MAMA'S ANGEL [SUNSUN]

19.EMPATHY

"Sunghoon..." Sunoo whispered, not knowing how to reply.

.
.
.
.

"Tell me".

"Sunghoon, I've never felt that way. I love you, but not in the same way as everyone else."

"No, you're lying..." Sunghoon sat up straight. "I've seen how you smiled at me, looked at me, cooked for me, made me happy. Now you're saying... that's not love. Just because I'm a boy?" Sunghoon shook Sunoo.

"It's not like that. It's because of empathy, Sunghoon. We pity the humans. So we don't have any feelings. Pain, happiness, jealousy, hope, we don't have any of these," Sunoo explained.

"No, I see it in your eyes. Don't lie to me." Sunghoon looked deeply into Sunoo's eyes. "Okay, now tell me while looking into my eyes."

"I'm sorry Sunghoon. It's just affection because I care about you and know a lot about you. That's all. I was one of the safe places you felt," Sunoo replied.

"Then I wish to keep you," Sunghoon said, flaring his nostrils.

"No, I can't let you do that. If you use your wish for that, I'll never come back. Just remember that," Sunoo warned.

"It's okay. I wish to keep you with me every day. You have to comply," Sunghoon insisted.

"No, Sunghoon. Don't be stubborn. I'm leaving," Sunoo said as he disappeared.

"You can't do this to me!" Sunghoon yelled as he looked around. "Sunoo... Sunoo-ya... please come back." Sunghoon collapsed to the floor.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

"Oh, look who's here. You must have come to give back the money my uncle took. Come in, come in," Jay welcomed Sunghoon as he arrived. "Watch out, buddy, are you drunk? Sunghoon, are you okay?" Jay helped Sunghoon to sit down as he seemed unsteady.

"No, no, I'm not. Look, I brought your favourite. Let's drink together today," Sunghoon slurred, clearly intoxicated.

"What's wrong? You don't usually drink," Jay asked, concerned about his best friend's unusual behaviour.

"But not today, okay? I'll drink until death. So I can be with him later."

"Be with who?" Jay asked, but Sunghoon didn't respond. He opened bottles and began drinking. After a while, Jay took only a few shots himself as he needed to look after Sunghoon. "Dude, tell me what's going on. I've never seen you like this before."

"Sunoo... Sunoo, my angel," Sunghoon muttered.

"What? Who's Sunoo?"

"Jay, listen." Sunghoon cupped Jay's face. "As a friend, I'll give you some advice. If someone says, 'I'm your angel, I'll give you three wishes,' just fucking believe it."

"What?"

"That kind of thing happens in this world too. So you won't be disappointed like me. If I had that wish," Sunghoon said as he dozed off. Jay looked confused, not knowing where to begin unravelling this tangled story.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

"Wait, why did you tell me to come?" Wonyoung asked, feeling annoyed. "What happened to your eyes?" She was taken aback when Ricky took off his sunglasses.

"Oh, you can see now. This is what your brother did to me," Ricky said angrily.

"Sunghoon would never do something like that."

"Don't make me angry, okay? You know what? Because of this, my modelling contract was cancelled. You have to make up for this, babe. That's why I called you here."

Wonyoung gulped. "But I didn't do anything," she said.

"Okay. Then your brother will have to pay for this. My dad will ruin everything for him with just a word from me. Are you okay with that?" Ricky warned, smirking.

"No, please don't do anything. I'll do whatever you say."

"Good girl. Give me your SNS account number," Ricky said. Wonyoung had no choice but to comply because of Sunghoon. She was afraid that something might happen to him because of her.

.
.
.
.

[FAST FORWARD]

Sunghoon slowly opened his eyes, realizing it was already midnight. With a heavy head, he got up from the couch in Jay's house. Although he remembered drinking, he couldn't recall how he ended up at Jay's. He noticed Jay sleeping on the floor and quietly slipped out for some fresh air, hoping not to wake him.

Standing on the balcony, Sunghoon contemplated jumping, thinking it would make Sunoo come. As he sat on the balcony bar, he closed his eyes but then thought, "No, this isn't right. He loves me, I can see it in his eyes. Even if he lied, his eyes didn't." Eventually, he decided not to jump and called out, "Sunoo please come for me."

************************

[AFTER LIFE OFFICE]

"Damn it... Why... Why... How can I hear him calling my name?" Sunoo slumped from the chair to the floor, completely shaken. His friend, Heeseung, was alarmed. "Are you okay, Sunoo? Why are you crying?" he asked, bewildered. Sunoo, surprised by his tears, wiped them away for the first time.

"Why am I crying? This can't be real, Heeseung. How? Angels don't have feelings," Sunoo said, looking at his friend with wide, confused eyes.

"We are in this world. How could you think that angels don't have feelings? Anything is possible, Sunoo," Heeseung reassured him, patting his friend on the back.

"Don't call me by that name. I hate it," Sunoo's crying intensified. Heeseung remained silent. "He's calling my name, but how can I hear it? I'm not his angel. He can't call me," Sunoo sobbed uncontrollably.

"You'll understand soon. Sometimes, crying is the best way to cope with pain," Heeseung said knowingly. "Let's leave everything to time."

"Are you feeling better now?" Heeseung inquired. Sunoo nodded.

"Can I hang out here for a while? I got booted from home, and I can't face going back to him," Sunoo asked.

"Your home got cancelled because you bent the rules for him," Heeseung stated. Sunoo gave him a questioning look. "Why did you do that to that guy?"

"He was getting on my nerves. So I just..."

"You injured his eye."

"I didn't hurt him. Just left a bruise."

"But you did it because of your own choice," Heeseung revealed the truth. Sunoo was the one who caused a bruise on Ricky's face. Sunoo looked down. "You broke the rules for him, not just this one, but a lot of them. Especially the fifth one about not getting too close to humans."

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Sunoo," they locked eyes.

SEE YOU AGAIN 👋 👋👋