe the little boy was the only one she ever had.

Jin, out of all things, remembers the way Areum Noona used to sing him to sleep- cradling him in her arms, gently swaying him and humming a lullaby.

I see the moon, the moon sees me
shining through the leaves of the old oak tree
Oh, let the light that shines on me
shine on the one I love.

Over the mountain, over the sea,
back where my heart is longing to be
Oh, let the light that shines on me
shine on the one I love.

I hear the lark, the lark hears me
singing from the leaves of the old oak tree
Oh, let the lark that sings to me
sing to the one I love,

Over the mountains, over the sea
back where my heart is longing to be
Oh, let the lark that sings to me
sing to the one I love.

Even now, in the nights when Jin felt alone and couldn't go to sleep- he used to sing himself this song- imagining the soft voice of his Noona singing for him.

She had been everything for the child. A friend, a sister, a mother.

And then one day, she disappeared.

Her room which had been adorned with portraits of aesthetic sceneries were empty. The large dresser which used to house her clothes and her stitched works was gone. She was gone.

And Jin's father had no clue either. He didn't care.

That his son was alone. That he was just 14. 

His Noona never came back.

All Jin remembers was a night filled with screams coming from his Noona's room, his father coming home drunk, taking his Noona away from him and locking the door to her room. Jin had banged on the door for hours- worried for his Noona but all he heard were muffled cries and his father's incoherent words. 

Then he had remembered his father coming out, clothes barely in place, pants almost falling off. When Jin tried going inside to check on Areum, his father had stopped him and shut him inside his room.

The next morning, Areum was gone.

...................................................

Jin stretches from his position on the bed, where he had been crouched over trying to design his yellow tshirt which was too plain for his liking. He had already added a couple of short words for aesthetic with black thread and all that was needed was an extra element to put the Tshirt together. Perhaps a cloth patch?