My Lover From The Stars

• FIFTEEN •

Jungkook's POV, 

I was almost ready for my part-time job. Finished dinner, clothing. Still had some time in hand, so lazily I was applying some moisturizer on my face as it became dryer in mid fall. 

I reached my study table for my phone when it buzzed. 

The caller ID made my eyes stuck at the screen. How doubtlessly I knew the reason behind my uncle calling me at this hour when he could barely put passwords into his phone. Ignoring the two pairs of eyes that shot straight at me, I jerked my head to the bathroom to take the call. 

  "What's now?" I responded plainly, resting my other hand atop the wide white basin. A sheen of wetness touched my hands. I didn't take it away.

  "Jungkook, my good child, are you well?"

  "Why?"

  "We haven't met in a while." My uncle mumbled from the other side, his eagerness was to be guessed. "You know how I'm living and what I'm going through after losing my job. I mean who'll know it better than you? These days it has become worse. You aren't even talking to me, aren't replying to my messages..."

  "I have my duty in half an hour so stop beating around the bush and tell me why you thought of calling me tonight?" 

My pressed tone had definitely stopped the flow of his speech. He took a moment, I guessed, to rebuild his speech. 

  "Actually last night some unknown men attacked me on my way home. I was so weak that I couldn't protest. The alcohol inside my veins had bound my nerves. At that time I couldn't feel much but when I woke up in the morning, my whole body was in terrible pain." 

My uncle's voice came out thinner than the last time we talked over the phone. He had always been talking in a thin weedy voice to tickle emotions inside me. Although he succeeded most of the time by vending money from me, those tricks had failed to stir my emotions. I used to become annoyed rather than being sympathetic toward him. With an unpleasant frown on my face I continued listening to him. 

  He said,  "I'm even scared to go out if they come back and attack me again!"

"Is there something I could do about it?" I said, "You must have done something terrible to provoke those people to charge on you."

  "It was not my fault."

I could hear the expression on his voice defending himself strongly. 

  "So you need money to buy medicines?"

  "No. Not the medicines. Uhm, I need money to pay the house rent which was due for months. Five hundred K won would do for now. They said they won't let me enter the rented room and throw away our belongings on the street if I don't give them the money tomorrow." He finally paused to drag in a breath.  Despondently said,  "I personally don't have many things but your mom's dressing mirror and your dad's clock will be thrown away. What would I do, Jungkook-ah?"

My ears burned as he said my name. I couldn't remember the last time I was happily talking with my uncle, trusting him undoubtedly. I wondered, would I still be happy with him if that accident never happened and I wasn't forced to see the ugly side of his character! 

  "Ok. I'm sending the money."  Not because of him, but there were some other things that were precious to me; my mom's clothes and her last used perfumes, hair accessories, the old grandpa clock my father got from his parents, which my uncle desperately wanted to sell it in an antique store, but couldn't because I threatened to cut all ties with him if he ever did that. I also made myself clear,  "This is the last time. So never nag me for money. If you do, I will block your number. Or else call the police."