EGOIST (Sang Woo x Fem!OC) [COMPLETED]

10

Phone calls from her father are what she dreaded the most. In fact, they were more painful than a nuisance, when her father's murmurs and mumbles that she hardly understood were enough to break her heart every twice a week or so. It's like every phone call they have, he never seems to get better.

She tries to understand him as he talks about what had happened at home. Town gossip, certain mishaps. From her end of the line, Hae Young merely gives him sounds of approval, performative, that hid the growing worry that was rooted in her chest. He asks her how she is holding up in Seoul.

"I'm doing just fine, appa." She tells him, the same routine answer ingrained into her head. And when there was nothing else to talk about, he talks about how much he misses her.

She could only say the same thing to him, with hesitance and worry as she looked around her dormitory, feeling empty. Sometimes she just wishes to be back home, and there would be times when her father would sense that longing.

"How are your studies? How is work? Are you taking good care of yourself?" His questions were rapid, mere mumbles of gibberish that took most of his working brain to spew out.

"I'm doing fine." She answers curtly, as if it was enough to answer all of his questions. To her it was, to him, he couldn't bother pressing on for more. His head was hurting at this point. She tells him he needs to rest.

"You can call me again next time." She reassures him. "Are they taking good care of you there?"

His father was in the care of good samaritans and relatives who visited on occasion, though she reckoned that temporary care like that wouldn't last. With his worsening mumbles and empty reassurances, she needs someone who'd stay with him. But the money they make could only do so much.

"Yes." Was all he told her. "There is a lot you're missing here, but I bet I'm missing more of your life while you're away. I don't get to see you grow anymore, Hae Young."

She bites her tongue.

"Nothing much is happening here." She tells him.

"But are you enjoying yourself?"

She hums approvingly.

"Do you have any friends that take care of you? How are you holding up there?"

"I'm pretty busy." She admits. "There are nice people here..."

He waves her off with dismissive murmurs. "Of course, of course. I always know how you prefer to be alone."

Not always.

"Does it get lonely sometimes for you?"

"No."

Yes.

She hears him chuckle half-heartedly. "You're always so cold and rigid, Hae Young. I wish you would treat yourself more often with good things."

"I do. It's just that isolation is my only solace." She laughs, but he doesn't. "I'm joking, appa. I do relax from time to time..."

He just hums, unconvinced. Hae Young sighs, taking the phone off her ears.

"Alright, well, I need to go. I still have things to do." She tells him. "Call me when you need anything, alright?"

"Take care of yourself, Hae Young." He tells her, mumbling a final 'I love you' to his daughter before she ends the call. She sighs, tossing the phone to her bed. She looks over to her desk where a pile of paperwork anticipates her, and bills on top of bills with that. There are a lot more things to be done.