Chapter Text
Semester break.
Maybe Joong Archen Aydin was the only person who hated the break his campus gave him every semester. Actually he didn't hate the meaning of the break itself, he hated the fact that he had to be unemployed in his house for three whole months more. Stayed up until 3 AM and woke up in the middle of the day when he should have been looking for his lunch – not breakfast . He didn’t like his biological clock being messed up when he wasn’t doing something meaningful – so he wasn’t tired and couldn’t sleep quickly either . He also didn't like it when his annoying younger sister gave him a 'Gosh my brother looks useless' look every time she passed Joong who was watching old movies in the living room every afternoon. He really hated the feeling of doing nothing but time was ticking.
Therefore, today he went to the labor market in the center of town to find a job. Work that allows him to do it in just three months. But it's a pity, the jobs offered by Nont, a person who worked at the labor market and patiently accompanied him to find suitable jobs, didn’t make him satisfied.
First, Nont offered him to work in a coffee shop that has quite a name as a barista. Joong was quite intrigued by the idea of the job because he basically loves coffee, until he saw the location of the coffee shop that needed apprentices. The location is right next to the office where his father works. That made it very possible for his father to often be found buying something at the coffee shop because just like him, his father also likes coffee. And because his father would often come to the place where he would work, he flatly refused the offer. Because he knew more than anything, his father would come and watch over him as if Joong was his 7 year old son and liked to do stupid things in the society he was in.
Second, to work as a laborer in a contractor company. Ok, basically this vacancy asked applicants to become laborers on their projects. And Joong felt that this job would hurt his ego if he accepted it, because after all he is an aspiring doctor. Next year, if there are no obstacles, he will start an internship at a big hospital in the city. Working as a porter has absolutely nothing to do with his dream job as a doctor. He was forced to refuse this job offer.
Then the last thing Nont could offer was a job as a babysitter.
What?
Joong was silent for a long time. Nont had just offered him, a man at the age of almost 22 years old, to become a babysitter? And why did the parents of the child ask male workers to take care of their child? Joong immediately said no when he heard that the one he would take care of if he accepted this job would not be a baby but babies . Three twin boys. Nice . He's out of his mind if he takes this job.
Nont smiled bitterly at him and said that maybe he could try again next week, because he was sure that next week there would be a lot of new jobs that might fit Joong's criteria. Joong promised to come back next week. As he walked out of the building, he started considering what he should do in another week. It was then that his eyes caught a familiar figure.
"Uncle!"
The person with the familiar face stopped walking when he heard someone calling him. Joong smiled and walked closer. “Hello uncle? Do you remember me? I'm Joong Archen."
Joong stretched out his hand when they stood facing each other, little by little the confused look of the person Joong called uncle broke down, a sign that he recognized the figure in front of him. "Oh my! I didn't expect to meet you here, how are you, kid?”
Joong was silent long enough to watch Mr. Kong's face. Joong recognized this person as the father of his childhood best friend – who disappeared five years ago and Joong has not been able to find any trace of him until now. He met his father miraculously . Compared to the image in Joong's memories, Mr. Kong looked older and tired. The dark bags under his eyes indicated that he had trouble sleeping for long periods of time. He wondered what had happened to him. And maybe.. on his little friend.
Dunk Natachai Boonprasert.
“Ehmm.. I'm fine. How about you, uncle? Erm..” Joong hesitated to continue his sentence, but he really wanted to ask how Dunk was. "And Dunk? Is he in this town too?”
Joong saw the figure in front of him swallow hard and his gaze was a little vacant than before. Something in that expression made him worried, was Dunk all right?
“What are you doing here, boy? Are you looking for a job?" Joong didn't understand why the person in front of him didn't answer his question and instead changed the subject. But for politeness reasons, he better answered the question.
“Ah, yes. I'm looking for a job to fill my semester break."
Mr. Kong seemed to think and for some reason Joong felt worried.
"How long is your semester off, son?"
"Three months."
Then there was a long silence, Joong felt he couldn't ask or open the conversation again when the other person seemed busy with his own thoughts. He just kept silent and waited for Mr. Kong to say something. And when the middle-aged man in front of him said something, he was very confused.
"You want to work for me? I think you're the right person. For salary and benefits, you can say whatever number you want, that's not a problem for me. You just need to work a minimum of 8 hours a day from 9am to 5pm. And I guess…” He seemed to hesitate for a moment and Joong waited again, even though the questions had already been printed in his mind. "Three months is enough."
What does the word 'enough' mean?
"You want to work for me?" Once again Mr. Kong asked this and Joong blinked a few times before answering.
"What kind of work is that, uncle?"
“You just need to accompany a dementia patient . Become his friend and talk to him, but the risk of this job... he won't remember you at the end of the day. So, you always have to introduce yourself again and again, maybe almost every day?”
Joong knew there was a bitter undertone that Mr. Kong couldn't cover up in his tone and for some reason it bothered Joong. He has to know everything before he accepts the job right?
"Who is this dementia patient? Is it your close relative, uncle?”
Mr. Kong looked at Joong with a gaze that filled with various emotions, but there was one thing that was more obvious than the others, frustration .
"Did you miss your little friend?" There was a moment of silence, Joong felt something slap him hard and made him sway a little. He hoped the figure in front of him would not continue his sentences any further. "Do you miss Dunk Natachai?"
And for a few seconds, Joong felt the oxygen around him was gone, it was very difficult to even breathe.
***
Things were all good yesterday
And then the devil took your memory away
***
“ Phi! God, I thought you weren't coming."
For some reason, Joong hated his own birthday. All because of his mother, she always threw an excessive birthday party for him, even when he's grown up enough. If you're still a kid, then a birthday party would be great. But suppose you're sixteen and your birthday was still overly celebrated – with cakes, hats and clowns, for the last one mom stopped calling them when Joong turned twelve. Joong thought it was natural for him not to be happy anymore.
His mother would invite all of her relatives, and Joong was welcomed to invite all of his friends. But since three years ago, there was only one friend he invited to this cursed birthday party. Dunk Natachai.
“Ah, I forgot. You don't want to start your birthday party if the most important person to you hasn't arrived yet.” Dunk laughed in his face and Joong got annoyed. Slowly he hit the right arm of his friend who was older than him. And Dunk laughed even louder.
It's not that Dunk was wrong, Joong just didn't like that handsome guy to constantly remind him that Dunk's existence was very important to Joong. Even though that's true. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but ever since he started being friends with Dunk Natachai Boonprasert seven years ago, he always knew that he considered Dunk as his brother. The older brother he never had.
“You have to quickly find a lover, Nong. What if one day I disappear? There must be someone who replaces my position as the most important person for you.”
Joong was silent and walked into his house with big steps. He was annoyed that Dunk said that so easily, especially in a cheerful tone. And what was his point of disappearing anyway? Joong hated that person, he really hated him who really liked to talk nonsense. Really.
But Joong hated the fact that exactly a year later, the man's words had turned into reality. Joong remembered that it was a rainy day and he was panicking because it had been a week since Dunk Natachai had not replied to his messages or answered his phone. He decided to take the bus for the first time and went to Dunk's house which was quite far from him. When he got there, he could only find that the house was empty and according to neighbors, the owner had left the house three days ago.
And after that day, Dunk Natachai was nowhere to be found.
Joong had put all his efforts into looking for the boy, but how could he possibly find Dunk when the boy didn't want to be found?
For the first time in his seventeen years of life, Joong had his heart broken pretty badly. He remembered exactly, after losing Dunk, he was in a lot of pain. He was rushed to the hospital because of a fever that did not get better for a week. Joong hated the fact that the person who gave him the first experience of heartbreak was Dunk Natachai, his best friend.
Dunk Natachai, who was a year older than him, was a little bit thinner than him even though he was taller than Joong at that time, had fair skin and a beautiful smile. He hated that person, really.
Time passed and without the slightest information about where the Boonprasert family had gone. Joong moved on with his life.
Joong always imagined his reunion with Dunk Natachai. Joong had the belief that one day they will definitely meet again. Joong imagined meeting a version of Dunk where he is already a lawyer, Dunk said he will majoring in law when he goes to college. Or Joong imagined he might meet Dunk again when that person already has a family of his own, two daughters and a beautiful wife. Dunk said himself that he didn't want to have sons because it would give him a headache.
Joong imagined a lot of things.
But not with this one.
He didn't expect that he would meet Dunk again in a room in a hospital which coincidentally is the same hospital where he will start his internship next year. And unfortunately, the room was named as the patient's room . Dunk was sitting in the middle of the bed with the patient's clothes and also the IV stuck in his right hand. The boy looked older than the boy from his memories – obviously, they had been separated for five long years. Dunk looked more handsome with a much firmer facial line –Joong didn't want to admit it verbally, only in his mind, but the boy had lost much of his radiance as Joong remembered in his memories. From the look in his eyes, there was neither a playful look nor a positive light for tomorrow. His thin lips no longer carved a smile, instead he looked gloomy. Joong always remembered that his best friend was a quiet person (quieter than him at least) but he knew Dunk's silence brought a lot of peace in itself, it's a part of him . But the Dunk he saw in this patient’s room, he remained silent because he really couldn't do anything else.
But regardless, even though Dunk had changed physically, to Joong, he was still the same person he had shared a great childhood with. It's still the same Dunk as his Dunk in his mind. But what will Dunk think after seeing him again? Is Joong's name still in his mind? The fact that Dunk didn't recognize him made his heart ache a little and he didn't know who to blame for it.
Maybe for that man, Joong was just a stranger who was brought into his ward. Foreign man who tried to smile stupidly at him and foreign man who couldn’t take his eyes off anything other than Dunk Natachai.
With his sharp eyes, Dunk watched Joong. He seemed to be looking for something, Joong couldn't help but hoping. Maybe he was wrong, maybe Dunk can recognize him. But his hopes were completely thrown out of the window when Dunk closed his eyes and looked out at the window of his room.
Joong turned to his side to find Mr. Kong looking at his son with a sad look that was so obvious. Joong wondered how tormented this person is. Which parent whose heart is not broken when their own child gradually forgets his existence as a father?
"Uncle, I want this job."
Mr. Kong nodded and smiled a little.
“Thank you, Joong Archen.”
Joong was surprised when Dunk once again turned to look at him – quickly, right when his father called Joong's name, his eyes widened and looked at him again with the same gaze. Searching gaze.
And Joong really wanted to know what that man was looking for.
***
“Did Dunk ever tell you about his mother when you two were together?” Joong had many questions that he wanted to express to Dunk's father, he didn't expect his best friend's father to ask him something first.
They were now sitting in the corridor of the hospital which was quite empty that afternoon. Mr. Kong stared straight at the white wall in front of him while Joong just dropped his gaze on the gray floor beneath his feet. His feelings were chaotic and he felt great sadness just because he saw the figure of his best friend, looking helpless on a hospital bed.
"I only know his mother died when he was little, Dunk didn’t want to talk about his mother to me." Joong said that in honesty while closing his eyes, the memory of teenage Dunk made his heart ache even more.
"You know why he didn’t want to talk about his mother?" Mr. Kong paused and Joong didn't really understand why their conversation did not directly talk about Dunk, when that was the only thing he really wanted to talk about. "At that time, Dunk was only a seven years old boy. He witnessed how his mother took her own life."
Joong gasped, he turned to the side to find Mr. Kong closed his eyes and his jaw tightening under the dim of corridor lights. He didn't know, he never knew that his little friend had such a dark past. For one or two reasons Joong felt guilty not knowing about this first.
“At that time I was so busy working, I only came home once a month because I had so many out of town assignments. That time, I did not really realize that there was something strange about my wife, other than the fact that every day she looked pale and sicker. I took her to the hospital but she always refused. Until one day I realized that my wife was not only physically sick, it was her mental state that should be given more attention than anything else.” Joong could see the deep regret radiating from Mr. Kong's hard face. He tried to wait where this conversation would end.
“I was in the middle of an out of town meeting when a neighbor called me and said that my wife had not been home since yesterday and my child was crying because he was so hungry at home. At that time I was angry, why did my wife abandon my child like that, but then the anger receded when I learned that my wife was not coming home on purpose. She couldn’t go home." The typical deep voice of someone who has smoked for years is choked. "She couldn't find her way home."
Joong patted the man's frail shoulder, trying to comfort him even though he knew, it couldn’t work at all. Mr. Kong glanced over and forced a smile.
"It was too late for me to find out that my wife had an incurable senile disease."
Joong tried to remember what he studied at his academy and ended up freezing because he thought he knew where this conversation was going to end.
“There are various types of causes of dementia, as a medical student you must know, and one of them is alzheimer. My wife's doctor said that alzheimer's itself is caused by the damage or death of brain cells. And unfortunately there is no medicine that can cure it. In general, the symptoms of this disease last for a long time, but what my wife had was a special type where the symptoms progress quickly. Doctors said mental health problems were also contributing to the acceleration of the symptoms of this disease. My wife was 38 years old when she attempted suicide because she saw Dunk enter her room and she couldn't remember who the child was. Poor Dunk tried to scream out the word 'mom' over and over again and it made my wife panic and fear even more. Her mind was shaken, and she couldn't think anymore. She threw herself from the 3rd floor balcony and died instantly."
What should Joong say now? He knew the man beside him felt sad but he couldn't say anything to just cheer him up. Because he knew, whatever he said would not mean anything at all. In the end, Joong decided to sit quietly and listen.
“After that incident, I decided to move out with my only child. I also transferred Dunk to a new school, and that's when he met you and somehow you were the first person that could make Dunk smile again."
Joong smiled, remembering his first meeting with Dunk in the school's backyard. It was indeed an interesting experience and one that Joong will surely remember for the rest of his life.
“Dunk is kind.” Joong commented while reminiscing.
Mr. Kong only smiled a little, a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"I thought everything would be fine for us after that, until 10 years later I found something strange about Dunk. He kept feeling confused and forgetting little things like where he kept his things. At that time I panicked, I did not witness how the symptoms of the disease attacked my wife at first but after my wife's death I learned a lot about the disease. And one thing I was most afraid of after that incident was the fact that this disease is a genetic disease. And Dunk was too quiet for me to ask him how he felt after witnessing his mother’s death right before his eyes. But I knew it troubled him too, because in his deepest dreams, he used to sleep-talk about how much he wanted to forget the day his mother died.”
Joong was silent, just like Mr. Kong said before. this disease also has links with mental and psychiatric problems. Dunk was only 23 years old and from what he saw in the room, he may already be at the stage his mother was in when she was 38.
"Do you want to know why five years ago our family just disappeared?"
Joong nodded slightly, this had always been his question since then. And he felt he was not ready to hear the answer however much he wanted to know.
“Dunk hurt himself because he was frustrated. He forgot the name of the cat you bought him for his birthday.”
Jaidee?
Yes, Joong remembered that white persian cat. Dunk liked cats and Joong did buy one for the boy on his 15th birthday. But it wasn't Joong who named the cat, Dunk named it himself. Until now Joong did not know the origin of that cat’s name. But it seemed, Jaidee was a name that meant something to him.
“Another symptom of this disease is a change in behavior and I'm not surprised to see Dunk did that to himself. How will you feel when you can't remember important things? You will feel frustrated. And that kid's frustration was probably building up to the limit." Mr. Kong explained in a tired tone that he didn't need to cover up.
Joong felt guilty because he never realized Dunk's problem and also his frustration. As Dunk’s best friend, he felt that he didn’t really do anything meaningful for him. Joong lowered his head and unconsciously, tears welled up in his eyes.
Regret gradually assailed him. He remembered how he had always been the center of their friendship. He was always the one who talked and Dunk would always listen. It's always Joong who seeked Dunk's attention. Always Joong ranting and grumbling unimportantly to him–like the story of his mother who always overly celebrated his birthday, he always complained about that to Dunk. He felt guilty because he never once made Dunk the center of their friendship, he felt guilty because no matter how often he said Dunk was his best friend, maybe he didn't really know anything about that guy.
With that realization, Joong actually cried.
"Hey, why are you crying? You don't need to feel guilty. You know how that kid is. It's Dunk who didn’t want to show his weakness in front of you, he didn’t want you to worry. That's why I decided to take him away, at the same time I started his intensive treatment. I didn’t want what his mother went through to happen again to him, that's why I need someone to always be with him, to talk to him, to be his friend. I don't want him to be alone."
Now it was Mr. Kong's turn to place his hand on Joong's shoulder and patted him lightly, trying to encourage him . Compared to Joong, it's the old man who needed to be encouraged more.
"I have to go back to the office this afternoon, I hope it's fine for you to start your work right away today." Closed Mr. Kong in a joking tone that sounded forced. And in return, Joong could only force a laugh.
This is no longer a matter of filling in the empty time during semester break.
It's about reuniting with an old friend who needed help. This is about Dunk Natachai, his best friend that Joong always missed, who might not know him entirely. But Joong promised he would not give up on his best friend.
He promised that this time it would be all about that man. Maybe it's too late, but now it's Joong's turn to really get to know his little friend, to be his listener, to be someone he can trust.
He wanted Dunk to be the center this time.
And he knew, being late was always better than never.
***
There's one thing Joong always wanted to do since he started being friends with Dunk Natachai. When calling that man, he really wanted to call him by his name only, without the 'Phi' label in front of his name. But as if he didn't like the idea, Dunk always refused and looked at him with a sharp gaze. As if that idea was as bad as the idea of starting a fourth world war.
“Dunk!”
But now, everything is different. No one will scold him anymore.
“Dunk Natachai~”
Dunk still ignored Joong and Joong knew he wouldn’t give up. After talking with Mr. Kong in the hospital corridor, Joong immediately entered Dunk's ward only to find his best friend reading a book. Joong smiled, at least this image is still the same as Dunk's image that he had. The cute geek.
"How long are you going to ignore me?" Joong snorted a little. But apparently the grunts were heard all the way to the end of the room where Dunk was. The man closed the book.He stared at Joong who was sitting on the couch. And strangely Joong smiled, finally this man acknowledged his existence.
"Wouldn't it be more polite if you first introduce who you are before you call my name as if I can't hear it at all?"
Joong swallowed the bitter lump that was clogging his throat when he heard that voice again after a long time. Still the same deep voice, the difference now is that the voice sounded colder and sharper.
Standing from his position, Joong walked over to the bed where Dunk was. Reaching out his left hand, he tried to introduce himself.
“Joong Archen. And I? Ehmmm... your father hired me to look after you.”
Joong wasn't wrong with his choice of words. He didn't want to introduce himself as Dunk's childhood friend because that meant he was indirectly asking the boy to remember him. And as a medical student, he knew what happens when someone with dementia is forced to remember.
But Dunk's reaction made him confused. The man stared at Joong's left hand for a long time without even greeting him.
"Are you left-handed or are you just a rude person asking someone else's hand with your left hand?"
Joong didn’t like Mathematics class. The reason? He just didn't like it. And for a nine year old he didn't feel the need to really look for the real reasons why he didn't like the class. And Joong is the typical kid who didn’t want to do things he didn’t want to do –the selfish one his fat friends said. Tch, Joong didn't care and he quickened his pace even more. Before changing classes, he asked permission to go to the toilet. He planned to not return before the end of the Mathematics class.
Joong stopped in his tracks when he got to his destination, the place where he had run away from Mathematics class. There was a quite large garden with a fish pond behind the school which kids like him couldn’t and should not enter. The school was attached to the church and the priest's house. The garden itself was the priests' backyard which he could enter by climbing out the window of the shed behind his school. So far he thought he was the only one who knew the existence of this place. Until one day he found someone who was also there. Someone with the same uniform as him but not likely from the same year.
Usually Joong only watched the boy from a distance. Sometimes Joong wondered if he was aware of Joong's presence and ignored him or if he really didn't notice him at all, because that guy always seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts.
But today, Joong really wanted to introduce himself to the boy. Socializing was a good thing, so said his mother. So with that in mind, he approached the boy with a stupid smile inadvertently plastered on his face.
"Hey?"
The man looked shocked and looked at him with a confused face. Ah, so all this time he didn't notice Joong's existence. Joong regretted it in his heart even though he didn't know the reason why he felt disappointed.
"I often see you here. Ehmm.. I was the first resident of this garden before you.” Joong held out his left hand and still smiled broadly.
"My name is Joong Archen. Your name?"
The boy seemed to think for a moment before opening his mouth, Joong thought he would say his name.
“You are left-handed? Or are you just an impolite brat?"
Joong was silent for a long time, his outstretched hand slowly fell on the left side of his body. And seeing Joong just silent, Dunk went back to busying himself with his book. Joong remembered exactly how Dunk was at the beginning of their first meeting. He also asked the same thing. Is he left-handed or is he just being rude?
The fact that there might be memories of him subconsciously remaining in Dunk made Joong smile so brightly. Somehow, he felt that there was still hope left that would appear again in this small room.
***
The days rolled around and Dunk still didn’t give Joong much attention. And Joong became the most diligent worker who always came and left not according to his working hours (he was arriving too early and leaving too late). Mr. Kong looked livelier after his arrival, because in the end, the man was able to take care of his job properly. Joong never minded staying late at the hospital if the man needed to be in his office taking care of things late into the night.
Joong almost always invited Dunk to talk even though he mostly ignored it.
Joong also bought new books and without saying anything he just kept them beside Dunk's bed until they piled up. Dunk always read books, but sometimes he read the same book over and over again. Joong noticed that Dunk always read whatever was at the top of the pile, so Joong helped Dunk by keeping the books he had finished reading at the bottom of the pile. So the new books that have not been read will always be at the top of the pile.
Joong also brought Dunk's favorite food because he knew the boy didn't want to eat hospital food. Joong could cook and he knew Dunk always liked to eat the food he made. Dunk in front of him, who has now forgotten everything about him, still does the same thing. He always ate greedily every time he touched the food that Joong brought.
When the good days come it's a little easier for Joong because Dunk wanted to talk to him. Even if it's just an ordinary conversation. The happiest so far for Joong was the day when Dunk asked what food he brought today, as if he was waiting for the food Joong brought. Then he said that the broccoli that Joong made yesterday tasted good and he wanted to eat that again. Dunk always liked vegetables and the next day Joong brought food that was all green. He found Dunk's smile that day.
When Dunk was sleeping, Joong used to play games on his phone while waiting for the boy. When Dunk was in a good mood, he would wake up and ask Joong if he could teach Dunk to play the game he was playing. Joong installed the game on Dunk's phone but the boy always looked for his phone when he wanted to play.
Mr. Kong came right after his work was done. He came on time, which was 5 o'clock, the time Joong finished work. He said that Dunk's condition had improved since Joong was by his side. Maybe it's true, his son really needed a friend so he's not alone when he's in pain. The old man often sent money to Joong's account as his salary but Joong never checked because for him what he was doing now was not a matter of work and salary. He wanted to do it because he cared about a man named Dunk Natachai.
Unfortunately, not every day is a good day.
On tough days Joong could only watch Dunk sleep all day and groaned in his sleep. Joong didn’t know how many times he found Dunk in the bathroom and vomiting alone. His personal doctor said it was a symptom where his emotions were unstable and he was feeling frustrated about something. Dunk was too quiet, he didn't say what was frustrating him.
But one day, Joong came into the room and found Dunk looking at him warily –as if he didn't recognize him and then his eyes softened when he heard Joong called his name. But a moment later Joong could see the frustration rising in Dunk's eyes when he looked at him. And this happened so many times that Joong couldn't help but ask again. He didn’t know if Dunk would answer or not.
"Hey, are you going to continue to keep that feeling of frustration alone?"
Dunk glanced at him and today he didn't look away.
“If you feel upset or angry about something, you better just tell me. You know I was hired by your father and paid every week? It’s okay to tell me everything you feel, that’s part of my job because I really exist to take care of you. You can also reduce your frustration by telling me. Win-win solution .”
Joong always said as if what he was doing was about his job obligation to take care of Dunk. He did it on purpose because it would be easier for the man. It will be harder for Dunk to open up to someone who is constantly worried about him and watching his every move because he cared. Dunk didn’t like himself to be a burden and a worry for other people, he's always been like that since a long time ago.
So it's okay if Dunk thought of him as just someone who worked to take care of him and didn’t really care about him. Although the reality was clearly the opposite of it all.
“You really want to hear what's in my head? I think you should ask my father for a raise because my head is too messed up for me to even decipher on my own."
Joong forced a smile and gave a small nod. “Of course I'd be happy if I got some extra money, after all I'm a medical student. I need more pocket money.”
Dunk smiled condescendingly and it was okay for Joong, as long as the boy wanted to open up.
“I've forgotten a lot of things, and it feels like every day I don't care about anything anymore. Because in the end I will forget about it too. But you ." Dunk pointed at Joong and Joong could see a bit of annoyance behind his actions.
“Every day you show up here. Invited me to speak. Brought books and food.” Dunk paused to catch his breath and Joong couldn't understand why his heart was pounding now, as if he was waiting for a declaration of love from someone– gosh he's out of his mind now!
“You made me... you.. you forced me to remember who you are. It frustrated me more than the things I forgot every day.”
Dunk looked away and Joong felt he should say something but the words caught in his own throat. All he knew now, he wanted to cry but then when he felt it was ridiculous, he swallowed the feeling whole.
How could he want to cry because he felt Dunk's words were the most beautiful words he had ever heard? He's out of his mind.
“Dunk..” In the end, Joong could only call out that name and Dunk gave a small snort at the sound.
"You're even younger than me but you keep calling my name as if we were the same age."
Joong's eyes widened, feeling even more shocked than Dunk's previous words.
There's nothing wrong with Joong's memory. And he remembered for sure, he never mentioned his age in front of Dunk. Dunk whom he met again after five years. Dunk wouldn't know that Joong was younger than him, if he didn’t remember who Joong was.
"You... how do you know I'm younger than you?"
Dunk looked at him one more time and Joong gasped when he saw the boy crying.
To be continued
***
My father told me, son
It's not his fault he doesn't know your face You're not the only one
***