"Hajoon told me something yesterday when you went to bed. I was about to go to sleep too when he came up to me, and he was a bit unsure because he made it evident that he would not want you to be mad at him for saying it but that he had to, so he explained to me that you were not feeling very good while I was at work. Is that true?" I bring this up, not brushing this off.

"Oh...he told you..." she understands, and I know right away that he was not kidding or exaggerating. "It was nothing. I was just...a bit tired, but nothing to worry about."

"What happened exactly? How were you feeling?" I ask to know more since I am a doctor and can figure out what is the problem. "I was just feeling a bit dizzy, so I ate some sugar, and I was fine afterwards."

I process her words and keep my eyes fixed on her from behind, feeling like she is not taking care of herself. "What do you eat for breakfast and lunch?"

"It depends, I don't always eat the same," she does not give me an answer to the question I asked. "Yes, but what do you eat exactly?"

She shrugs, focusing on the ironing and finding a way to escape this conversation that is particularly important. "Sweet potatoes, salad, soup..."

"That is what you eat for dinner when you don't dine with us," I do not like this at all since this is about her health, and since she has been living with us, in my house, for more than three weeks now, I care about her health and well-being. "From now on, I would like you to eat the same food as us, y/n. I do not want you to be weak, to lack energy, or anything. You have to be in good shape to live and work."

"But I'm all right, Mister Jeon..." she replies with those same words again, but I do not believe in it anymore. I breathe out heavily, wondering what I should do. "I just don't feel hungry or don't want to eat when I'm busy."

"But you're not busy twenty-four hours a day. There are some moments during the day where you can take a break and eat. You cannot tell me you are not hungry when you barely eat, your body is not different from ours, you do feel hunger if you do not feed yourself properly. Do not tell me lies," I remain calm and soft in the way that I talk to her to make sure she does not get hurt or dig her heels in.

"I'm going to cook breakfast. You'll eat with me before I go to work," I decide to do and head towards the kitchen. "Mis—"

"No need to argue. Unless this is for a good reason, like, you have some stomach aches, some problems, if you do not, I do not give you a choice but to eat. That is not to bother you, I just care about you," I do not come back on my words, even though they might sound crude, I cannot let her do this to herself. I manage to make her keep quiet, so I cook a great meal that will give her all the nutrients she needs in the morning.

"What did you dream of?" I do not keep quiet since I can feel that I made her upset with my authoritative side, and she gets at the other side of the board to see me while doing her task. "I can't remember exactly..." her uncertainty causes some skepticism, so I set my eyes on her to see if she is telling the truth or lying because she would be embarrassed to tell me about it. "Oh. Well, as long as this wasn't a nightmare, that's the most important."

"Yeah..." she does not know what to say. "What about you?"

"I dreamed that I bought a new car, it was a Bugatti," I miss being in it, still seeing the leather material of the car, the bright color, and how comfortable it was inside. "Ah. That was indeed a dream."

"Exactly," I laugh but focus on what I am doing to not cut myself. "I mean, a friend of mine already had the opportunity to have a ride in the newest one that came out, but he could only choose one person, and that wasn't me, obviously."

"How did he get to do that?" she does not cut the conversation short, to my greatest pleasure but chats more. "Well, I think he won something. I can't remember exactly, it happened some years ago."

"Oh, and if it was you, who would you choose for that ride?" she asks, curiously and makes me think about it. "Let me consider this..." I stop using the knife and look at her. "Do you like sports cars?"

She peeks up at me as if she were a bit surprised by my question, but she smiles. "I do."

"I would have a hard time picking between you and Hajoon then, but this boy would probably tell me to take you with me if he knows you want it," I do not keep that to myself, knowing my son has a crush on her. I find this overwhelmingly cute. "No, I'd tell you to go with him. He's your son."

"Ah, you would make it even harder then," I chuckle but hear her soft laughter echo through the room. "It would be easy. I wouldn't get into that car anyway, I would be happier if Hajoon goes with you."

"That's because you're a sweet girl," I speak honestly, with my heart. "But anyway, this won't ever happen, so I won't have to make this difficult decision."

"And let's imagine, you win two tickets for something that the three of us absolutely want to do, like, none of us wants it more than the other, and we can all do it. Who do you pick?" she makes me face a dilemma, but I do not have the answer as quickly as I would want to. "Well, if we all want it that much, I give you both the tickets. I don't care."

"Even if this would mean a lot to you? Like, he's your son, you could spend time with him together. Why would you let me have it?" she does not see it from my point of view, so I tell her sincerely. "Well, I am...weak when a woman or girl is concerned. In this case, you're a good girl, which means, it's even harder for me to resist. So, I'll definitely let you go with him."

"And what if he wants to go with you?" she tries to find a way to make me say the opposite, and I chuckle. "Let me tell you that he will not."

"How do you know that?" her naivety astounds me, but I do not say anything that could make Hajoon hate me. "Well, I know him. He likes being with you a lot, but I think you saw that already."

"Hm. He likes to play with me all the time and tease me," she agrees with me and giggles, so I ask some questions for my whipped son. "Do you like spending time with him as well or he is a bit too annoying?"

"He's not. I do enjoy my time with him," she says some words I could record to make Hajoon hear them and feel happy. "And he's funny, cute, kind, and also smart and respectful compared to the other boys of his age that I knew."

"He would be blushing if he was here," I smile at the thought of it, loving the fact that she seems attached to him too. "I saw him bother you a lot yesterday though. He was constantly getting close and speaking in your ear, did he do that for a certain reason?" I mention what I found odd, but her bright smile tells me everything. "I just won against him multiple times when we played earlier, and he was mad, so he wanted to get his revenge."

"Ay. What a kid," I sneer but finally get done with cutting the vegetables. "I allow you to punch him when he bugs you like that," I grin at her, but she comes closer with my white clothing. "I'll do it then," she giggles but does not even say otherwise. "Your dress shirt is ironed and all warm, do you wear it now?"

"Yes," I move to the side to clean my hands, but I do not even have to do it, she helps me to put it on, so I only have to slide my arms through the sleeves. However, once I turn around and that the buttons have to be closed, she gazes up at me, my hands remaining up to not touch the fabric. "You don't have to close them if you don't want to," I smile at her shyness, but she starts with the top. "It's okay..." she does it slowly and carefully. So I watch her focus but almost shake.

"Do you only dress in those types of clothes?" she seems to try to find a way to escape the redness her face is being covered with, and I smile. "Not all the time, but most of it. I love business style."

"Hm, I noticed," her eyes remain fixed on my torso as her hands are going lower to close my clothing entirely. "What? Do you find it ugly?"

"No, I don't. I love the business style on men a lot," she shakes her head but shoots her eyes up. "I mean, you know what I mean by that. Right?"

"Yes," I relax her. "You like my style," I tease her uncontrollably, and she lowers her chin to close the last button and hide her features with her fluffy hair. "Here," she holds her hands together. "Thank you, but do you know how to tie a tie?" I grab a dishcloth to dry my hands, but she shakes her head, so I tuck my dress shirt in my pants. "I'll show you once I'm done with the food if you want."

"I'll finally be able to do it," she passes her fingers over her cheek to brush it. "Do you need help?"

"Hey, stop moving, take a break and drink some banana milk," I give her an option since I want her to not do anything, and she walks towards the fridge to grab one and sit down on a stool near me. She is really doing everything I tell her to.

•••

Midnight.

'YOUR P.O.V'

The night feeling endless when it only started a few hours ago exhausts me mentally. Rolling onto the bed, turning to the side, then to another constantly without ever finding a way to relax and fall asleep is driving me crazy.

I heave a sharp sigh and sit up, not dealing with this anymore. I need to do something else, otherwise, I will not calm down. I grab my fluffy blanket and put my slippers on to walk out of my room. I need some fresh air, even if this is for short seconds, breathing some air from outside will only do me good.

Since my bedroom is right next to the backyard, I stroll towards the sliding doors without turning any lights on, and I open them. I step out and make sure to close the door behind me to not let the cold enter the house full of warmth.

I keep my eyes on the wood terrace floor, feeling better like this. I am a bit cold but still okay with my big blanket.

Since I do not want to stay up on my feet, I look on my left to head towards the sofas, but I stop myself without even making one step once I notice something. It caught me off guard at first, but now I do not feel anything but worry.

I move towards Mister Jeon who is lying down on the cushions. I squat down before him but look at the end table, smelling some cigarette and alcohol come from him. The empty glass left there exposes what he must have done to be here, like this, and my concern does not decrease at all with this information.

"Mister Jeon?" I touch his face but sense how cold he is, the small and flimsy blanket that he has over his body not doing its job on his tough and muscular build. My heart races without me realizing or expecting it, and I shake him up a little. "Hey, Mister Jeon. Wake up."

Not seeing his body react to my actions but only be affected by them without ever responding as it should, I start to panic and feel that something is wrong. "Ya!" I push him to get him to come back to consciousness but already cry, not controlling my emotions because of who he is, and how I feel towards him. After this more violent hit, he wakes up on a startle, and I gasp from relief, my heart pounding my chest.

"Y/n, what's wrong?" he struggles to fully wake up and open his eyes, moving with difficulty and seeming in a daze. "You scared me, Mister Jeon! I thought you would never wake up! Why are you sleeping here in the cold?!"

He peeks at his body as if he were another person, but he sighs and passes his hand over his face. He puts his head back on the sofa and rubs his eyes. "I...fell asleep without wanting to..." he does not even know what he's saying. I sniffle like a ridiculous kid but remove the blanket from me, and I cover him with it. "Let's go back inside. Your lips are almost blue..." I wipe my tears away, and he slowly sits up, his body tottering as if he was drunk.

"I'm okay, sweetie," he uses this nickname he only started to address me with a few days ago, but I shake my head, not taking this answer. "No, you're not. Let's go inside," I place the blanket on him more properly, and I straighten up, waiting for him to come with me.

He does not act like usual but seems away, almost spaced out. He brushes his hair back and clears his throat after taking a few seconds. He eventually rises from his spot, still in his business outfit, he cannot even stand on his feet, he loses his balance and stumbles on me, so I try to help the best I can even if my body will never be able to hold him. I wrap my arms around him to give him a hand, but he puts one of his around me, his head resting against the side of mine as he still sounds unconscious, he lifts one hand up to his head and holds it.

"Fuck..." he mutters close to my ear, and I look up at him. I never heard him curse, this is the first time it happens after nearly a month. "Can you walk?" I ask him to make sure he is not going to collapse, and he ruffles his hair, making it messy. "Yeah, I think I can..." he nods, so I keep one arm around his waist and his strong one remains on my shoulders. I lead him to the doors, going slowly, I enter the house with him and close the door but feel how tipsy he is.

It hurts me for some reason. After these previous weeks, I started to understand, from what Hajoon told me, that he does not drink out of pleasure or want, but only because he is going through a hard time that no one here knows about. It aches me to know that.

"Wait...wait," he makes me stop and flattens his right hand on the wall next to him, closing his eyes and bending his head forth. "Ugh...I went too quickly..." he claims when we were going at a slow pace. "The sofa is just right there, you should sit down on it."

"I know..." his left hand that was near my face this whole time touches the side of my neck, and he cups it, without being rough or violent, this is gentle but powerful, and this dominating touch takes me by surprise since he never dared to touch me that way before. However, I do not say anything, I do not even fear anything. I know he will not hurt me or try anything just because he drank a little.

"You should sit down..." I say again, in a subdued voice, and he nods, going back on the way to the sofa that is close. Once we reach it, I make him sit down, but he instantly lies down on his side, so I turn one dim lamp on, and I cover his body with the blankets, properly to make sure they warm him up.

"Are you okay...?" I squat down before him, leaning over the sofa to be close to his face. His big eyes open after he heard me, but my heart stings in a weird manner. He just stares, not telling me anything, not moving.

He lets the silence linger for no good reason, and I feel some heat take over me.

"Am I okay...?" he repeats the question for himself, saying it in a muffled voice. "Hm..." his eyes close, and he inhales deeply, "I don't know..." he breathes the air out his lungs. "You need to sleep, Mister Jeon. I'll leave some water on the table for you to stay hydrated. Do not go out anymore at night, please," I do not make my sentence an order but a demand full of hope and fear.

He does not answer anything but goes back to sleep, so I leave him alone. I move towards the kitchen to get a bottle of water, and I walk back to him to place it on the table. I turn the lights off but cannot help staying here, feeling the need to check up on him and make sure his heart still beats. I sit down without any blanket to cover me, but I do not care as long as it is for him.

He takes care of me like no one else ever did, he makes me feel good, makes me feel happy, brightens up my mood by just being around. I care about him a lot, so he passes before anything else.

— Next day —

Tuesday, October 20th, 2020.

4:20 am.

"Y/n?" someone whispering my name wakes me up. I look up at who it is but discern Hajoon's features through the darkness. "What're you doing here with my dad?"