Piece of Happiness

A Piece From Past - Lean On Me

::: College, Senior Year :::

"What's wrong with that face, huh?" Sujeong lift her head when she heard Jangjun's voice. She was staring anxiously at her phone just now. Even from afar Jangjun could see her uneasiness. Sujeong made a face even more when she saw Jangjun. She looked like about to cry.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Before Sujeong answered, her phone rings. The word Mom appeared on her phone screen. Instead of picking up the call, Sujeong faced Jangjun and she cried.

"Jangjun, what should I do?"

Jangjun was pretty much startled. Sujeong was crying in front of him with her neglected ringing phone. Much to his surprise, Jangjun let Sujeong cries and gently patting her shoulder. Sujeong's phone finally stop ringing. When Sujeong tried to wipe her tears, her phone rang again, made her crying again.

"Don't you want to pick up the call?" Jangjun finally asked about the call. Sujeong shook her head, still crying.

"I missed them but I don't know what to say. I-" struggling, Sujeong confided her concern in the middle of her cry.

As one of Sujeong's closest friend, Jangjun could grasp the cause of Sujeong's state. Sujeong was on pressure of her thesis. She once whined to Jangjun because everything about it just seemed to not worked out well. She even asked Jangjun's help, or his accompany to work on their thesis together.

"Should I pick it up for you?" Jangjun suggested hesitantly. Sujeong did not agree nor refuse. She was busy wiping her tears.

"You know, just to tell them you're okay. They must be worry about you." He continued. After the second missed call, he clearly saw the exact amount of missed call from her mom. They were definitely worry about Sujeong from the amount they have tried to reach her.

"You'll just make them even worrier." Sujeong answered as she was a little bit calmer.

"Why? I just need to tell them you're okay, what's the problem?" Sujeong sighed.

"You think they'll just accept the fact that a random guy answered their daughter's phone after hundred missed calls just to say she's okay?" 

"Excuse me? I'm not a random guy?" Somehow Jangjun was upset to be called a random guy.

"To me, yes! But they don't know you..." Jangjun frowned and then exaggeratedly showed his disappointed face.

"Woaaah... You never told them about me? Your best, no... your best-est friend?"

"Are you really want to start it now?" Sujeong stopped him from his random blabbering.

"Okay, fine... I'm sorry..."

In the middle of their little fuss, Sujeong's phone stopped ringing. When it started to ring again, Jangjun immediately snatched it from Sujeong.

"Be a good girl, and just trust me, okay?!" Sujeong tried to take back her phone, but Jangjun hold back, putting his index finger on his mouth. Sujeong lost her chance when she saw Jangjun already picked up the call. Sujeong was driven to silence, carefully looking at Jangjun who was speaking to her parents.

"Hello, I'm Sujeong's friend, Lee Jangjun... Sujeong is-... No, nothing. She's okay, ma'am, just having a trouble-... No, it's just a common stress a college student usually have... Um! She really is doing just fine... That's why I talk in her place... I'll make sure she'll contact you soon. She's just embarrassed to pick up your phone because she felt guilty I guess... Yes, you can leave it to me... She is really doing okay. I'll make sure she called you later... Sure, I will... You're welcome. Have a nice day..." From what she heard, she knew Jangjun handled it well, but she still wait for Jangjun to explain.

"Here. Listen!" Jangjun started as he gave back her phone.

"For the meantime, they are convinced that you're doing well. But this wont last long. You need to send them any updates, be it a text message, or even a video message. Hmm... I think it would be better. You better send them a video message."

Sujeong did not responded. She was lost in her mind.

"You know, you can't avoid them like this. They are your family, they care for you. They will always support you whatever state you are in."

"I know... I'm just..."

"Come on..." Sujeong looked clearly not convinced. Jangjun swears, convincing Sujeong will never once an easy task, like, ever! The problem lies inside Sujeong's mindset, so he needed to fix it first. Get her out of her stress mode, that's it. 

"Let's go!" Jangjun forcefully put Sujeong's phone inside her bag and grab her hand. He pull her outside the empty classroom.

For the rest of the day, Lee Jangjun arbitrarily drag Sujeong to an amusement park. He did not even give a single chance for Sujeong to refuse every extreme ride he pointed out. At last, Sujeong's burden miraculously decreased alot. She became a lot more at ease.

When Jangjun escort Sujeong to her boarding house, he still managed to encourage her again.

"Hey. You know you have me! Do not ever think you'd be a nuisance to me just for a call." Sujeong just smilingly nodded to Jangjun's declaration. Jangjun was the exact example of what friends are for.

"If you want to cry..." He paused for a moment to self bumping his chest.

"Just lean on me. Got it?" Once again, Sujeong smiled and nodded. Jangjun was indeed her best-est friend, as he claimed earlier. Before Jangjun left her door, Sujeong mouthing a thank you, which he replied with a wide smile. After a few steps away, Jangjun stopped walking, and responded to Sujeong's shouting.

"Really thank you for today!" He waved his hand cheerfully, and finished it with his thumbs up when he vaguely heard Sujeong promised that next time they went to amusement park again, it would be Sujeong's treat. Unfortunately, Jangjun never had a chance to claim her promise.

As she feel less stressed, Sujeong finally gave her family a call, and they scolded her for avoiding them, but that was all of it. They later listened to Sujeong's confide, full of understanding.