Fractured Souls

Chapter 7 - Falling, Feeling

[A/N: 23/12/2019

heeyy!!! happy holidays! long time no update (so sorry 'bout that) but finally! we have two! :D please share your thoughts if you can.

I hope you all have a wonderful time and thank you to those patiently waiting for this and for reading! much love! <333 - ice ]

Jungwoo tried to control overwhelming emotions as he sat on the edge of the hospital bed. He watched his ailing grandmother with concern while her chest rose and fell as she slept peacefully. The doctors had said her health was not getting any better and her body was quickly deteriorating. Even the chemotherapy gave little help. Soon, they had warned, he might have to face the fact that he could lose her. He sobbed at the thought. Jungwoo only had her, and to lose his only reason for striving harder in life... he couldn't even think of it. But he had to be prepared to accept whatever fate decided. It seemed unfair, but then when had life ever been fair to him?

Blinking back the tears, Jungwoo gathered his things and gave his grandmother a soft kiss on the forehead. "Rest well, Mama. I love you," Jungwoo murmured. As quietly as he could, he headed out the door.

Jungwoo and his grandmother had a short discussion before she had fallen asleep. He had been working for Taeyong for a few weeks now and he had very little time to visit since. Juggling work and his finals had left him rushing to and fro. But with determination, he was able to complete the school year with good enough grades to maintain his scholarship and also perform his work well. Now that he had only his new job to think of till his next and final term, he had eagerly told his grandmother that he could spend more time with her. Jungwoo mentioned that Taeyong would be touring the following month but he planned to ask his employer not to take him with the crew abroad. He told his Mama Rina that he had already hinted this to Taeyong's secretary the day before. His grandmother became upset.

"You can not slack on your work, Jungwoo. I did not raise you to be like that, have I? You are going with them because it is your duty, and you're being paid for it," Jungwoo's grandmother had said firmly. "You can't shy away from a responsibility just because you worry unnecessarily. It is unprofessional. Something you are not."

No matter how Jungwoo had tried to dissuade his grandmother, she was very adamant. It was true, that it would seem petty to decline from doing his job properly because of personal reasons, but Jungwoo thought Taeyong and Yuta might understand his situation if he explained it thoroughly. His grandmother wouldn't have any of it.

Jungwoo checked his time and rushed to his workplace. It was still early when he arrived but already a ton of errands had to be done. One would have likened him to a twister, twirling all over the place and finishing everything they had told him to do. Such was how his typical day went. Surprisingly, as supposedly being a PA, he saw very little to none of Taeyong. Admittedly, he was a little disappointed but could never understood why. He could count the number of times he had been asked by Taeyong to join him for a cup of coffee or eat lunch with him. Although those times they spent together were rare, Jungwoo enjoyed every minute of it. But when Taeyong wasn't around, he missed the man terribly. Perhaps it was because of reading too much of the journal of his employer's namesake and his own name mentioned in it, in such a... passionate way. Jungwoo scoffed at himself on those very thoughts.