Inside | HENDERY WAYV/NCT

25

The restaurant was calm and chill. Everyone was in their own bubble.

"Well at least her date is handsome," a couple of ladies walked past their table. They were laughing together. It was discreet but both Luna and Hendery could still hear them.

"Ma'am, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all. Thank you," Hendery blatantly said it. The ladies froze on their spot. Hendery kicked Luna's leg and asked her to laugh along with him.

One of the ladies approached them. "Am I wrong though? Kids these days can't seem to take care of themselves. When I was your age I weigh 45kg only."

"Seems like you couldn't maintain that weight," Hendery rolled his eyes. Luna looked down onto her plate. She couldn't even raise her head.

"Don't be rude young man."
"I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings? What about her? You hurt her feelings too. Do you know anything about her? Anything?"

"That's enough," Luna kicked his leg slowly and whispered hard.

"Babe, do you know this old hag?" He stressed on the word babe.
"No I don't."
"Ah, just another nosy unhappy old lady I see. Let's ignore her," he turned away and faced Luna. The lady was boiling with rage. She was so close to pouring water all over Hendery but she chose to just walked away.

"Stick up to yourself," he said when the ladies left.

"I can't...."

****************

He watched her contemplated her lunch for a while and when she got the courage to take a bite a pair of old hags came and halted her.

He knew so little of her. But she's like an open book. So much of her could be seen just from the way she is.

"If you can't eat that, eat this. It's lighter," he pulled her plate and handed the plate of bruschetta to her. Luna looked up to him. He smiled. "Just eat the veggies on top."

****************

He dropped her at the parking lot.

"Hey dumpling man. I had fun."
"Me too, wedding dress girl. We should hang out more but no more horror please."
"Sure. Thanks for today! See ya!"

"Yeah, see ya," He said slowly and watched her disappeared into the building.

***************

Luna sat down on the floor. She took off her makeup slowly.

"How was your movie?" Yue sat beside her.

"It was fun."
"Did you do anything else? Tell me everything." Yue shook Luna's arm. Luna laughed.

"Oh, there's pasta in the kitchen. Go and eat."

"Yours?" Yue asked her. Luna nodded. "Was it good?" Ah a trap question. Yue asked Luna a trap question. Luna hesitated before she nodded.

"Liar. You didn't even eat it," Yue rolled her eyes and jumped on Luna's bed.

You know my deepest, darkest secret? I don't eat because I'm scared. Of myself, of others. I'd rather not eat.

*********************

Luna listened to Yue rustling in the dark. The younger one snores softly as the night went on. She was deep in her sleep when her phone vibrated violently.

"Hello. If this is insurance or Mandarin lessons, I'm not interested," Luna answered her phone half awake.

"I wish I was insurance at 2 am. It's Hendery."
"Can't sleep?"
"That movie scarred me for life at this point. How can you sleep?"

"Hey, Hendery wanna hear a joke?" Luna whispered slowly, not wanting to wake Yue.

"What is it?"
"What did the buffalo said to his son?"
"I don't know. Baby?"
"Bison...."

It was silent for a few seconds, until Hendery processed the joke and laughed. "That's a bad dad joke, Luna."

"Doesn't matter. You laughed. It's a successful joke," she yawned. "Hey, I have another joke," she added.

"What did the ocean said to the beach?"

"I know this!! Wooshh wooshh!!" He was so excited. Luna laughed at his answer. "Nope. It said nothing it just waved."

How can she tell such bad dad jokes? Is she secretly a middle aged man?

**********************

"Hey Lucas."
"What is it?"
"What did the sea said to the beach?"
"Hala for the 10th time. Nothing. It just waved," Lucas face palmed himself. Hala laughed for the 10th time. She couldn't get over the joke Luna texted her prior to that.

"Your sense of humour is broken," Lucas pushed her forehead jokingly. "It's funny!"

Hala rolled on the bed and fiddled with her phone. She then chuckled all alone as she read her texts one by one.

"Hey Hala, remember Wei?" Lucas's question attracted her attention. She turned to him and rested her chin on his lap. "Yes. I remember. Why?"

"I met her brother the other day."
"Shut up! You met Wu?"
"Yeah. He worked at that convenience store down the street."

Hala sat up almost immediately. "What were you doing there? Buying cigarettes?" Lucas pretended like Hala didn't say anything. He scrolled his phone slowly. Hala pulled his phone away.

"You said you'd try to quit."
"I can't just stop immediately. But I'm not smoking near the house or car. Give me time," he pushed her hair away from her face. Their eyes locked.

How can I love you much when you hurt me again and again?

***********************

Luna got off her bed and made her way to the bathroom. She could hear the huge grandfather clock in the living room chiming 4 times in a row.

It's 4 am and she was wide awake. Hendery fell asleep admist their bad dad jokes session. Luna washed her face and brushed her teeth. It was time for her to clean the house as per usual.

"One of these days I might just die while cleaning this goddamn house," she mumbled to herself and picked up some beer cans on the floor. Yun drink himself to sleep every night. He'd leave cans of beer all over the floor. Sometimes even shit stained pants or puke. Luna would have to clean them every single day.

Sometimes she wished she wasn't there. But for most of it she was content to be there.

"Luna, you're up early?" Yue exited the room and walked slowly towards Luna. "I had a bad dream," the younger one hugged her.

Yue may sound like a mature soul, she's still and will always be Luna's baby.

For the shore is near and her voice is clear. The closer he inched, the redder the water became. He knew the curse was stopping them.

"My love. I'm sorry," he apologised and swam through the red waters, screeching in pain as the murky red water devoured his skin and flesh.

A mermaid can never die unless another mermaid is born. It's a curse the merpeople have to bear. And he watched as his skin regenerated itself and he became a whole.

The scales fell off one by one, the tail separated into two. As if a pair of swords piercing through his body, a pair of legs in return.

Agonising pain. But a pain he would endure just for his lost gem, Ula.