Monster (ONEUS Seoho x Ravn/Seojo)

Week 4, Day 4

Young Jo and I were eating lunch in peaceful silence, no need for words as we simply enjoyed the comforting presence of each other. As we neared the clearing of the tray, he spoke up,

"You know that I'm Miss Nari's son, right?"

I wiped the corners of my mouth as I frowned slightly. "Yes, why?"

"No, I just thought that since you gave me a Utharia history lesson yesterday, that I'd give you a family history lesson today," he joked with a faint chuckle.

"That is if you feel comfortable sharing," I said, collecting the last drops of soup on my spoon.

He shrugged casually. "Our family has always been the talk of the town as they say."

My frown deepened. "W-why's that?"

Another shrug. "Mother usually gets criticized for having children so late," he mumbled, leaving his utensils to fiddle with his fingers.

"You're not telling me something," I pointed out. I could sense words at the back of his throat asking for release yet were being suppressed much like a bird in a cage.

He sighed and looked up at me with sadly wistful eyes. "I miss them," he admitted.

I smiled warmly at him. I pushed the tray aside so that I could scooch closer to him. I held both of his hands and rested them in the space between both of our crossed legs. "Go on."

"I don't know, it's just these past ten years have been like an endless torture. In a lot of aspects but since we're on the topic of family," he started but paused to swallow and remained quiet for a moment. Like there were so many emotions and thoughts stored away in the deepest corners of his mind that were just having light shed on them and he had to find a way to organize them. To not only make sense to me but make sense to himself as well.

He licked his lips briefly before continuing, "There was just so much I missed, so much I could've been there for had I not succumbed and slipped."

My attentive demeanor was slowly fading away as I started to realize the depth of the situation.

"It's like I'm watching my family go on with life at a theatre. Like I'm merely part of an audience that only gets to see what happens but never truly experiences it. Even when I leave, they still proceed with their act, with their life as if the theatre never closes, as if I was never there."

"Don't say that-."

"Quite hard to do so when that's what it seems like." He slumped against the wall and pulled his knees up to his chest, lowering his head so much almost like he was burying it in his knees.

I combed my fingers through his hair as I assured him, "Listen, I know it may look and feel that way, but trust me, I've conversed with your family and the hotel's staff enough to know that they miss you, Young Jo. They sincerely miss you and I'm positive they'd love to have you back."

He didn't respond, which I took as my cue to resume.

"That's why I'm stubborn to break this curse. For your family, for myself, for you." He raised his head at this.

I moved my hands to cup his cheeks. "We'd all love to have you back because although you may not see it, you played such a major role in all of our lives in ways no one else can replace, no matter how much they come close, they'll never be you," I pulled the words from the deepest chamber of my heart, words I have been meaning to say to merely get out of my system. I even considered writing down my innermost thoughts about Young Jo after his passing and leaving them on his gravel site in the hopes he might see it one day. But now he was here, and I was planning on keeping it that way so that I could express more of what I couldn't.

Tears glistened in his eyes as he moved to wrap me in a hug. I returned the gesture and stayed there for as long as he needed. When he pulled away first, I asked,

"So tell me about this family I hear is the talk of the town," quirking an eyebrow up playfully which got him laughing to my relief.

He shifted and gestured for me to sit against the wall on my side. I did as told before he lightly spread my legs apart and proceeded to lay between them with his head on my chest and a snug arm tucked around my waist.

He sniffled before going back to the beginning.

♥

Yoo Nari and Kim Jeong Hoon met one fall term of college, and it was love at first sight as the expression goes. At the age of twenty, they were college graduates and by twenty-five, they were newly weds.

In the time leading up to their marriage, Jeong Hoon expressed his aspirations to start a shoe business which Nari fully supported for she never had big plans after college. They both worked small jobs in order to earn enough money to launch the business and once the dream came into fruition, it took off from there.

The Finest Shoes became a household name in the business industry and was named the best shoe franchise Utharia had ever seen in its history, due to its unmatched customer service and quality. Too engrossed in maintaining the business' name, the happy and successful couple only had their first child ten years later when Nari was thirty-five.

This took a steady blow to the business as critics accused Nari of wasting away on her better, younger years. The stress this created took a toll on Nari's pregnancy as the doctors informed her that her child may not live very long or will be completely stillborn. To Nari and Jeong Hoon, it was a miracle when their late first child was born at all but on top of that, the past criticisms became practically nonexistent as Young Jo slowly grew into what they called one of the most handsome men in Utharia.

During Young Jo's toddler years, when he was merely five and as the business started to pick itself up, the couple decided it would be easier for the time being to adopt a child, resulting in their second child, Dong Myeong. He was only two years younger than Young Jo and the public was quite fond of the baby. Five years later, when Nari was forty-five, she became pregnant with their third child and while she nor the business suffered as much backlash as received during her pregnancy with Young Jo, it was evident people disapproved of her gestation, especially with the age she was at.

To make matters worse, Jeong Hoon who was well and bright one morning, suddenly died of a shock. All eyes were on Nari to see how she would act in light of this, regarding the business as if they expected her to mourn in the moment and move on with life the next. Because the business hadn't reached its former peak just yet, money was rather tight at the time, and in a disheveled state due to her husband's passing, not only did Nari spend uselessly - she closed the business altogether. To this day, she has never heard the end of it.

Nari was hysteric, not knowing what to do. She hopped around family members' houses, working whatever jobs she could find in the area to feed her children. In this time, little Si Woon was born - a ray of light in the darkness that engulfed Nari. Young Jo and his friends also started up their band coincidentally so that Young Jo could help out as much as he could.

Three years into Nari's infinite jobs and Young Jo's band, a friend of Nari who was moving out of Utharia, offered for her to take over their hotel business. Nari didn't have to think for a second to agree. Using the prior knowledge she attained through her husband's business as well as the name her friend had already created for the hotel, in two years tops, Nari was able to get her now Yoo Inns franchise going. Using the money she had saved and kept aside these past five years, she finally adopted Dong Myeong's twin, Dong Ju, relieved he was still there at the foster home in the first place.

"And that's how our ever so complicated family was formed," Young Jo ended. I nodded as I wondered how the war played into their family because there is no doubt that the war started somewhere in between all of this. But I had to remind myself that the war wasn't Young Jo's focus - it was his family. The same family that was right in front of his eyes yet was the same family he couldn't reach.