𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ☾︎ soonhoon

C H P - 10

"I want you to go to the hospital with me. To see my step-mom."

----

"Or rather, my mother," Jihoon corrected quickly; and the subject of the woman must have been a touchy one, because soon after the words left his mouth, the color drained from his cheeks.

It was hard for the shorter male to admit to himself that his step-mother really was sick, and that she was doomed to lie in a stiff hospital bed for the rest of her life. It managed to shock him each time he said it aloud. "She is technically my step-mom, but I think of her as my actual mother. You see, my mom died in the hospital after we got in an accident when I was still a teen. They thought she was fine... but I guess she had a bleed somewhere in her brain..." He trailed off into silence, keeping his eyes glued to his knees, before his body suddenly froze up. "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know... why I told you that."

Soonyoung silently cast his gaze downwards, to the familiar bleach stain on his apron. "It's..." A dull pang rippled throughout his rib cage. Even after everything that woman had said and done to them, he still felt sorrowful at the news of her passing. "It's alright. And yes. Yes, I'll go with you."

Of course I will...

----

"You feeling okay?" Soonyoung asked softly, leaning down so he could meet eyes with Jihoon. Stagnant, dark pools poured into him, the depth being the first thing he really noticed. Then there was the strenuous awareness: awareness of the fact that they were only a few moments away from seeing a frail woman, covered in a thin blanket, IVs attached to her arms and strung up all along her bedside.

"Yeah..." Jihoon barely nodded, seeming almost numb. "Yeah, I'm good. This is just... why I asked you to come. I always freeze up." He gently closed his eyes, tuning into the many sounds around him, in an effort to calm himself. A comforting warmth emanated from the body beside his own, only a few inches away, and gradually, his frame relaxed. "But this time, I should be okay."

The both of them knew that that statement had to be true, because only seconds later, the kind nurse slid the pale blue curtain off to the side, revealing the woman they had come to visit. Her long, ebony locks were flat and greasy, her cheeks void of any kind of blush. Her lips were chapped like they hadn't touched any moisture in years. Every minute thing about her screamed that she was sick, that she didn't have much time left; and yet her eyes were still determined, still happy and trusting that she would make it through whatever virus was plaguing her immune system.

"Jihoon! Oh, my! Look at how handsome you've gotten!"

"Hey!" Jihoon responded, trying to return the great enthusiasm, before taking a short step closer to her. Cautiously, he sat down in the leather love seat located just at the end of her bed. Soonyoung figured he should probably sit, as well.

Mrs Lee laughed at the two stiff figures--what a bubbly, happy sound it was, almost like the chime of a bell--as she leaned forward from the pillow that kept her upright. "Who is this handsome man?" The question was obviously directed towards the now flustered blonde.

Handsome? No way...

"This is my friend, Soonyoung. He runs the flower shop that I've been using to bring you bouquets."

"Oh?" The woman's bright eyes widened almost instantly at the name, confusion dominating her features. "Soonyoung..." She took a brief second to ponder before continuing on, "I've heard that name before. I remember Jihoon's father telling me about a boy named Soonyoung a while back... Hmmm, maybe it was Soonyeon, or something like that. I'm not sure. My memory gets hazy sometimes..." She appeared to be talking more to herself than to the two visitors, but her eyes still fluttered up to meet with theirs, like she was asking if they knew the answer to what was suddenly irking her. "Oh well," she concluded with a sigh, "that's in the past, I suppose. But anyway, you've been making those beautiful bouquets?"