ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ꜱᴇɴᴅ ┆|| ┆ni-ki

~forty one~

"Eunha, who's that boy you were just with?" Her mother's tone was sharp, her arms crossed as she stood at the bottom of the stairs.

Eunha bit her lip, her grip tightening around the strap of her bag. "Just... just a friend," she replied, keeping her voice steady, trying not to sound too defensive.

Her mother narrowed her eyes, stepping closer. "You better not be lying to me, Eunha. A boy, really? And where do you think this will lead? You should be focused on your studies, not fooling around with some stranger!"

Before Eunha could say anything, her dad appeared from the living room, sensing the tension. He raised a hand with a soft chuckle. "Oh, come on, honey. Let the girl have a life outside of school. She's old enough to make friends, even boys." His tone was warm, the way he always spoke when trying to ease things between them.

Her mother shot him a look but didn't respond directly to him. Instead, she kept her focus on Eunha, her eyes sharp. "You think you can just do whatever you want now, don't you?"

Eunha swallowed, wanting to push back but not daring to go too far. "It's not like that, Mom. I promise."

Her dad sighed and placed a gentle hand on his wife's shoulder. "Relax, dear. She's just making friends. It's normal. Besides, you can't expect her to never talk to a boy her whole life, right?" He chuckled softly, trying to lighten the mood. "Who knows, maybe she'll bring home someone nice one day, just like I did with you."

Her mother let out a frustrated breath but finally turned away, muttering something under her breath. Eunha just stood there, biting back the words that wanted to spill out. Her dad smiled at her, giving her a small wink as if to say he was on her side.

"Go on, get some rest, Eunha. You've had a long day," he said gently.

Eunha nodded, glancing once more at her mother, who had her back turned now, her shoulders tense. She offered her dad a small smile, hoping he didn't notice the tension in her eyes, and hurried up the stairs.

She closed her bedroom door behind her and leaned against it, trying to calm herself down. Everything that happened downstairs replayed in her mind, her mom's harsh voice, her dad's weak attempt to ease the tension. It felt too much, like always.

She looked down at the jacket in her hands, still feeling the warmth from earlier.

Niki's scent clung to the fabric, making her feel a little bit better. She walked to her bed and sat down, spreading the jacket across her lap. Her fingers traced over the sleeves, feeling the soft material under her touch.

Her eyes shifted to the small box sitting on her desk. It was wrapped in simple blue paper, something she had picked out weeks ago. Inside, there was a watch. She got it for Niki, to thank him for having saving her life thta night, but she thought that it would be better to give it to him when the moment felt right: when she could actually tell him what was on her mind. It wasn't just a gift, though. It was a part of everything she wanted to say but couldn't.

She sighed, hugging the jacket closer to her chest. She wanted to tell Niki the truth about her life at home, about how things really were with her mom. And more than that, she wanted to tell him how she felt about him, how he made her feel less alone.

But she couldn't find the right time, couldn't find the right words. It was all too complicated, too messy.

She glanced back at the gift box on her desk, then down at Niki's jacket. She wished she had the courage to just give it to him and tell him everything,about her mom, about her feelings. But right now, she didn't.

She squeezed the jacket a little tighter, whispering softly to herself, "One day... I'll tell you, Niki. Just... not yet."

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