I Need You

Locked Outside

"Is everyone else still asleep?" Chae-sul asked as I sat down.

"Yeah. I wouldn't expect them back until right before dinner."

"Christopher," Delilah cooed as she leaned against the table, right between me and Chae-sul. "Me and some friends were planning on going to a house party tonight in town. Wanna come with?"

"Um, no thanks. I have a lot of studying to do tonight."

"Come on. Do you not know how to have fun?"

"Well, your definition of fun and mine are a lot different. Besides, isn't that against the rules considering it's a Monday?"

"It is. That's why it's so fun. Well, if you change your mind, we'll be in the garden at ten." She turned to leave, but stopped, grabbing Chae-sul's tray. "I'll take this. You can't afford to gain anymore weight."

"What does she even mean my that?" I asked once she had waked away. "You're so small." She shook her head.

"She's stupid. I learned a long time to ignore what she says." She said it, but I could tell she didn't mean it.

"You should really tell your dad ab-"

"He's not my dad."

"What?"

"He's not my dad. I just live with him. He doesn't really care about, so he won't do anything about it."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be." The bell rang. "I'll see you at dinner."

Chae-sul's POV

Dinner was awkwardly quiet. The other guys were back, but I didn't say much. I had told Chan something I had never told anyone, not even Solar.

"CHAE-SUL!" Jin-young yelled, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Y-yes Appa?"

"You put pickles on my sandwich!"

"Y-you asked for pickles-"

"Don't you back talk me!" He stood up and grabbed me by the hair. "You can't do anything right, can you?" He drug me to the front door and threw me out on the porch. I heard the door lock.

Shit. What was I going to do? I decided to walk around for a bit to figure out what I was going to do. I remembered a bunch of people were meeting in the garden, so I made sure to avoid it. I was walking by the boys dorm building when I heard someone call my name.

"Chae?" It was Chan, sitting on the porch.

"Um, hey Chan." He got up and hurried toward me.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, I'm just.. walking." I didn't expect him to believe me, he always saw right through my lies. He went along with them, but I could tell he didn't believe them.

"I thought you weren't allowed out after dinner?"

"Um, Jin-young made an exception tonight. Will you walk with me for a bit?"

"Yeah, I'll walk with you." We walked in no particular direction, just avoiding the garden.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah."

"How come you never go home during the weekends? It's like every time I stay, you stay. And every time I go out, I come back to find out you stayed. Don't you miss your family?"

"Of course I do, more than anything."

"Then why don't you visit them?"

"I don't know where they are. Ever since I can remember, I was here. Apparently my parents abandoned me at Jin-young's doorstep, and he's raised me ever since. I don't even go anywhere unless Jin-young wants someone to take care of him while he goes on a weekend bender. He says we're taking a normal family trip, but I'm pretty sure a family trip doesn't consist of the child following their parent from bar to bar, making sure they don't choke on their own vomit." I kicked a rock. "Sorry, am I talking too much?"

"Not at all. I like listening to people."

"Well, I don't usually talk so much so don't get used to it." He smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you feel comfortable talking to me."

(-)

"It's almost time for lights out, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." I was dreading this moment. I sitll had no idea where I was going to sleep.

"Um, yeah. See you tomorrow." I made my to house, trying the door. Locked. I don't know why I expected anything different. I sat down on the porch. I could just curl up and sleep here.

"I figured he didn't just make an exception for tonight." He offered me his hand. "Come on, you can stay in my room tonight."

"You're going to break the dorm rules for me?"

"Well, you broke your house rules for me." I smiled, taking his hand.