【low battery】MEANIE

you

「就今天而已。」
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「just for today.」
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【FIVE_YEARS_AGO】

Sobbing noises.

A slamming noise quickly follows, and Wonwoo's ears prick in alarm. He runs up the stairs as quickly as he can, and finds that the noise is coming from his father's bedroom.

Wonwoo slams the door open within a flash, frantically looking for his father before finding him kneeling on the floor, sobbing into his hands. Wonwoo quickly kneels down beside him, shaking his shoulder in panic.

"Dad," Wonwoo says urgently. "Dad, I'm here."

His father just continues to cry, and Wonwoo grabs a box of tissues and returns, wiping his father's cheeks.

"Dad, what happened?" Wonwoo asks. Concern is eating away at him slowly but steadily.

"I'm so sorry." His father bursts out in between sobs. "I'm sorry for everything."

"Dad, no." Wonwoo sighs, rubbing his back comfortingly. "What are you saying?"

"You and your brother deserve so much better, and I wish I could give you all the happiness in the world. As your father, I love you, and I just, I'm so useless." He rubs his face. "I can't give you what other parents can give their kids."

"We don't need anything more, dad..." Wonwoo murmurs. "We have each other. And we're surviving, right?"

"Wonwoo." His father says sternly. "I got laid off today."

Wonwoo freezes.

"Yeah." His father continues. "You know how hard it was more me to find that job, right? And even with that job, we were struggling so much just to get by each month." Wonwoo knows, it's true. His father even had to sell his wedding ring, which had no meaning to him anymore except heartbreak anyway.

"I'll get a job," Wonwoo decides. "Even after you find a job again, I'll keep working."

"You're sixteen years old, Wonwoo."

"That's old enough to work." Wonwoo says. "I'll work."

"I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be sorry." Wonwoo hugs his father, and his father wraps his arms around him tightly, taking a deep breath, and just stays silent.

"But you're already working hard to balance school, and taking care of Bohyuk, and also trying to help me with my issues," (By issues, Wonwoo knows his father is referring to his anxiety attacks, and depression.) "how can you add another thing to your life like this?" His father looks doubtful. "You have limits. I don't want you to work to the extreme and not be able to take it anymore, and then you'll... you'll be in pain."

"Thanks for your concern, dad, but Bohyuk is thirteen now. He's becoming more mature and easier to take care of. And you're not a burden, dad, I know what you're thinking."

"I'm just a useless human, Wonwoo. The world would be better without me."

"Dad," Wonwoo shakes his head. "No. Never say that. You don't even know how much you mean to Bohyuk and I. And how about your customers? You made everyone happy. you made them smile and laugh everyday. There are so many people who couldn't live without you, you know that?"

"You're one of the things that makes it worth it," His father smiles a bit sadly. "Thanks."

"I'll go searching for a job starting tomorrow." Wonwoo says, determined. He wants to do something, create a change, make life easier for his father and his brother.