The Hired (Completed!)

Chapter 54

A/N: Play the whole song for the chapter whenever you like. Choice is yours. :)

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*Ja Hoon's POV*

2:55 am.

*tick... *tick... *tick...

*tick... *tick...

*tick...

"어떡하죠? (what do I do) ...", looking up at the ceiling with my other arm bent beneath my head, I muttered to myself and sighed. Thoughts have been scrambling inside my head since I laid on my bed after dinner. It's already been 7 hours, *sigh.

Glancing at my night table, I reached my hands and grabbed the picture frame resting on top of it. It was the picture I've lost that Soon hyung gave to me last Christmas. I actually thought I'll never be able find it anymore, but thanks to hyung, it's on my hands now.

"*Sigh. 엄마, 아빠... 미안해요. (Mom, dad. I'm sorry)", I quietly muttered to myself as I look at the picture, my thumb gently stroking the faces of the people I'm no longer able to see anymore.

Several years ago, before the accident happened, we used to be happy. My parents and me. I remember back then, we used to live in the old house near my cousin Young Jae's house that my uncle (my mom's older brother) left for my mom before he passed away. It was old and small, some of my elementary classmates even mock me for living there. They said it was haunted and filthy. But I never really cared about what they say.

Looking back at those days, you could say that we are neither rich nor the average kind of people. My family and I, we were poor. My mom's a housewife while my dad works at a construction site. You see, my dad only makes $50 to $80 dollars per week and that's not even enough for the three of us since this province where Jo Eun and I live is quite expensive. Buying a decent T-shirt here in the province will cost me $20 dollars; eating at a fast-food restaurant will cost me $50 to a hundred bucks, and that's not even exaggerated.

And so, to be able to save money, my mom would only make us Maize Porridge, 물냉면 (cold noodles) and Kimchi at home. Sometimes though, when luck comes and my dad gets a bonus pay, he'd buy us a 설렁탕 (ox bone soup). And yeah... that's how me and my family lives here before. Also, we don't really celebrate birthdays that much since we can't afford buying each other a gift. Like I said, everything in this province is expensive.

But then again, from time to time I'd still miss those days. Because even if we were poor, me and my family are satisfied of what we have and just being together makes us happy already. And... because those were the days that I could feel my mom's warm hug and my dad's great advices too. I remember when he'd always tell me, "get back up and fight, son!" while doing a boxing-gesture with both his hands, and then my mom would say, "aiyoo, my dear. You're so funny.", pft... I miss them so much. And you know, I've never seen or heard them fought about something. They barely do that but when they do, they never let me see them fight nor do they go to bed angry at each other.