- Take this.
- Hm?
Joohoon dropped a small item in Jiwook's palms, it looked like a SIM-card.
- Your phone still works, doesn't it? That's my old number. I charged it, so you can use it however.
Jiwook was momentarily surprised not really following Joohoon's track of thoughts.
- But I don't need-
- Use it and always reply to my calls. My number is saved, Joohee's too. I'll have to drop to school today and then at home too. It'll take a while.
- Okay. Thank you.
The younger added with a faded voice, pouting already that Joohoon had to leave, but then suddenly lifted his head, as a (great) idea came to his mind.
- Hyung may I ... text you too?
The elder turned to Jiwook, meeting two wide eager eyes, that he guessed were his puppy eyes when asking for something.
"Does he think it'll work on me?"
Chuckle.
- I'm not really the chatting type.
- Oh ok-ay.
Jiwook looked dejected, but tried stubbornly to hide that, at which he obviously failed.
The elder's smile widened in a grin, another teasing rolling on his tongue, he's getting worse at controlling this new strange habit of his. He took Jiwook by surprise, lifting his chin abruptly, very close to his face, of course with his own head a little bend so his eyes would meet the younger's directly. Jiwook's trembled for a moment, but then stayed brave returning his gaze.
- Why? Are you that lonely without me?
Jiwook gulped, his ears lost first and turned red right away, his teeth slipped to bite the lower lip involuntarily, as a mean to stop himself from splitting the truth out of him.
- Nah!
A finger slid in quickly to protect his lips, pushing his teeth apart from it, opening his mouth a little as a result.
- Don't even try. Remember? We made a deal.
Jiwook's face got even hotter, the intimate touch as well as the "talk" from the day before leaked in his mind. His heart already anticipating that "deal".
Joohoon stretched an all-known smirk on his face, pleased with the younger's "reply".
His hand moved on top of the other's head messing softly his hair as if he pated a sulking puppy.
- Text me, call me, do whatever. I can't say I'll reply to all, but I'll check it at least.
Nope. He wasn't giving in to him.
Though the elder tried to look indifferent, the truth (that he maybe didn't want to acknowledge) was that Jiwook's puppy eyes were unexpectedly effective on him.
Yeah, he was Lee Joohoon after all. Imagine what would happen if he'd submit to any of Jiwook's pleas.
No good indeed.
Jiwook's expression lightened brightly like a sunbeam, his eyes disappeared under blue unruly locks, when he made a firm nod.
The elder returned a piece of Jiwook's glowing smile as if intoxicated by the younger's cheerfulness.
...
After Joohoon left, Jiwook tried to make himself busy in the house, do some cleaning, which (of course) wasn't his strong point, but he was eager to do something useful during his stay there. Yeah, wanting to do something didn't exactly mean successfully accomplish it. He made the vacuum bag explode (cleaning the mess after that), nearly broke a vase (which he caught in the last moment at the expense of hitting his pinky), made a shelf collapse while wiping the dust (ending with the dozens of small-middle sized objects and books raining mercilessly over his head), had a loosing fight with the outdoor tap (gaining a cold shower for free) and culminated with making the washer drown in foam, the whole bathroom along with it (where he slipped when he hurried to stop the machine gaining another bump on his sorry ass and back). Now that was the real disaster.
He already began to panic, when the washer didn't listen to him and seemed to rebel more.
Jiwook looked again at his phone, he sent like a dozen of messages the past two hours, which on two of it Joohoon unexpectedly replied, rising the younger's excitement to the clouds. He gently slid his thumb over Joohoon's "Yeah" and "I'm in class" and the "Jerk" on top of it, instead of his name.
Chuckle.
- Oh exactly. I have to change it now. What would suit him? ... I want something cute, thought out loud Jiwook pondering over the new naming for Joohoon to save it in his phone. He was suddenly so immersed in thinking over it, that he momentarily forgot about the poor puffing bathroom.
After a moment or two a wide grin rose on his face while he tapped two words instead of the previously "jerk" and giggled, content with his idea. He didn't stop at it and run into the leaving room, to look for the album Joohee showed him before and took a photo with his phone of the little Joohoon's priceless pout. Now the treasured photo stayed on the profile of Joohoon's number beside the "Chunky Bear" for a name. He brought the phone to his lips, warming the screen with a light kiss, as if chanting a lucky spell.
Chuckles.
Jiwook's eyes slid to other photos in the album and he couldn't fight his urge to snap photos of everything printed there.
"It's not like Joohoon will know right?"
- Hmm
Just to be sure he changed his password with another date, he thought was impossible for Joohoon to find out.
Satisfied, he then played a bit with changing his screen's wallpaper, grinning from ear to ear as how much fun he was having.
It would be perfect, the house-cleaning struggles long forgotten, if not the disaster in the bathroom. The floor was drowning in water and white foam, successfully making Jiwook finally aware of his "trouble" there and making him panic like the world was ending.
He was stubbornly against the idea to message Joohoon and ask for help (it was too damn embarrassing), but he had to do something asap and unfortunately no other ideas were to magically pop up in his head.
Jiwook was about to cry due to his helplessness, his pouty lips already trembling, but his pleas were heard and an angel came to help him aka called him.
- Jooheeeee!
Jiwook's whinny voice came through the speaker and Joohee stopped from her walking, her eyes wide in surprise while Jiwook's unfortunate story was poured in her ears. She swallowed down (heavily) a burst of laugh and tried shushing him gently.
- Don't worry Jiwook-oppa. I'm on my way, she assured him it was alright and promised to reach soon the house.
She had the noon classes cancelled today, so she planned to buy something to eat for Jiwook, though she had another reason for her unexpected visit, which of course her brother was unaware of.
Joohee was excited to play the matchmaker for her brother and she genuinely wanted to help Jiwook melt Joohoon's heart? Though honestly she thought that wasn't even needed.
Nevermind.
Joohee found the flustered Jiwook tearing in front of the house, apologizing again and again for what he did. He was so cute, that she barely suppressed the urge to tease him a tiny bit. Here she was really similar to her brother.
Poor Jiwook, he didn't know what he got himself into.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Riiiiiiiiiing.
The bell signaled for class to end, everyone starting to bustle in the break, except Joohoon. The teacher made him sit through all the boring classes and later the disciplinary one and if he usually would sleep at most of all, now he checked every second minute his phone stirring curious some even frightened stares from his classmates and underlings(?).
Apparently his expression was may-God-help-them gentle?!!, a shocking tender smile dancing on his lips, to the point that all were horrified someone switched the real Joohoon with that warm-smiling person looking like him, sitting lost in thoughts in his place and gazing lovingly(?!!) at his screen.
Joohoon oblivious to any of their fears, glided another photo, his eyes curious on every detail on it.
A while back he checked (yet again) his phone and was getting not worried, definitely not, just tiny bit interested as why the younger stopped to write him for a while now, after his small-nothings-texts were overflowing him the whole morning. He began to picture all the possible scenarios of what could have happened and he wasn't that pleased with it. Two and half hours of silence, he thought reasonably, was enough of a reason to call him and stop his wonderings, impatient almost he was about to do it right in the middle of the class. Thankfully(?) he didn't need to, as another message box popped up on his screen, surprisingly, from his sister.
"Jiwook is fine, we're out for lunch and to play around."
He didn't even noticed he sighed in relief.
Though he didn't expect, his sister caught up quickly with the situation and was helping them in her own way.
He smiled.
Surprisingly his little sister was all grown-up now.
"I found him crying, so I promised him a little thing which you'll have to keep."
Wait what?
What promise and if it's her promise why should he keep it. Though what he tapped was...
Joohoon: "Why was he crying?"
Joohee: "Secret. Tho you'll find out for yourself anyway ≖‿≖"
Joohoon: "Is he alright?"
Joohee sent a photo.
There was a selfie of them both beside two large bowls of soup. Another photo came short after just with Jiwook, eating greedily from his bowl, a noodle stretched on his mouth and chin. That shoot was made with him unware of it, it seemed.
Joohoon dropped a chuckle.
That was yet in the middle of the class. Everyone froze even the teacher, all eyes on the ignorant Joohoon, which seemed to forget he was in class to begin with.
Not that it mattered anyway.
By the end of the class his phone gallery increased with dozens of photos, which he inspected very closely. The unexpected duo became friends quickly and had, as it seemed, the same interests. Joohee brought Jiwook to a clothing store – a new stage for another photoshoots of him, especially took for Joohoon.
Joohee: "See how happy he looks? you should thank your great sister! (˘ ³˘)
Joohoon: "Yeah. You're awesome."
Joohee: "You'll have to keep the promise."
Joohoon: Yeah. I will."
He replied though he still had no idea what that was about.
Joohoon wasn't left wondering for too long, cause when he was leaving the classroom for the disciplinary class the phone rang yet again.
Joohee sent a link.
"Two tickets for XX movie buy now..."
Joohee: Fighting! (/^◡^)/
...
- That little...
Joohoon dropped a resigned smile, while running his fingers through his hair. He was utterly hopeless against her.
Not that he minded either.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Joohee hid her cheeky grin with her phone, then turned back to Jiwook, the boy was trying another look, the 10th maybe, but strangely though he didn't mind, he looked like he was fully enjoying himself. He didn't even remembered when he had so much fun hanging out or if he had it at all. He came to like Joohee and found himself feeling at ease with her, something that definitely was an unusual recurrence. Not to mention that they met for two days, no more.
- Oh
Joohee clapped, her eyes sparkling.
"So cute!", thought Joohee but then said – You look so handsome. It matches you perfectly!
Jiwook, dressed in a pale blue loose shirt, a knitted V-cut sweater over it with exquisite tangled bands on each side and long sleeves, finishing with a pair of skinny knee-torn jeans – was both cute and deliciously attractive. Adding his a bit messy hair and the still swollen lip, as well as the slight blushing cheeks from the compliment he just received, Jiwook was the very definition of "guilty innocence", stealing all the stares from the store, both, female and male.
Joohee snapped another photo unable to miss such a breath-taking view and she knew well that it will later become subject of her negotiations with her brother (save the fact that she wanted to brag about it).
Jiwook, though flustered at the beginning, came to get used to Joohee's only "flow" and sighed resigned.
He was also embarrassed when she paid herself for the clothes, though she insisted it was her payment for the request he promised to do.
Of course after all the trouble she had to go through today. He would gladly do everything she would ask for.
This too, was something he never did before.
While they walked to the station, Joohee asked, her voice less bold, as if she hesitated a little.
- Jiwook-oppa, is it... is it hard for you?
Jiwook's eyes widened in surprised at the sudden question, but then glanced away, not confident enough to hold her eager eyes.
- I know we just met and I may look like a careless brat to you, but I really took a liking to you and I wish to be someone that you could lean on. To help you when you need. Like today.
Joohee's smile was really the brightest he saw.
- Joohee...
Something deep inside of him clicked and he felt like he would burst in tears right then, right there and he knew, with a blind confidence, that this person will understand him, will support him, will offer their help and honestly comfort him. Will be on his side.
Joohoon maybe too.
It was an overwhelming burst that burned his heart and at the same time a smoothing tender warmth that calmed his every fiber of his soul – the realization that he felt cherished.
That he could be ... loved.
His watered eyes glowed like translucent glass, while he made a small nod, trying hard to swallow back the sobs, which were about to come out.
Joohee smiled softly and gently patted his shoulder.
They parted soon, Joohee left to go home while Jiwook still waited for the right bus.
After a long time, he was still there, sat on the bench, lost in thoughts, his eyes pinned on his phone's screen. It trembled when a sudden message appeared on it.
Joohoon: "You alright?"
...
Tears started to flow and he couldn't hold it back anymore. He smiled and cried at the same time, his hands trying to wipe roughly his tears.
It was real.
His. Happiness.
Jiwook finally knew what he must do.
He glided the screen and made a call, his voice still hoarse from all the crying.
- What do you-
- Bro-ther...