Haein sat at the kitchen table, her eyes fixed on the cup of tea in front of her. She hadn’t taken a sip yet; her hands were trembling too much to lift it. The day had been long, filled with meetings and quiet moments of exhaustion, but now, something was different. Something felt terribly wrong.
Her vision blurred for a moment, and suddenly, the room began to shift. The walls seemed to pulse as if they were breathing, and the light from the overhead lamp dimmed, casting strange shadows across the room. Haein’s heart raced. She knew what was happening—another hallucination. She had managed to hide them from Soobin so far, but this one felt stronger, more terrifying.
She blinked rapidly, trying to bring herself back to reality, but the shadows only grew darker. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure standing by the doorway. It wasn’t Soobin. It wasn’t anyone she knew. The figure was tall and faceless, looming closer with each second.
Her breath quickened, and she clutched the edge of the table, forcing herself to focus. “This isn’t real. This isn’t real,” she whispered, trying to will the hallucination away. But the figure kept advancing, its presence cold and overwhelming.
Just then, Soobin walked into the room, her school uniform slightly dishevelled, her bag slung over her shoulder. She glanced at her mother, noticing the distant, fearful look in her eyes. For a moment, Soobin hesitated, sensing something wasn’t quite right.
“Mom?” she called out, her voice laced with annoyance rather than concern.
Haein didn’t respond. Her eyes were wide, locked onto the hallucination that only she could see. Her lips trembled, and a cold sweat formed on her brow. Soobin furrowed her brows, stepping closer. “Mom, are you okay?”
At the sound of Soobin’s voice, Haein snapped back to the present. The room returned to normal, the shadows receding, and the terrifying figure was gone. But her heart was still racing, and she felt as though she had been pulled from the depths of a nightmare.
She looked up at Soobin, her face pale and her hands still shaking. “I’m... fine,” she managed to say, her voice shaky. “Just a little tired.”
Soobin watched her for a moment, suspicion flickering in her eyes. “You don’t look fine,” she muttered, though she quickly brushed it off. She wasn’t in the mood for whatever “drama” her mother was going through today. It had to be stress or overwork again—nothing serious, she told herself.
“You should get some rest or something,” Soobin said dismissively, heading to her room without waiting for a response.
Haein sat there, her breath slowly evening out, but the fear lingered. The hallucination had felt more real than ever before. She knew she couldn’t keep hiding this, but she also wasn’t ready to burden Soobin with the truth. Not yet.
As Soobin disappeared into her room, Haein remained seated at the table, silently battling the fear that had taken root deep within her. She had managed to hide it this time, but how much longer could she keep it together before everything fell apart?
YOU ARE READING
Pieces Of Us
Random"Pieces of Us" follows the tumultuous relationship between Baek Soobin, a sixteen-year-old who lives a life of luxury and rebellion, and her mother, Hong Haein, a powerful CEO known for her cold, distant demeanour. As Soobin continues to push her mo...
