fic - Sunshine At The Crossroad
Title: Sunshine At The Crossroad
Author: ekkusuchan
Genre: fluff, and maybe angsty-fluff?
Length: one-shot
Word count: 6,011
Pairing: SoulMate aka JaeChun.
Rating: G
Disclaimer: not mine in real life, *sad*
A/N: inspired by the little umbrella-renter kids that i've seen when i was young, crowding about restaurants and hotels during heavy downpour, waiting for people to rent their umbrellas for a fee.
A/N: I kinda rushed to finish this before the weekend. checks, comments and concrits are welcome =)
Summary: It took Jaejoong a meeting with a Little Sunshine by the roadside to show him how to live life like a man.
Sunshine At The Crossroad
So this was it. This was where he was going to live from now on, away from the ugliness of the world and the evil grip of modern day society with their easily shaken morality standard and foul way of living. He was only 17, but he was already sick of the world. He was going to escape it all. And this is where he chose to reside.
The humble town was small and difficult to reach. Located at the edge of a minute peninsula, it fitted his imagination of a perfect fisherman village, and he loved the rustic little town. Not entirely untouched by civilisation, but still safe from the evil grip of capitalistic monarchy. This was it. This was going to be his haven, his nirvana, his...
"Rrriiiiiiiiiiingggg!!!"
And the first thing he had to do was to get rid of this object called telephone away from nirvana.
"Hello?"
"Good afternoon. I'm the landlord. I'm just calling to see if everything's alright and if there's anything you need," a man said pleasantly from the other end of the line.
"Good afternoon, Sir. Your place is very nice! Everything is perfect," he replied warmly. The place was small, but fully furnished with humble essential items stocked, up to washing powder and pails in the bathroom and basic cooking materials in the kitchen.
"Ah, that's good to hear. Well, there's a book underneath the telephone that has all the important phone numbers in town, as well as my number. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything, err, *sound of papers being shuffled* Jaejoong-sshi."
"I will. Thank you, Sir," Jaejoong smiled into the phone, and immediately dropped it when the line went dead.
That was one of the reasons why he was there in town. Actually, who was he kidding, that was the reason he wanted to escape the society. All those grand reasons of the world getting evil and foul, those were just lame excuses. In truth, he was tired of putting up a front for everyone, pretending to be nice and polite to strangers, and even sickly sweeter to non-strangers.
But that, again, was just another excuse. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Jaejoong knew the real reason why he was trying to escape the clutch of the world was because he just wasn't good enough for it.
He was the only boy from a family of 9 children, and his parents always loved to talk to other parents about him. But that was the problem: he didn't have anything worth to be told to others for. He was put in one of the best school just because his parents wanted him to be there, but he was only a mediocre student at his best. Unlike his sisters who each had something they excel at, Jaejoong had nothing, zilch. But still the topic of conversation that his mom always brought up was about him, not his sisters. Worse still, his sisters never said anything about it, obediently agreeing with their parents' belief that "Jaejoong was the best".
Initially it was just irritation and embarrassment, watching his folks telling others about the school that he was in, the club that he entered, the projects that he did, and Jaejoong had to look away when the other party slightly rose their eyebrows, so, what's the big deal about that, while politely kept their mouth shut. Then, when the embarrassment piled up too high, came the wrath. He knew those people were mocking him behind his back, could feel it in their eyes when they talked to him, here it is, the special son Kim Jaejoong, what can he do, seriously?
Jaejoong had enough. He barely made it to 3rd year of high school, but he had lost all motivation to continue studying, to finish high school. What's the purpose? He wasn't good enough at it. Even if he continued to senior year at high school, he would just barely pass the final exam and he wouldn’t be able to get to university either. It was just a waste of time.
He wanted to be a hermit, alone in the mountain, away from civilisation, from people, so that he could be his true self without caring what others think of him. But, of course, it wasn't easy finding an uninhabited island, what more an uninhabited mountain. So, he settled for this town. And besides, he preferred the idea of staring into the vast empty ocean and getting lost in its rolling waves and blue sky instead of being stuck in a high altitude plane surrounded by rock and vegetation.
His stomach grumbled.
Well, hermit or no hermit, he wasn't going to give up the pleasurable activity that was eating. He set out of the small studio apartment in search of food suited for an escapist's picky palate.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
He found out that the disadvantages of being a secluded, small town meant that there was less sophisticated transportation system. The town had a bus system, but the nearest bus stop was a 15 minutes’ walk from his place. And there wasn’t any shelter. Jaejoong looked out of the bus window, watching the heavily pouring rain with distaste. He would have to make a run for it and he was going to be soaked to his socks.
The bus stopped. Several people got down and most of them immediately opened up their umbrellas. Jaejoong jumped down from the bus and started running.
To his utter bewilderment, several kids followed him, each kid holding an umbrella and everyone was yelling, and in the thundering rain and overlapping yells of local dialects, he picked up some words that he understood "Sir? Rent umbrella, Sir? Sir, would you like to rent umbrella? Sir?"
He squinted his eyes, eyes flashing about trying to pick out the kid who was speaking a language he understood. It was difficult because everyone got even more eager when he looked around, each thrusting an umbrella into his hand. He finally picked out the voice owner, reached over and grabbed the umbrella being offered.
It happened so fast, the moment he held an umbrella in his hand, everyone else retreated. Jaejoong blinked as he walked backwards, eyes still trailing on the group of little kids who were making their way back to the bus stop, the thundering rain sounded even louder now that there wasn't any yelling to drown out its voice.
Jaejoong's attention finally reached the young boy whose umbrella he had rented.
The boy was probably around 7-8 years old, shabbily dressed in loose t-shirt and shorts and a pair of cheap and worn out sandals. He was drenched from head to toe, his black wavy hair plastered onto his head, but he had a pair of bright beautiful eyes, round cheek and a cheerful happy smile that bloomed into sunshine. Warm, Jaejoong thought, surprised at himself when he realised it. When they reached his home, Jaejoong paid for his service, which was surprisingly cheap, and returned the umbrella. The boy bowed low, flashed Jaejoong his beautiful smile once more and uttered a very sincere "thank you very much, Sir" that spread warmth into Jaejoong's heart, and went off into the darkness
That night, Jaejoong dreamt of stifling classrooms, suffocating exams, and jeers of people and the wall mocked at him and the grass leering at his wake. Then suddenly the dream changed into dark sky and pouring rain, and of warm smile framed by sweet round cheek and bright innocent eyes.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Jaejoong met Little Sunshine almost every night when he came back from his trip around the town. Jaejoong thought that the world should stop debating about global warming issues for a while and go build a gigantic fan of monstrous size to blow the rain cloud, ever present above this little town, off to those area desperately in need of water instead. It was like the heaven was crying nonstop over here!
It was raining 4 days out of 5, but Jaejoong still hadn't bought himself an umbrella. Every night, he would rent the Little Sunshine's umbrella just so that he would be able to see that beautiful smile again before his sleep, and every night he slept a little better with slightly brighter dream.
One night, Jaejoong actually had to fish Little Sunshine out of the pack. Luckily, everyone else had already knew Jaejoong by now and knew that he always used Little Sunshine's umbrella, so Jaejoong could find the little boy easily even though he was standing outside the pack and looking slightly sick.
"Are you sick?"
Little Sunshine grinned at him and shook his head, and sniffed. Jaejoong giggled.
Jaejoong gestured at him to come and share the umbrella with him, but the little boy shook his head. And he sniffed again. His smile didn't look as bright as yesterday and his eyes were tired, but his spirit was as high as ever. Jaejoong grabbed his skinny wrist and pulled him under the umbrella.
"You have a fever," Jaejoong said, noting the warm wrist in his palm.
Little Sunshine smiled and shook his head, sending water droplets everywhere, but didn't try to get out under the rain anymore.
When they've reached his place, Jaejoong didn't immediately return the umbrella. Instead, he squatted down and touched the boy's temple. Feverish, just as expected.
"How many people do you usually get every night like this?"
"1, or 2. Once I managed to get 4, their houses nearby. Sometimes nobody wanted to rent umbrella" he said.
"I'll make you a deal. I'll pay you 4 people's fee, but you have to come to my place and don't leave til your fever has gone down. How's that?"
Little Sunshine looked unsure, and Jaejoong felt a strange feeling stirring in his chest. Dear god, he was not developing paedophilia, was he? After a moment of hesitation, Little Sunshine nodded, and Jaejoong kicked his mental self in the ass and told his brain that, no, he was not. This boy just brought his parental instinct out to the surface, that's all. Period.
Jaejoong, of course, didn't own any kid's clothes. So, after drying him up, he made Little Sunshine wore one of his smallest T-shirt, which he wore like a dress and it made Jaejoong smile. Jaejoong gave him his antipyretic medicine, half the dosage of what he usually took, and let him sleep on his bed. He placed a cool compress on Little Sunshine's forehead and tucked the blanket under his chin.
"What's your name, Little Sunshine?"
Little Sunshine giggled. Jaejoong recorded the sound and sight in his head and stored it in the "precious" shelf in his memory.
"Yoochun," Little Sunshine answered.
When Jaejoong finished bathing, Yoochun was sound asleep. He didn't even stir when Jaejoong slipped in beside him on the bed. He changed the compress, pressed a small kiss on his head, and had the most peaceful sleep he'd had since entering high school.
Jaejoong woke up in mid-morning. Little Sunshine was gone. Jaejoong frowned. When he went to the bathroom to shower, he realised that his dirty clothes were gone. Jaejoong dashed back outside and looked for his bag. It couldn't be....
Jaejoong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his bag still in its original place. He checked the content, the content was intact and nothing was missing from his wallet. But where were his clothes? If Yoochun did steal his clothes... Why his clothes instead of his wallet?
Just as he was still asking questions in his head, he heard his front door being opened. It was Yoochun.
Jaejoong looked at Yoochun's little mouth shaped into a cute "o" and looked down on himself, suddenly realising that he was wearing nothing but a pair of briefs. But at the moment Jaejoong couldn't care less.
"Did you steal my clothes?!" he bellowed.
Little Yoochun looked at him with wide eyes, shaking his head violently. Then, when Jaejoong's sharp gaze didn't soften, he raised his small hand and pointed out to the opposite wall, to the balcony that Jaejoong had forgotten he had. There, he found his clothes being hung at the back of the chairs from the kitchen, which he didn't realise were missing. Apparently Little Yoochun had taken the liberty to wash his dirty clothes, but wasn't tall enough to reach the hanging poles near the ceiling to hang them properly.
Jaejoong apologised profusely, and Little Yoochun just smiled at him and nodded. Jaejoong patted his head, basking in that precious smile for as long as he could. Then, remembering his state of undress, Jaejoong dashed back into the bathroom, ordering Yoochun to stay put til he finished showering, and then went to take the kid out for breakfast.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Jaejoong wanted to know everything about the Little Sunshine. Little Yoochun had jobs in the day, but sometimes he would come to Jaejoong's place at night and stayed over. They would talk and talk until one of them fell asleep, more often than not Jaejoong would be left awake, watching serenely sleeping Little Yoochun's angelic face, before succumbing to sleep. Other than the first night, when Jaejoong had already promised him 4 people's umbrella-renting fee, Little Yoochun refused to accept more than a single rental fee for the following nights. Jaejoong gave in, but made Yoochun promised that he would use the umbrella when he was waiting for Jaejoong in the bus stop.
Little Yoochun was 9 years old. He and his parents used to stay in the capital, which explained why he could speak standard language instead of just dialect, but several years ago they left him here because they had to go somewhere else to work and couldn't bring him along. Here Little Yoochun lived with his aunt who sold vegetables in the market. In the morning, Yoochun helped her out until the vegetables were all sold out, then he would go to the local primary school and work at the canteen there, washing dishes and vegetables and cleaning up the tables.
Sometimes, he took up other jobs as well, when they were available. Not many people wanted to hire such a little boy even if it was for casual labour, but those who were familiar with him knew that he was a good worker despite his size and strength. His pay was meagre, but most of his bosses always took care of him. The canteen owner in school gave him lunch every day and the janitor would sometimes give him bits of stationery that he scavenged from the trash bin.
Why was Little Yoochun working so hard?
"I want to go to school. I'm saving up so that next year I can go to school," Yoochun said, the mere mention of schooling alone sent twinkles into his eyes, making it shone even brighter.
Jaejoong was taken aback. His mind flew back home to a conversation with his parents; they wanted him to go to university, but he got angry, telling them that he wouldn’t even pass his high school final exam. And anyway he would choose his own path in life and that they should stop trying to make him study forever, and that he wasn't a kid anymore so let him make his own decision for goodness sake.
"Auntie couldn't afford to send me to school," Yoochun explained further. "She said that if she could spare extra money, then maybe next year she could put me into school. But she has her own kids, so..."
"What do you do with the money you earned?"
Little Yoochun's face lit up and he started talking about his "Moo-moo The Cow", the piggy bank that he had at home, how it was a present from his Aunt, how diligently he had been saving, and how it was much heavier than his cousins' piggy banks even though his was made of plastic and theirs were clay. Jaejoong giggled and ruffled his hair, complimenting his good habit.
Yoochun told him that he would bring Moo-moo to show Jaejoong, but Jaejoong put him down gently, telling him that it might not be a good idea to carry such precious item around. Yoochun listened attentively like a good little boy he was, but there was a little pout on his face that made Jaejoong bit his inner lips in order not to "aww" out.
"You could show me the drawings though," he suggested. And Little Yoochun's smile returned.
Jaejoong was now interested in Little Yoochun's day job. One day, he decided to go to the market to buy some groceries; he'd been planning to start cooking instead of eating out to save daily expenses, and it was a good opportunity to look for Yoochun’s aunt's stall. His eyes roved up and down the stalls in the market, not only searching for vegetables but also for his Little Sunshine.
Little Yoochun was surprised when he saw Jaejoong, his whole face lit up, showing that big bright smile of his that Jaejoong loved so much. His aunt was no less happy. Jaejoong noted that she was selling her veggies at a slightly higher price than her neighbours, but Jaejoong didn't mind. He bought a lot from her, and gave Yoochun a generous tip. Yoochun was ecstatic.
Jaejoong suddenly thought of something. He asked Yoochun to find several items not available at his Aunt's stall and Yoochun happily took off to search for them. Jaejoong, then, used the opportunity to find out a little bit more about Yoochun's life story.
The Aunt was the sister of Yoochun’s mom, and apparently Yoochun's parents simply took off one day without telling anyone anything other than a letter telling her to put Yoochun in an orphanage. She felt sorry for Little Yoochun, so she took him in, telling him that his parents were going to come back soon. In reality, they never contacted her or anything, and after she had her own kids, life expenses just got heavier and heavier. That’s the reason why Little Yoochun wasn't in school yet.
Jaejoong managed to find the school that Yoochun was working at and sneaked in without telling him. Jaejoong watched as Little Yoochun washed the dishes by the water pipe near the kitchen, sorted out vegetables and plucked out their roots before washing them clean and giving it to the chef, brought dirty dishes to the kitchen and wiped the table clean. All those were done with a contented expression on his face.
Ah, but now that smile was gone. What happened? Jaejoong tuned out of his focus on Little Yoochun's smile and absorbed the surrounding.
There were several little boys sitting on the table beside the one Yoochun was cleaning, laughing and apparently saying something. Jaejoong strained his ears and caught them saying bad thing about Yoochun and mocking him for working like a maid in the canteen.
"I'm going to school next year," he heard Little Yoochun said defiantly. He was answered by a chorus of laughter.
"You're just a cleaner and dish-washer, why do you need to go to school?"
"You don't even have money to buy shoes; do you think the school will pay your school fee for you?"
"You're so old already and you haven’t' even started schooling, are you stupid or what?"
Jaejoong felt his ears grew hot, but, to his utter amazement, Little Yoochun didn't pay attention to them anymore. He was upset, as was seen by the expression on his face, but he continued doing his work and didn't lash out at them. Jaejoong marvelled at his self-discipline. It seemed that Little Yoochun was much stronger than his look. He was still so small, but he had the courage and mental strength that even Jaejoong himself was lacking. Suddenly Jaejoong felt slightly ashamed of himself.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Several nights later, Little Yoochun was very quiet. Jaejoong sensed something was really wrong, but Yoochun just refused to answer. His shoulder was tense, and something in his posture told Jaejoong that something bad had happened. He wouldn't even look up at Jaejoong, much less showing that sweet smile of his. Did he get bullied at school again?
When they've reached his place, Jaejoong asked if he was feeling sick and if he wanted to spend the night; Jaejoong said that he wouldn't allow him to go back under the rain if he was sick, even if he needed the money to go to school.
At the mention of money, Little Yoochun suddenly started sobbing. Jaejoong held his temple; no fever, where was he hurting?
"Yoochun? What's wrong, sweetie? Are you sick?"
Jaejoong pulled him close and let the little boy cry on his shoulder, his skinny arms wound around Jaejoong's neck as his wail got louder and louder, breaking down completely in Jaejoong’s arms. Jaejoong picked him up and carried him to his house so that his cries wouldn't disturb the others.
He sat on the bed, rocking Little Yoochun in his lap who was still crying his heart out, shaking violently with every shuddering gasp. Jaejoong’s heart clenched listening to his sobs, but he really didn't know what caused this sudden outburst.
"Ssshhh, baby, it's okay, it's okay. Everything's gonna be fine, sweetums. Tell hyung what's wrong, okay? Don't cry, Little Sunshine, come on, don't cry," Jaejoong kept whispering soft soothing words while rubbing Little Yoochun's back and dropping little kisses on his head, waiting patiently for his wails to subside. "What's wrong, precious? Come on, tell hyung what's wrong."
Little Yoochun gasped for air and, in broken breathing rhythm, painstakingly told Jaejoong about his Moo-moo The Cow, "W-whe-n I ca-ame home, i-it w-was... g-g-go-on-e-e... from m-my be-eds-side... A-a-and, I f-f-ound... i-it... i..in the r-rub...rub-bish bi-..in-... Sh-..she’s a-all b-bro-..broken and a-a-all e-em... pty..."
Dear goodness, someone stole Little Yoochun's precious savings.
"I-i d-don't kno-ow who d-did it b-..but... Moo-...Moo-moo.... she h-as a..all m-my savi..ngs a-..and..." Little Yoochun was gulping desperately for air as his sobs escalated again.
"Oh, sweetheart..." Jaejoong tightened his hold on the boy, burying him deeper in his chest, frowning. He felt every tremor that wrecked through Yoochun's little body as he told his heartbreaking story and Jaejoong's heart cracked a little with every sob that escaped his lungs. "It's okay, honey, it's okay. We'll figure things out, okay? Hyung promise you we'll figure this out. Don't cry, little darling...."
Minutes, hours later, Little Yoochun's sobs were finally reduced to shuddering hiccups and still Jaejoong held him, caressing his soft hair, wanting so much to heal his Little Sunshine's broken little heart but didn't know how to.
When Little Yoochun's breathing really evened out, Jaejoong saw that his eyes were closed; he was asleep, evidently exhausted by all those crying. Jaejoong tucked him into bed carefully, wiping the remnants of tears from his cheek. He was outraged. Stealing from a little boy who was saving to go to school?! What nonsense was that? Jaejoong got up to leave, but Little Yoochun woke up, startled, and started tearing again.
"Don't go, hyung," he pleaded, his little hand gripping Jaejoong's finger desperately.
"Of course not, sweetheart," Jaejoong kissed his forehead and settled back into bed.
That night, Jaejoong slept with Little Yoochun cradled on his chest. His big arms wound protectively around Yoochun's small frame and Yoochun's head tucked under his chin; his little hands clutched the fabric of Jaejoong's pyjamas, refusing to let go.
That was the most peaceful sleep Jaejoong had ever had since forever.
The next morning Little Yoochun was still asleep when Jaejoong woke up. Normally by this time he would already be at the market, helping his aunt. Jaejoong wondered if he simply overslept or did yesterday's event had something to do with this anomaly. For the time being, though, Jaejoong just enjoyed watching his Little Sunshine sleep, memorising the way his long lashes swept the top of his chubby little cheek and how his lips formed a cute little pout in his sleep.
Little Yoochun woke up when Jaejoong was preparing sandwiches for breakfast.
"Hey, my Little Sunshine, how're you feeling?" Jaejoong swooped Yoochun into his arms, carrying him over to the small dining table. Yoochun let out a small giggle and Jaejoong bet that there wouldn't be any rain today.
"Hyung?"
"Mmm?"
"C-can... can I stay with you today?"
"... You want to stay with me?"
"Yes... Only if you don't mind..." Little Yoochun was always tactful.
"Of course I don't. You can show me around, be my tour guide and bring me to your favourite places," Jaejoong smiled, glad to see the smile returning to his Little Sunshine.
They spent the whole day out in the sun. Jaejoong had explored the town's famous beach, but Little Yoochun brought him to more secluded points whereby the view was magnificent. They wasted the day finding sea shells, observing beach creatures and searching for stranded sea animals, taking pictures of the blue sky and green ocean, playing in the water and splayed their bodies on the sand trying to dry their clothes.
"Why do you want to go to school so bad? Didn't the kids in school treat you badly?"
Yoochun looked at him, and Jaejoong just realised that he wasn't supposed to know that. "Sorry, I happened to pass by the school one day and saw what happened."
Yoochun nodded, not pressing in for more details, nor was he looking angry.
"No matter what they say, I still want to go to school," Yoochun said, looking down at their feet being buried under the sand. He wriggled his toe and it poked out of the sand. "My parents left me behind to go somewhere, but I never knew the reason why they didn’t want to bring me along. Perhaps if I go to school and be a good student, they would want me back and come and take me with them."
"And even if they won't," Yoochun continued after some time, "I want to go to school to prove to the others that whatever they can do, I can do it, too, even if I don't have as much money as them."
Jaejoong looked up at the blue sky, suddenly feeling much less an adult than the little kid lying beside him.
Little Yoochun was small in size, but he was bigger than Jaejoong on the inside. Despite the kind of life he'd been leading, Little Yoochun was always cheerful and polite to others, and his determination to take on the world despite his unfortunate circumstances had put Jaejoong to shame.
Jaejoong had everything back home: a good family, loving parents and caring sisters. He never had any monetarily problems and his needs were always fulfilled. And what was he doing there in the little fishing town? Escaping the society because he wasn't strong enough to stand up for himself and to persevere on. What kind of a stupid excuse was that?
And, really, he was there because of his parents’ money. Even when he was trying to escape he couldn’t be totally independent, because he wasn’t trained to be one since the beginning. And he was still conforming to his previous way of life, full of leisure and fun, exploring the town with nothing but his camera in his hand, pocket filled with money his parents had bestowed. He didn’t even think of finding job when he arrived. And he said that he was escaping. Ha! Really, Kim Jaejoong, what are you doing?!
"What are you going to do now?" Jaejoong asked, tracing the path of the flying seagull with his eyes.
Little Yoochun was silent for some time. When he spoke, his voice quivered slightly, but his tone was determined.
"Start saving again. There's still the year after. It's not like the school is going to close down soon. I'll work harder, and maybe they will let me start schooling in the second semester. I can catch up, I believe that I will be able to catch up."
- - - - - - - - - - - -
A couple of days after that, Jaejoong told Yoochun that he was going home. The little boy was shocked; tears started brimming in his wide eyes. Jaejoong ruffled his hair and pulled him in his arms.
"I have to continue my life, the one that I had abandoned when I came here," he said, thumbing away the tears that rolled down Yoochun's cheek. "I had intended to run away from the world and stay here forever, escaping the shadow of my sisters and my own inferiority complex and trying to swim over the darkness and dullness of my useless existence."
"But you're not useless! You.. I- I don't have anyone else, hyung, you're the only one who cares about me," his little voice breaking. Jaejoong hated the sound of his Little Sunshine crying, and he hated the fact that it was him who's causing it.
"Oh, little darling, you're strong, you're much stronger than I am," Jaejoong cradled the boy onto his lap, feeling his little fist clutching at the back of his shirt tightly. "When I left, I didn't count on meeting a little sunshine here. The Little Sunshine showed me how to be courageous and be strong, how to live life like a man," Jaejoong smiled, touching his forehead to Yoochun's. "Thank you, my Little Sunshine."
No matter what Jaejoong said, Yoochun remained subdued and sorrowful, only opening his mouth to beg Jaejoong not to go, and it broke Jaejoong's heart every time he did. But Jaejoong had made up his mind. There was something that he needed to do and he couldn't do it if he remained there.
"Before I go, though, I have a present for you," Jaejoong said brightly, trying to make the little boy smile.
"I don't want present," Little Yoochun whined softly, words laced with tears. "I just want you to stay here."
Yoochun stayed with Jaejoong on the last night, cuddled together under the blanket and talked well into the night like usual. Jaejoong knew the little boy was holding back his tears, but as he held the little boy in his arms, he felt his slight tremble and felt the front of his pyjamas dampened with tears. That night, still embraced in Jaejoong's strong arms, Little Yoochun cried himself to sleep again.
In the morning, Jaejoong made Little Yoochun bring him to the bank.
"What are we doing?"
"We are going to create a bank account for you," Jaejoong explained. Jaejoong watched his face lit up as if the sun had risen back onto Yoochun's face.
Jaejoong acted as a guardian for Little Yoochun and helped him open a savings account in which he could save his little wages without having to fear anyone stealing them again. Yoochun was overwhelmed by the whole process, his eyes opened wide and his jaws slightly agape. Jaejoong giggled seeing his adorable expression.
"Now, listen here, Sunshine. This account belongs to you and me, nobody else is allowed to withdraw anything from your saving. I'm not going to touch it, so only you have the right to withdraw the money from it. But, some people might try to persuade you to give them some money; don't give in to them unless it's very important, you hear me? I trust you to use your best judgement when dealing with this matter, but think very carefully before deciding, promise me? This will be the place where you will keep your wages and it will pay for your school fees, and it’s very important. You have to guard it with extra care, understand?
"Now, I've already bought my tickets to go home, but there is still some money left. So, I'm going to put it here as an emergency money, okay? If you're sick, or if you need money to buy school stuff, use it, alright, sweetums?"
Little Yoochun could only nod his head, and he nodded a lot, a lot of times.
Jaejoong still had something else for Yoochun: a small safety box. He had searched all over the town to look for it and it wasn't cheap, but he knew that it was essential. The safety box had a number-lock and nobody would be able to open it unless they knew the number. Yoochun was to put his savings book in that box and to keep it in a safe place. In the event that the safety box went missing, he was to report it to the bank immediately and to get a new book, thus rendering the old book unusable. And when that happened, Yoochun was to promptly buy a new safety box using the emergency money.
"Did you get all that, sweetie? It's very important to keep this account book save, and it's worth it to use the emergency money to buy a new saving box, understand?"
Yoochun nodded vigorously, his expression serious. Jaejoong knew how broken-hearted Yoochun was when his Moo-moo The Cow was torn open and his valuable hard-earned money stolen. This time, provided with all the right tools, he was sure Yoochun would be able to defend his money well.
"I'm gonna miss you, little guy," Jaejoong said, his forehead pressed against Yoochun's, who was sniffing and trying hard not to cry.
They were at the bus station and Jaejoong's bus was scheduled to leave soon.
"C-can I w...write to you, h-hyung?"
"I don't want to distract you from your studies, love."
"It won't, I promise you I will study hard, hyung, I promise," Yoochun pleaded.
He was so close to crying again and Jaejoong really couldn't stand seeing Yoochun looking and sounding like a sad, kicked little puppy. He gave his address to Yoochun on a scrap piece of paper.
"Be a good boy and study hard," Jaejoong whispered, his own breath hitching. "And thank you for bringing light to my life, my Little Sunshine." Jaejoong pressed his lips onto his forehead.
"Thank you for being an angel to my life, hyung," Little Yoochun returned the kiss, planting it sweetly onto Jaejoong’s cheek, startling the latter. His little arms clung tight around Jaejoong's shoulder. "I won't disappoint you."
Jaejoong looked outside the window and watched the houses getting more scattered and there were more trees and greenery. The bus was going to bring him back to his home, the place that he initially had been running away from. This time, though, he wasn't going to hide and avoid anything anymore. He would go back to school when vacation time was over, endure one more year of high school, catch up with his past poor performances by studying really, really, really hard for his final exam and go to university.
He would choose carefully which university to go to and which major he was going to take, and he would study and work at the same time. He had some savings, but with what he was planning to do to it, it would most probably be gone after one year, and thus he needed to work. It would be much harder to study and to work at the same time, but he needed to do this. And he would do it without caring about what other people, or even his family, might think. For once in his life time, he had a sense of purpose and he was determined to succeed in doing it.
Clutched in his hand was a piece of paper on which a series of bank account number was written. It was Little Yoochun's.
A boy had been dreaming about going to school.
He was going to make this little boy's dream come true. That was his new purpose in life.
- End -
>>> sequel: part 1: The Angel's Pathway
Author: ekkusuchan
Genre: fluff, and maybe angsty-fluff?
Length: one-shot
Word count: 6,011
Pairing: SoulMate aka JaeChun.
Rating: G
Disclaimer: not mine in real life, *sad*
A/N: inspired by the little umbrella-renter kids that i've seen when i was young, crowding about restaurants and hotels during heavy downpour, waiting for people to rent their umbrellas for a fee.
A/N: I kinda rushed to finish this before the weekend. checks, comments and concrits are welcome =)
Summary: It took Jaejoong a meeting with a Little Sunshine by the roadside to show him how to live life like a man.
Sunshine At The Crossroad
So this was it. This was where he was going to live from now on, away from the ugliness of the world and the evil grip of modern day society with their easily shaken morality standard and foul way of living. He was only 17, but he was already sick of the world. He was going to escape it all. And this is where he chose to reside.
The humble town was small and difficult to reach. Located at the edge of a minute peninsula, it fitted his imagination of a perfect fisherman village, and he loved the rustic little town. Not entirely untouched by civilisation, but still safe from the evil grip of capitalistic monarchy. This was it. This was going to be his haven, his nirvana, his...
"Rrriiiiiiiiiiingggg!!!"
And the first thing he had to do was to get rid of this object called telephone away from nirvana.
"Hello?"
"Good afternoon. I'm the landlord. I'm just calling to see if everything's alright and if there's anything you need," a man said pleasantly from the other end of the line.
"Good afternoon, Sir. Your place is very nice! Everything is perfect," he replied warmly. The place was small, but fully furnished with humble essential items stocked, up to washing powder and pails in the bathroom and basic cooking materials in the kitchen.
"Ah, that's good to hear. Well, there's a book underneath the telephone that has all the important phone numbers in town, as well as my number. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything, err, *sound of papers being shuffled* Jaejoong-sshi."
"I will. Thank you, Sir," Jaejoong smiled into the phone, and immediately dropped it when the line went dead.
That was one of the reasons why he was there in town. Actually, who was he kidding, that was the reason he wanted to escape the society. All those grand reasons of the world getting evil and foul, those were just lame excuses. In truth, he was tired of putting up a front for everyone, pretending to be nice and polite to strangers, and even sickly sweeter to non-strangers.
But that, again, was just another excuse. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Jaejoong knew the real reason why he was trying to escape the clutch of the world was because he just wasn't good enough for it.
He was the only boy from a family of 9 children, and his parents always loved to talk to other parents about him. But that was the problem: he didn't have anything worth to be told to others for. He was put in one of the best school just because his parents wanted him to be there, but he was only a mediocre student at his best. Unlike his sisters who each had something they excel at, Jaejoong had nothing, zilch. But still the topic of conversation that his mom always brought up was about him, not his sisters. Worse still, his sisters never said anything about it, obediently agreeing with their parents' belief that "Jaejoong was the best".
Initially it was just irritation and embarrassment, watching his folks telling others about the school that he was in, the club that he entered, the projects that he did, and Jaejoong had to look away when the other party slightly rose their eyebrows, so, what's the big deal about that, while politely kept their mouth shut. Then, when the embarrassment piled up too high, came the wrath. He knew those people were mocking him behind his back, could feel it in their eyes when they talked to him, here it is, the special son Kim Jaejoong, what can he do, seriously?
Jaejoong had enough. He barely made it to 3rd year of high school, but he had lost all motivation to continue studying, to finish high school. What's the purpose? He wasn't good enough at it. Even if he continued to senior year at high school, he would just barely pass the final exam and he wouldn’t be able to get to university either. It was just a waste of time.
He wanted to be a hermit, alone in the mountain, away from civilisation, from people, so that he could be his true self without caring what others think of him. But, of course, it wasn't easy finding an uninhabited island, what more an uninhabited mountain. So, he settled for this town. And besides, he preferred the idea of staring into the vast empty ocean and getting lost in its rolling waves and blue sky instead of being stuck in a high altitude plane surrounded by rock and vegetation.
His stomach grumbled.
Well, hermit or no hermit, he wasn't going to give up the pleasurable activity that was eating. He set out of the small studio apartment in search of food suited for an escapist's picky palate.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
He found out that the disadvantages of being a secluded, small town meant that there was less sophisticated transportation system. The town had a bus system, but the nearest bus stop was a 15 minutes’ walk from his place. And there wasn’t any shelter. Jaejoong looked out of the bus window, watching the heavily pouring rain with distaste. He would have to make a run for it and he was going to be soaked to his socks.
The bus stopped. Several people got down and most of them immediately opened up their umbrellas. Jaejoong jumped down from the bus and started running.
To his utter bewilderment, several kids followed him, each kid holding an umbrella and everyone was yelling, and in the thundering rain and overlapping yells of local dialects, he picked up some words that he understood "Sir? Rent umbrella, Sir? Sir, would you like to rent umbrella? Sir?"
He squinted his eyes, eyes flashing about trying to pick out the kid who was speaking a language he understood. It was difficult because everyone got even more eager when he looked around, each thrusting an umbrella into his hand. He finally picked out the voice owner, reached over and grabbed the umbrella being offered.
It happened so fast, the moment he held an umbrella in his hand, everyone else retreated. Jaejoong blinked as he walked backwards, eyes still trailing on the group of little kids who were making their way back to the bus stop, the thundering rain sounded even louder now that there wasn't any yelling to drown out its voice.
Jaejoong's attention finally reached the young boy whose umbrella he had rented.
The boy was probably around 7-8 years old, shabbily dressed in loose t-shirt and shorts and a pair of cheap and worn out sandals. He was drenched from head to toe, his black wavy hair plastered onto his head, but he had a pair of bright beautiful eyes, round cheek and a cheerful happy smile that bloomed into sunshine. Warm, Jaejoong thought, surprised at himself when he realised it. When they reached his home, Jaejoong paid for his service, which was surprisingly cheap, and returned the umbrella. The boy bowed low, flashed Jaejoong his beautiful smile once more and uttered a very sincere "thank you very much, Sir" that spread warmth into Jaejoong's heart, and went off into the darkness
That night, Jaejoong dreamt of stifling classrooms, suffocating exams, and jeers of people and the wall mocked at him and the grass leering at his wake. Then suddenly the dream changed into dark sky and pouring rain, and of warm smile framed by sweet round cheek and bright innocent eyes.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Jaejoong met Little Sunshine almost every night when he came back from his trip around the town. Jaejoong thought that the world should stop debating about global warming issues for a while and go build a gigantic fan of monstrous size to blow the rain cloud, ever present above this little town, off to those area desperately in need of water instead. It was like the heaven was crying nonstop over here!
It was raining 4 days out of 5, but Jaejoong still hadn't bought himself an umbrella. Every night, he would rent the Little Sunshine's umbrella just so that he would be able to see that beautiful smile again before his sleep, and every night he slept a little better with slightly brighter dream.
One night, Jaejoong actually had to fish Little Sunshine out of the pack. Luckily, everyone else had already knew Jaejoong by now and knew that he always used Little Sunshine's umbrella, so Jaejoong could find the little boy easily even though he was standing outside the pack and looking slightly sick.
"Are you sick?"
Little Sunshine grinned at him and shook his head, and sniffed. Jaejoong giggled.
Jaejoong gestured at him to come and share the umbrella with him, but the little boy shook his head. And he sniffed again. His smile didn't look as bright as yesterday and his eyes were tired, but his spirit was as high as ever. Jaejoong grabbed his skinny wrist and pulled him under the umbrella.
"You have a fever," Jaejoong said, noting the warm wrist in his palm.
Little Sunshine smiled and shook his head, sending water droplets everywhere, but didn't try to get out under the rain anymore.
When they've reached his place, Jaejoong didn't immediately return the umbrella. Instead, he squatted down and touched the boy's temple. Feverish, just as expected.
"How many people do you usually get every night like this?"
"1, or 2. Once I managed to get 4, their houses nearby. Sometimes nobody wanted to rent umbrella" he said.
"I'll make you a deal. I'll pay you 4 people's fee, but you have to come to my place and don't leave til your fever has gone down. How's that?"
Little Sunshine looked unsure, and Jaejoong felt a strange feeling stirring in his chest. Dear god, he was not developing paedophilia, was he? After a moment of hesitation, Little Sunshine nodded, and Jaejoong kicked his mental self in the ass and told his brain that, no, he was not. This boy just brought his parental instinct out to the surface, that's all. Period.
Jaejoong, of course, didn't own any kid's clothes. So, after drying him up, he made Little Sunshine wore one of his smallest T-shirt, which he wore like a dress and it made Jaejoong smile. Jaejoong gave him his antipyretic medicine, half the dosage of what he usually took, and let him sleep on his bed. He placed a cool compress on Little Sunshine's forehead and tucked the blanket under his chin.
"What's your name, Little Sunshine?"
Little Sunshine giggled. Jaejoong recorded the sound and sight in his head and stored it in the "precious" shelf in his memory.
"Yoochun," Little Sunshine answered.
When Jaejoong finished bathing, Yoochun was sound asleep. He didn't even stir when Jaejoong slipped in beside him on the bed. He changed the compress, pressed a small kiss on his head, and had the most peaceful sleep he'd had since entering high school.
Jaejoong woke up in mid-morning. Little Sunshine was gone. Jaejoong frowned. When he went to the bathroom to shower, he realised that his dirty clothes were gone. Jaejoong dashed back outside and looked for his bag. It couldn't be....
Jaejoong breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his bag still in its original place. He checked the content, the content was intact and nothing was missing from his wallet. But where were his clothes? If Yoochun did steal his clothes... Why his clothes instead of his wallet?
Just as he was still asking questions in his head, he heard his front door being opened. It was Yoochun.
Jaejoong looked at Yoochun's little mouth shaped into a cute "o" and looked down on himself, suddenly realising that he was wearing nothing but a pair of briefs. But at the moment Jaejoong couldn't care less.
"Did you steal my clothes?!" he bellowed.
Little Yoochun looked at him with wide eyes, shaking his head violently. Then, when Jaejoong's sharp gaze didn't soften, he raised his small hand and pointed out to the opposite wall, to the balcony that Jaejoong had forgotten he had. There, he found his clothes being hung at the back of the chairs from the kitchen, which he didn't realise were missing. Apparently Little Yoochun had taken the liberty to wash his dirty clothes, but wasn't tall enough to reach the hanging poles near the ceiling to hang them properly.
Jaejoong apologised profusely, and Little Yoochun just smiled at him and nodded. Jaejoong patted his head, basking in that precious smile for as long as he could. Then, remembering his state of undress, Jaejoong dashed back into the bathroom, ordering Yoochun to stay put til he finished showering, and then went to take the kid out for breakfast.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Jaejoong wanted to know everything about the Little Sunshine. Little Yoochun had jobs in the day, but sometimes he would come to Jaejoong's place at night and stayed over. They would talk and talk until one of them fell asleep, more often than not Jaejoong would be left awake, watching serenely sleeping Little Yoochun's angelic face, before succumbing to sleep. Other than the first night, when Jaejoong had already promised him 4 people's umbrella-renting fee, Little Yoochun refused to accept more than a single rental fee for the following nights. Jaejoong gave in, but made Yoochun promised that he would use the umbrella when he was waiting for Jaejoong in the bus stop.
Little Yoochun was 9 years old. He and his parents used to stay in the capital, which explained why he could speak standard language instead of just dialect, but several years ago they left him here because they had to go somewhere else to work and couldn't bring him along. Here Little Yoochun lived with his aunt who sold vegetables in the market. In the morning, Yoochun helped her out until the vegetables were all sold out, then he would go to the local primary school and work at the canteen there, washing dishes and vegetables and cleaning up the tables.
Sometimes, he took up other jobs as well, when they were available. Not many people wanted to hire such a little boy even if it was for casual labour, but those who were familiar with him knew that he was a good worker despite his size and strength. His pay was meagre, but most of his bosses always took care of him. The canteen owner in school gave him lunch every day and the janitor would sometimes give him bits of stationery that he scavenged from the trash bin.
Why was Little Yoochun working so hard?
"I want to go to school. I'm saving up so that next year I can go to school," Yoochun said, the mere mention of schooling alone sent twinkles into his eyes, making it shone even brighter.
Jaejoong was taken aback. His mind flew back home to a conversation with his parents; they wanted him to go to university, but he got angry, telling them that he wouldn’t even pass his high school final exam. And anyway he would choose his own path in life and that they should stop trying to make him study forever, and that he wasn't a kid anymore so let him make his own decision for goodness sake.
"Auntie couldn't afford to send me to school," Yoochun explained further. "She said that if she could spare extra money, then maybe next year she could put me into school. But she has her own kids, so..."
"What do you do with the money you earned?"
Little Yoochun's face lit up and he started talking about his "Moo-moo The Cow", the piggy bank that he had at home, how it was a present from his Aunt, how diligently he had been saving, and how it was much heavier than his cousins' piggy banks even though his was made of plastic and theirs were clay. Jaejoong giggled and ruffled his hair, complimenting his good habit.
Yoochun told him that he would bring Moo-moo to show Jaejoong, but Jaejoong put him down gently, telling him that it might not be a good idea to carry such precious item around. Yoochun listened attentively like a good little boy he was, but there was a little pout on his face that made Jaejoong bit his inner lips in order not to "aww" out.
"You could show me the drawings though," he suggested. And Little Yoochun's smile returned.
Jaejoong was now interested in Little Yoochun's day job. One day, he decided to go to the market to buy some groceries; he'd been planning to start cooking instead of eating out to save daily expenses, and it was a good opportunity to look for Yoochun’s aunt's stall. His eyes roved up and down the stalls in the market, not only searching for vegetables but also for his Little Sunshine.
Little Yoochun was surprised when he saw Jaejoong, his whole face lit up, showing that big bright smile of his that Jaejoong loved so much. His aunt was no less happy. Jaejoong noted that she was selling her veggies at a slightly higher price than her neighbours, but Jaejoong didn't mind. He bought a lot from her, and gave Yoochun a generous tip. Yoochun was ecstatic.
Jaejoong suddenly thought of something. He asked Yoochun to find several items not available at his Aunt's stall and Yoochun happily took off to search for them. Jaejoong, then, used the opportunity to find out a little bit more about Yoochun's life story.
The Aunt was the sister of Yoochun’s mom, and apparently Yoochun's parents simply took off one day without telling anyone anything other than a letter telling her to put Yoochun in an orphanage. She felt sorry for Little Yoochun, so she took him in, telling him that his parents were going to come back soon. In reality, they never contacted her or anything, and after she had her own kids, life expenses just got heavier and heavier. That’s the reason why Little Yoochun wasn't in school yet.
Jaejoong managed to find the school that Yoochun was working at and sneaked in without telling him. Jaejoong watched as Little Yoochun washed the dishes by the water pipe near the kitchen, sorted out vegetables and plucked out their roots before washing them clean and giving it to the chef, brought dirty dishes to the kitchen and wiped the table clean. All those were done with a contented expression on his face.
Ah, but now that smile was gone. What happened? Jaejoong tuned out of his focus on Little Yoochun's smile and absorbed the surrounding.
There were several little boys sitting on the table beside the one Yoochun was cleaning, laughing and apparently saying something. Jaejoong strained his ears and caught them saying bad thing about Yoochun and mocking him for working like a maid in the canteen.
"I'm going to school next year," he heard Little Yoochun said defiantly. He was answered by a chorus of laughter.
"You're just a cleaner and dish-washer, why do you need to go to school?"
"You don't even have money to buy shoes; do you think the school will pay your school fee for you?"
"You're so old already and you haven’t' even started schooling, are you stupid or what?"
Jaejoong felt his ears grew hot, but, to his utter amazement, Little Yoochun didn't pay attention to them anymore. He was upset, as was seen by the expression on his face, but he continued doing his work and didn't lash out at them. Jaejoong marvelled at his self-discipline. It seemed that Little Yoochun was much stronger than his look. He was still so small, but he had the courage and mental strength that even Jaejoong himself was lacking. Suddenly Jaejoong felt slightly ashamed of himself.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Several nights later, Little Yoochun was very quiet. Jaejoong sensed something was really wrong, but Yoochun just refused to answer. His shoulder was tense, and something in his posture told Jaejoong that something bad had happened. He wouldn't even look up at Jaejoong, much less showing that sweet smile of his. Did he get bullied at school again?
When they've reached his place, Jaejoong asked if he was feeling sick and if he wanted to spend the night; Jaejoong said that he wouldn't allow him to go back under the rain if he was sick, even if he needed the money to go to school.
At the mention of money, Little Yoochun suddenly started sobbing. Jaejoong held his temple; no fever, where was he hurting?
"Yoochun? What's wrong, sweetie? Are you sick?"
Jaejoong pulled him close and let the little boy cry on his shoulder, his skinny arms wound around Jaejoong's neck as his wail got louder and louder, breaking down completely in Jaejoong’s arms. Jaejoong picked him up and carried him to his house so that his cries wouldn't disturb the others.
He sat on the bed, rocking Little Yoochun in his lap who was still crying his heart out, shaking violently with every shuddering gasp. Jaejoong’s heart clenched listening to his sobs, but he really didn't know what caused this sudden outburst.
"Ssshhh, baby, it's okay, it's okay. Everything's gonna be fine, sweetums. Tell hyung what's wrong, okay? Don't cry, Little Sunshine, come on, don't cry," Jaejoong kept whispering soft soothing words while rubbing Little Yoochun's back and dropping little kisses on his head, waiting patiently for his wails to subside. "What's wrong, precious? Come on, tell hyung what's wrong."
Little Yoochun gasped for air and, in broken breathing rhythm, painstakingly told Jaejoong about his Moo-moo The Cow, "W-whe-n I ca-ame home, i-it w-was... g-g-go-on-e-e... from m-my be-eds-side... A-a-and, I f-f-ound... i-it... i..in the r-rub...rub-bish bi-..in-... Sh-..she’s a-all b-bro-..broken and a-a-all e-em... pty..."
Dear goodness, someone stole Little Yoochun's precious savings.
"I-i d-don't kno-ow who d-did it b-..but... Moo-...Moo-moo.... she h-as a..all m-my savi..ngs a-..and..." Little Yoochun was gulping desperately for air as his sobs escalated again.
"Oh, sweetheart..." Jaejoong tightened his hold on the boy, burying him deeper in his chest, frowning. He felt every tremor that wrecked through Yoochun's little body as he told his heartbreaking story and Jaejoong's heart cracked a little with every sob that escaped his lungs. "It's okay, honey, it's okay. We'll figure things out, okay? Hyung promise you we'll figure this out. Don't cry, little darling...."
Minutes, hours later, Little Yoochun's sobs were finally reduced to shuddering hiccups and still Jaejoong held him, caressing his soft hair, wanting so much to heal his Little Sunshine's broken little heart but didn't know how to.
When Little Yoochun's breathing really evened out, Jaejoong saw that his eyes were closed; he was asleep, evidently exhausted by all those crying. Jaejoong tucked him into bed carefully, wiping the remnants of tears from his cheek. He was outraged. Stealing from a little boy who was saving to go to school?! What nonsense was that? Jaejoong got up to leave, but Little Yoochun woke up, startled, and started tearing again.
"Don't go, hyung," he pleaded, his little hand gripping Jaejoong's finger desperately.
"Of course not, sweetheart," Jaejoong kissed his forehead and settled back into bed.
That night, Jaejoong slept with Little Yoochun cradled on his chest. His big arms wound protectively around Yoochun's small frame and Yoochun's head tucked under his chin; his little hands clutched the fabric of Jaejoong's pyjamas, refusing to let go.
That was the most peaceful sleep Jaejoong had ever had since forever.
The next morning Little Yoochun was still asleep when Jaejoong woke up. Normally by this time he would already be at the market, helping his aunt. Jaejoong wondered if he simply overslept or did yesterday's event had something to do with this anomaly. For the time being, though, Jaejoong just enjoyed watching his Little Sunshine sleep, memorising the way his long lashes swept the top of his chubby little cheek and how his lips formed a cute little pout in his sleep.
Little Yoochun woke up when Jaejoong was preparing sandwiches for breakfast.
"Hey, my Little Sunshine, how're you feeling?" Jaejoong swooped Yoochun into his arms, carrying him over to the small dining table. Yoochun let out a small giggle and Jaejoong bet that there wouldn't be any rain today.
"Hyung?"
"Mmm?"
"C-can... can I stay with you today?"
"... You want to stay with me?"
"Yes... Only if you don't mind..." Little Yoochun was always tactful.
"Of course I don't. You can show me around, be my tour guide and bring me to your favourite places," Jaejoong smiled, glad to see the smile returning to his Little Sunshine.
They spent the whole day out in the sun. Jaejoong had explored the town's famous beach, but Little Yoochun brought him to more secluded points whereby the view was magnificent. They wasted the day finding sea shells, observing beach creatures and searching for stranded sea animals, taking pictures of the blue sky and green ocean, playing in the water and splayed their bodies on the sand trying to dry their clothes.
"Why do you want to go to school so bad? Didn't the kids in school treat you badly?"
Yoochun looked at him, and Jaejoong just realised that he wasn't supposed to know that. "Sorry, I happened to pass by the school one day and saw what happened."
Yoochun nodded, not pressing in for more details, nor was he looking angry.
"No matter what they say, I still want to go to school," Yoochun said, looking down at their feet being buried under the sand. He wriggled his toe and it poked out of the sand. "My parents left me behind to go somewhere, but I never knew the reason why they didn’t want to bring me along. Perhaps if I go to school and be a good student, they would want me back and come and take me with them."
"And even if they won't," Yoochun continued after some time, "I want to go to school to prove to the others that whatever they can do, I can do it, too, even if I don't have as much money as them."
Jaejoong looked up at the blue sky, suddenly feeling much less an adult than the little kid lying beside him.
Little Yoochun was small in size, but he was bigger than Jaejoong on the inside. Despite the kind of life he'd been leading, Little Yoochun was always cheerful and polite to others, and his determination to take on the world despite his unfortunate circumstances had put Jaejoong to shame.
Jaejoong had everything back home: a good family, loving parents and caring sisters. He never had any monetarily problems and his needs were always fulfilled. And what was he doing there in the little fishing town? Escaping the society because he wasn't strong enough to stand up for himself and to persevere on. What kind of a stupid excuse was that?
And, really, he was there because of his parents’ money. Even when he was trying to escape he couldn’t be totally independent, because he wasn’t trained to be one since the beginning. And he was still conforming to his previous way of life, full of leisure and fun, exploring the town with nothing but his camera in his hand, pocket filled with money his parents had bestowed. He didn’t even think of finding job when he arrived. And he said that he was escaping. Ha! Really, Kim Jaejoong, what are you doing?!
"What are you going to do now?" Jaejoong asked, tracing the path of the flying seagull with his eyes.
Little Yoochun was silent for some time. When he spoke, his voice quivered slightly, but his tone was determined.
"Start saving again. There's still the year after. It's not like the school is going to close down soon. I'll work harder, and maybe they will let me start schooling in the second semester. I can catch up, I believe that I will be able to catch up."
- - - - - - - - - - - -
A couple of days after that, Jaejoong told Yoochun that he was going home. The little boy was shocked; tears started brimming in his wide eyes. Jaejoong ruffled his hair and pulled him in his arms.
"I have to continue my life, the one that I had abandoned when I came here," he said, thumbing away the tears that rolled down Yoochun's cheek. "I had intended to run away from the world and stay here forever, escaping the shadow of my sisters and my own inferiority complex and trying to swim over the darkness and dullness of my useless existence."
"But you're not useless! You.. I- I don't have anyone else, hyung, you're the only one who cares about me," his little voice breaking. Jaejoong hated the sound of his Little Sunshine crying, and he hated the fact that it was him who's causing it.
"Oh, little darling, you're strong, you're much stronger than I am," Jaejoong cradled the boy onto his lap, feeling his little fist clutching at the back of his shirt tightly. "When I left, I didn't count on meeting a little sunshine here. The Little Sunshine showed me how to be courageous and be strong, how to live life like a man," Jaejoong smiled, touching his forehead to Yoochun's. "Thank you, my Little Sunshine."
No matter what Jaejoong said, Yoochun remained subdued and sorrowful, only opening his mouth to beg Jaejoong not to go, and it broke Jaejoong's heart every time he did. But Jaejoong had made up his mind. There was something that he needed to do and he couldn't do it if he remained there.
"Before I go, though, I have a present for you," Jaejoong said brightly, trying to make the little boy smile.
"I don't want present," Little Yoochun whined softly, words laced with tears. "I just want you to stay here."
Yoochun stayed with Jaejoong on the last night, cuddled together under the blanket and talked well into the night like usual. Jaejoong knew the little boy was holding back his tears, but as he held the little boy in his arms, he felt his slight tremble and felt the front of his pyjamas dampened with tears. That night, still embraced in Jaejoong's strong arms, Little Yoochun cried himself to sleep again.
In the morning, Jaejoong made Little Yoochun bring him to the bank.
"What are we doing?"
"We are going to create a bank account for you," Jaejoong explained. Jaejoong watched his face lit up as if the sun had risen back onto Yoochun's face.
Jaejoong acted as a guardian for Little Yoochun and helped him open a savings account in which he could save his little wages without having to fear anyone stealing them again. Yoochun was overwhelmed by the whole process, his eyes opened wide and his jaws slightly agape. Jaejoong giggled seeing his adorable expression.
"Now, listen here, Sunshine. This account belongs to you and me, nobody else is allowed to withdraw anything from your saving. I'm not going to touch it, so only you have the right to withdraw the money from it. But, some people might try to persuade you to give them some money; don't give in to them unless it's very important, you hear me? I trust you to use your best judgement when dealing with this matter, but think very carefully before deciding, promise me? This will be the place where you will keep your wages and it will pay for your school fees, and it’s very important. You have to guard it with extra care, understand?
"Now, I've already bought my tickets to go home, but there is still some money left. So, I'm going to put it here as an emergency money, okay? If you're sick, or if you need money to buy school stuff, use it, alright, sweetums?"
Little Yoochun could only nod his head, and he nodded a lot, a lot of times.
Jaejoong still had something else for Yoochun: a small safety box. He had searched all over the town to look for it and it wasn't cheap, but he knew that it was essential. The safety box had a number-lock and nobody would be able to open it unless they knew the number. Yoochun was to put his savings book in that box and to keep it in a safe place. In the event that the safety box went missing, he was to report it to the bank immediately and to get a new book, thus rendering the old book unusable. And when that happened, Yoochun was to promptly buy a new safety box using the emergency money.
"Did you get all that, sweetie? It's very important to keep this account book save, and it's worth it to use the emergency money to buy a new saving box, understand?"
Yoochun nodded vigorously, his expression serious. Jaejoong knew how broken-hearted Yoochun was when his Moo-moo The Cow was torn open and his valuable hard-earned money stolen. This time, provided with all the right tools, he was sure Yoochun would be able to defend his money well.
"I'm gonna miss you, little guy," Jaejoong said, his forehead pressed against Yoochun's, who was sniffing and trying hard not to cry.
They were at the bus station and Jaejoong's bus was scheduled to leave soon.
"C-can I w...write to you, h-hyung?"
"I don't want to distract you from your studies, love."
"It won't, I promise you I will study hard, hyung, I promise," Yoochun pleaded.
He was so close to crying again and Jaejoong really couldn't stand seeing Yoochun looking and sounding like a sad, kicked little puppy. He gave his address to Yoochun on a scrap piece of paper.
"Be a good boy and study hard," Jaejoong whispered, his own breath hitching. "And thank you for bringing light to my life, my Little Sunshine." Jaejoong pressed his lips onto his forehead.
"Thank you for being an angel to my life, hyung," Little Yoochun returned the kiss, planting it sweetly onto Jaejoong’s cheek, startling the latter. His little arms clung tight around Jaejoong's shoulder. "I won't disappoint you."
Jaejoong looked outside the window and watched the houses getting more scattered and there were more trees and greenery. The bus was going to bring him back to his home, the place that he initially had been running away from. This time, though, he wasn't going to hide and avoid anything anymore. He would go back to school when vacation time was over, endure one more year of high school, catch up with his past poor performances by studying really, really, really hard for his final exam and go to university.
He would choose carefully which university to go to and which major he was going to take, and he would study and work at the same time. He had some savings, but with what he was planning to do to it, it would most probably be gone after one year, and thus he needed to work. It would be much harder to study and to work at the same time, but he needed to do this. And he would do it without caring about what other people, or even his family, might think. For once in his life time, he had a sense of purpose and he was determined to succeed in doing it.
Clutched in his hand was a piece of paper on which a series of bank account number was written. It was Little Yoochun's.
A boy had been dreaming about going to school.
He was going to make this little boy's dream come true. That was his new purpose in life.
- End -
>>> sequel: part 1: The Angel's Pathway