puzzle piece | jeong jaehyun

31

00:17

Jaehyun had spent the last two hours shifting and turning in his bed, remembering the words from his duaghter, Yunhui and Minhyuk. Everything they had said to him piercing him in the chest with their coldness. Jaehyun laid there, staring at the ceiling as the events of the evening replayed endlessly in his mind.

The anger in Yunhui's eyes, the shock in her voice—it all felt like a punch to the gut he couldn't shake. He knew he'd crossed a line, but he couldn't ignore the nagging worry for Minhyuk, or the way his own past had come rushing back, clouding his judgment. It had been years since he'd last felt this kind of heaviness in his chest, but tonight brought him back to a night he'd tried to bury.

The memory of his last fight with his late wife came flooding back, the angry words exchanged, the resentment in her eyes. He could still remember her slamming the door as she left, and hours later, the call that she was gone. He'd never gotten to apologize, to tell her he didn't mean the things he'd said. That regret had haunted him ever since, and now it felt like history was repeating itself.

Turning over, he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping for sleep, but guilt gnawed at him, growing louder the longer he lay there. He could see how deeply he'd hurt her and betrayed her. Whatever cold wall between them he had broken down a few weeks ago was now built back up in tenfold.

It hit him that he was doing the very thing he'd promised himself he'd never do again—judging and doubting without listening. Maybe, instead of accusing, he should've tried to understand, to offer support. She was doing her best, just like he was, and he had no right to assume the worst. The thought that she might never forgive him twisted his stomach, and the fear of leaving things broken between them gnawed at his chest.

The thought of letting another apology go unheard made him feel sick.

Unable to stand it any longer, Jaehyun swung his legs out of bed and pulled on his robe over his pyjamas, making up his mind. He had to see her, to explain himself that his reaction was only out of concern and apologise for how it may have came across as an attack, even if it was late and she might not want to hear it.

Quietly, he slipped out of his apartment and made his way to her door, each step heavy with a mix of anxiety and determination. When he finally reached her doorstep, he took a deep breath, steeling himself before he raised his hand and knocked softly, hoping she would open up and give him one last chance to make things right.

"Jaehyun, please..." he heard her exhausted voice through the thick wood of the door as she hesitated to unlock the door for him

"I can't keep fighting...please just go" she said, her energy clearly being drained from spending the entire night ignoring her gnawing thoughts of how incompetent she was as a mother to comfort her son and get him to sleep.

"I'm not here to fight. I'm here to listen." Jaehyun said, his head resting against the door lightly out of tiredness

"Please?" He asked again as a silence ensued between them, a dry chuckle escaping his lips after the pleading statement

"I'm afraid I can't sleep until we stop fighting" He said, his words having a sadder ring to them than usual making Yunhui sigh as her hesitant fingers reached for the door handle. And in another few seconds she was opening the door to face him, their tired eyes meeting each other with silence between them as they both just remained in whatever peace they could find between themselves regardless if how thick the tension was.

"I'm sorry" Jaehyun said, being the first to break the silence

"I shouldn't have accused you like that, I was way out of line and...I had no right to speak to you that way" he said, owning up to his faults. Yunhui could almost feel a chill run down her spine, realising how long it had been since she heard a genuine apology from someone who had hurt her. She didn't know what else to say, just giving him a light nod of appreciation for his initiative to patch things up between them

"Can I come in?" He asked with a light voice and she bit her bottom lip, giving him a small shake of her head

"You can stay right there in case I need to slam this door on your face at any point of his conversation" she said, her words seeming cold but still managing to put a small smile on his face at the fact that she was open to even having a conversation with him

"Understandable. I was a complete jerk today—and yesterday" Jaehyun said, his brows raising slightly as he remembered how badly he dealt with Minhyuk getting hurt in the park. She let out a dry laugh at his words, the two of them easing up a bit before she could build the courage up to tell him the very thing she had never told anyone.

She took in a deep breath, knowing that while this information was none of Jaehyun's business, it would help the man who seemed like he was currently going to rip his hair out from being left in the state of oblivion. It would finally explain why she was acting a certain way around Minhyuk. She knew she was also running the risk of being looked at like she was a broken toy that needed fixing. But she had to say something...she had to make him understand that this situation was a lot bigger than just her or Minhyuk.

"This isn't the first time Minhyuk's gone to school with bruises, Jaehyun. This... has happened before. Multiple times...that's why she was here" She said, breathing out as she watched him slowly straighten up as realisation hit him

"What do you mean?" He asked. Jaehyun's brow furrowed, confusion flickering across his face. She swallowed, wrapping her arms tighter around herself, as if trying to hold something raw inside.

"His father, Jaehyun. The bruises... started back then and every time I tried to protect Minhyuk, it only got worse. I kept hoping things would change. But they didn't...So, I left. We moved here, where I thought he'd be safe. I just wanted to start fresh." She said, telling him the real reason as to how it all had started

Jaehyun took a step back, stunned. He had known Yunhui had left her past behind, but this—he hadn't realized what she was carrying.

"I tried to get help. I went to the police, social services... all of them knew, Jaehyun. They knew what he was going through, what I was going through. But it took years for anyone to listen to me. The system let us down, again and again. And now, after everything I've done to keep Minhyuk safe, they send someone to my door, accusing me?" Her voice cracked, and she looked away, shaking her head, struggling to keep her composure around him

"Yunhui, I..." he started, but ultimately was at a loss for words. Jaehyun felt the weight of her words settle heavily in his chest.

"I didn't know" he admitted, realising just how wrong he was about the whole situation

"Of course, you didn't. I don't talk about it because I...can't. I thought it would just...go away if I just...pretended like it all never happened." She said with a dry laugh, shaking her head at her own ignorance

"And now, after everything, they come here acting like I'm the problem. Like I could ever do what he did to him...what he put us through." She said, her bottom lip quivering

"But you know what hurts even more?" She asked, her shaky eyes finally meeting his again, laced with so much hurt and disappointment

"The fact that you thought I would do that." She said, her words stinging him with venom he didn't even know could affect him

"I thought...I thought you of all people were—I thought you were on my side—" she cut herself off with a strained cry, her hands reaching up to cover her face and muffled her cries

"I am, Yunhui...I am on your side" he breathed out, his body reacting faster than his mind as he took two steps forward, pulling her trembling body into his as he wrapped his arms around her

"I'm on your side, I promise."