DERANGER - SEULRENE

035

never in your life you saw your dad snap like how he did tonight.

sure he had those times when he yells and shouts at eunwoo whenever the latter's being bratty. but he never lifted a hand to anyone of you.

you think you should be proud because you finally gave him a reason to.

when those words leave your mouth, your mum falls to the floor crying. your dad, however, turns red. he grits his teeth and lunges at you, hand already in the air.

you close your eyes and clench your cheek in anticipation. but instead of a palm hitting your face, a body covers you and holds you protectively.

by the scent of it, you can tell it's your brother.

then your sister's cry follows. you see her pulling your dad, asking him to stop, to get a hold of himself.

she then tells eunwoo to take you out of there.

in seconds, you are getting pulled out of the house. your vision is blurry with tears. but you still glimpsed your mum, dad, and sister before the door closed.

now you're sure you're dad's right. you are a disappointment in the family.

---

"noona, where does she live?" eunwoo asks you again as he drives down the highway.

you are sitting on the driver's seat, face buried in your knees. you have been crying non-stop since you left the house.

you wonder what will happen next--if you can still go back.

will that be the last image of your family you'd see?

"noona..."

hearing the helplessness in eunwoo's tone, you finally find the urge to move. you reach for your phone and quick dial #1. you hand your phone to your brother and bury your face back into your knees.

your brother sighs as he puts the phone to his ear.

"seulgi. it's me. please tell me your address. i'm taking noona there."

---

you are on seulgi's familiar floor bed when you wake up. the memory of your lover opening the door and you breaking down at her flashes on your mind.

your ears perk at the sound of seulgi and eunwoo's voices by the kitchen.

you couldn't make much out of it as they are mostly whispering. but you can tell by their tone and body language that they are talking calmly.

and you didn't miss the pile of kitkat chunky on the dining table.

relieved, you close your eyes again.

---

it was dark outside when you wake up.

you push yourself up, wondering what time it is. the headache is gone, but your growling stomach is your next problem.

"i can tell someone's hungry..."

you look over your shoulder and see seulgi lying down next to you, head propped against her hand.

"i..." you bring your hands to your tummy. "i don't think i've had lunch."

"you were too busy crying and wailing earlier when your brother brought you here."

you pout as your shoulders fall. "so, that wasn't a dream, huh..."

"were you hoping it was?"

you shrug. "somehow. yeah. i still couldn't believe i've done that--coming out to my parents and telling them about you."