ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏɴᴅ ᴏғ ʟᴏᴠᴇ || ʟᴇᴇ ʜᴇᴇsᴇᴜɴɢ [✔️]

🪻House Of Cards

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"I thought everything would finally fall into its rightful place after today. But life… it doesn’t seem to like seeing me happy. Every time I get this close to holding on to my happiness, it bursts like a bubble—like it was never real to begin with."

~ Lee Heeseung

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Lee Heeseung's POV

Damn. The last few days have completely drained me. You'd think with the year almost ending and the workload winding down, I'd get a breather. But no, Father has been breathing down my neck even harder than usual. It's like he's got a sixth sense for when I might relax. I keep telling myself I need to visit them soon, but, honestly? I've been avoiding it. Just stepping into that house brings back every dreadful memory I've tried so hard to bury.

Deep down, I know it wasn't their fault—not entirely. Heedo hyung and Hana noona didn't die because of them. It was an accident, plain and simple. But that doesn't erase how I feel. I'm still upset—angry, even—about the way they treated me and Hyung back then. We were just kids, for crying out loud. Kids who needed parents, not judgment or cold shoulders. And now, even though they've aged and I know my responsibilities as their son, part of me can't let go of that bitterness.

I wish things were different. I wish Dad had tried to understand us instead of always forcing his own opinions and judgments. I wish Mom had broken out of her little bubble of silence and ignorance instead of indulging in luxuries to numb herself. That day—the day I lost Heedo hyung and Hana noona—I'd yelled at them like I never had before. I was so full of rage and grief, and though I've calmed down since then, the sting of that day hasn't faded. Rowoon, that little toddler, barely survived.

I want to forgive them—I really do. And maybe, to some extent, I already have. But the bitterness? That's a whole other thing. It clings to me like an old scar, always there, always aching. Even though I care about them, even though I know they're trying now... I can't shake it off completely.

Anyway, enough brooding. I need to stop procrastinating and set up a meeting with them. It's time to lay everything on the table, fully and finally. And while I'm at it... maybe it's time they meet her. My love. I've been thinking about it for a while, and it feels right. Not that I care what they think this time—I won't back down. Not like I did before.

Oh, and the girl Dad's been texting and calling me about? The one he's so eager for me to marry? Yeah, that's not happening. Not now, not ever.

The decision to face them wasn't easy, but it was necessary. I spent the better part of the morning pacing around my apartment, wondering how this would go. Would they even listen? Would they dismiss me like they always did? I sighed and grabbed my keys. If I thought about it any longer, I'd probably find another excuse to delay.

As I stepped out, my mind wandered back to last night—when I told Nina about my plans.

Yesterday's night

We were at my place, lounging on the couch. The TV was on, but neither of us was paying attention. Nina was curled up against me, her head resting on my chest, while I absentmindedly ran my fingers through her hair. The sound of her soft breathing always calmed me, even when the world outside felt like it was closing in.

"You're really going to do it?" she asked, her voice muffled against my shirt.

"Yeah," I replied, my fingers stilling for a moment. "It's overdue. I can't keep avoiding them forever."