EGOIST (Sang Woo x Fem!OC) [COMPLETED]

45

There was this sudden feeling of dread that resurfaced within him the moment he checked his phone as it pinged. It wasn't emptiness, but dread that was buried deep down; he thought he could have gotten away with it, but he hadn't. Sang-Woo's debt had come to collect him.

"Is everything alright?"

Hae Young was the one to snap him back to reality, grounding him back to that quaint little coffee shop in Deongson-dong.

"Yeah. Just-- stuff from work." He bit the inside of his cheeks.

There was a skip in his usual beat that Hae Young sensed, but chose not to pry. It wasn't her place, or at least not anymore.

"So..." she begins. "America."

Sang-Woo just nods stiffly. Hae Young clears her throat.

"How long are you usually gone for?"

"About two weeks or somewhere in that time frame... Maybe less?"

She just nods, hiding her disappointment. Two weeks was a pretty long time.

"So there are things I have to ask you." He tells her. "While I'm gone I need you to stay with my mom."

The request took her aback a bit. It felt quite sudden despite it being a favor she would be fond of. Perhaps it was Sang-Woo's directness or his shamelessness in asking for the favor. If she were honest, old memories of his home came flooding back and made her blush a bit. Was there a meaning behind this request?

"It's just that you're the person I trust most around her. I just want to make sure that someone keeps her company and comfortable while I'm gone."

Of course, what else could this request mean except for being concerned for his own mother... Hae Young slaps mentally slaps herself to get a grip.

"Alright." She says. Besides, it's not like it was a chore. She loves being around Mrs. Cho, being the mother figure she never had.

She asks him the basic questions. Is she aware of her stay? Is there anything she needs to know before staying over? Ground rules? When should she get there?

"As soon as I leave." Sang-Woo tells her. "I want to make sure she doesn't feel alone."

"So tomorrow?"

"Yes." He nods. "Tomorrow."

"Alright." She says again. "Then I best get ready for two weeks."

Sang-Woo just nods as Hae Young finally stands from her seat, ready to leave.

"Oh, before I leave." She pauses. "Is there anything I need to know?"

Sang-Woo just stares at her, anticipating something, like some sort of confrontation, but it was evident in her expression that it was nothing. He was just being paranoid.

"Just make sure she stays in Ssangmun-dong and Ssangmun-dong only."

Hae Young knits her brows in confusion.

"Why--"

"--Just keep her there." He says sternly. "I don't want her running around working and worrying."

He looks up at her with silent, pleading eyes.

"Can you do that for me, Hae Young?"

"Okay." She sighs. "Alright." It was a bit of an odd request, but she understood wholeheartedly.

The moment she had left however, Sang-Woo felt the guilt coming up, but as well as relief. In his loneliness, he checks his phone once again, notification after notification coming up. He sighs, this is something that must be confronted head-on and face to face.

Mustering up all the courage he has left, he taps on the number on his phone, places it on his ear as he waits for the ringing. Finally someone picks up.

"Su-bin." He finally speaks. "Let's talk."