Second chance

Green flag

Jungkook would sometimes join Yurie at the park while Soobin played with his friends. The park was just across the narrow road from the cafe. It all started with Jungkook silently sitting next to Yurie one Sunday, the week after their introduction. That's after all the only day of the week Yurie manages to take out leisure time with her son.

Conversations with Jungkook were seamless. Yurie was slowly getting addicted to it without even realising. She appreciated how much his presence contributed to her self-esteem. To Jungkook, Yurie wasn't a knocked up teen. Maybe, Jungkook believed that too but he had at least never exclusively asked anything about Soobin in that way. He never showed any interest in asking the usual questions, the most common being how old was she when she had Soobin. There were also times when Jungkook would actually join the kids.

Jungkook bonded equally with Soobin. Often exchanging playlists and sometimes giving the younger pep talk about academics and how it is equally important even if Soobin wants to be a music producer in future. That, Yurie found to be a green flag. As Kay would like to call it.

If there was any doubt before, Yurie is now whole heartedly addicted to Sunday meet-ups with Jungkook. With two no show Sundays back to back, Yurie is contemplating if Jungkook has lost interest. She doesn't know what else to assume. She's debating with herself if he was, like any average man just trying to flirt with her and then realised how weird it is to actually try with someone with a child. Cause honestly speaking, she was just very content with his presence in whatever capacity and she desperately needed it.

Maybe Jungkook found her too boring. Not really able to open up for something deep. They'd mostly talk about their work life. Jungkook would share funny stories from his cafe kitchen and Yurie would explain her side of the story behind how her team misplaced a 50 pound designer gown. There was never a request about going out with him, from the man and that Yurie was grateful for.

For the last 10 years, she had maintained a safe distance from men. Maybe it was her inability to hold a conversation. She had zero game when it came to making or keeping connections. She didn't even have friends apart from Kay and two other long distance friends from college. By the start of third weekend she considered even visiting the cafe to see him. After all, it was always Jungkook who would come to them at the park after catching them arrive there.

Thinking the worse, she arrived at a conclusion that visiting him would be a bad idea in case Jungkook had somehow came to realise how irrelevant she was. He for sure had a more interesting life than her. He certainly didn't have kids. He was for sure younger and had an eventful lifestyle. Going out with friends for drinks. Hooking up with girls he found on random dating apps. There was no way someone who looked as attractive and charming as him would find Yurie deserving of his time. But she couldn't get his words out of her head, "see you next Sunday"

~

"See you next Sunday" Jungkook exclaimed and turned to walk towards the cafe. With a bunny smile he entered his cafe to take his usual position at the counter when Chae, the petite waitress ran to inform him that Mr. Hwang had called the cafe to speak to him. It was just enough reason for Jungkook to go into a full panic mode. The huge smile he had a few seconds earlier from his chat with Yurie had faded. He had only spoken to him three times in the past.

Between the time Jungkook had first met the man at just 17 and the last time which was when Hwang had handed over the cafe to Jungkook to run, there was one more time. An event that still haunted him, Yeji's passing. Hwang was not just the owner of the cosy little cafe but Yeji's father.

Yeji and Jungkook were childhood friends and were the closest. As a child he used to always get yelled at by his parents about how Yeji is really a bad influence. At 15, Jungkook got his first tattoo. A small heart, on his right hand, above his wrist on the back of his hand. "Cute" Yeji exclaims. They'd bunk classes with their group of friends to hide and smoke up in the restrooms of the old abandoned section of their school which had been under renovation for over a year now. It became the perfect hiding spot for the reckless school kids.

No one could tell that Yeji was actually the humble one between the two. With her siren eyes and catty features it was really her that kept Jungkook in line. Yeji's life back at home was chaos. Her family ran a traditional restaurant in the town. She feared her violent father the most. She started working at the restaurant when she was as young as 11 to just be alongside her mother. She wanted to see her safe. She'd come running to the restaurant right after school to help her parents.

At school at 12, Yeji would always notice, timid yet naughty Jungkook. Everyone liked Jungkook because of his family who are a big name in the real estate industry in the country. Yeji found herself sympathising with the boy as she could see right through his minion friends. She also knew it from all the times his friends made Jungkook pay for the sweet treats at her parent's restaurants while Yeji would be at the cashier duty.

But as they grew old and entered teenage-hood things went downhill for both of them. The pressure from his father to take up business as his subject when Jungkook wanted to do something creative. He always dreamed of becoming a painter. On the other had, nothing had changed for Yeji at home but as she grew older her resentment for her father turned into anger.

She always wanted her mother closer and safe but this came at a cost of Yeji feeling like a loser. Stuck at work when other girls her age were going out on dates and learning other skills during after school hours. By the time they turned 21, life had become a complete mess for them.

Yeji was never able to go for college. Once out of school, when her parents made her sit down to tell her that they didn't feel that it was absolutely necessary for her to continue. Majorly because her father was traditional and was ready to marry Yeji off as soon as he must receive any offer from a potential groom. She willingly agreed to her father's terms

Nobody knew Yeji like Jungkook did. He knew that she had dreams of becoming a singer some day and travel the world. He just didn't know that her will to keep her mother safe was so much stronger. Unlike Mr. Hwang, Jungkook's father was very particular about his higher studies. With great donation and contacts Mr. Jeon was able to manage to send Jungkook off to university campus in the same city. He didn't want Jungkook to be distracted at home or by Yeji and hence decided that it would be in Jungkook's best interest if he lived on campus.

They lived happy to know that nothing changed between them. They're still best of friends and would regularly hang out. Yeji would sneak out at night and meet their old gang from school. While Jungkook would stay out of campus for days in a row at a friends apartment which had become their spot since school was over.

One night, when Yeji was returning to her house, she noticed that the living room lights were on but she didn't think much of it. She briefly considered that she must have not turned it off before sneaking out for the night. It was when she reached the porch of her house when she noticed her father through the window, frantically walking around the house.

From the occasional rumours about having boyfriends to alleged gossips around Yeji's smoking up habits she had never given her neighbours any reason to pester her family. She wasn't a rebel in fact she had always proved to be a smart and considerate single child of her parents.

However that night, it was the last straw for Yeji. Upon entering the house, she met with her mother's teary eyes and saw her severely bruised self standing in the kitchen. His father grunts, turns around and instantly charges at her pushing, sending her a few metres away.

TW ⚠️

It was still dark in the morning when Jungkook got a call from Yeji, at least that's what he thought. He was laid on the couch, still heavily high with his friends listening to the playlist that Yeji had passed on to them that night. It was Mr. Hwang, for the second time in his life. He was called to meet him at the hospital. There was something in his voice that stopped him from asking any further questions. He knew how much Mr. Hwang despised him.

No one could prepare him from what he had to see. The person in front of him did not look like Yeji at all. This person had no hair, how could they be Yeji, he thought at first. He couldn't find a face when he was hit with a gruesome realisation that whoever this person is had their jaw melted reaching their chest. How could this be Yeji. She was with him a couple hours ago. Her catty features all gone now. Is her father playing a practical joke on him. Maybe he found a groom for her and after finding that she's sneaking out he came up with this nasty idea to keep him away from her.

The moment, when the doctor moves to cover the remnants of a face is when he loses it. He's not ready to believe the reality one bit and he can't believe that no one has turned to him to say that this has been a lie. A prank by Yeji perhaps. He starts thrashing around and exists. Right outside the morgue is where he collapses.