all4u

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the sky was pitch black and the rain stained the ground a shade darker. no one was outside at the time. who would even be outside in this weather? the ones who suffered through poverty would.

and there he was. his small, frail hands shook in the pouring rain as he plowed through each trash bag just to find a bit of food to fill his stomach for the day. or...for the night, I guess you could say. but he dug as he wept. his weepings became louder the closer he got to the bottom of the bin.

"there's gotta be something in here," the small boy said as he coughed through his hot tears. his dirty nails ripped through the last plastic bag. "please," he sobbed. 

searching for food lying around in this town was like finding a needle in a gallon of hay. basically impossible.

"and what are you doing?" a crooked, shaky voice was heard from the boy. 

he whipped his head around, each movement filled with tension. it was an old lady. an umbrella was under her grasp and the rest was a blurry silhouette.

"f-finding food," he stuttered. "it's embarrassing but-"

she laughed lightly. not teasingly, but in a wholesome way. she knelt down, applying pressure to one side of her body. "follow me. i'll take you home and give you some soup. i have too much leftovers for just me and my husband," she chuckled.

"i can't do that, i'm sorry."

"why not?"

"i-"

"what's your name, sweetie?"

"uhm..."

"i don't bite," she beamed softly.

 "wooyoung...jung wooyoung," he mumbled.

"beautiful name," she remarked, her grin still remaining on her face. "nice to meet you, wooyoung."

"t-thank you."

"i'm jeon miso."

the young boy took the woman's hand without any further questions. it's strange how easily he handed his trust to her, but he had faith in the woman. that she had a beautiful heart, one that is impossible to replace and not some human trafficker. maybe it was the inviting smile on her face when she first saw wooyoung not-so-shamelessly digging through the trash bins just to find out there was nothing in there. or maybe it was the golden aura that surrounded her the second wooyoung laid his eyes on her. the reason was unknown. but all he knows for now, is that he made the right choice.

they continued their long, silent walk through the ghost town, finally making their way into the rural area part of the city. that is, until she spoke. "how old are you, wooyoung?"

"five."

her heart dropped at the thought of five-year-old searching through highs and lows just to find one grain of rice. her chest ached bad. 

"what happened to your mommy?"

his eyes grew doe-big and he gazed into her eyes. her worries washed in once she saw tears glisten his eyes and she knew something was wrong. he didn't have a mommy.

"mommy's in heaven," he sniffled. "she promised me that I'll be able to see her soon, but i really miss her."

miso's lip quivered and her eyes enlarged. her hand was shaking by the time it was covering her mouth as she was speechless and felt the deepest pities for the poor boy. she silently gasped.

"gigi?" wooyoung asked as he grasped her hand just a little bit tighter

"gigi? who's that?"

"you. you look like a gigi and that's what I used to call my grandmother."

"oh," she breathed out with a faint smile. "yes?"

"where is heaven and do you think i'll ever get to go there soon?" he asked, innocence dripping from his tone.

"oh, sweetie. i guarantee you, that someday, you'll be able to go to heaven."

"where is it?"

"that, i cannot answer for now. you will find out once your old enough."

"oh."

they walked upon a hill and saw a small house with golden lights spilling out the windows. "is this home?" his words carried pounds of curiosity and his eyes twinkled with questions.

his question sparked an idea in her head. it was all too soon, but she knew he needed to accept her indirect offer. "do you want it to be your home?"

the question confused him. he tilted his head, movement full of curiosity. his feet kept moving, but his mind was in a cloud of wonder. for a solid minute, he was silent. 

"wooyoung?" she looked down at home, forming a wrinkled smile on her lips.

he pressed his lips into a flat line, shifting his pupils to his right. "i don't know."

her soft brown orbs opened a little more purely. "let me rephrase that. do you want a home? a place to stay in for the rest of your life? somewhere cozy and comfy?"

"yes."

"do you want to stay in my home?"

wooyoung opened his mouth and his lip corners pointed up into a huge smile. "yes! are you going to be my gigi?"

"mmm, not legally."

"what does that mean?"

"you'll find you out once you get older."

"you say that a lot."

"i do."