Chapter Text
12
Juho and his best friend Dawon declares officially this one as the best summer of their lives when they're on the bus on their way to the Neoz School, the most popular summer camp in the city, after more than 6 months of whining and lots of negotiations with their parents, they have finally granted them the permission to go. It's a little scary experience but without doubts the most exciting. Since they're first time campers they're put in the same cabin with boys around their age which makes Dawon rejoice and scream out of happiness when he learns that he's officially the hyung.
They got shocked when they learned that It's a tradition that the first night It's a talent night and since they didn't know what to do they improvised with a musical act, Juho plays pretty well the guitar for a kid his age since his dad started to teach him 3 years ago and Dawon is a skilled singer who participates in the school chorus so they perform together with Juho helping with the harmonies. The response they get from the other campers and the staff leaves a funny feeling inside Juho's chest and put the biggest smile on his face, when he turns to see his best friend he recognizes the same emotion on him.
When they enter their cabin at the end of the night they're met with a round of applauses and screams from their roommates cheering for them, Juho can't help but jump a little bit startled from the noise, he hides behind Dawon fisting the end of his t-shirt "Hyung"
"Uppsss sorry for scaring you, we're just really happy to have more chances to win the final contest with you both and your talent in our team" a boy says while walking until he's just in front of Juho and he extends his hand to introduce himself, the gentlest smile plastered on his face that Juho can't help to return, but before they can say another word one of the coordinators enters the place to tell Juho that he's been called to the principal's office.
"Whoaaa what have you done? only the really bad cases are directly summoned to the principal's office" a tall boy standing in the back informs him "Usually a coordinator would reprimand you or penalize you first" everyone in the room get quiet
“you’ll scare him again” the first kid says turning to give a pointed stare to the boy talking
"Dude are you already in troubles?" a shocked Dawon asks
"Yaaa hyung, I've been all day with you, how could I be in troubles without you?" Juho replies trying to ease Dawon but himself too "maybe there's a problem with my enrollment or something like that" he adds with a nervous smile
"that’s probably the case …. but You better hurry up, the principal doesn't like to be left waiting" the first kid says giving him a sympathetic smile.
Juho nods and follows quietly to the coordinator who makes him enter the principal's office alone.
as soon as the older turns on his chair to see him Juho knows that whatever he's gonna tell him it's something he won't like, his expression is something he won't ever forget. "I'm sorry kid ……. there has been an accident"
'After that everything become a blur to Juho, he stays there trying to make sense to the principal's words while waiting for Dawon's parents since he's been informed they're on their way to pick him up. Dawon is also called to the office and even though Juho somehow still numb for the news tries to tell his friend that he should stay and enjoy the camp, Dawon rushes to their cabin to collect their things while doing his best to contain his tears.
When they, finally seated in the back seat of Dawon parents’ car, are leaving the camp, Juho recognizes the first kid who approached him and the other boys that he was supposed to share a cabin with standing around the exit waving good bye with pained faces, "Dawon must have told them" he thinks, but he doesn’t' have on him to get mad or to say anything to his friend, He feels like his brain has been disconnected from the rest of his body. His dad is dead; he won't be able to see him again.
14
6 months after his dad passed away his mom declared that she couldn’t keep living with all the memories that only bring her more pain so they moved to a small apartment in a different district. Less than 5 months living in their new place, his mom brought his new boyfriend, Sung Ho, to live with them.
That morning his stepfather has woken up in a really bad mood so when he learned that Juho has finished the milk the previous day he didn’t think of a better response than a punch on the stomach for being an inconsiderate son. Juho is left breathless kneeling on the floor, sting in his eyes from the unshed tears. Even though he never has a good relationship with the older since the beginning basically, with a lot of pointless discussions it has never become physical until this day, no one has ever hit him, so of course Juho feels hurt but the thing that hurts him the most is that his mom is there witnessing the events without uttering a word
Juho has kept in contact with Dawon, being best friends since they met when he was 5 when he moved to his old house, their bond was strong, but now he’s attending a different school and his life style has changed drastically without his dad, they’re struggling to maintain their friendship the same, the occasional calls and visits only from Juho, because the younger doesn’t feel comfortable letting his friend to come to his house, not that his stepfather would be glad with the visit either.
But still after the fight he runs towards the safe space that he always felt around Dawon, He walks and walks and with the help of some strangers he gets to the front of his former school just in time for when the older is exiting.
A nervous Juho quietly calls him trying to no gather others students’ attention "Hyung …. hyung over here" but of course he has underestimated his hyung’s bright spirit who starts screaming, jumping and waving at him.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!!!!!! Juho" The older screams running towards him, making everyone to turn to see them "OMG Juho-ah I missed you so much, you ingrate kid, you haven't called your hyung in almost two months"
Juho smiles a little while scratching his nape "I'm sorry Dawon-ah school has been a mess, I'm still struggling to adapt with their weird system" He declares playing with the straps of his backpack "But I'm here now and I missed you too Hyung" That seems to appease the older because he interlaces their arms and starts walking leading Juho somewhere else.
During his small walk Juho is attacked with a lot of questions about him, school, his mom, his house and his stepfather and even though his first instinct when he saw Dawon earlier was to throw himself over his hyung and tell him about how miserable he feels with his new life, the lump in his throat doesn't allowed him to say a word and he ends saying that everything is ok trying to somehow showcase a believable smile on his face. He doesn't understand himself he used to tell everything to Dawon, beside his parents he used to be the person he trusted the most but he finds very difficult to open about his struggles when Dawon is still the ball of sunshine he has always been while telling about how excited he is with his activities and the musical program at school and how he has formed a band with some schoolmates that Juho never met before. It's just hard to explain that no, Juho is not participating at any club or extra activity because his current school is pretty modest and just offers the basics. And somehow he feels he wants to prevent his hyung to learn that life is not always that happy journey they grew up thinking.
"OMG you totally have to come to our rehearsal, we just found the most perfect vocalist, he has such a honey voice" Dawon excitedly announces "we practice in the back of one of my friends' house every Friday after school" the older suddenly stops and makes Juho stumble "You can even help us playing the guitar, we still don’t find a proper guitarist and lord knows all the complains I have had to endure because I'm one of the hyugs, quoting my friend ...” the older pauses for a second to add suspense and with fake solemnity and gesturing a lot as if it'll give more emphasis he declares “ ... the soul of any band lies on its main guitarist".
“I didn’t know I could be that cool” Juho says smiling and can’t help puffing out his chest with a little of pride.
“Of course you’re the coolest Juho-ah” Dawon says hugging him “my friends are gonna love you” eyes disappearing because of how big he’s smiling.
Juho laughs a little at his friend antics He loves the fact that he remains being the same energetic, kind, confident and pure boy he had the luck to befriend but it’s like the distance between them it’s getting longer and longer "I'm sorry hyung, actually I came to pick up something from my mom who's working close " He digs his nails in his hands' palms trying to keep his facade "So I thought I'd come a moment to say hi"
"Juho-ah is everything ok?" The worried face in his hyung tells Juho he's not doing a good job at pretending "you can tell hyung anything, you know that, right?" He turns to stand just in front of the younger "You look thinner and a little .... I dunno …. distressed" The older says more like a question
"Ah hyung of course I look thinner I just had a growth spurt" Juho declares hugging the older and successfully making him walk again "I'm already taller than you .... hahaha see now I look like the hyung" He smiles pointing their height differences and making Dawon pout cutely because he hasn’t change that much in the last two years, still keeping his chubby cheeks that Juho pinches playfully "I'm just tired I guess, I walked all my way from my mom's job to here and the sun has been merciless"
"ohhhh then I'll call my mom so she can give you a ride to your house" Dawon announces
"No no It's ok hyung My mom gave me money for a cab" Juho says palming his pocket "there's no need to worry your mom"
After they share a final hug and interchanges regards and good wishes for their parents they part ways with the promise that Juho will visit his hyung very soon. When he's far enough Juho turns to see Dawon's back walking the other way, he has to bite the inside of his cheeks to keep his tears at bay. He's sure this's last time he'll see his hyung
When he finally arrives to his house is around 11 pm and his mom and his boyfriend are still not at home, they haven't noticed Juho has been gone all day and there's nothing to eat. Juho goes to bed that night with more than an empty stomach.
16
Juho needs to find a job, he has barely ate an apple and a piece of bread in the last two days, his mom has forgotten again to leave money for his lunch this week, and he barely see her at the house if she's not working she’s out with his now husband, Sung Ho, Who curiously spend more time in the house “working from there” but if Juho is honest he hasn't seen the older doing any job, not that he stays that much there either, as soon as it's obviously that he's going to be left alone with the older he prefers to go out to prevent any fight. There have been a lot more of then though of course, being hit has become just a regular thing for Juho and the no involvement from his mom has remained the same, so It's not an option to ask money to his stepfather even if it's for food.
With a clear goal in mind Juho takes the bus all the way towards the commercial district, he has been eying a music store for the last weeks and he has noticed they’re looking for a store assistant and it reads that the candidates need to be older than 15 years old and even though playing an instrument it's not strictly required it's highly advised so Juho is sure this’s the opportunity he has been waiting for,
He wears his best clothes, even though they're not in their best condition, with his very spent snickers that are already too small since he keeps growing, yeah another reason to find a job, his mom has left very clear she won't be spending money on clothes or anything in general that Juho needs.
It's like his mom has become in a different person, Juho feels that he left his house with his very lovely parents to attended that summer camp and he returned to a place without a dad and with a mom that dislikes him a lot, he knows the real reason behind all that animosity is the big resemblances that Juho has with his late dad and he understands that his mom has suffered a lot with the loss of the love of her life but still he can't stop feeling resentful towards her, because yeah life has been unfair with her but she has been totally unfair with her own son.
Releasing a long sigh Juho opens the music store's door looking for a manager or the person in charge, a nice lady with a beautiful smile greets him "How can I help you son?"
"Actually It's me the one who wants to help you Ms" Juho declares with a nervous smile "I came here for the job position, I'm 16 and I play really well the guitar"
"oh" the lady smiles and Juho can tell she's a very gentle person, he can barely hide his eagerness for working there "do you have experience?
He does his best to keep calm even though doubts invade his spirit "actually no, but if you give me the opportunity I promise you I really really promise you I'll work hard, I'm very proactive, energetic and ..... and .... and I'm good at interacting with people" he declares almost desperate to show he's a good fit for the position "I used to participate in a lot of clubs I was the vice-captain of the debate team"
"You used to?" The lady asks with a curios tone "what happened?"
"oh well ... I moved and my new school doesn’t have free spaces in the few clubs it has" he replies feeling shy
"oh that’s so sad" The lady looks for a notebook under the counter to check "you look like a nice kid. We're looking for someone who can cover the morning turn ...... uhmmm do you think you can do it?" she asks directing a sweet stare towards him
"She's a mom a real mom" Juho thinks, those warm and kind eyes definitely belong to a mom, her sons or daughters must be very lucky, with a resigned face he answers her "No, I study in the mornings, I forgot to check the turn you were looking for" he says feeling frustrated "I could ask for a change at school ..... no I don't think so there're only two more months to finish the year, maybe I could just miss the next classes anyways I dunno if my grades are good enough to pass the year so" he claims with an embarrassed smile
"oh no no no my dear" she declares walking all over the counter to came just in front of him, "I dunno why you need to find a job or what's your actual situation but my son no matter what, school it's the most important thing ... ok? ... It's the only thing that will get you to wherever you want to go" she gives him small palms on his back "so even if you feel like giving up you have to keep going, ok?"
Juho just nods at her because he's sure if he says a word he'll start crying but that doesn’t prevent the lady to notices his expression "aigooo I made you sad I'm so sorry It was not my intention, my son always says I talk too much " she laughs walking back to his seat "ohhh I just remember something, the chicken restaurant at the end of the block is looking for delivery boys, so maybe you can ask there" The enthusiasm in her face is contagious and Juho can't stop a smile spreading in his face
"Thank u so much for the information I'll be going then"
"Oh and even if you're not required to do it keep practicing your guitar, music it's always the best companion" she happily declares
"Yeah I'll try though I need to find a job first I broke one of my strings” Juho says a little ashamed
"ohhh you're a lucky boy then" she exclaims crouching down on the counter looking for something "my son is starting to learn how to play the guitar and he keeps getting his strings broken so my husband has ordered a box of them" She tells him still hiding under the counter "oh oh I found them .... here take these 2 packs, each one has 5 strings" She declares excited standing up with a big smile "now It won’t be an issue if you have the same problem in the future, do you know how to replace them?"
"oh no no I can’t accept them Ms. you don't need ....." but before he can find the correct words to reject her, the lady has already walked againg towards him and she puts the packs in his hands
"I asked you if you know how to replace them" She reprimands him for not answering "or you can just bring your guitar here, my husband will do it happily"
"yes, I know how to do it my dad taught me how but still I don't think I should accept them It's not ok ....."
"nonsense nonsense You remind me of my son he's probably your age ..... uhmmm Just consider it like a lucky charm from this lady, ok? I'm sure you're gonna find a proper job very soon don't worry" she interjects smiling
"Auntieeeeee we're here" the voice of a young boy can be heard from the back "we brougth fried chicken, come, eat with us"
"Omoooooo this kid only lives to eat chicken I swear" The lady laughs so Juho takes this as his leaving
After saying thank you for the twentieth time she send him outside the store to keep with his job hunting and it looks like the lady was right because he meets another nice lady at the chicken restaurant, who after force him to eat almost his weight in chicken because he looks like he's about to pass out she hires him to help with the cleaning in her other local closer to his house, so yeah maybe the lucky charms were very effective.
18
Two months after his birthday his stepfather announces that Juho is older enough to be independent and should live alone and stop being a nuisance in his house, which is kind of funny considering the house belongs to Juho's mom but again she chose to remain quiet and let her husband do as he pleases, so be informed less than an hour earlier, Juho is allowed only to take with him his clothes and his school material, even to be able to take his guitar with him he has to argue with his stepfather who claims he'll just sell it to recover part of the expenses they have wasted in Juho. But that's where he draws the line, Juho is ready to involve in a fist fight if it's necessary to defend the last memory he keeps from his dad and he claims that he would need to be death in order for him to let go of his guitar and that seems to awake something in his mom because finally she talks with her husband and he’s allowed to take his guitar with him.
"Son ... I'm sorry, please take care of you" those are the last words his mom tells him when Juho is about to leave, he stand there frozen feeling like a volcano is erupting inside of him with all the emotions and all the things he has been accumulating, but He realizes that this woman is not his mom anymore that She has lost long time ago the right to call him son and ultimatly decides that replying something to her or even complaining for all the mistreatments it won't change a thing and It could have the capacity to break him even more so he just closes the door and starts walking without a clear destination but with the certainty that he won't come back to this house that for some time he deceived himself calling it home.
After walking for a long time he's not sure what to do, he barely has savings because since his stepfather learned he had a job he forces him to cover all his food and any other kind of expenses so the possibility to save has been minimal.
Feeling empty and lonely, he sits on a bench in the park lost in his thoughts hugging his guitar It's the only thing keeping him sane and preventing him to just give up and don't care anymore, There're still like 4 hours before he starts his turn at his job so he stays there sitting watching the people crossing the park, just taking a walk or spending some time there, asking himself if any of them would feel similar to him, is there any person feeling hopeless as him.
Eventually the sun hides and the street lights in the park turn on, with them peddlers and food sellers start to install their stalls, there's a mime who's giving a street show almost in front of Juho so he watches from his seat for a while, suddenly the sound of a group busking in the other side of the park calls his attention, he can't hear or see properly because of the distance so he pulls his hood up and start walking to have a better view, he stays close but not with the public watching the performance, there’re two boys playing both guitars and singing in a perfectly harmony. Juho gets immersed in the music, the musicians are really skilled and He feels a warm speeding in his insides enjoying the show, when they announce their last song Juho can already feel the tears forming in his eyes, they start singing one of his dad's favorites, one that he used to play back then when he was a kid, he gets closer to the performers lost in the lyrics and feelings, it seems like the song is talking to him like his dad ... is sending him a message from heaven.
... Pls don't cry
pls raise your head
and now smile
... I'll be by your side
always and forever
Don't be afraid
everything will be fine
And It's like the gates have been finally opened because all the tears he has been contained are falling now from his eyes non-stop, he does his best to remain in control of his feeling but he really misses his dad so much and everything is so hard that he feels that sometimes even to breathe is impossible, he's so deep in his pain that when one of the musicians comes to collect money from him, he's met with a cute gummy smile and he feels ashamed to be caught in such an emotional moment.
"It looks like you really enjoyed the show" the boys says giggling a little "so I guess we have earned a tip" Juho can notices now that the other boy is collecting from the other side and a third boy is helping with their instruments and other stuff.
"It was really really good, that song …. the last song ...... It just has a deep meaning for me ...... for my dad" Juho replies trying to clean his face " I wasn't expecting to hear it so suddenly"
"ohhhh Noel sumbaenin, Proposal is such a beautiful song, you have an amazing taste" and the joyfulness in the young boy’s response, Juho notices now he couldn't be older than him, is contagious so he chuckles a bit
"But I'm afraid I won't be able to give you any coin..... I'm actually going through a tough situation" He declares lowering a little his head ashamed of his predicament
"Uhmmmm but what could we do? you enjoy the show It's only fair for you to give us something" The boy replies playfully and Juho feels insecure about what to do or what to say to explain better his situation "hihihihihi ..... don't worry fortunately we do it for the music" and Juho releases a sigh he didn't know he was holding "But" because always have to be a but "You need to give us something, it doesn’t matter the value, we enjoy collecting things too" Gummy boy smiles again and Juho can’t help feeling it's actually unfair if he doesn't give them anything
"I really really don't have anything" Juho is about to apologizes again when he notices the small pout in the musician face and quickly he checks in his pockets "It'd be ok for me to give you a pick" Juho says showing one of his dad’s picks he has taken just before leaving his house
"Ohhh that's perfect.... I bet my cousin is going to love it he likes colleting things like this" He declares before making a small bow before going where his other friends are waiting for him
Juho is not sure if the pick was indeed enough so he quietly prays for them to earn enough money to have a warm meal and resumes his walking with a renovated faith.
When he finally arrives to his job and explains his current situation to Ms. Guk Joo she gets mad because he didn't look for her help as his first option and reprimand him for wandering in the streets for so long during winter and after giving him a slap in his head she offers him a small room in the rooftop of his restaurant and announces that he’ll be promoted to a waiter because in his situation now he’ll need the tips the most.
20
Juho releases a deep sigh crumpling the rejection letter in his hands, he is a fool, deep down he knew he knew from the moment he read the application form he knew he was not good enough to enter FNC School of music, still he fooled himself believing that it was a possibility. He grunts in frustration when he tries to throw the ball of paper into the garbage but he misses the basket, life sucks.
Resigned he starts to get changed to initiate his turn in Guk Joo's chicken, he has been working here for the last 4 years, and even though he has been the happiest in this place since long time ago, still he couldn't help wanting to follow his dreams, those dreams his dad and him used to talk and plan about when he was a kid, the feeling that he's failing his dad is a pain in his heart he can't ignore, but how .... how would he do it? he didn't have the money, time or support to take professional classes, to practice, to study properly or anything like that and sometimes he does not even have the heart to keep pushing, and experience? even worst he has never perform in front of an audience apart from his coworkers, he just didn’t get a chance to do it ..... how, where to start He feels lost. When he was filling the application he left so many sections in black that he even felt ashamed to submitted, but still with the words of his coworkers and the very Ms. Book Jo whom he now considers almost family, he wanted to believe that he would make at least that first cut and they would call him for the next part of the evaluation where he could show his talents, his music, "hahahaha his talent, what talent? can he even consider what he does talent? ...... so naive, so stupid" Juho thinks pulling his hair, the school didn't even consider him as an option of course he's just pathetic ......., making his best to contain his desires to just scream and kick everything he grunts more and more rubbing his face almost aggressively.
"Dude are you ok?" he hears someone asking very cautiously almost as if he's afraid of his reaction for being disrupted .... "want me to call someone? Ms. Guk Joo maybe?" the sound of the voice coming closer makes him take a deep breath trying to control his emotions to be able of articulate an answer
"It’s ok Jae hyung .... I'm sorry ....... I just got my letter from the school and well ... let's say I'll still working double turns here ....... whopiiiii" Juho replies in the most cynical way "I just need a minute and I'll take my place pls" He adds giving a sad look to his coworker who fortunately understand he wants to be alone and quietly gets out of the room.
currently Juho is in charge of the cash register and other functions of the front desk like taking delivery orders, he works from 11 am to 11 pm and until 1 am on weekends, and It's a really tiring job because the restaurant is always full and he's on his feet most of the time and he has to deal with rude costumer sometimes but he likes it, well more than the job itself he likes the place and the people the most, It's the closest he has felt at home since a long long time ago. So taking one more deep breath he looks into the small mirror on his locker door and fixes his hair, "things are going to get better" he says to himself he needs to believe that somehow .
walking out of the locker room he greets Hun who is currently finishing setting all the tables with the help of Jaehyun so he happily reply to him, Dongsung is fixing his shirt and hair getting ready to open the door and welcome the customers so he waves him and he get a thumbs up so yeah maybe he didn't get the response he was expecting but he's thankful for what he has now.
In the afternoon Ms. Guk Joo arrives to the local and the first thing she does is to go next to Juho and clings to his side, “I’m sorry Juho-ah" she says palming affectionately his shoulder "Jae told me"
"It's ok aun ....." but the words got cut out in his throat because of the smack he gets in his head
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa what I tell you?" She complains
"hahahaha sorry ... It's ok NOONA" He corrects himself laughing a bit "to be honest I was kind of expecting it" he says trying to keep a relaxed face “I knew I was too underqualified .... at least I had the certainty now that's not meant for me"
"Bulshit !!!!!!" she replies angrily smacking his head again
"Yaaaa noona I still need to be able to make calculations stop hitting me"
"naaaaa the cash register does everything so no worries, and I'll keep smacking you until you makes sense, this's just an obstacle, you're 20, there's plenty of time to get where you want to" she says with a passion that her eyes seem like are shinning
"we just need to go back a bit, see the big picture and make a plan to make sure next time we're getting the results we want, just you wait" she explains walking to the kitchen "now go back to work and stop chatting too much
Juho can’t help the smile on his face, Ms. Buk Joo was indeed a powerful force and he was lucky to have met her,
Around 9 pm he was deep in thoughts trying to convince himself that it was the best what have happened when the sound of the phone ringing brought him back, he hurries up to answer.
"Good night, thank you for calling to Guk Joo's chicken, how can I help you tonight?" He recites almost as a robot
"whoaaaa what's going on, is this one of those telephone machine? hello hello” The person in the line replies
Getting curious by the response Juho checks the caller identification and realizes it's an old regular customer so he clears his throat before talking again "I'm sorry Mr. Kim I didn’t realize it was you, how is your night? would you get your regular order?"
"see that's better hahaha .... It's quiet boring to be honest and yes I'm getting my regular but make it two"
"Ok, then it'll be .... uhmmmm .... wait let me check .... ughhhh it'd be .... uhmmm ...... just a second pls" Juho tries to find his list of regular customers in the computer but it's like it just disappeared and it seems today is definitely no his day because before his brain can properly process it he blurts "Fucking list where are you?" His eyes go wide when he realizes what he has said "OMG Mr Kim I'm so sorry .... I didn’t ...... It wasn't my intention" gosh he really just wants to throw himself to a ditch
Mr. Kim giggles a little more "Calm down It's ok I can tell you, a number 2 and a number 7" He calmly replies and Juho feels relived, Mr. Kim has always been really nice, even though he has never met him he has been calling for his regular every Friday after 8 since last year when apparently he moved close to the restaurant with his boyfriend, another nice guy who sometimes can be heard through the phone.
"Thank you so much for your understanding Mr. Kim and my apologies for my rude behavior" Juho says apprehensively
"It's ok no damage made, are you ok though? you sound a bit off today" Mr. Kim asks and Juho somehow can feel the sincerity of his worry.
"Everything is ok Mr. Kim .... I'm just having a tough day" Juho explains feeling that at least he owns an explanation for his odd behavior "It's just ...... I didn't get the news I was expecting"
"ohhh I'm so sorry to hear that ... but remember as long as we're alive there's always tomorrow and with it there's always a new opportunity to be happy so don't stress yourself too much, tomorrow you will do better, you'll see" and Juho feels the openness in the words and it gives him a warm feeling in his heart .... maybe Mr. Kim is right
"Thank you so much for your kind words Mr. Kim" Juho sincerely thanks
"I'm properly saving the order for next occasions and I'm so sorry for the delay taking his order"
"It's ok it's ok stop apologizing .... ohhh don't forget to make my order double so it'll be 2 number 3 and 2 number 7 oh and add 3 bottles of Soju this time.
"Whoaaaa we're hungry tonight?" Juho says trying to restore the usual comfortability in their interactions
"Nooooo hahahahaha It's just that my older cousin is living with us now and let's say he lovesssss food so this'll be my new regular, got it?" Mr. Kim announces and Juho can feel the smile in his voice.
"Got it, thank you for calling .... and for your words" Juho adds shyly before ending the call
And it looks like Mr. Kim was right because that night Juho, Ms. Guk Joo and the other boys sit to take a drink after closing the restaurant and talk more about what have happened. Juho feels like crying but no with sadness this time but with gratitude listening to everyone eagerly thinking of ideas and giving suggestions of what he can do to prepare better for next year, yes Ms. Guk Joo is right he's still young and even if it takes him a long time he won't give up on his dreams so easily, he has overcome too much to give up now.
"OMG !!!!!!! I got it I got it" Ms. Guk Joo screams while giving little jumps excited "I have the best idea, now open you ears" she says with an mischievous grin and starts talking
<<<<<-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->>>>>
21
Juho takes a long breath after bowing and thanking the counter lady who received his application form and looks up to the building while doing his best to calm his crazy heart that is beating so loud in his chest that he can barely hear anything else, he crosses the street walking almost numb with the nervous, after a lot of doubts and worries he decided to not wait more and give it other chance to apply for the FNC School music, the memory of last year’s rejection is still an ugly scar in his soul but he has been working hard for this and even though he wasn't sure if it was the right moment or he should have waited another year to prepare better he just couldn't so he did it.
He didn't know yet but his life is about to change, everything started with a decision made and perhaps what's going to happen next, a small accident.
"ahhhhhhh SHIT!!!" It's the only thing Juho hears then the throbbing in both his knees and his stinging palms bring him back from his daydreaming and making him realize he just not only bumped into someone for being so caught up in his head but also he has knocked him down and the things he was carrying
"Ohhhhh I'm sorry" Juho says watching the other person is still on the floor a little disoriented "I was distracted it wasn't my intention ...... are you ok?"
The other boy slowly raises his head when he finally notices Juho, turning it to the side, making him looks like a cute puppy and then the most beautiful smile spreads on his face "Hi"
Juho thinks that his smile is so bright that it could compete with the sun itself "Hi"