WHY DO YOU LOVE ME? - riki

✧ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 31 - ᴄᴏɴꜰᴇssɪᴏɴs ✧

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𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟯𝟭 - 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦

Daeun and Taehyun had been checking up on me every few days. They had come back from Australia to check up on me and I felt really guilty. Even though I had to lie to everyone saying that I would be fine I felt most guilty for lying to my father, Daeun and Taehyun because they were practically my closest family.

But I didn't want them to stress anymore, so here I was waving them off at the airport promising that I would be fine. "Remember to text me if there are any emergencies. If you don't, I will get Riki to kill you for me." Daeun said and I chuckled at her comment.

"I'll be fine, Riki is taking care of me." I bent down to give Taehyun a hug as I wiped his tears away. "I'm gonna miss you Noona. I love you so much."

"I love you too Taehyun."

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𝙍𝙄𝙆𝙄 𝙋𝙊𝙑 -

I sat on the balcony, the cold air biting against my skin, but I couldn't bring myself to go inside. The darkness around me felt fitting—a reflection of the turmoil that never seemed to leave my mind. My thoughts were consumed by her. By Hwayoung. By the truth I've been too much of a coward to tell her.

In another life, she had loved me, and I... I destroyed her. I can still see it so clearly. The way she trusted me, the way her eyes shone when she looked at me, and the way they dulled when I turned against her. I killed her. Not with my hands, but with the choices I made. I put power over love, ambition over her. And when I lost her, I thought that would be the end of my punishment.

But then, this life happened. She's here again, alive, breathing, and somehow, fate put her in my life once more. I thought I'd have time to fix it. To atone. But then came the diagnosis—the word cancer—and now I feel like I'm on borrowed time.

I don't know how to tell her the truth. How do I say, "I killed you once, and I'm terrified of losing you again"? How do I explain that I've spent lifetimes regretting what I did? That even now, I don't think I deserve her forgiveness?

I don't know if she'll forgive me. I don't even know if I'll get the chance to ask. But I can't lose her again. Not to this. Not to anything. I just... can't.

"Well you don't have to worry about that Doom, because I told her myself." Konon's voice emerged from behind me. "W-what?"

Konon grinned and just as quickly as she appeared she disappeared.

I ran into the house searching all over for any traces of Hwayoung and I noticed her sitting on the floor balled up and in tears. "Hwayoung, l-lookI'm sorry."

"Were you ever gonna tell me?"

"I-"

"You killed me. This is your fate now." She trembled at the sight of me and it broke my heart into a million pieces. She was afraid of me. "Hwayoung please, I wasn't in my right mind in my past life. I'm so sorry for my stupid actions but now I really love you. I would- no will die for you. You are the light that I'd been searching so long for."

I pulled her up from the ground and cradled her in my arms afraid that the world would pull her away from me once again. "My powers are disappearing. I'm gonna try and save the both of us and if not both of us then you. Because you have people here that love you, need you. I don't. You have a purpose and I want you to live that out."

"Don't say that Riki. We're gonna get through this together."

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𝙃𝙒𝘼𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙉𝙂 𝙋𝙊𝙑 -

I wasn't gonna let Riki die for me. He had already served his punishment, his torture for what he had done. He didn't deserve more. I had to disappear. Make myself vanish so I could protect him and give him another chance at life. So I thought of the furthest place that I could travel to.

Jeju.

- 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝟏𝟓 -

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AUTHOR:

'Turning Tides' coming out soon

theres only 4 chapters leftttt

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