It's the same day and same night routine for you. Nothing unusual. But one morning all of this changes. You find yourself in Seoul. Teleportation or alien abduction you don't know. You try finding ways to go back. But do you really want to?
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I wake up to see more unfamiliar faces. I keep a blank expression and scan the room – there are 2 adults seems like they are Jungkook’s parents and a grandma who must be his halmeoni and since Jungkook is not in good terms with his parents he is missing. Thanks to hameoni I can pull this act. I start smiling and greet them.
“Aigoo Our Baby, what a relief to see you awake and smiling at us” says halmeoni and reaches my face to shower it with kisses. I start laughing – grandmas are the best. “We have made arrangements, you don’t have to stay there you are moving back to the dorm and focusing on your studies. I can’t believe he could put you in this situation” comes from Jungkook’s Abeoji. “Honey you have done enough, you don’t have to take our burden” says his Eomma with a kerchief in her hand and teary eyes. All I know is that both his parents requested me to monitor, tutor and make him get into an average college. I cannot agree with them as of now, I don’t feel it’s a right thing to do. I bow my head as it is an etiquette in Korea to speak and behave politely to elders “Eomma and Abeoji just give me one more chance. I am sorry to disappoint you. You have to know that it is he who got me here and took care of me. Let’s not give up”.
“Aissh I don’t know what you see in him? Alright will give him a last chance. If he messes up again we won’t have it. Such friends he has, just because you taught them a lesson when they were shoplifting does not mean they kidnap you. We cannot even request the Police to look into this matter when my own son is friends with them” he says in a frustrated voice. Now I realize why I was there. The car that passed when I was hiding with Jungkook’s was of his friends.
“And just look at his guts? He knows we are coming today and he dares to go missing instead of being apologetic. Just because I asked him to focus on his career rather than painting he went on vandalizing our neighborhood. When I beat him up for it, he ran to take shelter in Seoul from his halmeoni” he adds. “Stop it now, he’s just a kid, as if you were any different with your father, but see now everything is different” says halmeoni. “Yes mother I am sorry but this kid makes me so angry. Its cause of you I let it go every time”.
“Excuse me, the doctor has informed that the patient is free to go home now. I want the guardian to sign some papers” interrupts the nurse barging in and patching me up after taking out the IV fluid. Abeoji follows her to take care of it. Eomma holds me and whispers “Thank you” in my ears. We book a cab and reach Halmeoni’s house. Eomma hands me a new cellphone as I lost mine due to the whole incident in the morning. “Thanks a lot Eomma, but I can’t accept it” I say and she interrupts “this is for all the things you keep doing on my behalf, just take it, it’s a gift” she says and goes to the kitchen to prepare food.
Later in the evening Eomma and Abeoji bid farewell to go back to Busan. Halmeoni insists I stay till I am completely alright, she tells me that she got most of my stuff here. I agree and go to check my belongings.
I go through my stuff to look for more clues – I find clothes, purse, makeup and books in my bag. Halmeoni insists I stay back when she heads off to nearby supermarket to buy groceries. Since I am alone I start digging up. I go through a lot of entries made in books – most of them plain filled with study materials. Finally, I come across a leather – bound book with yellow pages. It belongs to Jungkook. It has so many drawings, mostly sketches of streets, parks, stores, fish market, pier, and a young girl who resembles me. At the back something is written – I am leaving my most prized possession with you, take care of Eomma and Abeoji.
I hear someone unlock the door making me close the book and put it back in the bag. “Halmeoni! You’re back so soon, let me help….” I stop when I see it’s Jungkook with more bruises. I stand in shock, wasn’t he treated back in hospital? Where was he the whole time?
“Stop looking at me like that! Don’t you dare tell this to halmeoni. I’ll take a shower and take care of this. And did they leave?” he asks about his parents. I nod “Yes a while ago, they were worried about you! Where were you?” I ask him. “You don’t have to know and don’t have to care” he shakes his head “I am too tired for this” he says and heads to the bathroom. Did he get into a fight? I tip-toe towards the bathroom and look into laundry. I pick up his jacket and take his cellphone out. There are a lot of texts.
Beomi 4:30pm: Ya asshole, its over between us.
Hyuk 4:32pm: How dare you? How could you beat him up like this?
Michol 4:40pm: Just for that girl huh? Well you are officially out of our gang.
Beomi 4:43pm: Just because you’re strong that does not make you superior.
Michol 4:50pm: Never show your face to us. And keep that bitch with you.
Mom 5:05pm: Son please go home we are leaving. Also take care of yourself jebal.
I hear the shower stop I quickly put his cellphone and jacket back and go to the living room. I can’t believe he fought with those guys who he called friends for me. If I go back home should I make this into a fanfiction – Jungkook a bad boy with a kind heart, I sigh and daydream a little.
I think I should be tightlipped about this until he informs me about the fight. He comes back with a towel in his hand and picks his cellphone from the laundry pile. “Did you eat?” he asks. “Uhm no I am waiting for Halmeoni to return from supermarket” I say staring at him wiping his wet hair from the shower. He goes to the room and returns with a first aid box and struggles to tie gauge around his wound.
“If you don’t mind, I can help you” I offer him. “Aissh…Alright” he says and hands me the box. I carefully wrap the gauge around his wound. It’s not deep, few bruises that will cure in a week. “Kookie-ya you should stop getting hurt” I tell him in a neutral tone to not arise any doubt. He smirks “look at you being still concerned instead of beating me up for whatever happened” he shuffles my hair like they do in K-drama. My cheeks turn red and I hope Halmeoni returns soon to end my embarrassment before he acts anymore cute.
Seems like telepathy works here too as Halmeoni arrives with two bags full of groceries. Jungkook and I help her with bags and arrange the groceries. She starts preparing dinner with Jungkook’s help and insists that I take rest till the dinner is prepared. After dinner, Halmeoni informs Jungkook to clean his room and let me sleep there. He nods and hurries till it strikes my mind that the leather-bound book was partially visible from the bag and I don’t know why it makes me uneasy. As soon as Halmeoni goes to the washroom I hurry towards the room and the color fades off of my face as he is going through that book.
He turns around with the book in his hand “Ya, you still have this? I don’t believe it” he says. He closes and places it in back I my bag. “I wanted to tell you something..” he says and places his hand on the back of his neck. “Go on” I tell him. “I want to take this seriously” he tells me and I go blank looking at his bambi eyes, my heart races ‘is he talking about our relationship’. “huh?” I ask so that he can clarify. “The exams – I want to start over and take it seriously” he smiles “Hope it won’t be a burden for you”. Well he seems to be talking about tutoring but can I tutor him? I don’t know what to say and I just nod smiling.
“Ahsaa…Thanks for not giving up on me” his smile turns into a frown “I am no longer friends with them and they won’t be bothering us” he adds. “What made you change your mind?” I ask him. “Just.. That.. They shouldn’t have taken you like that and I am going to prove to abeoji that I can do it, Eomma told me about your conversation with him, I don’t want you to get disappointed by me again, I am going to give my all this time” he says and I nod in agreement.
I don’t know if I can tutor him but since I have been put here maybe this is my chance to set things right and go back. “Aigoo ya look at you two chit-chatting it’s late lets go to sleep” she says “Jungkook will drop you to college tomorrow” she adds. Jungkook sleeps in the living room leaving me and Halmeoni in the room. I had plans to come to Seoul, book hotel rooms but never expected I would be sleeping in Jungkook’s Halmeoni’s house.
