A/N: Start of volume 2! The writing pov will change from here onwards. Enjoy reading!
Chapter 25
Juno's eyes are more grief than surprise, he wanted to ask Jia what to do in the basement but heard the unexpected conversation between the two.
"What do you mean about only three months to live?" Juno breathes heavily as he walks faster to get near the two.
"I-I..." Jia's mouth formed a thin line. She thinks of a reason on how to dodge the situation but Juno's eyes are scary. He glared at her with lots of emotions in his eyes. It's overwhelming enough for Jia to lose her voice.
"It's none of your business," Haru commented, a smug look appearing on his face. His lips shaped a smile and Juno growled furrowing his brows.
"It's my fucking business! Jia is my friend!" Juno retorted, behaving aggressively by the sudden news and the way he was treated.
"Haru, please... Don't provoke him." Jia brushes the helm of Haru's shirt. Her eyes wander everywhere hoping someone or something will save her but she is hit by the dreadful weather and the shivering wind coming from the open windows.
"Juno... Could we talk next time, hmm?" Jia's eyes were contending, her voice shook as she met Juno's unsettling eyes.
"How could you-!" Juno was about to yell but stopped himself because of the shadows configuration near the entrance of the shop. There's a giggle coming in and Yumi's face appears at the entrance looking refreshed as her cheeks glowing as she sighted Jia.
"My bessy!!!!" Yumi hugs Jia as greetings. Penelope, Yejun, and Hyuk were on her back, also coming from the outside.
"I'm sorry we were late! We bought materials and Hyuk was the one who fetched us." Yumi explained. Her cheeks are red while talking and Jia focuses on upheavals cherishing her cute best friend.
"So what do we have here?" Hyuk asked with astonishment. Raising his brows because of the weird atmosphere. Juno looks mad when they arrive. He never saw his best friend in that mood after the incident in the past. He looks irritated and pessimistic while Jia looks frightened.
"We're discussing the plan." Haru interrupted and smiled at the newcomers.
"Haru!" Yumi greeted him with a sweet smile on her pretty face.
"Nice to see you again, sweetheart." Haru winks while Yumi just giggles. She got used to Haru's flirty ways of talking.
Hyuk burrows form a fierce line. It's his first time meeting Jia's 'popular' cousin and he didn't like him.
"Juno..." Jia whispered, her eyes begging him to keep quiet and Juno was caught off guard after interpreting her message.
"I'll be in the basement." Juno finally mutters, leaving them behind and Hyuk is the only person who caught that he was acting strange.
--
It's been hours since they started cleaning. Yejun is mopping the floor while Penelope and Yumi are mixing the paint that Jia requested. Juno and Hyuk are together in the basement moving the trash from time to time. Haru was with Jia cleaning the glass wall.
"It's all your fault," Jia mumbled, she wiped the glass with aggression while glaring and whispering to Haru.
"I'm sorry." Haru murmurs but a smile forms on his lips. Jia was annoyed that she gritted her teeth.
"You clean that area properly!" Jia ordered. She sighs after not hearing a response from Haru. The stress caused earlier is whirling into Jia's head. Her shoulders shrink recalling Juno's reaction. Jia saw a paint of dust above her but her height is not tall enough to wipe the dust. She feels more frustrated while trying to reach it.
"What are you doing?" Juno asked Jia, She winced and stood frozen not twisting her head to face Juno. He walks to Jia and gets the wet cloth from her hand. He quietly cleaned the glass wall above them and because he was taller, he did it easier. Jia couldn't react as the dust vanished from her sight.
"Thank you." Jia mumble. Her body is restless and her hands are catching stiff. Juno nodded to her and walked away. Jia released her breath slowly as she watched Juno's back and accidentally met Yejun's gaze.
Jia was thwarted because of the drastic gaze. Her heart beats rapidly, afraid that he could see right through her. Jia tried to avert her eyes and clean the freaking glass wall again. She felt how her fingers almost ripped off because of the wiping. Her breath became sluggish because of the loud thump of her heart almost breaking her ribs.
--
It was past noon when they decided to eat their lunch. Jia ordered pizza and chicken. Yumi was surprised when she saw it. Jia had never ordered greasy foods before and the change of menu brought a confused gaze from Yumi. She couldn't filter her mouth and spill it to everyone.
"Are you really Jia? Wow! You finally learn the taste of pizza and chicken. You have never eaten it before." Yumi commented, unaware of the words she blurted out which made Jia tense.
"Uhh, because Haru requested it." Jia lied in a straight face, not glancing at Haru's knowing look.
"So it's because of me? How sweet of you my Jia." Juno rolled his eyes at Haru's streaks. He doesn't want to admit it but he has an idea why Jia suddenly got interested in food she had never eaten before and that made him lose appetite.
"Most boys love it. Yejun likes pizza too." Penelope mumbles. Her cheeks turn pink and she timidly lowers her gaze, being shy is also Penelope's strong point. She is really beautiful.
"Juno too." Hyuk started but was ignored by his best friend. An awkward silence surrounds them but Hyuk also breaks it.
"Are you perhaps sick Juno? You've been acting differently since we arrived." Hyuk's voice is concerned to his best friend that looks like he was years ago, impassive and aloof.
"I'm hungry bro, shut up," Juno spoke while eating a huge amount of pizza. Yumi laughs at her friend's acting while Yejun examines Juno as a whole but no emotions are applied on his face.
--
The awkward lunch finished and they came back to their task. Jia is tired but she feels satisfied with the outcome. The walls have been painted a shade of mint blue, the old decorations are clean as new while the new tables are installed with a computer. The working area is also tidy as new. Jia's heart flutters with happiness. She mentally noted to buy a piano so she could play with it from time to time. Many ideas rotate over her brain and Jia is excited to leave her memories to this place.
"Thanks, everyone for helping me today!" Jia announces to them. Yumi and Penelope have wide smiles on their faces while Hyuk and Yejun look more neutral but were glad by the outcome. Juno is different, he never cracks jokes for the entire period and even Penelope senses that something was wrong with their friend. She dismissed the idea quickly after checking out at Hyuk. Penelope knows that he is the only one who could handle Juno's mood.
The night comes faster and Jia's nervousness begins to torment her. She mostly stood beside Haru, clutching to the imaginary comfort from the person who knows everything. Juno watches Jia like a hawk and his prey. He did good at restraining himself from exploding but Yejun has good intuition. He observed silently but didn't do anything.
"Thanks again." Jia waves goodbye to her friends. Hyuk frowned, asking Juno to join them because he is worried but Juno rejected him saying he will talk to Jia about his employment. The girls buy it but Hyuk knows better that something was up. He still nodded and drove in.
Jia smiles at the two cute girls and waves her goodbye. She met Yejun gaze and bowed her head to him. After minutes, the car drove off. Jia heard steps behind her, she faced the young man with anxiety. They made it inside the shop and found Haru relaxing, drinking his tea waiting for his employee to unfold the drama.
End of chapter 25.