snowflake ☆ k.dy ☆ ayakashi series | ✔

doyoung [thirty-seven]

"That was really nice," Doyoung admitted as you left Lenticular Café that night, hand in hand.

"Yeah, the guys are great," you agreed, taking up a meandering pace.

"It really eases my mind... knowing that I'm leaving you with so many people who love you so much."

You sharply exhaled, struggling against the tears welling up in your eyes, "What the hell am I supposed to say to that, Doyoung?"

"I'm sorry." Your boyfriend was quiet for a beat before he spoke once more, "There's actually one more person I'd like to see before we go back, if that's alright."

"Of course," you squeezed his hand, thankful for the change of topic. "It's your day."

He navigated the two of you through the streets quietly. You were glad for the changing of seasons, the summer nights were warmer than before, which made it possible to hold Doyoung's hand without gloves. You were nearing the other side of town, opposite from the mountains, where a river gently flowed out to the sea. Eventually, you came upon a property with a large fence and a guardhouse by the gate. Doyoung skirted the building, however, and went directly up to the gate where there was a small keypad. After punching in a few numbers, it beeped and the gate smoothly swung open.

"Can I ask who we're seeing?" You raised an eyebrow as you walked along a path with well-maintained landscaping, a large mansion of sorts looming in the distance.

"One of my biggest regrets," he sighed, "is not visiting her more."

While that didn't really answer your question, you could tell that he was lost in his own thoughts.

Doyoung knocked on the front door of the elegant mansion. It was opened only a moment later by an older man in very formal dress, who couldn't hide his surprise.

"Oh, Mr. Kim. Please, come in," the man stepped back to hold the door open for the both of you.

Doyoung stepped in, you following, "Thank you, Heejun. Where is she?"

"The living room. You've come on one of her good days, Mr. Kim."

Your boyfriend nodded, leading the way through the foyer, then through the formal dining room and kitchen until you finally ended up in a place you suppose could count as a living room. Everything was so ornate you couldn't tell if anyone really lived in any of these rooms.

There was a woman sitting on an armchair, dutifully knitting, the mustard yellow yarn precisely slipping between needles as she worked.

"Mrs. Qian," Doyoung announced his presence to her. Your eyebrows shot up at this. Kun's mother?

The woman whipped around, her wrinkled face immediately breaking into a smile, "Oh, Doie!"

He let go of your hand to walk over and squat down in front of her chair. She hurriedly dropped her needles to reach two hands out for his face.

"Mrs. Qi—"

"Hush, I want to hold my baby's face, frostbite be damned."

He stopped his protests, cheeks and ears turning blue.

"Kun told me you went back to Erethulia."

"Yes."

"Without saying goodbye to me?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Qian," Doyoung sounded truly remorseful. "But I'm back now. I want to introduce someone to you."

Taking this as your cue to officially join them, you walked further into the room, kneeling down beside Doyoung in front of Mrs. Qian. You didn't think she could've lit up any more than before, but she did somehow.

"This is Y/N," he introduced you simply.

"It's so wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Qian," you took the hand that she had reached out towards you.

"Oh Doie, she's beautiful," she gushed approvingly. "He's being good to you, right?"

"Yes, Mrs. Qian, he's wonderful," you assured her, squeezing her hand gently. "You did good with him. And Kun, too."

Her eyes were watering at this point, and you felt a lump growing in your throat, your own heady storm of emotions flowing through you. You looked at what she had been knitting to distract yourself. But it was a mess. Some rows were perfectly consistent and straight, while others had holes, and some rows were longer than others.

When you looked back up at Mrs. Qian's face, you found that her gaze was focused on something behind you, far in the distance. Her grip on your hand went slack, so you gently set her hand down on her lap.

"Mrs. Qian?" Doyoung gently rested a hand on her forearm.

Her eyes locked back onto him, her face breaking into a wide grin, "Oh, Doie! My baby is back in my home."

"Yes, yes, I am," he nodded, taking one of her hands. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Y/N."

She then looked at you, no recognition in her dark brown eyes when they met yours. The woman once again beamed at you, this time taking your face in her hands, "She's absolutely gorgeous, Doie. Is my baby treating you good, Y/N?"

"Yes, ma'am, he is," you nodded, clasping your hands over hers on your cheeks. "He's the best thing that's happened to me. You were such a wonderful mother to your boys."

Now the tears fell from her eyes, settling in the wrinkles along her face, "Thank you. I'm so proud of them. Even... even if I'm not Doyoung's real mother, he's still one of my greatest accomplishments."

Doyoung pushed back against her words, "Of course you're my real mother, both of you are. And I'm proud to have been raised by you."

Mrs. Qian was still crying when there was a throat cleared in the room. Heejun was standing in the doorway, and grabbed a tissue box from a nearby table to hand them to her.

"She should rest, Mr. Kim," he informed your boyfriend gently.

"Of course."

You stood up along with Doyoung.

"It was such a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Qian," you told her sincerely.

"You too, sweetheart," she dabbed at her eyes. Then, her tone turned pointed as she spoke to Doyoung, "Make sure you bring her back again soon, Doie. No more of this disappearing from my life for six months, you understand?"

"Of course, Mrs. Qian," he nodded. "I'll come see you again soon."

"Next week."

"Yes. Next week."

Seeming satisfied with the promise she had wrenched from him, she let Heejun usher her up out of the chair and out of the room.

"I visited her right before I went back to Erethulia," Doyoung sighed. "Just a couple months ago."

You wrapped your arms around Doyoung, squeezing him tight to you, "I'm sorry, Doyoung. You did a good thing, making her happy in the moment."

He hugged you back without hesitation, "Yeah. I feel bad for Kun, who's going to have to keep telling her I'll be by soon, after I..."

You knew what he meant when he drifted off. After he dies. Doyoung was going to die. Tomorrow.

Tears came one after another until you were fully sobbing, the realization hitting you like a bus and knocking the wind out of you. Your shoulders shook and chest heaved as you tried to pull air into your lungs again. Doyoung hugged you even tighter, as if that were possible, having no words to comfort you. There were none.