A Sound from the Moon

Forty Six

I look for breath and only find a shaky one as I slowly step out of the coffin room. I feel as if my blood is running cold through my veins. I shiver at the sudden chill I have and swallow down my dry throat.

The Blackpink members have gone back to their place as well as the boss and his family. I'm glad my eyes find the familiar warmth of my members and Chan. They give me a warm smile as I step out. Chan starts to stand to wrap his strong arm around, but we all look towards the entrance of the waiting room at the sound of footsteps.

The man that walks through the entrance makes my blood fall to my feet. I suddenly feel like fainting at the sight of my father's eyes on me. My weak heart begins to pace when he approaches me with a sudden speed that makes me step back with fear.

But then he suddenly kneels down in front of me with the gesture of upmost humility. I can't seem to react as I look down at him with his head down with shame. The members quietly watch this with confusion and surprise, but I blankly watch my father let out a shaky breath.

"Yerim."

The sound of that voice takes me back to the night I once begged him like he does now. I once kneeled before him with tears running down my cheeks and looking up for hope. Just as he does now...

"Yerimah. Forgive me please. Forgive me..."

Tears that make my blood boil fall on my shoes. A ringing sound starts in my ears as I softly say, "What are you doing here?"

My father looks up and says, "I came to say goodbye—"

"You have no right to walk into that room," I firmly say. I push through my heart telling me to just run. I have to fight just as my mother did all those years. He was never there to hold her when she was weak. I was.

So I protect her until the very end as I firmly say, "You don't deserve to even set foot in this place."

"I-I know I did wrong, Yerimah. But I am still your father and I was still her husband—"

"My father?!" My hands turn into fists again when I yell this. "My father died years ago and her husband was a coward that left just because she was sick!"

"Yerimah—"

"Hey! Don't speak. Don't even try to explain yourself!"

"We were so young and I was all alone—"

"Shut up. Shut up!"

"Yeri."

Chan has tried to come up to me but the members stop him. Wendy then tries to ask my father to leave, but my father stands and gives Wendy the same violent look he gave me as a child when I begged him to stay. Something within me snaps and I push him away from Wendy.

"Stay away from her! I don't ever want to see you again!"

"I'm your father!"

"No! You're not! My father died years ago!"

My father takes a surprised step back with a scoff. "You're all alone now. What will you do?"

"I took care of mom all those years you were gone. I can handle myself well."

My father stays frozen as he lets my words sink in. I wipe away angry tears and keep a firm position. His eyes turn sad as he looks at the members. "Yerimah—"

I turn to the side and clench my jaw. With this, he understands that I don't accept his apology. I never will no matter what he tries to give me. I will never let him in. I will always push him away just as he did that night.

He lets his shoulders fall and does a sad nod. "I see. Then you have to let go of your father tonight as well."

I let my eyes fall as I hear his footsteps leave the place. Now I truly don't have any blood family. I've just cut off the last of it.

Wendy is the first to come up to me. She takes a careful hold of my arms and tries to raise my chin up to look at me. But even the slight movement of my head feels like a hammer against my brain. The aching in my chest gets even worse and I can barely move without feeling like drowning. In fact, I can barely breathe as we slowly walk out. Irene and Seulgi have left before us as we walk down the hallway to tell the morgue I have finished saying goodbye.

I barely hear Joy asking me if I'm feeling okay. I want to cry and scream all at the same time. Beads of sweat run down my neck and it makes a shiver run up my spine from its chilly feeling.

Chan comes to join us after fixing the waiting room. He has his sweet smile ready to hold me but I suddenly see stars in my vision.

I lean on the wall and try to walk forward. Wendy and Joy have started to quietly speak among each other as we waited for Chan to approach us. My mind screams for their help but I can't say a single thing. My blood runs cold again and falls to my feet.

I take a step closer to them and my legs give out. My heavy eyelids slowly close as I feel my body suddenly slide down the wall and fall to the ground.

"Yerimah!"

It's the last clear thing I hear before hitting the ground. It feels like I'm underwater as I see blurry versions of people gathering around me. Panic arises in their puffy voices, but then the world turns dark.

And the last thing I hear is that deafening ringing in my ears.