Decoupled • KTH ✔

Chapter 57

Taehyung

Areum and I get into my car, and I begin driving to our home so that before I take her back to Jang-Mi, she could eat something and then wash up and change into more comfortable night clothes.

Two days with Areum just flew by in the blink of an eye, and it terribly saddens me that I have to spend another five days before I could meet her again.

As soon as I begin driving, Areum starts talking.

"Appa, why is eomma not in our home? Why are we not in the same home anymore?" Her question is a repetition, and the tone of her voice is laced with such sadness that it makes me want to hold her tight and take away all the pain that she's feeling within.

This is a question that I have heard more number of times in these past two days than I've ever heard any other question in my entire life, and I'm still not sure how to answer her appropriately.

I remain completely silent, my mind shuffling around in search of words to string together as an answer to her question as I glance at her now and then through the rear-view mirror, noticing how she's emptily gazing at the moving scenery outside the window.

The sky outside begins to darken a little even though there's still a bit of sunshine, and Areum's eyes land on the rainbow that's forming in the sky, and she immediately lets out an amused gasp.

"Appa, look! It's a rainbow," she points to the sky and giggles excitedly, and I chuckle too.

How innocent and pure her soul is to find happiness in something as simple as a rainbow in the sky when only moments ago she was questioning our life choices in the saddest tone possible.

Yet, the excitement doesn't last long, and her question soon returns to me.

"Appa, I asked you a question," she repeats with firmness in her tone, and this time there's no escape. I have to speak up and explain.

"Bubba, can I tell you a story so that you will understand why appa and eomma are not living together in the same house anymore?" I raise my eyebrows, briefly glancing at her reflection in the rear-view mirror, and she nods with a feeble 'okay' as a response.

"This is the story of the Queen of Fire and the King Of Ice. Once upon a time, there lived a Queen who loved fairy tales. She believed in Queens marrying Kings and having babies and living happily ever after, but she never met a King that she wanted to marry. This Queen loved fire" I begin narrating the story.

"Isn't it dangerous to love fire?" Areum asks in a shocked manner.

"It is, but not for the Queen of Fire. She loved the heat of it, she loved to roast marshmallows in the fire, and she even had fireplaces in every room in her castle. Her crown had lighted candles on it, and even her clothes were all red or yellow or orange," I pause for my daughter's acknowledgement.

"Just like fire," she responds with full enthusiasm.

"Yeah, just like fire. So one day she went along with her parents to attend a royal wedding, and there she heard a deep voice singing a beautiful song. The Queen of Fire followed the sound of the voice, and it led her to a handsome King who was singing that song," a smile makes its way up my lips as the memories of my first meeting with Jang-Mi, eight years ago, at a common relative's wedding flashes through my mind.

It was love at first sight.

"This King was someone who loved ice. He always wore clothes that were white and various other shades of blue, and his crown was a huge snowflake. He was tall, his voice was melodic, and he always had a bright smile on his lips. But he loved ice so much that he even lived in a castle entirely made of ice"