Stories to Remember

"let's not sulk at each other" - can i call this memory with that?

"Oh! It's Jong Hyeon!"

"Long time no see! Right?!"

"No, it's you who haven't seen him for a long time. Do you know what that means?"

"No—"

"That means you don't belong here. Go home to your department!"

"Youngwoon, can I file a complaint to the director here?! Park Jungmin! Where is Park Jungmin?"

Jong Hyeon let out a sigh at the sight of the goading person, the stomping person, and the others who are waving at him in a greeting and completely ignoring their two colleagues. Well, it's a normal sight inside the technical department so he only waved at them in response and without further ado, walked to the table where Donghui is currently waving at him.

How he behaves now is a far cry from the first time he visited the technical department. That time, Jungmin was suddenly having a fight with Younghee and Youngwoon was with Yuwon in the neighboring department so no one tried to mediate. Before he can panic at the sight, Kyu Woon maneuvered him back to his table while Donghui and Ryeowoon looked with interest at the sight of Jungmin and Younghee fighting.

"Don't mind them. Everyone in here is crazy. That's just one way of invigorating ourselves."

"Don't you mean exhausting yourselves?!"

"Nah~ they are motivating and uplifting each other up. If you're going to visit us more often, you have to know that this is a normal situation, especially when no one have gone home since a day before."

"Jong Hyeon, I hope you can stick with Kyu Woon for the rest of our lives."

"Right"

"Now what do you mean by that, Donghui, Ryeowoon!? You are already giving the responsibility of taking care of me to other people?!"

"Did you guys shuffle again? Where's Kyu Woon's table?" Jong Hyeon asked as soon as he was near Donghui's table. "Let me rephrase that, where is he?"

Donghui opened his mouth, ready to answer him but it was Ryeowoon, who just passed by, answered, "Kyu Woon is not around. 10 minutes and 39 seconds before you arrived, two people hurriedly took him away from his seat." After saying that, Ryeowoon walked back towards them, now showing them his phone. "Here, I took a picture of them in action."

Jong Hyeon immediately narrowed his eyes once he saw the faces of Kyu Woon's abductors. "I was certain they were at the cafe before I went out. I only took one detour and they have already arrived here before me."

Donghui snickers at the look Jong Hyeon is sporting. "I know where they are. Younghee and Jungmin immediately followed them as soon as they saw it was Hyuk Jae and Hae Hyeon." He said, scrolling through his phone. It was a message thread with Younghee and he sent Donghui a picture of him and Jungmin happily smiling while holding a bowl of porridge. They are also wearing aprons. The next photo was of Kyu Woon standing behind a stall and giving bowls of porridge to the people lining up. There's also a picture of Hyuk Jae and Hae Hyeon behind another stall of — "Are they making shake?" Jong Hyeon asked with an incredulous look on his face.

"And coffee. Hae Hyeon is serving coffee and Hyuk Jae is serving shake." Ryeowoon added after staring at the photo. He also read the message that Kyu Woon passed to Younghee to tell Donghui—a grumbling Kyu Woon who complained that Jong Hyeon didn't remember their promised appointment and that he is sulking. "You are here because you were supposed to take Kyu Woon there, right?"

Jong Hyeon's petulant look is answer enough to both Ryeowoon and Donghui who immediately looked at each other— with smiles mirroring each other.

"Okay, let's go." Donghui informed in a low voice.

"Right, let's go." Ryeowoon also replied in a low voice.

And in the manner on how Kyu Woon was taken earlier, both Donghui and Ryeowoon held Jong Hyeon's arms and started dragging him out of their department.


"Where— what's with our people going out when it's not yet time to go home?! Yah!" Yuwon's exclamation was heard—cough selective hearing cough —by no one.

Every Friday, he freely gives food to the homeless people in the area where Kyu Woon was found (before being adopted). And whenever he thinks he won't be able make it on a Friday, he would always ask his parents to prepare the food without him and be there instead of him.
It started with him and only his parents. Then when his close friends knew the somehow become Kyu Woon's tradition, they also joined when they can.

Kyu Woon had already prepared everything and only waiting for Jong Hyeon's message when he was suddenly ambushed and dragged out of their office with his bosses even following him—them. And when he complained, he was then told by Hae Hyeon that Jong Hyeon couldn't make it so he and Hyuk Jae volunteered in his place instead. Hearing that, he sulked all the way to their destination.

So, when Jong Hyeon suddenly arrived, accompanied by Ryeowoon and Donghui—who gave him a finger heart and then immediately went to the people who are still eating, then the both of them started talking to the people they are serving and after a reply from them, get something from the box the both of them are holding together and give it to each of the people eating— Kyu Woon's pouting face was immediately replaced with a smile.

"I thought you said you couldn't make it!" Kyu Woon exclaimed while the both of them exchanged a short hug—it turned to a long one after Younghee pushed him back to Jong Hyeon's arms and replaced him behind the stall. "Hae Hyeonie and Hyuk Jae even—"

"This is a warning for you not to believe whatever the both of them would tell you." Jong Hyeon grumbled, squeezing Kyu Woon for a second before letting go. In front of Kyu Woon, he turned to shot a glare at his brother and friend who immediately started pushing each other upon seeing the look on his face. "Good thing Younghee told Donghui that you are already here. You started this earlier than what we planned. If no one told me, I would have stayed and waited for you at your department."

Kyu Woon looked at him with a sheepish look as he replied, "And I turned my phone off... I was angry.. hehehe—ow" He immediately grabbed Jong Hyeon's hand before he can flick him in the forehead again. "Sorry, I promise to only believe you and not Hae Hyeonie from now on. For real, really! I should have known, really, Hyuk Jae was fidgeting all this time! I really should have known!"

Jong Hyeon only let out a sigh, tightening his hold around the hand holding his own. Then, he slowly looked at everyone with a grateful smile on his face. Everyone are eating together, even going back to ask for more porridge from Jungmin and Younghee, to get more food (and water) from the table beside them and then to the stall beside the table to ask for more shake and coffee refill from Hae Hyeon and Hyuk Jae. Ryeowoon and Donghui are also entertaining them, walking to and fro whenever hands are raised to ask for more dessert from them. "Ah, right, last night, you said something about the orphanage and the house for the elderly that you know."

"I knew you were already half-asleep when I was talking to you last night!" Kyu Woon exclaimed, "And you keep on replying you're awake!" Jong Hyeon cleared his throat, already caught so he did not deny it. Laughing at him, Kyu Woon relented, "I said, not all of them want to be in an orphanage and in a house of the elderly. The people here are the people they weren't able to persuade. But when the weather condition turns bad, they know where to go."

"It's okay." Jong Hyeon commented softly. "We cannot force them, we can only lend a helping hand, it's up to them whether they would accept the offered hand. You are already doing a great job. And you have a partnership with the station here so everything will be fine."

Kyu Woon let out a sad sigh, "I know... It was just a wishful thinking in my part. While some prefers to have a warm and clean place to sleep on, some are so used on sleeping without a home. They might even be scared to be stuck in a four-walled place."

"Hey, couple!" Younghee and Jungmin shouted without looking at anyone in particular and then laughing conspiratorially with each other when Jong Hyeon and Kyu Woon both turned to look at them at the same time. "Oh, hey, the both of you!" Younghee exclaimed, acting as if he did not glance at them when they shouted the first time, then adding in a confuse tone, "Isn't that Uncle Park and Auntie Lim who are walking towards here?"


Jong Hyeon and Kyu Woon looked at where Younghee is pointing.

There are a group of old people on their way to them, a group of people wearing the same shirts design and there are even children already running towards those who stopped eating to give the children the hug they want from them.