Jennie wasn't sure if this was what she should do. The thought of Tae becoming violent was still in her mind. She didn't need them fighting again, and she wanted to talk to Tae. She had felt horrible, she didn't know that he liked her that much. She'd grown up with him, and her feelings were nothing more than brotherly love. She felt pained to cause him this much trouble and discomfort all this time. All this time that he had come over, helped her through, and even rescued her, he deserved something. That's what made her call his name.
Kai heard her voice call for his name, and alarms were surrounding him. He wanted to protect her, and he was not going to stop. His body instinctively followed close by hers, and thoughts of stopping her crowded his mind. He watched her approach him, his hand ready to pull her away at any moment. He watched her hand touch his shoulder before Tae shrugged it off, trying to continue his walk.
The last thing he expected was to see her. Tae had spent the whole day erasing the thoughts of the two of them together from his mind. It was bad enough that this guy had stepped in and tried to take over everything, even taking her away. Tae always held out hope that when he was the right age, she would notice that he could finally win her over. The day that she moved back to town, he only wanted her to see him. He wanted to be the man that she went to and prevent her from getting hurt. He remembered the night her family was killed, and he remembered not seeing her being brought out. He remembered running to find her, and he wanted to. Now, it was all for nothing.
"Tae," Jennie's soft voice carried as her hand fell from his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
She watched Tae turn his body, the bruise on his cheek making her worried. She reached to touch, and he moved away from her. Tae was not ready to accept her like this, looking at him all pitiful. He looked at Kai, who stood proudly next to Jennie. He had been watching the two of them the moment the bus pulled up. He tried to push the frustrations aside, the look on Jennie's face pulling his heart.
"I'm fine. Leave." He turned, trying to head towards the restaurant. As she reached out to grab his hand, Kai grabbed hers. They stood interlocked, Kai holding Jennie's hand, and she held Tae's. "What?" He raised his voice, prompting her to jump. Kai felt it, his body moving closer to her.
"Tae, I just want to make sure you're okay." Jennie tried to call him, her eyes calling for him. Tae took a deep breath, trying to control himself as he pulled away.
-
Waking up in a hospital is never fun, especially when it's for all the wrong reasons. Jennie would wake up almost every day confused and unaware of the situation surrounding her. She would be told the same story, learning every day that she was the only member of her family to survive. As she lay in her hospital bed, she would be questioned by adults every hour. Never getting an opportunity to rest.
The first week was filled with doctors and officers who poked and prodded with questions and needles—constantly asking her what she remembered and what happened. As she tried recovering, her body shutting down from constant exhaustion while being bothered consistently was hard enough. The only thing that she remembered were those final words that she spoke to her mother, and that played in her mind continuously. The thought of asking her mom to stay or not choosing to hide filled her with fear.
Every day came with new challenges, from being questioned by annoying detectives to eating the hospital food that wasn't as good as her parents. The trauma of reliving and retelling her family's death and how she barely managed to escape was frightening enough. Every day, she was scared they would come and look for her next, thinking that they wanted to eradicate her entire family. She was filled with fear and trembled at the thought of the intruder returning for her.
Stolen novel; please report.
The only other person to see this was Tae. He went with his mother to stay at the hospital, always making sure to take care of her. He made sure she had warm food when she woke up and tried to stay in the room during questioning. He didn't know much, but he knew that there was something wrong with her. He knew that she lost her family, and he didn't want her to be alone anymore. His thoughts were constantly about her being alone.
He had been standing outside her home for a couple of hours, watching the scene be cleared. He watched and waited for them to find her and failed. He knew that he could find her, and he did. He prided himself in being there for her, and she appreciated it. He knew that much, and he wanted to continue it. Even though his father passed in a car accident before he was born, he knew that he couldn't let his mom be alone. He knew how much it hurt for his mom to continue running the restaurant and raise him alone. He watched her every day live with the pain. And now, he couldn't just let Jennie be alone.
When Jennie was finally dismissed from the hospital, Tae made sure that he was there. He wanted to help as much as he could. When she would get angry at everyone for treating her carefully, she thanked him for cheering her own. Encouraging her through the pain and silently listening to her when she needed someone. As she learned to go back to normal, he tried his best to help. When it was time for Jennie to return to school, Tae made sure he walked close to her to keep her from harm.
He watched over her at school, getting into fights. His infatuation for her grew strong, especially when he overheard other guys showing interest in her. It had gotten to a point of concern, and it was too dangerous to keep Jennie and Tae together. His mom grew increasingly concerned for him, reaching out to her aunt. Jennie's mom had one sister who was able to take Jennie in. She lived outside of town, which only made things harder.
Jennie and Tae were now no longer going to the same school, but Jennie had a better opportunity of healing, they thought. Their intentions were to help both move on, and this was the best decision. Jennie's absence had a worse effect on Tae as he began to isolate himself and no longer wished to be near anyone. He slowly pulled away from her, his voice becoming silent as he grew up. It wasn't until Jennie was back that things became different. Tae became happier and looked forward to each day.
When she first stepped foot into their restaurant, she surprised him and his mother. He was just happy to see her doing well. He knew it was a bit much to follow her around like a little kid again, but he wanted to make sure she was always doing well. He would often see her struggling in the mornings, sometimes even forgetting to eat breakfast. That's why he had to make sure she was always okay. He would wake up early, taking food to her home every morning before she went to class. He didn't want to make her nervous, often saying his mother sent him. It was a smile lie with the biggest reward.
He often loved the small smiles she would force when he was there, and he knew she was trying just like his mother. He knew it couldn't be easy, but even waking up was better than nothing. He looked up to her strength; it was admirable. Spending some mornings being able to sneak a few glances was more than satisfying. Even if this were for the rest of his life, he would smile softly to himself as he snuck glances underneath his hair.
The mornings never lasted, but it was enough. He knew he was younger, but he had always held out the hope things would be different. As he got older, he held out hope that he would be by her side often, her smiles and soft glances staying with him. As time passed, he would see Jennie lean to him. The days that were always the hardest were birthdays and anniversaries, watching as she struggled to leave bed.
Always finding a way to help her get through the day, whether it was asking for help in the restaurant or inviting her there for dinner. Emphasizing it was his mother's idea, while the suggestion always originated from him. He held out the hope that they would grow closer, hoping that his taking over the restaurant would help.