𝐂 𝐀 𝐌 𝐁 𝐈 𝐎 𝐍 | ᴀᴛᴇᴇᴢ [𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘶𝘣𝘶𝘴]

𝐗𝐈𝐗

Trigger warning! Mention of suicidal thoughts.

The doorbell ringed, making Areum jump on her feet and dashed outside the bathroom, directed to the entrance. As she ran, short whispers pronouncing her husband's name disappeared behind her back and through the hallway. The couple hadn't managed to meet for months, now, the last time they met was in her bathroom. She could never forget how different San acted, that day, nor she could forget about that pair of blue eyes that appeared in front of her seconds after her man had left. 

Those eyes that only belonged to Seonghwa. 

Just the thought of his cold eyes made her shiver and tremble. The demon, on the other hand, was having fun tormenting her even more than he had done years ago. He knew how weak and vulnerable she was, especially at that moment in which she felt responsible for her husband and her daughter's lives. Making fun of her, bullying her psychologically was enough for him to bring her to the status of suicidal.    

The woman had come to the conclusion that she was the cause of everything that was happening to her friends, her husband and her daughter: she somehow had ruined everyone's lives with her egoism and her silence. And her feelings. Areum realised way too late that she had fallen in love with Seonghwa and that it was hard for her not to think about him when he kept appearing in her dreams and in her room to carnally join her. Only when he had been exiled she finally started breathing again, she could clean her vision to notice that San was in love with her and that his love couldn't even be compared slightly to what Seonghwa felt for her. 

Areum reached the door and swung it open, almost losing the grip on the handle. 

"San!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs before she could focus her sight on the person in front of her, who, judging by the long hair, clearly wasn't San.

"Jieun?"

Mrs. Kang was at her threshold and she seemed nervous and to the point of crying her heart out. She nodded, returning the greeting.

"Areum, hello."

She murmured faintly and with a forced smile on her lips. Jieun was fidgeting with the rings that she had on her fingers while biting her lower lip. Areum had never seen her acting like that and she immediately worried after realising that it was, probably, something important, at least, for her. The younger woman came back to her senses with a shake of her head and moved on the side to let the visitor enter the house. Then, she locked the door, as if it could help her keeping Seonghwa out of her life, although she perfectly knew that he could appear whenever and wherever he wanted. 

"May I offer you something? Some coffee, tea, a glass of water?"

Areum asked politely and with a feeble voice, scared to bother Mr. Kang's wife. The woman seemed fragile, more than she already was, and Areum was certain that one wrong word pronounced or one incorrect move done would've been enough to see her shattering into pieces like a crystal, shining under the light of the sun.