Your Name || yejisu

Chapter 24

short update😪

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"Did you try her phone? "

"I thought we already established that her parents had confiscated it."  Chaeryeong was walking back and forth the room.

It didn't take long for me to get out of bed, against the order of the nurse and the doctor. Nonetheless, they understood rapidly that they couldn't change my mind. Ningning immediately beamed at my newly found life force. She took the small victory as her own, yet, it was rather short-lived as we were all focused on another person: Lia.

My parents were the most confused at the matter and I didn't bother to clarify. I got up, readying myself to search Lia. She was the only thing on my mind. I had no patience for anything else. However, Ningning pleasingly told the entire story as if she knew every detail of it. As if she had been there, witnessing it the entire time. I could hear them gasp and twist around. A scandalized aura emanating from them. I was too busy getting dressed to see their faces but it wasn't hard to imagine the distortion on it at the mention of their daughter compromising another in her decadence.

Once I was dressed in the clothes from the previous day, bloodstain staining it. I made my way to the door.

"Yeji, come back here!" my father half-yelled but I already passed it.

I heard them hurrying behind me. The gazes of people in the hallway fell on me.

A harsh hand grabbed my arm and twisted me around. I knew it was my father before I even completely faced him.

" Get back inside," his eyes were dark and terrifying but they weren't affecting me anymore. I haven't seen them any other way in my all life I think. Or maybe I forgot? I didn't remember any happy times with my family. Maybe my feelings had corrupted my memories and destroyed any of them. It was easier to hate people that you never been happy with. This set of eyes was familiar. Will they stay forever this way? One day, I hoped I wouldn't see them anymore. "We have a lot to talk about." he finished.

I looked around, everyone's eyes were on us.

"Don't make waves." he said through gritted teeth, knowing we were watched.

That's what I was doing, right? My all life. Making waves. That's what my homosexuality was about, right? A way to gain attention.

I looked up to him with a clenched jaw. I knew my eyes became like his.

"We have nothing to talk about."

I got out of his grip and practically ran away to the exit staircase.

"Yeji, come back here !"  he yelled.

I heard footsteps behind me so I ran faster. I took the staircase, rushing down it. When I looked up, it was the girls who came to my sight.

" Keep running."  Chaeryeong said between breaths. "They're right behind."

I fastened the pace. I heard the door swung open. They were close but I was determined. Even if that meant that I wouldn't see them again. They could kick me out definitely this time. I didn't care.

We ran down a hallway. People turning at our passage with confusion and surprise. All I saw was the exit door. I ran and ran like it was the last thing I would do but it hit me the moment I was out. What were we doing now? Where was Lia? The treehouse? Probably but I had to take in the fact that she was also looking for me. If she searched me and I searched her, were we going to find each other? Or will we run into an endless circle?

"Yeji Hwang!"

Fuck.

I turned around. The girls were next to me. My parents came out of the hospital fuming.

"I swear of you go any further I..." my father started.

"You'll what?" I interrupted him. I wasn't going to take any of it anymore. I couldn't and I wouldn't. I freed myself of any expectations, of any obligations. Maybe I lost the respect I had for most people? People who mostly didn't deserve it and I saw that now. I also tried to be the peacekeeper. I also tried to see from everyone's perspectives. I gave them excuses for their behaviors but I shouldn't. I was too tired to pretend anymore. Their actions had consequences. I needed to stop pretending that they had the ultimate power over me. I was human. They were humans. We were equals.

Hit me if you dare, I thought as I looked into his eyes. He came forward, fist clenched. My mother did too. Maybe even angrier.

"Lia, come back here!"

Was it Lia's mom's voice?

I turned to the side where the voice came from and my heart warmed up.

Her brown hair was hiding half of her face as she hurried the best she could given her leg's state. She wasn't exactly running but she wasn't peacefully walking either.

Our eyes met and my smile reappeared. I could do everything now.