Unexpectedly Falling For You

eighteen

The wedding event soon ended. The car ride home was silent but not awkward. Sunghoon kept driving and Daeun enjoyed her time admiring the view outside.

They both walked to their houses and turned around before smiling, "I'll see you at school."

Sunghoon nodded and they both went into their houses, locking the doors.

Daeun plopped herself on the couch and closed her eyes. She felt tired and laziness started eating her up. Her eyelids became heavier and heavier until she couldn't open them anymore.

Suddenly, her phone rang and shocked her. She instantly reached it and saw her father's name displayed on the screen.

"Dad!"

"Have you arrived home, Daeun?"

"Yes," she breathed out, "Did you?"

"Yes. Your mom is already sleeping. She's too tired from the wedding. It was a wonderful event indeed."

Hearing that made her smile in relief. She leaned back against the couch and fiddled with her fingers, "Why did you call me?"

"I was wondering if you and Sunghoon would like to join an event with me. It would be nice for me to greet people with my daughter and her lover by my side."

"I hate those events," she frowned, earning a small laugh from him. "I know. But it would be nice to be together. People love seeing you, you know? You will definitely take the spotlight now that you have a very attractive boyfriend."

An attractive 'boyfriend'.

She nodded slowly and forced a smile out, "You should sleep, father. I'm sure you're tired too. Tell me the event date and I'll try to go. With Sunghoon."

She ended the call and threw her phone to the side. Edlyn's words appeared in her mind again.

"He loves dating. But he told me once that he doesn't see himself in marriage. I think something happened but I don't want to jump to conclusions. He just told me he feels that marriage is a bit of a burden to him."

•

"Your mother is a whore," Mr Park said as he stormed downstairs. An eight-year-old Sunghoon pouted and chased after his father, "She is not, dad!"

"Really? Then, explain why she left me with you and ran away with her damn lover?"

"Because she doesn't love you anymore!"

Mr Park looked at his son in disbelief. He raised his hand and slapped him continuously until the head maid stopped him, "Mr Park!"

Sunghoon fell to the floor and held his stinging cheek. He felt tears forming but he tried to hold them back. He could not let his father see his weak side. He stood up and ran upstairs, "You are evil, father! I hate you and I wish you were dead!"

"You brat! I don't even know why I'm keeping you in this house!"

Sunghoon immediately woke up after recalling the nightmare. Not a nightmare perhaps, a memory. The darkest memory he ever had. He despised his parents so much. His mother for leaving him and his father for torturing him.

Now that both of them were gone, he thought he could live a happy and peaceful life. He was wrong. The memories came haunting him back, reminding him that he couldn't ever forget them.

He turned to his right and hugged himself on the bed, bringing his knees closer to his chest. He tried closing his eyes and breathed calmly and properly.

He was just a sixteen-year-old boy. He stood in front of his father's deathbed, still in his school uniform. He clenched his fists and wondered why his tears weren't coming out.

"This is all because of my hatred towards you, dad."

"Should I even call you that?"

He leaned closer to his father's ear before whispering, "I vow to never marry and continue the family line just like you wanted."

He stood back up and stormed out of his father's bedroom. The head maid followed after him, "Sunghoon, are you going to hold his funeral?"

"Why should I? He was a cruel man. To you and me. Let him rot in hell. If I ever find out one of you is holding a funeral for him, I'll make sure you all will never see the sunlight."

He opened his eyes again and groaned frustratedly. He sat up straight and opened the drawer next to his bed. He poured sleeping pills into his palm before gulping them all.