for @asdasd_12 🐠🌦💣
<Jihoon>
(my bby is still a minor sOOO itll just be more friendshipy??? btw lets just assume their around the same age ok???)
Kicking a stone lightly as he trudged down the pavement, everything step felt like a jarring pain to his bones. Every step closer to his house meant danger. Meant death in the near future. Nine-year-old Jihoon had lost the dear sparkle in his eyes by the time he turned 7. The year he came into their family. The year everything was ruined for him. Screaming filled every dark crevice in his empty shell of a home. He needed to go. It was breaking him piece by piece, pulling apart his joints, ripping out his organs, peeling back his skin.
He was 18 when he made up his mind. Taking a backpack with a water bottle, another set of clothes, the stupid gems that had caused them so much misery, some money and a picture of his mother and himself, he crept out into the dead of the night on a Friday. A sort of numbness settled over him as he walked the bustling streets of Seoul. Too bright lights from gigantic billboards illuminated every corner, every face. People his age filled the streets, packed restaurants, booked out karaokes. Smiles decorated their faces, and Jihoon wanted that. He wanted that so badly. Being able to grin without a care in the world, without being crushed by problems and slowly suffocating. He roamed the streets aimlessly for a few weeks, eventually coming to rest at a small neighbourhood not too far away from the central of Seoul.
It started with a light drizzle but soon branched out into a raging storm. The rain battering down on him mercilessly as he took shelter in the lobby of a three storied building. Lightning flashed and thunders roared, reminding him of the empty shell he was supposed to call home. All he had were his clothes, his picture with his mom, four small pieces of diamonds and a few hundred won left. It wasn't enough to buy a house or start the new life he wanted.
This was it. This was gonna be the way he went down. Cold, broke, and alone.
Drifting into a half sleep, Jihoon almost whacked someone with his elbow when they placed a hand on his shoulder. It was gentle, too gentle to be vaguely near him. He flinched away from the warm touch and shifted to face the person. Deep, chocolate brown eyes stared back at him, pulling him into the dark abyss. He saw his mouth moving but all he heard was muffled ringing and all he saw was an angel.
"Hey, are you okay? You seem pretty dead on your feet... Do you wanna maybe... come in for awhile?"
Jihoon heard him, but the words didn't register for a few seconds, and when they did, his whole being was electrified by shock. Did people like this really exist out of his small world? Were real human beings able to help others without fear and without scorn? It was too good to be true.
If it seems too good to be true, well then its probably is.
"It's alright. I don't need your pity. I've got enough of that to last me a lifetime."
A sweet, gentle smile graced the boy's face. It made Jihoon feel like something he hadn't had in a long time.
"It isn't out of pity. You just look really sad and tired. If I were in your position, I'd like someone to offer too. I don't know your story, why you're here, or anything about you. But you look like you need some support. So... my offer still stands. You wanna come in for a little while?"
This kid is smart, way smarter than he looks. Sure has a way with words too.
Grabbing his backpack, he got up again and faced the slightly taller boy, which confused him a little because Jihoon knew he was really small for his age. Another one of his beautiful smiles were sent his way, and if he was being completely honest, he wouldn't have minded seeing that every day for the rest of his life.
The silence was thick enough to hear. Carefully placed footsteps followed the mysterious boy towards his apartment, stopping in front of a worn down door. Swinging the door open, the boy gestured for him to enter. Still wary, he took small steps till he was just inside of the reasonably sized apartment.
Pictures hung on walls, on the side of the coffee table, on top of the piano pushed to the corner. The whole room was filled with memories, and Jihoon felt like he was prying too much into this absolute strangers life. To be able to see him with other people, how they acted, there was something small and quiet about how he was able to witness these pockets of moments that were stored with him.
Every small crack on the wall told a story, every item with its own tale. It amazed him how full, yet empty the room was. From the old Cuckoo clock on the wall, to the guitar leaning against the sleek, black piano. There was one picture, a small one, much like the one he kept tucked in his pocket. It was stuck right into the corner of the room, where the light didn't seem to reach fully. The boy looked about the same, just smaller, and way happier. Two likewise glowing parents were flanking him, drawing a painful tug on Jihoon's heart.
He was offered a hot shower and some dinner, which as much as he wanted to refuse, he really didn't have any strength to. He graciously borrowed some clean clothes while his own clothes were in the wash, getting rid of the weeks old stench. Jihoon remained on edge even after the great shower, a fresh set of clothes and even as he sat down to eat the ramyeon the boy had cooked. He didn't know this boy's name, much less anything about him, vise versa, yet the boy had given him everything he had not had in a long time. Something akin to love. Maybe this was what coming home felt like.
He stayed that night, the night after that, and the night after that. It changed from days, to weeks, to months and to years. Jihoon got himself a job at a small studio nearby. They sold original compositions to whoever wanted them. He managed to earn enough to pay half of the rent for the home he shared with the boy. And that mystery boy, turns out he wasn't such a mystery after all. He was family now.
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ayeo dearies!!!!! did u miss mommy?? ;)))) anywAYYY im so glad so many ppl are requesting and it really makes me sUUUUper happy but it takes a really long time bc i want the quality to be good??? if u get what i mean,,,, i dont wanna write a half hearted chapter bc all of u are really precious so im really sorry if im only able to write ur chapter after a really long time :(((( (for those who requested) and for those ghostie readers i hope these give u infireation and smt to make u feel happy or like angsty?? pls stay happy and if u have any problems u can always come talk to me ok :)) im just one click away!!!!!!!!
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