ALWAYS [제이크]

29 : a favor

Jake and Heeseo currently at the park where they met for the first time. They still remembered what is their reaction when they looked each other face.

"Jake, I kept hearing those voice." after a week, she finally decided to talk about it with him

"What voice?"

"It calls for me. The voice kept taunting me around. Either I was alone or in the public, it still there."

"I'm scared," Jake held her hands, reassured her that everything will be fine.

"The voice always told me to hurt myself and once told me to kill myself. That's why you found me at the edge of the rooftop that day. I'm so thankful that you come in time."

"I'm always told myself to hold on because there's still people who love me," she put his palms on hers and stared at him.

"Jake, I feel like I'm starting to open my heart for you. You really give me a ray of hope. I don't want to hurt you anymore.''

Jake smiled and patted her head. "I told you, don't push yourself to like me back. I will always by your side no matter what."

"Jake, can I hug you?" Jake nodded and swiftly opened his arms to let her in his embrace.

"It so warm. I never felt this warmness before." 

That was what she always thirst for. The warm from others especially from someone that she like. Something that her mother would never give to her. She envied her siblings that always get to feel it. After all, she only the person who always left behind, someone who was often excluded.

"Do you remember this place, Heeseo?"

"Of course. How can i would forget it. I thought you are a ghost that time," she chuckled by remembering the scene. It sounds so stupid to her for assuming him as a ghost.

"Are you ready for the college enterance test?" Jake said as it caught her attention and pulled out from the hug and looked at him with a dissapointment.

"I'm mentally not prepared yet. I'm scared if i will hurt myself again," she looked into scars on her arm. It still visible and she had the urge to tore it again. Thanks to Jake, he was there to prevent her from doing it again.

Jake pinched her cheeks and stared into her eyes deeply. "Don't even dare to hurt yourself again. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" her little nodded made him to smile. He always adored every little things she made. 

He kissed the top her head for a little longer.

-

"Heeseo, if you don't get to enter Seoul University, I will kill you."

"If you don't take medical course, you'll be dead."

"I told you to not take arts isn't? How dare you?"

"She will kill me if don't make it.''

'' I will be dead.''

'' I will no longer to live.''

Her mother a few days ago words kept replaying in her head. She was too scared and kept thinking about what will happen to her. Even when she was studying, she could not get rid of it.

Not only her mother but students at the school too. She used to be the person that everyone favourite but now, people were looking down at her.

Heeseo bited her lips and her fingertip as blood was oozing out but she did not care. It even stained her books and shirt.

"They don't like me."

"I'm just a pain in the ass."

"People keep blame me."

"People keep pressure me."

"I should die."

"They want me to die."

"She will kill me."

"I'll be-"

"Heeseo sis?" Heesa, her sister head popped out at the door with her teddy bear in her arms.

Heeseo who heard her sister call rushly wiped the blood on her lips by her sleeves. She looked at her sister and planted a thin smile. She tried to hide her pain.

''Can I sleep with you?"

Heeseo was startled by her sister sudden request but she would never resist it. "Sure. Let me arrange my things first and we shift to sleep together."

"Here," she patted the place beside her and her sister climbed to her bed and tucked in the blanket. Heeseo hugged her sister little body and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Sweet dream, Heesa."

Heesa heard everything. She overheard her sister talking alone about her mom will kill her. She clearly sad when she heard it. Heesa hugged her sister back and patted her back by her little hand.

"I don't want to lose you, Heeseo. I know mom was not treating us equally but I will always on your back even though I can't do anything."

It hards to witness everything her sister had been through. She could not do anything as they said, she was still young. Young did not mean they do not know anything, they could be more powerful than an adult.

-

"Jake brother!" Heesa ran to Jake with her ponytail swayed side to side after seeing the sight of him.

"Oh, hi Heesa! Nice to meet you again little girl,'' he touched the tip of her nose and she scrunched with her cute giggle. 

"Where's my sister?" she looked at his back, seeing no any sign of Heeseo.

"She told me to pick you up. She has something to settle at school and maybe she will coming back late," he explained.

Heesa nodded as she understand that her sister college enterance test was around the corner. She might have a lot of thing to do. "Jake brother," she pulled the hem of his shirt.

Jake kneeled down to the little girl level, "Yes, what is it?"

"Can you help me to do some favor? Just this time. I'm promise."

"Of course. What is it about?"

Heesa leaned in closer to Jake's ear and whispered something.

"It's about my sister. "

"I trust you, Jake brother. "