✔️Living With Them

/Thirty Six/

AN: EYOW! Sorry for not updating these past few days. I became busy working with my school works. ㅠㅠ my friend reminded me that we have a bunch of works to be pass today. I don't know if I should be glad that she reminded me of the works that we need to work on or not because she reminded me that we have a BUNCH of works to be passed today. But still happy I managed to finish it. yay for my cramming skills! HAHAHAHA! Whatever here's an update!

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Dahyun PoV

"Dahyun, Start what happened to you after graduation," Irene said

I just sighed and nodded, Irene has been with us since then, we just got separated after college. She's a good friend, but she never knows my secret. No one knows.

"I hope you won't see me as the most unfortunate person after hearing this but... after the graduation, my life went back. It became miserable as fuck like it used before I met the squad." I said and laughed bitterly.

I can sense that she's listening to me intently even tho I'm not looking at her. I kept my head down as I'm afraid to see her face full of pitiful.

"Before I came to the university and before I met the squad, I'm just a nobody. Loser, lonely, doesn't have a good set of friends and that's because of my family background. When I was in elementary, I get bullied because my family is known for having big debts. My mother doesn't have a nice job. Actually, she really doesn't have any. My father is a big gambler. He went to different friends to borrow money but didn't give it back. Marrying my father is the worst decision that my mother did. But even tho we're in that situation, I managed to graduate from elementary. How? Due to my mom's dirty works. She's great but I'm not complimenting her. She's a great thief. I also learned some stuff from her. And I hate to say this but, I relayed on it so that I can live and fulfill my dreams. Along with senior high, my father left us. Not because he can't sustain us but because he doesn't want to get involved in my mother's bad deed."

"Senior high school when I met Chaeyoung, she is the only one who embraced my bad side. As she also did that for her to survive."

"As I entered the university with her, I stopped what I'm doing, same as Chaeyoung. We met the others and decided to forget what we are way back then. Chaeyoung and I are both happy as we are not like we are before. But there's someone who doesn't. It's my mom. She doesn't want that I stopped what I'm doing before. It's funny, right? They said, "whose parents want their child to be in bad deed?" I want to answer them with the words "it's my mom" but something I found out. She's not my mom, no... she's not my mom anymore."

"W-what do you mean?"

"In my last year in college, she became out of herself. She's not the same woman I used to know. She's not the loving mother that I had before. She changed as my father left us. There are times that she went home hysterically. She's locking herself in her room and afraid to go out saying the police will catch her. I thought that time she'll stop her things but nope, seems like she's already living with that thing of her."

"Why don't you just leave her?"

"I'd like to, but after all, she's the reason why I'm here. If she didn't make a mistake marrying that gambling man, maybe I didn't get a chance to meet the squad right? She raised me even in her dirty ways. I can't blame her. She became out of herself and the only person that I should blame is my father who left us and does nothing to me aside from getting my mom pregnant." I said bitterly

"After graduating, I look for a job and save money. But it's not enough. So I decided to get my incentives in the university. And I met Chaeyoung again."

"What was the money for?" Irene asked.

"I'd like to send my mother to an institute and that only could happen if I have money, So I still can support her needs if ever. In that, I can live by myself freely and let my mom have her treatment." I said as tears started to come out.

"The squad didn't know about my situation except for Chaeyoung. She knows how I suffer when I'm with my parents."

I stopped and look at my pale palm that is now wet because of the sweat and tears falling into it.

"That's what I am Irene, that's it," I said and covered my face with my hands as I started to cry harder.

I felt that she stood up and before I could know, she's already hugging me from the side.

"Hey, I'm proud of you. You've been a tough and loving daughter. And I badly need you." Irene said

I removed my hands from my face and look at her surprisingly.

I was taken back as I saw her face. She's not wearing the face that I expected. Instead of looking at me pitifully, she gave me a warm smile and a proud look.

Then thoughts came to my mind.

If I tell it to Jihyo unnie, will she feel also the same?

Don't get me wrong, I like both of them as they stood as my mothers during the back days that my real mother can't do because of her illness.

I didn't tell it to Jihyo unnie or anyone in the squad even chaeyoung. She just found it out by herself. Basically, Irene is the first person that I opened with.

"I would be delighted to help you Dahyun. As you help me, I can also help you. Let's help each other. You can have me in your side." Irene said

"H-how. How can you say that? D-didn't you heard? I'm a daughter of a gambler and a thief." I asked her confusedly.

"But you chose to change your path right? It doesn't mean that you're from a not-so-nice family is your also the same as them. Yes, an apple plus an apple can't be equal to an orange. But in your case, an apple plus an apple is equal to an apple-pie, which is you. You chose to be different from them. Even just a small difference it's still different Dahyun." Irene said to me and smiled

I blinked few times as I tried to get what she's saying. She ruffled my hair.

"Just think that your family background doesn't need in this job. It's enough for me that you're here and want to change yourself." She said and went back to her seat.

"Let's help each other Dahyun," Irene said without leaving her smile.