Artificial Water

Chapter 4🥀

Jongin

All he had to say was 'no' and I had already given up on the idea of bringing him to school. He was eighteen after all and I had no right to push him. I had the right to throw him out though, but as soon as I thought about that, a tiny voice started whining in the back of my head. 'What if he goes back and tries to do it again? It'll be your fault this time and there's nothing anyone can say to make you feel otherwise.'
I glanced at him and decided I couldn't. I had tried to act distant towards him yesterday, hoping it would make him want to go back home, but now I realised I had just acted like a dick and that he probably needed a soft hand for once.

He caught me staring and his cheeks tinged a light shade of pink. "What?"

"Nothing, am I not allowed to look?" I replied but focused on the street in front of me anyway. I waited for him to answer and tugged my hands in the pockets of my jeans. Last night I had been thinking about what would've happened when I had just walked further instead of looking at my surroundings. If I had been selfish enough to turn my head. After the obvious answer I had walked out into the living room and when I saw him asleep I couldn't help but to make sure he was comfortable.

"I just wondered if there was a reason." He turned to face the water at the left side of the path and smiled. The early sun lightened his face just right at that moment, giving him an angelic appearance. The sweater I had given him was too big, but because he wore his own black pants it looked rather cute. Especially when he started flapping his arms like a bird. It made me chuckle softly which caught his attention. He flashed me an insecure smile and asked, "is it far?"

I shook my head and ran a hand through my hair, sliding it back to prevent it from falling in my eyes. "It's closeby."

"What kind of shop is it?"

"A flower shop," I answered and bit my lip.

"You do that a lot." He had stopped walking and was now looking down at his fingertops which peeked out of the sleeves while frowning.

"Do what?" I asked confused.

"Biting your lip," he clarified himself and forced a small smile when he looked up. "I have a habit too."

"Which is?" I asked curiously.

"You'll find out." He grinned widely and walked past me, leaving me wondering why he had told me this.

~

"You brought a kid that you met yesterday because of what?" Hayoon asked with raised eyebrows. "Are you crazy? That kid's supposed to be at school."

I sighed, not feeling like explaining it again. "I told you, it's complicated."

"And your solution is...?" She gave me the same stern look my mother always gave me when she disagreed with one of my choices.

I had the urge to roll my eyes but knew that there would follow an argument if I did so and therefor just answered, "I am gonna find out where he lives and make sure he gets home safe, okay? It's gonna take some time, that's all."

"You sure you are gonna do that?" she asked in a disapproving tone. "How old's he anyway?"

"He's eighteen," I replied and glanced at Soo. He was sitting on one of the chairs that were spread across the shop, some of them with flowers on top, while looking around. "What else should I do with him?"

She shrugged, obviously annoyed for a reason I didn't understand. "Maybe you want to keep him."

I glared at her. "Are you kidding me?"

"You never know. He's cute." She faked a smile when Soo turned his head to look at us. He was too far to hear us but the way she talked about him made me afraid he could. She faced me with a grin. "You don't want mom to know about this do you?"

"What are you trying to say?" I asked her and frowned, not fond of the possibilities that came in mind.

"Nothing," she replied sweetly and tilted her head a bit. "I was just reminding you of it."

I watched her walk away and had to stop myself from hitting her on the back of the head. Why were sisters always so annoying?
I knew that she would make me do things for her at some point so she won't tell our mom. I also knew that I was gonna do it. Believe me, you don't want my mom being angry with you.

I headed over to where Soo was sitting and noticed he was again looking at his hands. "What are you doing?"

He seemed to be a little startled by my sudden presence but soon flashed me a smile. "Nothing really."

"I think I know your habit," I stated and pointed at his hands. "Am I wrong?"

He looked up at me and shook his head. "I started doing that since yesterday."

"So, you're not going to tell me?" I asked.

"Nope."

The day went by slowly and I have no idea how I survived it. Even Soo had been more busy than me. He had asked for a paper and a pen and had seated himself next to me at the counter, scribbling down words almost as if he was in a rush. After he had covered both sides I had shoven another sheet to him and he took it with a 'thank you.' He only stopped to ask where the toilet was and when I gave him something to eat. I wondered what had made him seem so busy, but every time I tried to look at it he had put his arm protectively over it, blocking my view.
At the end of the day he folded the pile precisely two times and put them in his pocket.

We had been walking in silence for a while next to the water before he spoke. "When I was little my father died, since then I always wake up in the middle of the night and walk to my mother's room to check if she's still alive."

I stared at him, blinking in surprise from his sudden confession, if that was what it was. "I... eh..."

"That's my habit," he explained and glanced at me. "Now you know."