dive into you | lee jeno

four

uri jib

"you're dead, nari. you're dead to aunt shinhye." haechan noted nari as they near the restaurant.

she took no notice of his words, "i mean, i've been dead to her since expressing my objection in the kitchen. what's new? she never liked me as well from the moment i was born."

nari let out a scoff before trudging herself, casually like a normal customer, inside the restaurant. her presence was the reason why hungry heads rotated to capture this superstar like diva with their vision. she spoke nothing and directly disappeared into the door which led to their family's hanok—the traditional korean house of yu family in ulsan.

she passed by the restaurant like the wind aggressively pushing the waves to the coast. the customers, including her cousin and aunt, were left dumbfounded of her courage. for her aunt, it was rudely courageous.

"woah," aunt shinhye scoffed in disbelief of nari's attitude. so she shouted loud enough that the closest relative in place, the person she was calling, attended her straight away. "haechan! never let that girl back inside this restaurant or else i'll cut you off even in the cashier! and tell her to use the back door instead of showing off in our business! is this an awards night for her to parade as if in a red carpet? don't make me tell her this myself. understood?"  

that was quite a scene, haechan whispered then responded, "a-arasseo, imo!"

without counting anymore, he sprinted to the hanok. it was an exquisite traditional house in ulsan for it was one of the last five surviving hanok in the province. aside from the general straw and dirt, its roof tiles formed a unique triangular top surface to protect the house from the heat while all the rafters, pillars, walls, doors, and floor were made of wood. therefore, the overall ambiance of the house was refreshing. it was all homey. 

haechan was supposedly be obedient to his aunt. however, upon stepping in the sunny open area of the house, there was nari kneeling behind their halmeoni as she massaged the hurting shoulders that were tired from kneading the dough needed for rice cakes. haechan's sympathy activated his warm heart. he couldn't transmit the message intended for his cousin because of their grandmother's company. to put it simply, he was afraid of worrying his halmeoni.

"eo? haechan-ah wasseo?" haechan was seen by the old fragile grandma receiving treatment for her shoulders due to the snap of the door.

"ne, halmeoni." he casted her a genuine smile and sat on the elevated cement where their grandma's feet rested upon. "i was catching some fish in the beach cause i heard there were big ones in the ocean."

nari obviously grasped his reference because of her soft chortle. "were you able to? catch the fish?"

haechan sent her a glare, "of course! i even saw that fish transform into a human like ariel!"

"oh, she's pretty then. i'd love you to free her back to the sea—where she belongs."

"aniyo, i want her fried in the kitchen."

"oi, that's rude, haechan!"

halmeoni also joined in the laughter. she was aware of nari's interest in biodiversity since she was a kid brought by ilsan. there was no day when four year old nari cried just so her father would bring her to the sea. it was a precious memory in the family.

"nari-ah," halmeoni called her granddaughter who was continuously giving her a massage.

"ye, halmeoni?"

"mianhae." their grandmother's remorseful tone disquieted the hanok.

"wae geuraesseoyo?" there was a hint of uneasiness in nari's voice.

"i can't send you off to a decent college alone."

"ahh... it's fine. gwaenchanhayo. i don't need a college degree to run our business. plus, haechan's with me. we are in this together. don't stress yourself, halmeoni. we are fine."

"but this is not what your parents wanted. they wanted to see you achieve what they couldn't."

nari steadily halted her hands and dropped it to her sides, "it doesn't matter, halmeoni. what matters is the present."

it would be awkward in nari's opinion if she would stay longer. therefore, no fond adieu was heard but brisk footstep pacing to her bedroom. life was tough in this house. once she had entered her private space, nari pulled out a box of photographs under her closet.

a box of memories of her young self with her parents.

dusting off her knees, she perched on the edge of her bed while the box was next to her.

with a deep breath, she contemplated. "are you doing the right thing, nari? why are you still sensitive when they're mentioned? you're not yet ready, i know. you gotta believe me."

the box was left untouched for hours as she decided to drift off to sleep hoping that the pain would leave her for a while.

but dreaming off the heartache and grief of losing your beloved was a poor decision because waking up from it would inevitably return the agony.

however, hard-headed nari still insisted, "i need it temporarily. as long as it can get off my thoughts, i'm good."

often times she wondered was her previous life devious? did she collect all the evilness life could curse in the next recklessly? because what she was experiencing today was burning in hell.

her parents left her before she graduated middle school, in that same year, her grandpa whom she was closest to died in their hanok, her aunt shinhye hated every bit of her presence, and her halmeoni was on the brink of fading away too.

this house bore her damned fortune.