Listen To Your Heart (A KaiSoo Fanfic)

Chapter Eighteen | For the Best?

A somber and shaky sigh fell off of Kyungsoo's lips as he watched Jongin walk out the door, his tearing eyes going shut as he felt the vibrations from the door shutting shoot up his body through his feet. Then accidentally, that very image of his first true love walking away from him became burned in his mind like a brand on cattle. Was that the last time he would ever see Jongin? He thought that if he could at least get his mother to see his feelings and tolerate their relationship (mostly because he knew she would never fully accept it), then everything would turn out alright in the end. All he needed her to do was see that the love he and Jongin shared was anything but sinful or a disease. He just needed her to see that their love, it was true.

Kyungsoo waited a few moments after Jongin left, letting his eyelids slide back before he walked into the living room. No one spoke a single word as Kyungsoo, Ryeowook, and Kyungsoo's mother took a seat in the living room, Kyungsoo sitting next to Ryeowook on one of the two long couches while Kyungsoo's mother sat across from them on the other. Kyungsoo sat amongst the silence for a minute before he tapped Ryeowook as a way to tell him that he was ready to talk. Ryeowook smiled warmly at the younger male, nodding his head to tell him that he could start.

"I have a feeling that I know what you're going to say," Ryeowook said as his eyes focused intently on the motions of Kyungsoo's hands.

Kyungsoo's mother sat back against the couch, her arms crossed over her chest. "What am I going to say?" she said, the displeased frown on her lips sending a sliver of fear through him.

"You're going to say that I shouldn't be dating another guy because it's a sin and it isn't natural," Ryeowook said, perfectly expressing Kyungsoo's mood with the tone of his voice. "And you are entitled to your own opinion, but that doesn't mean I agree with you and it definitely doesn't mean that I will stop seeing Jongin. I love him and nothing you think will change that."

"Hmm," she hummed, nodding her slowly as she adjusted herself. "That's fairly predictable. But despite what you think, I wasn't going to say that." Kyungsoo's eyebrows furrowed and he shared his baffled expression with Ryeowook, who was just as lost as Kyungsoo. "Would I have preferred to come back and find out that you found a girlfriend? Yes, but I'm not going to make this about me. I'm going to make this about Jongin."

"About Jongin?" Ryeowook said, moving his eyes from Ms. Do to Kyungsoo. "What about him?"

"It's obvious that he cares about you very much, seeing as how he learned sign language for you," she said with a sigh, taking her back off the couch, "and I can see that your disability doesn't seem to bug him." A brief gust of air was just barely able to pass through Kyungsoo's closed lips as he kept motionless, waiting for his mother to get to the catch. "I will leave this alone if you can answer me this, can you see yourself having a future with him?" she said. Without giving it any thought, Kyungsoo rose his hands and signed, prompting Ryeowook to speak for him.

"Yes, I can," he said.

"Really?" she asked with raised eyebrows. Kyungsoo nodded his head, still confused as to where she was headed with this. "Then, can he?" Kyungsoo was about to raise his hands, but he stopped when he realized something--he didn't know. He didn't recall Jongin ever mentioning or alluding to anything about their future together. He never mentioned them breaking up either, but that didn't mean it wasn't possible. "Ah, I see," she said as a grin spread across her face. "He hasn't said anything about it, has he?"

"Well, no," said Ryeowook. "But he's not the type of person to bring those things up. He's patient and wouldn't put that kind of pressure on me. Plus, we haven't even been seeing each other for that long."

"That will make this even easier then," she said, sitting up straight and resting her arms on her legs. "Think about it, sweetie. Even if you two could get married, you'd never have a normal life. You'd still be deaf and people would still look at you differently. What kind of position does that put Jongin in? Don't you think he'd get a lot of trouble from people for being with a deaf person?" Kyungsoo's eyes filled with doubtful tears and Ryeowook exhaled shakily. Kyungsoo had always been gullible, especially when it came to his mother. He had spent his whole life craving her genuine affection that whenever he thought he was getting it, he accepted it without hesitation. Unfortunately, this blinded him from the fact that every time she showed him love, it was to get him to do something she wanted. "Honey, I know you two are in love now, but take it from me when I say that living with someone like you isn't easy," she continued. "It's quite burdensome actually. And you don't want to be a burden to Jongin, do you?" Kyungsoo shook his head, his eyes blinking a few times as he did so.