BOSS || BOOK 1|| JUNG HOSEOK

F O U R T E E N

Soo Emi

He just said to leave.

He never said anything about taking stuff.

I'm not even worried.

Ok, maybe a little.

I fish out my suitcase and started stuffing some clothes and toiletries in there.

I strip myself of the clothing that was bought with Hoseok's card and put on my old pantsuit.

I flop on the bed that I won't be sleeping on anymore.

Did I make a mistake?

Of course I did.

But I don't know if I want to be a burden to Hoseok anymore. He made it perfectly clear that he didn't want me here.

I bring my knees to my chest and quietly cried

Like some baby, I cried.

What am I going to do? Why am I such a failure? I want to prove myself to my father, so he wouldn't worry about me, but I end up like this.

I hear the door creak and immediately wipe my tears away.

Hoseok stands there, in his pajamas.

My lips shake as I try to hold back my tears.

"Emi..." He sighs.

"Don't worry. I'm leaving right now." I hop off the bed and grabbed my suitcase.

"Can we talk...first?" He asks in almost a whisper.

I hide my face behind my hand. "What?"

"Why are you leaving?"

"You told me to."

"Oh, that's right." He digs his hands in his pockets.

"Excuse me." I rush past him.

He grabs my arm before I reach the hallway.

"What's in your suitcase?" He asks.

"Things."

He lets go of my arm. "Alright."

I walk past him and left the house.

I stepped into the cool night and took a whiff of the air.

Polluted.

I start walking aimlessly into the night, trying to stay as positive as I could.

I see a nearby park and decided to go there. Everyone loves parks, right?

I stop by a tree and sat against the trunk.

You never know the value of something until it's gone.

My father told me that. Why did I take that to heart?

I cover my face and cried.

Geez, I have to stop crying.

I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.

Yes.

I fell asleep in a park.

Sometimes, sleep gets to you and you just can't fight it.

°

"Emi?"

I slowly open my eyes and see a hand waving in front of face.

"Emi?"

"God?" I whispered, rolling my head around.

I rub my eyes and open them again, only to see a familiar smile.

"Joon!" I scream out and tackled him into a hug.

His hand catches my waist and he starts laughing.

"We haven't seen each other in just a week and you act like we haven't seen each other in years." He says, hugging me tightly.

"It feels like that, honestly." I start laughing with him.

We both lean back and just smiled.

Though, his smile soon fades when he notices my suitcase next to me.

He suddenly makes me stand on my feet.

"Emi? There's a problem, isn't there?" He motions towards my suitcase.

I lower my gaze. "Oh, about that..."

"A lonely suitcase says a lot of words to me, Emi. What happened?" He asks.

"H-Hoseok acted rudely towards me during dinner last night and I stormed off. I told him I'd rather be homeless than with him and he kicked me out." I frown. "Just the way he looked at me told me he never wanted me in the first place."

"Why didn't you look for me when you got kicked out?"

"I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." He brings me into another hug. "I'm glad I found you here."

"How did you even find me here?"

"I was out walking. I went to the park early in the morning to get some fresh air, then I went exploring and found you."

I let out a small laugh. "Good thing you like adventures."

"I'm sure you would too, Emi. It really brings up my mood." He grabs my hand, then my suitcase. "I'll take you on one."

"What?"

He tugs me down the road with my suitcase in his hand. "It'll be fun. Just follow me."

°

He stops at his alleyway.

"You don't really...." I widen my eyes.

"I don't know if you realize how much help you brought us, Emi." He grabs my hands. "Especially when you helped buy me clothes. When I wore my new clothes in public, I actually landed more jobs than usual. With the money I made, I could afford medicine for my mother and she's gotten a lot better."

My heart strong tug.

"Plus, my mom's been asking about you." He winks and continues to pull me forward.

I stay quiet as Joon brings me into his home.

"Joonie, are you hungry? I picked some apples." Joon's mother walks out with a basket of dirty apples.

She is so adorable.

She stops in her tracks when she sees me.

"Emi! You came back!" She hurries over and wraps her frail arms around me.

I chuckle. "Yes, I did."

"I haven't you seen you in awhile. What have you been up too, sweetheart?" She places the basket on the floor and sits me down.

I look at Joon awkwardly and he gets the hint.

"Mom?" He places a hand on her knee. "I want to talk to you about that."

"Oh, dear, is there a problem?" She looks at me with concern.

"I lost my home....again. This time, it was entirely my fault and I can't take it back." I bite my bottom lip. "It's been different lately."

"Sweetie. I'm so sorry." Joon's mother brings me into another tight hug. "Poor dearie....awh, you must be so exhausted."

"Mom, I was wondering-"

"Of course. This young woman can stay here as long as she needs." She smiles widely at me.

"I-I can?"

"Yes, Emi. This is our chance to help you out."