"I hope you will continue to support me, even now."
My words weren't fully shallow. Some part of it came from my heart, like, genuinely.
Anyways, the interview finally ended and said my goodbyes to everyone. I could finally take a breather outside of the building and decided to try buying ice cream from the convenience store.
It was out of whim, but I felt the need to soothe myself for some reason. I got the cheapest ice pop there was, which was vanilla flavored, and started heading home.
I told myself, I did well today.
.
The next Sunday came.
I'll give you readers a quick run down on what happened the past week.
Other than my usual routine of practicing, posting videos and helping Grandpa Jung out, here's a few things that happened in my life:
First of all, Kim Dojun went to visit the shop again yesterday, saying he'll miss me or whatever even though we called that night.
I actually made a PINE account with his help, so he forced me to add him first among others. I later spoke with Mahesha and Han Daniel and we added each other on there, creating a group.
Right, Lee Jimin got to work for the first time and succeeded in making it back on her own. I'm not sure if it's something to celebrate, but I gave her a scarf as a little gift.
Winter is approaching soon.
Anyways, I'm currently cleaning up Grandpa Jung's shop after another successful day of money farming. I've been thinking about how to tell him that I couldn't be here in his restaurant for a while, but still couldn't think of anything.
In the end, I thought it was best to surprise him by letting him know from TV.
Before I left the restaurant, I sat down with Grandpa Jung.
"Hey, gramps? I kind of have something to tell you," I said while peeling some boiled peanuts for him. Sometimes we have this snack time when the shop is empty or closed.
"Why, got a girlfriend now?"
"Grandpa, single men shouldn't attack other singles."
Grandpa Jung casually ate the peanuts I peeled for him. I almost hesitated, but I'm already here, anyway.
"Gramps. I'm leaving home for a while, so I can't work here the next few weeks."
Grandpa Jung almost choked on his nuts at that. I mean peanuts.
He slammed the table hard, just enough to make sound as he looked at me with shock.
"Fuck ya mean, yer leavin'!?"
"No, gramps! I meant that I'll be going somewhere away for like, a month or two."
"Why, for what? Didn't ya say you were sum loner? Where'd this buddy come from?"
For a second there, I was confused. I wondered if excusing myself from work for a few weekend's worth was enough to get an old man so riled up.
At least until I realized that Grandpa Jung was scolding me like a father would to his child
Understanding this made me smile slightly. It was nice to see someone truly care about me. In a way, I felt cherished.
"Gramps, I can't tell you yet, but I promise you'll hear about it soon. I'm coming back, I can promise you that much."
Grandpa Jung's eyes narrowed as if he was trying to understand my actions.
"Come on! If you don't believe me, I'll let Lee Jimin use my place while I'm gone—prove I still paid rent."
This time, I was patient to wait for the old man's reaction.
As Grandpa Jung finally moved, he put his hand on my head, patting it slightly. I let his actions be out of surprise.
"Son, you're 27 this year, ain't ya? Yer still young, so go out there and learn what you want from the world," Grandpa Jung said, his hand lowering to pat my back instead.
I nodded silently, focused on his sentiment.
"Just remember, there's always home to return to."
This time, it took a bit longer before I could nod.
Grandpa Jung has become my home.
Before I knew it, it already happened.
And I'm so glad for that.
"Yeah. I know, gramps."
.
After that, Grandpa Jung and I spoke some more about ordinary things that relate to our common interests. We chatted for a while until I finished peeling all the peanuts we had and the sky became dark. I decided it was time to leave and go back to my apartment.
Grandpa Jung stood up with me and walked me just to his restaurant's entrance.
"When did ya say you were leavin'
"Uhm, tomorrow morning, gramps. I'll come again tomorrow before leaving. If you're up for Jimin to stay in my place, I'll hand you the keys, too."
"Oh, I'll think about lots, all right. Go, ya better sleep in for tomorrow."
I nodded and said my goodbye, finally turning to walk to my residence.
I felt like I had learned something new about Grandpa Jung today, and that feeling made it easy to forget about my silly worries for now.
I arrived in my apartment and washed up after the long day at work.
I tidied up the already clean house and finally packed my suitcase for real.
"I'm really doing this now."
I'm not sure how many times I've told myself that, but I'm making sure to remember this well.
Still, I couldn't sleep and ended up opening my phone. As expected, Kim Dojun was also awake.
- @dddojun: Chan! I can't sleep! Its actually happening! Im gonna do this tmrw!!
I smiled at the message. We had already exchanged PINE accounts, but Kim Dojun was already used to using Instapounds to reach me.
Of course, I didn't mind either apps.
That night, I initiated a phone call and Kim Dojun excitedly agreed to it.
I listened to him speak to his heart's content, until we both eventually fell asleep.