Café Latte | JUNGWOO

Chapter 6

Hayoung walked into the apartment to see Yuta sitting on the couch, watching a movie on the TV.

"Did you eat?" Hayoung asked him.

"No, but cook for yourself, I'll eat later." Yuta told her, eyes glued to the television. Hayoung nodded, acknowledging his words before making her way to the kitchen, where a stack of dishes were waiting.

Hayoung let out a deep sigh as she quickly loaded the dishwasher with the dishes before preparing the ingredients for her dinner that night.

When she was finally done cooking, she took her plate full of food to the dinning room. As she got seated, she heard the doorbell ring. Hayoung was going to get up to get the door, but Yuta had already paused the movie, making his way there. Hayoung watched as Yuta returned with a bag of take-out food, setting up in front of the TV before playing the movie again.

Hayoung decided to ignore his presence, scrolling through her phone while she ate instead. Once she finished, she returned back to the kitchen, putting her dishes in the dishwasher. She glanced at Yuta who was still in front of the TV, muching on his food. She started the dishwasher, knowing that Yuta probably wouldn't do it if she left it.

As Hayoung passed Yuta, she noticed Yuta pause his movie to turn to face her.

"Next week I have a friend staying over." Yuta told her.

"Okay." Hayoung simply replied before going to the bedroom.

Hayoung pulled her laptop out, settling in her bed to watch one of her favourite dramas before going to sleep.

...

Jungwoo quietly entered the small apartment, setting his keys in the tray beside the door. He held the cardboard box in his hand, a single slice of cheesecake inside. He slipped into the single bedroom of the house, placing the box on the floor beside the bed.

"Eomma, I'm home." Jungwoo said to the frail woman staring out the window of the bedroom. She was sitting on the small twin sized bed placed next to the window of the room. She turned her head to face her son, a large smile on her sickly pale face.

"You're home." Jungwoo's mother said. Jungwoo smiled as he took a seat beside her on the bed, softly rubbing her back.

"How was your day? Was it too boring without me?" Jungwoo asked her. His mother shook her head.

"No, it wasn't terrible. I slept a lot but it's obviously better now that my son is here." She said, patting his head.

"How's your leg?" Jungwoo asked her. She paused for a moment before answering.

"Like it always is." She answered dully. Jungwoo lifted the blanket up, revealing one amputated leg, the other one coloured a dark purple.

Jungwoo's mother was sick. Both her legs were infected, the woman no longer able to walk or feel her own two feet. Jungwoo wasn't able to afford the medical fees of the first amputation, so he ended up taking out a large loan, which creating a great amount of interest as well.

Jungwoo lived alone with his mother. His father had passed away when he was young, leaving the two on their own. His mother had worked multiple jobs just to raise her child until she fell sick. Jungwoo worked hard, working part-time even in high school. Even though he got straight A's and was one of the smartest students in his grade, Jungwoo actually didn't attend college, his mother unable to afford it. Instead, he took on more jobs, trying to earn as much money as he could. The money he earned went straight towards the bills and paying back the loan he had. He lived a simple life, trying not to spend money on anything that he didn't need.