boyfriend for rent • kim yohan

013

Jiwoo wasn't one to wake up early, especially on a Saturday, but the aroma of a freshly made bowl of noodles made her step out of her bed begrudgingly.

"What are you doing making breakfast so early? And without my help?" Jiwoo asked in a raspy voice once she was in the kitchen, watching Yohan set up their table.

The cheerful boy stopped humming a tune, the song the girl recognized as Me After You, but Jiwoo couldn't be sure.

"Oh, I wanna take you somewhere." A shy giggle left his lips and the sleepiness magically flew out of Jiwoo's body.

———
"Do you wanna tell me where we're going?" Jiwoo asked, adjusting the T-shirt she had thrown on.

"We're going to meet someone who's very important to me." Yohan answered, and before Jiwoo could ask who, Yohan grabbed her wrist and took a sharp turn to the right, entering a hospital.

The girl frowned. "Why are we at... this place?" She asked, scooting closer to the boy.

Yohan raised an eyebrow, an amused smile on his lips. "Are you scared?"

Jiwoo spluttered. "Why would I be?" At the sight of a person coughing into her face, she immediately grabbed onto Yohan's jacket and hid behind him.

Okay, so she hadn't been to a hospital in a long time. If she did, it would be a private hospital with fancy lighting and rooms. Jiwoo hadn't been to the outside world much, and it wasn't entirely her fault.

Yohan put an arm around her shoulder and brought her closer to him. "It's okay, Jiwoo. Just don't breathe too much when you're next to a sick person and you'll be fine."

"Why are we here?" Jiwoo asked, almost whimpered really, desperate to get out of the hospital.

The two of them kept walking until they were outside of a room, the sliding door within reach.

"We're meeting my mom."

Jiwoo's eyes widened in shock, her mouth gaping trying to form words. "W-Wh... Huh? M-mom?"

Yohan laughed. "Yes, my mom."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Jiwoo cried out. "I'm wearing a T-shirt and shorts! That's got to be inappropriate!"

"My mom doesn't mind." The boy said honestly. He grinned at her. "You don't need to dress nice or anything. It's not like I'm introducing you to my mom as my girlfriend." He paused, then looked at her, a sly smirk on his face. "Unless you want me to."

Before Jiwoo could growl at him and ask the reason why his mom was in hospital, Yohan slid the door open to reveal a very tired looking middle aged woman on a bed, effectively shutting the girl up.

"Hey, mom." Yohan greeted, and for the first time, Jiwoo could see how gentle the boy who had been living in her house for a month was. His eyes immediately softened at the sight of his mom, just as how his mom's eyes brightened at the sight of her son.

"Yohan." She said, a cheerful smile spreading on her lips, and Jiwoo couldn't help but notice that was where the boy got his dimples.

His mom's eyes slid to the girl next to Yohan. "And who might this girl be?"

"My name is Park Jiwoo, ma'am. Yohan's friend." She introduced herself formally, a sweat dripping down her forehead at the full attention she was receiving. "I'm so sorry for wearing this inappropriate clothing. I really didn't know we were going to visit you until three minutes ago." Jiwoo started rambling but stopped when Yohan's mom raised a hand to stop her.

"It's okay, dear. Yohan likes impromptu things. He probably thinks it's hilarious." To her side, the boy in question just shrugged with a smile on his face. He turned to his mom, his hand dragging Jiwoo who was behind him to stand by his side.

"How are you, mom?"

"Just a little tired, but very happy to see you." She gave him a gentle smile. "How are you?"

"I have good news. I finally found a school and I'll be graduating next month!"

His mom's eyes brightened. "That's great, dear. Did you finally get that scholarship?"

A brief silence appeared before Yohan gave a huge smile. "Yep!"

Next to him, Jiwoo resisted to urge to raise an eyebrow at the obvious lie.

"That's great. Now you don't need to work as hard at your part job at the dodgy cafe." His mom seemed very relieved. "I'm sorry I can't support you, dear."

"That's alright, mom."

For the next hour, the two of them talked about different things going on in their lives, mostly on Yohan's part. He talked about Jiwoo and Yuvin, and their classes. His mom complained about the hospital food, but complimented the new handsome doctor that checked on her everyday.

Jiwoo stood to the side, occasionally making comments about how much of an idiot Yohan was sometimes, and watching the interaction between mother and son with satisfaction, and a little bit of what could be described as jealousy.

She looked at the huge smiles on Yohan's and his mom's faces, and the grip on her shirt tightened.

Just like what Yohan said last night, there was this tiny, tiny possibility that Jiwoo might be a little lonely without her parents.