365 Days of You

Chapter 18

The pain that has been threatening to rip her heart has faded to a dull throb.

A feeling of emptiness descends upon her when she realises that maybe she is never going to get another chance at love.

She stands in the kitchen with a distant look on her face, her hands often stirring the sauce in the pan on auto pilot.

Mina's mother watches her with concern. The relationship between them is not fully repaired yet, but they're getting there, one day at a time.

She is slowly warming up to the girl who makes a lot of effort between her crazy schedule to help her with trivial things like putting the shopping away, doing their lawn, sorting out her book collection, helping her cook like she offered today.

Sana's empathetic eyes glances at the singer often. She is ready to rush to her when Nayeon hisses under her breath.

"What happened?" Mina's mother beats her to have the older girl's hand under cold water.

"Touched the hot pan." Nayeon replies absentmindedly.

"Where's your head at?" Sana inquires, biting her bottom lip between her teeth.

Nayeon's lips turn into a curve, the smile quite not reaching her eyes.

"Things with Mina not going well?" The older Myoui asks.

Nayeon shrugs, like she is too tired to give a verbal response.

Her phone vibrates, snatching her attention to the name on the screen.

Sana sees the singer disappear down the hall, taking the call from her assistant.

When she comes back, she looks pale, all the colour has drained from her face.

"The divorce hearing is set next week."

Sana feels a painful twist in her heart seeing how miserable and broken the girl before her looks.

"You're not giving up, are you?"

She walks to the middle of the kitchen, taking the Korean's hand in hers and laces their fingers together.

"Mina has given up."

"Have faith Nayeon-chan."

Nayeon blinks rapidly at her.

"That's all I seem to have left to keep me going these days Sana."

She slants her head rubbing the side of her temple with her free hand.

"Soon, I'll have nothing."

The older Myoui hears the despair in the tone. She sees Nayeon's shoulders slump like she is admitting defeat.

Like she has resigned herself to a fate of loneliness.

And it is that look of complete hopelessness on the singer's face that tugs at her heartstrings, she is a mother after all.

Two days later when Nayeon gets a call from her grandmother's carer, she feels the final strand of hope she is hanging on to get mercilessly shredded to pieces.

"I'm sorry your grandmother passed this morning Nayeon-ssi."

Nayeon stands in the dimly lit room, gazing tenderly at the woman who looks like she is peacefully sleeping.

There are only a handful of people around, mostly neighbours and friends.

Nayeon is the only surviving family.

If you love someone, and really want them, the universe will do everything in its power to bring them to you.

Her grandmother has said on the phone last night.

The universe decided to snatch the only family she had away from her instead.

She follows the morgue van in her car.

Her grandmother gets laid to rest next to her mother.

"Take care of gran, mum." She whispers as the coffin is lowered gently into the pit.

Nayeon's breath comes out sharp and ragged.

One day, I'll be gone love. But Mina will be there to take care of you. You'll never be alone, because she loves you as much as I love you. I've seen it in her eyes.

Her grandmother has sounded so confident, so confident of herself that she decided to take her final breath not knowing how far off from the truth she is.

Nayeon feels a throbbing pain consume her as the workers begin to shovel sand into the pit.

The reality hits her.

Her grandmother is gone.

Leaving her alone in this huge wide world.

Her eyes sting with tears, she cries as she wraps her arms around her trembling body.

"Gran, please don't go."

Her voice cracks as she drops to her knees and let the sobs wreck her body.

She buries her face in her hands as she lets the tears and the emptiness consume her.

"Please come back."

She sobs between the tears staining her beautiful face.

"Please just come back."