Inside | HENDERY WAYV/NCT

83

Luna woke up to her phone blowing up.

"You fucking piece of incoherent shit! Don't you come over to the boutique! You don't work here anymore!!!!!" Yun shouted over the line. Luna was confused. What did she do?

"What did I do?"
"Mother told me everything."
"What are you talking about?" She was absolutely clueless. Her head was throbbing and Yun screaming wasn't helping.

"Oh you forced her to pay back for the car and you suddenly played innocent? Wow an absolutely fucking bitch."

"Excuse me, what? I didn't ask for anything. What money?"

But Yun decided to just cut the call off. She was utterly shocked. For a while she tried to process what just happened. Then it clicked.

It was probably just Yun and Mrs. Hua's way of throwing her under the bus so she'd be the bad person. Luna just sat at the brim of the bed, wondering what kind of sin she did in her previous life.

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

Luna woke up to a totally silent house. She walked down the stairs and saw Yangyang sleeping on the couch. It was 11 am.

"I shouldn't be here," she mumbled.
"Then where should you be?" Hendery's voice startled her. Luna turned around and quickly hugged him. "Don't leave me," her voice was muffled as she buried her face in his chest.

He chuckled and stroked her hair. "I'm going nowhere." Even with him assuring her, she wasn't letting go. "Just a while longer. Please," she mumbled. He hugged her back.

"As long as you want."

After a solid 3 minutes of hugging she broke the hug.

"So wanna tell me what happened last night?" He asked her. Luna looked up to him and smiled.

"You want to hear about my bad luck?"
"All ears," he pulled the dining chair and sat on it.

Hendery couldn't believe his eyes. She was the same woman who cried last night in his arms, soaking wet from the shower. That morning, she smiled as if nothing happened. How could she?

Hendery called for her. "Come here."

"Yes?" She stood before him. Softly he fixed her hair for her. "I think you'll want more purple on your hair."

Luna shook her head. "I want to cut them."

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

Yangyang woke up to the smell of fried rice and sausages.

"Please tell me you're not burning the house Hendery," he walked into the kitchen half awake.

"Luna let's not use the cemetery at night ever again."
"Ah the infamous cemetery shortcut. I figured it was fun?" Hendery laughed at Yangyang. The younger one shook his head.

"You nuts? I almost shit my pants last night," Yangyang sat on the chair, chugging his drink. Luna laughed. Everyone's scared of the cemetery shortcut. It wasn't anything much. To her it's just people and stones.

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

Luna was washing the dishes when Kelly walked in.
"Hey, I want to ask."
"Let me guess, they said I actually demanded so much money from them and ran away from home. Right?" Luna didn't even blink at her words. She was so done with the constant manipulation.

Kelly sighed. She leaned on the counter and watched Luna doing the dishes. "Wanna talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about, Kelly?"
"Luna, I've known you for years. Somehow I know you better than my own brother. I know you're dying inside. Talk to me," Kelly coaxed Luna softly. Luna finished washing the dishes. She turned to Kelly.

"I'd rather die inside than let other in."
"Hendery? You won't let him in? So all these while you're just letting him on the surface?" Luna felt her heart fell to her stomach hearing that.

"Kelly.... ."
"Luna, you grew up in front of me. As much as your aunt is my mom's friend, she is one hell of a lady. I know you don't do the things they said you did."

Luna wanted to walk away but Kelly grabbed her arm. "I know your brother was the one. Not your friend."

Luna froze. For 7 long years, she never once talked about it. 7 long years, she buried the pain deep inside of her. That 7 long years worth of all the suppressing, ended just like that.

"He'd be 7 next month," Luna mumbled slowly.
"Luna... ."

"He was innocent. He was a baby. He wasn't supposed to be born but he did. He wasn't supposed to wither just like that but he did. Nobody was there. Nobody cared. They told me I deserved everything thrown on me because I was a slut. They blamed me for everything. I tried. I tried to tell them it wasn't me. But nobody listened. Nobody......" Luna broke down into tears. She sat on the kitchen floor and sobbed. 7 years of pain, flooded her like no tomorrow.

Kelly sat on the floor too and hugged her. "I know Luna," she whispered softly and let Luna cry all she wants.

You who grew up in front of me, I know the pain is never easy.

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

Hendery stopped when he saw Luna crying on the floor. Luna wasn't the most vocal person. She doesn't talk much about herself, rather she focuses on the present.

He hid behind the wall and listened for their conversation, hoping he'd get even a little thing about her. But the only thing he heard were sobs. He was about to walk away when he heard Luna calling his name.

"Hendery don't hide."
"How the heck?" He walked into the kitchen.

"Do you want to know, everything? When you do, and you want me to leave. I will..." she wiped away the tears on her cheeks.

"What? That you're secretly a mermaid? Cool, take me to the sea with you," he teased her. Hendery sat on the floor, facing her.

"Are we in a camp? Sitting around the campfire?" He asked some more which Kelly spontaneously slapped his thigh hard.

"You are a vibe killer!"
"Well we can't hear her story if she's sobbing. Right Luna?" He turned to Luna who was at the verge of laughter.

He who learnt her ways despite not knowing her fully. A soulmate, even when the soul just met.