Slow Journey || 2KIM

Chapter 31

It has been going on like this for a couple of months. Minju has been working hard on trying to get better, and has been only focusing on her health as well as on how she can get better. There's a process, slowly slowly, as each day the muscles on her legs are getting stronger and stronger and she can even make a few steps around the house with the help of the crutches. Her hearing is improving but overall it can't he really helped again, but the problem is fixed as soon as she wears her hearing aids.

She hasn't been doing anything else though, like working or going out which is something that easily makes her depressed. Chaewon is trying her hardest to lift up her mood like always coming hack home and focusing on her, finding new movies to watch, coming back with food, or arranging dinner at the rooftop of the house or the balcony of their room. She would even take her along with her to rand some errands or shop around the neighborhood as it's close so Minju can actually go out with the wheelchair. Other than that, Minju hasn't really tried going out that much or going out to far destinations as she can't exactly use the transportation as it's not easy to use it with a wheelchair. Not to mention about cars as Minju is still traumatized by them. They haven't even discussed about it with Chaewon and they don't even need to do so for Chaewon to know that the girl is still afraid of them as she always wishes and prays over and over for Chaewon to drive safely at work and return back home in one shape.

Then again, there's also the thing about work that Minju has been complaining about at times as she would easily call herself useless as she doesn't do anything around the house. Yes she helps Chaewon's moms around the house as much as she can, plays video games for hours with Yena or draws and paints for hours as well, sometimes watches movies by herself or reads books. She would love it when Chaewon would come back from work with a new book for her to read or a new boarding game for them to play. These are enough to fill up her boring time at home but still Minju doesn't like how she's trying to fill up her endless free time with entertaining things yeah, but... she's not offering somehow, she's not doing things for herself somehow, she's not working, she's not earning money... and she feels like this nice hospitality is too much for her to handle for this long. She needs to somehow pay Chaewon back, she can't live freely around here and not offer at all!

Chaewon knew what to do even when Minju was at her lowest, extremely depressed, lying in bed all day and hugging her pillow, having red eyes from crying too much and not telling her anything no matter how many times she would ask her. Chaewon knew. She knew she had to wait, to be patient, to make Minju feel loved, to hug her and distract her mind, and male her realize after all that things could be worse, and that things are only getting better.

On days like today though, Chaewon knows it's one of the toughest as she's returned home after a tiring day, with the book Minju has ordered in her hands. Minju has been sitting on her wheelchair and has been looking at the view from the window doors of the balcony for hours, not having responded to Chaewon at all to any of her questions. In times like those Chaewon knows that Minju truly feels lifeless, as if her soul has left her body for real... It seems like it at times.

"Min?" Chaewon says softly at some point as she walks up to Minju, her hands resting on Minju's shoulders as they sneak forward hugging Minju's shoulders and neck loosely.

"Yuri has invited us all over her house. You're as always invited, you know." Minju doesn't respond immediately so Chaewon continues.

"Do you wanna give it a go?" Chaewon asks her softly as she leans her head forward, tilting it softly as she looks at Minju's side profile with a patient soft smile on her lips, looking at her girlfriend lovingly.

"No." Minju replies shortly and blatantly. A short, straightforward, blatant "No" that takes no second thought or an option for any reconsideration.

"Yuri is waiting for you." Chaewon replies softly before she adds,