Free Soul | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 4: the eclat of the light was scarlet

Trying to win a round of forehead game seemed to be a doomed outcome; it was challenging all of Hyunjae's English knowledge. She pulled faces nobody had expected her to pull, out of sheer frustration. She had laughed a few laughs nobody had expected her to laugh, in sincerity. And Lila was just like her. She had a lot of fun. It had been like spending peace in a lost cabin.

They both at some point ended up bent in half, Hyunjae yelling profanities in Korean, and Lila finding the most amusement out of it, because she couldn't understand a single word. Thus, she bursted out of laughter and got her game buddy to curse even more vehemently. Laura, on the other hand, was keeping an eye on them, an endearing grin stitched to her relaxed features.

Yeah, she had made the right decision by trusting her.

"I see it's fun around here."

The front door had opened on two familiar figures who allowed themselves in, attracting Lila and Hyunjae's attention with the quiet motion, "Hey, sweetie. Look who's here." He cooed, stepping aside to let his daughter see her heroin.

At that same moment, Hyunjae's breath felt to be ripped away by the sudden gust of coldness lowering a few degrees the temperature of the house, or more like her breath got stuck in her heaving chest as ardent warmth propagated all throughout her upper body, till reaching the tip of her ears and firing into her nose. A warm azure color trinkled into her irises for just a second.

Lila's eyes simply sparkled bright with excitement, "Auntie Nat!" And there she went jumping in the redhead's arms who lifted her up, and twirled her around while softly laughing in fondness.

"Hey, sweetie."

Hyunjae's gaze shifted into an unknown tone; Natasha was dressed casually for once. She seemed relaxed, and especially delighted to have her niece giggling and clinging onto her. The Korean couldn't afford not to notice how natural the redhead looked in this black and long coat, paired with leather boots and a white shirt with the first two buttons opening on her collarbone.

Everytime Hyunjae had seen Natasha, she was in one of those SHIELD suits; it made her look so overbearing, formal and, in that way, too much like the fatal spy and deadly assassin the world was terrified of. But in those clothes? Hyunjae discovered a new side of her, as if she had only realized now she was also human, that beneath the sheer ruthlessness was lying a good heart.

In some odd and far-fetched way, it brought a certain warm sensation into her chest. 

"Damn, my daughter's happier to see Nat than to see me." Clint complained while plopping onto the couch right next to Hyunjae, a heavy sigh of exhaustion escaping his lips. She stared as he took off his jacket, considering his words whilst she mindlessly tapped her thigh with the tip of her pointer finger; she decided it was better not to say anything, "How's today?"

"Why do you want to know?" Hyunjae retorted while she took the sticky note off her forehead, folding the paper before placing it on the coffee table. 

He let out a scoff at her usual biting tone, shaking his head like so, "I don't know, maybe you did something more interesting than reading those books." He sassed, pointing lazily his finger at said book. 

Hyunjae took offense and eyed him judgingly, "At least I can read out loud without stut-"

"Oh! Jae, Jae! I didn't ask you but," Lila cut their conversation shot as she brought the two bickering people's attention on her, getting out of Natasha's arms and coming to run to her. Her illuminated eyes met the sunken ones, before the sunken ones fled her gaze, now connecting with the viridescent curiosity, "Do you like butterflies?"

A jolt shot from the bottom of her mind, awakening those memories she had yet forgotten. 

"나비는 어떻게 생겼을까?" (What does a butterfly look like?)