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Returning to Seoul had been soul sucking. Geon-woo's hand never left hers while memories both wanted and unwanted seemed cripple her. She hated being back and the further they trekked through Seoul, the worst she began feeling.
The air felt constricting unlike the fresh and freeing air of the countryside. Everything was dark, gloomy and sad. She had once loved the city now; it held a lifetime of nightmares and regrets and quite frankly the neon lights were hurting her eyes.
When they pulled up to the apartment complex, Nari's nerves were shaking in her body and she could barely conceal the tremors that rattled through her bones and trembled at her hands. Geon-woo did not say a word as she led them down the musty corridor, his hand adjusting around hers to settle her queasiness.
Nari sucked in a harsh breath as they stopped at one of the doors. Geon-woo watched carefully at her blank stare at the greying door, her apprehension clashing on display as she fought with herself on whether to open the door or leave and never look back.
" It will be okay" he told her while his hands crept up her shoulder as he pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'll wait out here if you need me"
Nari had never felt more grateful. She was ready to burst into tears, agonising over his judgement but he knew her too well. He understood, despite what she thought, so he took a step back and allowed her to swing the door open and disappear into the darkness. Geon-woo waited anxiously outside, his heart wrenching at the pain she was in.
Nari entered the threshold, the house cold and uninviting as usual as she kicked off her shoes and made her way to the living room.
Her father was exactly where she imagined him to be. A wrinkled, dusty blanket was draped over his shoulders, straining across his back while he stood hunched before the dulled ghost like hearth with an empty glass on the shelf and their family picture beside it. He did not stir when she entered, not even when she called out to him. He simply, as he usually did, ignored her.
