The doorbell rang and Yookyung ran to open it. She smiled when she saw L.joe standing outside and happily welcomed him into the apartment. He pecked her on the cheek and took off his shoes. She led him into her room and they both sat down on her bed.
Yookyung crossed her legs and looked at L.joe. "Byunghun oppa, why'd you come over?" He faked a sniffle, "Am I not welcome? I'll leave then." She stopped him from leaving and kissed his cheek. "I never said that!" He smiled and hugged her. The only one who gets to see this cute side was Yookyung and she had to admit that it was pretty adorable.
He leaned against the wall while Yookyung laid her head on his lap. He played with her soft and silky hair while she smiled to herself. She turned her so that she could look up at L.joe's face. "Oppa, hope this doesn't make you feel uncomfortable or anything but where are your parents?"
L.joe froze for a second and he then gave her a sad smile. "You really wanna talk about my parents? It'll take a while though." She sat up and leaned on his shoulder. "I've got plenty of time." He took a deep breath and spoke. "My mom died when she was giving birth to me and my dad committed suicide."
She gasped, "I'm so sorry." He shook his head, "It's fine. My dad was an asshole anyways." Her eyebrows scrunched up, "What do you mean by that?"
A 10 year old Byunghun ran back home, a smile plastered on his face. He was extremely happy that he got an 100 on his math test and he wanted to show it to his dad. He unlocked the door and quickly took off his shoes. He ran into the living room and bounced up and down. "Dad, look! I got 100 on my math test!"
Lee Hyunsik turned around and Byunghun gulped. His father had blood-shot eyes and his appearance was unkempt. He scowled, "Go away, you brat!" Byunghun gasped and quickly nodded. He ran up the stairs and took refuge in his room.
He grabbed his old and tattered teddy bear and squeezed it against his chest. Tears fell at a steady pace. Byunghun sniffled and wiped away his tears. He thought his father would be proud of him but he was indifferent.
After falling asleep from being tired of crying, Byunghun rubbed his eyes and looked at his clock. It read 6:50 PM. He got off his bed and crept down the stairs. The room was dark, the only light coming from the TV.
He tip toed up to the couch and saw his father sleeping. Soju bottles littered the room and Byunghun frowned. He grabbed a garbage bag from the kitchen and started to clean up his mess.
The clinking of the glass bottles made the older man stir and he eventually woke up. "What do you think you're doing, you brat?" He growled. Byunghun jumped in surprise and nearly dropped a bottle. He turned around and saw his father hovering above him. He bent down to his height and gave him a crooked smile.
His father smirked, "You think you're such a good kid, huh?" His breath smelled of alcohol and Byunghun felt like throwing up. His father grabbed his collar and pulled him close. He whimpered when he lightly tapped his face. "If it wasn't for you, Minsook would still be living."
His eyes widened when he felt a hard slap against his cheek. He grabbed the sore cheek and looked at his father with tears threatening to fall. "You little bastard. You took away the only person who made me live." His father punched him and kicked him.
He coughed and groaned in pain. Tears stained his cheek and he croaked, "D-dad, please stop. It hurts." His father scoffed, "It hurts? You know what hurts? Having to lose the love of your life because they were giving birth to the thing that killed her!" He kicked his stomach with such force that his back hit the wall. The whole night, Byunghun cried out in pain as his father beat him.
The next day, teachers gasped when they saw Byunghun walk in. Bruises covered his body and he had a black eye. The once bright eyes were now cold. "Byunghun, are you okay?" His teacher kneeled down and examined his wounds.
No, he wasn't okay. The outgoing, friendly boy who used to open up to everyone changed. He closed up his heart, not allowing anyone to get close to him. Love? He doesn't know what love is anymore.
He slapped his teacher's hand away as she tried to touch his face and walked to his desk. The children murmured amongst themselves, constantly looking at the boy. He gave them a cold glare and they turned away. He sat there, staring out the window, trying to fight back his tears.
Yookyung wiped away a tear and hugged L.joe's waist. "Oh oppa, I didn't know you had such a tough life." He sighed, "Why are you crying?" She reached up and brushed her thumb against his cheek. "I should be asking you that."
He touched his cheek and felt that it was wet. He weakly smiled, "Huh, when did that happen?" She gave him a small smile, "Are you okay?" He nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."
She tilted her head, "You never understood what love was?" L.joe shrugged, "Yeah. I thought that just living with my dad and him taking care of me was love but I guess it wasn't. But after meeting you, I finally realized what it is." She flushed and hid her face.
He pulled her close to him and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you for coming into my life. If you never did, I probably would've remained the cold L.joe I am." She gave him a cute eye smile and he kissed her.
