Two Worlds Apart [MiChaeng Fanfic]

1

A brisk cold air washed over me as I emptily stare at the stone figure in front of me. It is Chaeyoung's tombstone, the love of my life, whom I lost exactly this day a year ago to leukemia. I watch as slabs of snow cling onto it, as if not wanting to let go, just like how my heart refuses to accept the fact that she is gone.

I breathe a sigh of bitterness against the chilly and snowy atmosphere beneath my head, wishing she could magically appear in front of me, hug me for all of my sorrows, warm me for this cold reality, and fill my empty heart with her again.

Today is her first death anniversary. I've been here for about four hours now, about to dive into the fifth hour until my phone rang.

"Mina-ya! We'll not be having dinner in my house anymore, instead let's stay here in the Yoo Beep Beep Cottage. Jeongyeon and I will be cooking tonight, so you can come empty-handed," Nayeon said.

"Okay," I softly said. Even if I go there tonight, there will still be no Chaeyoung. In every corner, every slope, and every land of this earth, she will not be found, and will never be.

"Mina-ya, it's been a year already. Please soften your heart and let her go, will you? We miss you."

Ever since she passed, I have been so withdrawn. I appealed for a hiatus in my acting and modeling career, I rejected all of the events and parties I've been invited to, and I stopped doing ballet. I also kept turning Nayeon and company's invitations down, but they are persistent so I always get dragged into their hangouts even though it's against my will.

I'd rather just trap myself inside my penthouse in my sweatpants, brawl my eyes out, stare at our old pictures, reminisce the good old days, and mourn for her.

"See you later, Nayeon unnie," I said and hung up the phone.

I grab my black cap, wore my dark shades, and head out of the cemetery. There are no more paparazzi this time, especially after I threw a fit this one time to express my annoyance of not giving me a sense of peace for myself. Thankfully, my company managed to handle the paparazzi well. But still, I have to keep my disguise.

I drove home, with Chaeyoung's latest song playing on loop. Just hearing her voice makes my heart breathe a little.

I arrived at the penthouse and immediately went to the bathroom to wash up. After taking a long shower, I grabbed the towel and wrapped it around my head. Then I stand in front of the mirror, staring at my naked body and bare face.

I lost a lot of weight. My cheekbones have been more pronounced than ever. My ribs have been standing out more. My abs are gone, but my abdomen is thin as a paper. Underneath my eyes produce deep, dark circles.

I am a mess.

I briskly grab my clothes from the closet and dress myself up, not wanting to stare at the malnourished figure in the mirror any longer. I put on concealer to hide my eyebags, grab a pair of boots, wear my thick leather coat, head out and drive myself to the Yoo Beep Beep Cottage which Jeongyeon owns. It is her main line of business, renting out luxurious and exclusive summer and winter cottages for vacationers.

There are many cottages inside her villa, but the biggest one is reserved for our tight-knit group of friends, who consists of Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Dahyun, (Chaeyoung), Tzuyu, and I. We are free to go there anytime we want to, and can do anything we want. In fact, it is where I spent my first night with Chaeyoung five years ago.