YOUR EYES • L.HAECHAN

𝟏𝟒 | Conflicted

It had been a few days since Y/N's encounter with her parents. She hadn't seen them since then and she was fine with it, or at least she pretended to be fine. Needless to say, she still thought about them and her mind was still conflicted.

Her mind told her to continue living as if they never returned yet her heart encouraged her otherwise. Her heart ached for them even though she reminded herself of everything she was put through because of their parting.

"Just go see them," Mrs. Lee urges as she notices Y/N zoning out for the nth time that week.

"Huh?" The girl snaps out of her daze.

"Your parents." She tells her, "It is obvious that you want to go see them, so do it. You're only torturing yourself more by being so indecisive."

"Do you think I should?" Y/N inquires, turning her full attention to the woman.

Taking the basket of laundry from her arms, Mrs. Lee looks into her eyes. "I'm sure they want to see you as well. If not, then why did they come back? Go find them and talk to them."

And Y/N did exactly that. Although she had no idea where they could be, she wandered the crowded streets of Seoul trying to find her parents. She went from hotel to hotel asking for their names but with no luck.

"Where are you guys?" She lets out a tired sigh as she slumps her body onto a bench. She pulls out her phone, checking the time, 4:57 pm. As the phone buzzes in her hand, she looks at the caller ID that reads, Hyuck <3.

"Hey." She answers the call.

"Have you found them?" Donghyuck asks. She shakes her head even though he couldn't see her, "Not yet."

"Do you want me to help you?" He offers, Y/N shakes her head again.

"No, I'll just check a few more places and then go home if I don't find them," she sighs.

"You sure?" Donghyuck questions.

"I'm sure," she tells him.

"Have you checked the house?"

"What house?" She furrows her brows until it clicks in her mind. "Our house!" Y/N answers her own question.

"You're welcome," he laughs.

"Thank you. I'm hanging up, okay?" She immediately stands up and rushes to the last possible place that should've been where she checked first.

Arriving at the familiar neighborhood, Y/N slows her pace. She stood in front of the old house, hesitant to take a step further. Many memories flooded into her mind and out in the form of tears which she quickly wipes away.

Taking a deep breath, she walks up the three steps and knocks on the door. Almost immediately, the door opens revealing her mother.

"Y/N." The woman smiles, her eyes brimming with tears. "Jihoon, come here!" She calls out excitedly and the man appears shortly. The man's lips curve into a gentle smile as he notices his daughter.

"Don't just stand there, come inside," Soo-ah exclaims pulling her daughter inside and into the living room. "How have you been?"

"Fine, I guess," she shrugs her shoulders as she takes a seat on the worn-out couch. A small smile on her face as she looks at the older couple.

"We hoped to see you again before we left," Jihoon spoke up. "You're leaving, again?" Y/N mutters.

"We only came to see you," the woman explains. "And make sure you were okay after what happened with Sunwoo?"

"You know about him?" The girl questions and they nod simultaneously. "Then why did you ask me if you could see him when we first met?"

"Since it was always the two of you, I guess we wanted to see how you were holding up after his murder," Jihoon sighs, confusing the girl.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Y/N questions, "What do you mean murder? Sunwoo drowned, they found his body." A frown forms on her lips as her mind is bombarded with a million questions.

"Sunwoo did not drown, Y/N," the man confesses. "He-"

"It's better to talk about this some other day," Soo-ah interrupts her husband. "We're glad that you came to see us, hun, but you should go before the night gets darker."

"No, just say it now. What are you hiding from me?" She urges wanting to know everything.

"Your mother is right. Today's not the time to tell you," Jihoon speaks up.

"Then when? When is the right time?" Y/N raises her voice, tired of her parent's secrets.

"We will tell you. Everything from start to end, but just not now." The older woman speaks, placing her hand over her daughter's to try to calm her.

Y/N shakes her head, "You guys are my parents. I looked for you so that we could catch up but I feel more like strangers now than ever before." She stands up and turns to walk away. Her parents following after her.

"Wait Y/N," her mother calls out but she ignores her. "Don't leave like this."

Y/N halts her steps and turns around to look at the two. "You told me to leave."

"Can I-" she pauses, "...have one hug before you leave?" The woman pleads with her eyes. Y/N knits her brows together, bewildered by the unexpected plea.

As if her feet had a mind of their own, they led her to stand just a few centimeters in front of her mother. She hesitantly raised her arms and wrapped them around her torso.

"I missed you so much, my daughter," Soo-ah whispers. Unconsciously, Y/N nuzzles her head closer to her missing the warmth of her mother. Jihoon shortly joined the hug, wrapping his arms around both women.

"I know it might be too late now, but I'm sorry for everything you went through, Y/N," he mutters, placing a soft kiss on her head.

Overwhelmed. That was the perfect word to describe the way Y/N was feeling. In less than an hour, she had learned that her brother's death was falsified and that her parents had something to do with it, and even though that angered her, she hugged them and accepted their apologies as if all their lies and secrets were okay.

"Come for dinner tomorrow," her mother says as she pulls away from the hug. "We'll tell you everything then."

"I will," Y/N tells them, before turning around to walk away, her mind conflicted more than before.

oop 👀