"I knocked on Heaven's door for two minutes," the boy said. "How is that not cool to you?"
*****
Choi Sangwoo was just trying to make ends meet. Beaten and abus...
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February 9, 2019:
The conversation with The Preacher had given Sangwoo some clarity, and he'd apologized to Soobin immediately after returning from the cemetery.
It had ended very quickly, and transpired as described by The Preacher; apologies from both sides-something that surprised the young man. Taehyun ended up feeling really bad about the whole incident and blamed himself, much to Sangwoo's chagrin.
It was why the older male had sneaked out to the convenience store in the middle of the night.
Sangwoo scanned through the different aisles, looking for one item in particular. "Ah, there you are," he smiled, spotting the packet of ramen in the corner of the shelf. He grabbed it and made sure to check its expiry date. Ordinarily, he would've dismissed such an irrelevant detail, but it was important today.
Three months left till it expired.
He grabbed a couple of drinks from the fridge and headed to the counter. "Hi. What's the total for these?"
The cashier scanned the items and glanced at his computer screen before saying, "Fifteen thousand won."
Hopeful that he had the required amount, Sangwoo dug around in his pockets and fished out a messy pile of bills and coins. After he was done counting, there was only one 10 won coin left. "Thank goodness," he muttered, putting the coin back in his pocket.
"Hmm?" The cashier raised his eyebrows.
Sangwoo shook his head. "Oh, nothing."
The cashier nodded, handing over the paper bag. "Alright, there you go."
"Thanks very much," Sangwoo gave the cashier a quick smile before swiftly making his way out the alley, knowing the area wasn't known for being particularly safe. Catcalling and whistles were a regular occurrence, at least at night.
"And where do you think you're going?" asked a gravelly voice from somewhere in the corner. Sangwoo willed himself not to look that way and continued walking back to the apartment. Just a few more meters and he'd be within the vicinity of the building. "Hey, I asked you where you think you're going!" the voice repeated, this time with anger.
The brunette broke out into a run, hearing the stranger's feet follow him as he ran. He saw the light switching on in the living room from the corner of his eye.
Sangwoo felt himself tripping against something. Glancing down, he saw that it was the small stone wall that he'd ordinarily clear with a well-timed jump to enter the side of the building.
He'd mistimed it.
The bag fell, its contents strewn across the ground. He landed face first, yelping when his chin bumped against the cold gravel. His palms were cut up and bruised, and he'd twisted his ankle in the process. "Fuck!"
