ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ꜱᴇɴᴅ ┆|| ┆ni-ki

~twenty one~

Eunha sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She touched her forehead where the small bandage covered the cut. She had gotten it the day before, and it was a constant reminder of the argument she had with her mom.

But today, she tried to push all that away. Her dad was coming home today. He was supposed to arrive yesterday, but something had come up. It had been so long since she'd seen him, and the thought of finally getting to hug him again made her heart feel lighter. He was always so kind to her, so understanding. Unlike her mom, who seemed to be different when he was around.

Her phone buzzed on her desk, a message from her dad saying he was on his way. Quickly, she stood up, pulling out her nicest dress from the closet. She hadn't worn it in a while, but she wanted to look good for him. Eunha carefully pulled it over her head, smoothing it out before turning back to the mirror.

Her eyes lingered on the bandage again, and she sighed. Maybe she could cover it up somehow. Grabbing her makeup bag, she tried to put some concealer around the edges, but it didn't do much. It wasn't like she could hide it completely, and she didn't want to look like she was trying too hard. He was going to notice anyway.

She took one last glance at herself and then headed downstairs. Her mom was already in the living room, sitting on the couch and scrolling through her phone. When she looked up and saw Eunha, a fake smile immediately spread across her face.

"Oh, you look so pretty, darling," her mom said, her voice sweet but cold at the same time. Eunha didn't respond. She knew this version of her mom too well. The one that appeared whenever her dad was around, pretending to be the perfect mother. It made her feel sick.

"Dad's almost here," Eunha mumbled, walking past her and into the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water, trying to ignore the tension in the air.

Just as she finished drinking, she heard the familiar sound of the front door unlocking. Her heart raced as she quickly put the glass down and rushed to the door. The moment it opened, there he was, her dad, standing there with a warm smile.

"Eunha!" he said, his arms open wide.

"Dad!" She practically threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around him. It felt like forever since she'd last hugged him. The familiar smell of his cologne filled her senses, and for a moment, she felt safe.

"I missed you so much, princess," he said softly, holding her close.

"I missed you too, Dad," she whispered back, squeezing him tighter. It was like all the stress and pain from the past few days melted away in his arms.

After a few more moments, they finally pulled apart, and he smiled down at her. But his smile faded a little as his eyes landed on the bandage on her forehead.

"Hey, what's this?" he asked, his brow furrowing in concern as he gently touched the edge of the bandage. "What happened?"

Eunha froze for a second, unsure of what to say. She knew she couldn't tell him the truth, but before she could even get a word out, her mom's voice cut through the moment.

"Oh, it's nothing!" Her mom let out a fake laugh, walking over to them with that same phony smile. "She's so clumsy, you know? Bumped her head on the cabinet yesterday while she was cleaning."

Eunha's heart sank as she looked at her mom. The lie rolled off her tongue so easily, and the worst part was that her dad would probably believe it. He always believed her.

"Is that true, Eunha?" her dad asked, still looking a little concerned but not as worried as before.

Eunha glanced at her mom, who was giving her that warning look, the one that told her not to say anything. She swallowed hard, forcing a small smile. "Yeah... I wasn't paying attention."

Her dad sighed and shook his head, smiling again. "You need to be more careful, sweetheart." He patted her shoulder gently before turning back to her mom. "Well, I'm just glad it's nothing serious."

"Oh, of course," her mom said, stepping closer and resting her hand on his arm. "I've been taking such good care of her while you've been gone."

Eunha almost rolled her eyes at how fake her mom sounded. If only her dad knew what really went on when he wasn't around.

But Eunha stayed quiet, not wanting to ruin the moment. She didn't want to cause any problems, especially not when her dad had just gotten home.

Her dad pulled her in for another quick hug before looking around the house. "I've missed this place," he said with a chuckle. "And I've missed you two even more."

Eunha smiled at him, trying to focus on the good things. At least he was home now. That was all that mattered, right? She could deal with her mom later, as long as she got to spend some time with him.

"How about we all sit down and have dinner together?" her mom suggested. "I've already prepared everything."

Eunha's stomach churned at the thought of sitting through dinner with her mom acting all sweet and caring. But she knew she didn't have a choice. Her dad wouldn't see through her mom's act, and it wasn't like Eunha could just leave.

"Sounds great," her dad replied, looking between the two of them. "I'm starving."

Eunha nodded, following them to the dining room. She sat down at the table, trying to push her feelings aside. Her mom was still putting on her little show, acting like everything was perfect. But Eunha couldn't shake the feeling that her dad would eventually notice. He had to, right? She couldn't keep pretending forever.

As dinner started, Eunha and her dad started talking, and soon Eunha found herself laughing. Her dad always had a way of making her forget about everything, even if just for a moment. He told her stories from his work, shared jokes that probably weren't that funny, but Eunha laughed anyway because she missed this, missed him.

When they finally finished dinner, her dad stood up and stretched. "I'm going to unpack real quick, but I'll be right back."

Eunha nodded, watching him leave the room. As soon as he was out of sight, her mom's smile dropped, and she shot Eunha a look. "Remember what I said," she hissed quietly, her voice low and sharp.

Eunha clenched her fists under the table, biting her tongue to keep from saying something she'd regret. Instead, she just nodded, standing up to clear the dishes.

Her mom didn't say another word as she walked away, leaving Eunha alone in the kitchen. She stared down at the empty plates, feeling the weight of everything press down on her. This was her life now—lying, pretending, and hoping her dad never found out the truth.

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