prettier than flowers (jookyun) [✔]

12

  "jieun?" 

jieun had taken one look at changkyun and then pushed him into the short line at the maccas. changkyun had protested at first saying that he had no money but jieun just cut him off saying that she would pay.

now, they were sitting on a rather secluded table on the far side of the food court as changkyun devoured his burger, fries and drink. 

"so, mind telling me why you looked like a deprived and lost child?"

changkyun looked up at the girl sitting in front of him, his mouth still filled with food. changkyun slowly chewed before swallowing, he now knew why he had been so intimidated of jieun at first. because she had the same stare as her brother. 

"um, well", changkyun started off, "i just kinda forgot to bring money with me?"

jieun raised an eyebrow, even changkyun knew it sounded like an obvious lie.

"this has to do with my brother right?"

changkyun averted eye contact as he nibbled on another fry.

"look, i could tell that you and my brother have something between the two of you, and i'm in no position to really ask...even though i'm his sister...but that's not the point right now"

"i just want to make sure that he hasn't, i dont know done anything he shouldn't have"

changkyun's eyes widened as he looked at jieun.

"no no no!! he didn't... it's just a little complicated right now"

jieun rolled her eyes, "every relationship.." she mumbled.

"wait, jieun?"

jieun looked back to changkyun and nodded her head.

"i know this might be a bit... rude, but could you tell me about jooheon? like... why is he in a gang?"

jieun was hesitant. she didn't know much about changkyun and she felt it wasn't her business to gossip about her brother, but in the end she decided she would tell the boy. not because of how eager and sincere the boy in front of her looked but how affectionate jooheon had looked when the topic of the younger male had been brought up during their talk.

"well, honestly i haven't had contact with him these past years, you know that. i've heard bits and pieces from random people that say they saw him but again, i don't know if those things they tell me are even true"

changkyun just nodded as he stared intently at jieun, wanting to know answers about the mysterious man he liked called lee jooheon.

"well, i told you this part before, but our dad passed away around 5 years ago. it broke our whole family. our dad, he-he was really the best dad out there. he was caring and always put us first, so when he died it really broke us. we couldn't blame anyone because it was an accident that happened when he was on the road."

changkyun could feel jieun's heartbreak and he could only empathise with her as he listened. 

"our mum got really sick shortly after his death, with having to work, do the funeral and take care of us. we were really on the edge, but that's when our uncle came in. he was so kind to us and helped us with all the small things like cleaning and fixing things in our house to supporting us at school. jooheon respected our uncle nearly as much as our dad. jooheon was still in high school at that time but he worked 2 part time jobs, to help with the family. jooheon, everything he did was for me and mum."

a small smile made its way to changkyun's mouth. jooheon was caring. jooheon wasn't what people made him to be- he was kind at heart.

"but one day, he suddenly changed, i remember walking into the house after school and seeing him practically bawling in our basement where all our dad's belongings were. he pushed me away when i asked what was wrong and just everything after that went downhill. he started ignoring us and he was hanging around with those kids that you just knew weren't up to any good. our mum couldn't bear with the memories of our dad and so she decided to move back to bundang where our grandmother lived, it also helped with her health."

"and so we momentarily had to live at our uncle's place but jooheon hated the idea of that and he would pull me out of the house telling me not to stay with our uncle. i was young at that time and i really didn't know what to do but i trusted my brother and so i did as i was told. i was then offered a place at busan high school for advanced learners, i was going to decline because although they offered me a scholarship, i wouldn't be able to pay for the extra fees of living but jooheon made me go. he told me he had it all figured out and told me to just go. he was my brother and i trusted him so much so i decided to go."

changkyun wacthed as jieun's eyes became glossy as she told her story but she kept strong as she held in all her tears. 

"during that time, we stayed at this run-down motel because jooheon just refused to stay at our uncles and one night he came back and was beaten up. i still remember, i had been worrying about him so much and he wouldn't answer my calls. he came back with cuts, bruises, broken bones, he had barely even made it back. and that was when i knew what he had got up to. i didn't know what type of things he did but i knew they weren't right so we had a big fall out that night. after that, i decided i would leave early and after that we both changed phones, addresses and just everything. i heard from our mum that a week after i had left, jooheon had visited her with a huge amount of money telling her that he wouldn't be able to stay with her and for her to use the money when he wasn't with her."

changkyun was so dumbfounded. there were so many parts of this story that he didn't understand and he wanted to ask questions yet he didn't even know what he didn't understand and so he just continued to listen wide-eyed.

"and then 5 years past with jooheon suddenly sending me those roses"

changkyun nodded, so that was why jieun had been so dramatic when she had come into the store that day.

"from what i've heard, jooheon is now in quite a high position within the gang he is in. the gang he is in, people say they are merciless, but only to those that betray them and so jooheon probably got into his position through his sense of loyalty...he was always like that"

"but-but don't you think he might want to stop? don't you think he might not want to be in a a gang anymore?"

"i-i for a fact know that he wants to stop."

changkyun's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the girl in front of him, begging her to say more.

jieun sighed before continuing, "that day when we talked, i told him that if he quit being in a gang, that mum and i would gladly accept him back into the family. he said if he could he would but it wasn't that easy. he didn't tell me clearly what was wrong but i could gather that jooheon owes his life to someone in that gang and out of loyalty he isn't leaving. he told me that he has been wanting to move away from that life for a while and he has talked to that person. after whatever big thing they're doing this time, jooheon said that he will leave the gang."

changkyun slid jieun a tissue as she wiped the few tears that ran down her pale face.

he waited a few seconds for jieun to recover before he slowly spoke.

"so, so he does want to leave the gang right?"

jieun nodded and changkyun internally sighed with relief. he was fine with that. as long as jooheon had the heart to leave, he was happy. changkyun was fine with waiting. he was fine as long as he had jooheon.