Empathy | jay. park [completed]

t e n

I sat up in bed, as the forth hour since Jay left had passed. I didnt hear his voice or feel anything new. He must of been asleep. How could he be asleep after everything that had happened ?

I turned my head to the hourglass that  was placed on my counter top and grazed my lip with my thumb.

It was all too unreal. I'd been under this stupid 'curse' for so long that a normal kiss between two normal people felt extraordinary.

It was impossible to believe I could of hated him all this time, and he was the only one around to stop Daewoon.

Daewoon. His name left a bitter taste in my mouth. I needed to get out of my apartment.

I threw on a pair of sweatpants and jacket and headed downstairs to the convenience store across the street. It was normally filled with drunk club goers but tonight, it was rather empty.

I greeted the shop clerk  and  scanned the snack shelves until I noticed a hooded figure enter the store. 

Knowing it probably couldnt be who I thought it was, I shrugged it off and grabbed a few snacks.

The person turned toward me and I got a good view of his face. It was Jay, but he looked a bit eerie.

"Hey Jay whats up !" I smiled, half jogging to the counter when I noticed his red eyes.

I immediately frowned at the sight of him, just a moment ago we had experienced something wonderful. Why was he like this ?

Jay grabbed whatever he had bought and pressed his lips together as we stepped out of the store.

"Hey whats up ?" He asked in a monotone voice, clearly looking out of it.

"Whats wrong ?" I asked, "did...something happen did I do something..."

"You did nothing wrong (y/n)" he quickly responded as we crossed the street and headed over to our apartment block.

"Then whats troubling you ?" I continued to fish for an answer. What really could of happened in the space of four hours ?

Jay and I stepped into the elevator and the tension was suffocating. I couldnt read his mind at all. I had to rely on whatever came out of his mouth, whether he decided to confide in me or not.

"My....grandmother" he finally said, clearing his throat. "I moved to Seoul on my own and lived with my grandmother for almost ten years."

I could tell it was a hard subject to touch on but Jay seemed to trust me enough now to open up to me. I was grateful.

The two of us reached our apartments but decided to sit in the hallway for a while.

"She took care of me and I owe everything to her" Jay continued, sucking in a deep breath. "I dont know the details but she got sent to the hospital an hour ago."

"What? You need to go, you need to be with her!" I exclaimed and Jay shook his head lightly.

"You dont understand. I haven't seen her in three years. The day I decided I wanted to be a musician was the day she threw me out" Jay sighed, wiping away a stray tear.

"We fought every night, she wanted me to move back in with my parents in Seattle, anything to stop me from hanging with rappers and 'hoodlums' as she used to say" he added, chuckling dryly at the memory.

I didnt know what to say. I experienced having to fight for my career with my family but not to this extent. Jay seemed like he had his life together, with all the parties and the fame, I guess were not different after all.

"Look, you need to move on from the past and go and see your grandmother" I murmured, "family is family."

"Will....will you go with me ?" He asked his red hopeful eyes meeting mine.

"Of course I will, come on lets head there now" I replied, jumping to my feet. Jay's eyes lit up at my response, as if he didnt expect me to agree to this.

"Thank you (y/n)" he mumbled and I nodded shyly. We parted quickly to get ready and hurried downstairs to catch a cab to Incheon.

The car ride was silent but I could tell Jay was becoming more and more anxious as we neared the hospital.

'Jay its going to be okay'

'I dont know who else who would do this for me...' Jay's words struck me painfully. Its like he'd never had a genuine friend before.

'just doing my neighbourly duties'

I looked over at him and saw a small smile creep on his face. In that moment I was glad I was the one who made him smile in such an unfortunate situation.

The cab finally stopped at the hospital and all emotion ran out of Jay's face as he stared blankly at the entrance.

"Hey" I stood in front of him to get his attention, "im going to help you get through this, I promise."

Jay dropped his shoulders and eventually nodded as we entered the hospital, unsure of whats to come.