Crestfallen • Jeonghan [2]

20

It was the same. Everything. The place, the surroundings, the same gentle but eerie wind.

This time, her father wasn't there. She took a shaky step forward, afraid another hand was going to pull her down. But there was none. She was able to walk freely.

Lia ran. The place was somewhere unknown, with dried up overgrown grass and thick trees, it was a maze. Lia knew wherever she ran, there was no end to it.

It wasn't reality.

Way out or not, she stil ran. What if there was something that could lead her to the truth? There was something missing. A puzzle piece. That piece was all she needed to understand.

She stops when something descends from above, a black feather. A familiar face appeared in her mind, and she takes a closer look at the feather.

Slowly, the black feather changes into a different colour, the tip of it slowly turning into snow white.

+++

"It's December now," Jisoo whispers "time flies so fast huh."

Lia laughs, "You sound like you're growing old."

"I do feel like it." Jisoo laughs, stuffing a french toast in his mouth. Lia shakes her head and enjoys their breakfast Jisoo made. Surprisingly, he was a good cook. She wasn't really sure if she was surprised or not at his cooking skills. As a family boy, he's always helped his mom in the kitchen.

"Wanna go somewhere today?" Jisoo asks her. Lia's thoughts travelled towards the abandoned library that she had to explore in her brother's cafe, but she couldn't go with Jisoo there. She didn't want to.

"No, not really." Lia hums, getting up to put the dishes in the sink.

"I want to go somewhere." Jisoo tells her in a soft tone.

"Where to?"

"I'd like to meet your father."

+++

The cemetery was less eerie during the day, of course. It hasn't started snowing yet, but the air was cold when they went outside. Lia breathed in, trying to calm her nerves.

She's never even visited her father before. She didn't have the strength to.

"You ready?" Jisoo asks her, holding his hand out for her to reach. Lia nods quickly, taking his hand gratefully. Jisoo needed to be extra careful; he knew it was her first time seeing her father after the incident, and that was why he was there with her.

A bouquet of flowers in one hand and gripping Jisoo's hand tightly with the other, Lia took slow but long strides. She wasn't sure what to feel. She lost her parents, they were murdered, and the reason was still unknown even to this day. So what?

They were almost there. Lia had this urge to tell Jisoo to turn around and go back, but she wanted to go too. She didn't want to have any regrets.

Jisoo gives her hand a slight squeeze, encouraging her. He could feel her hands turn sweaty and they were starting to tremble, very unusual for him to see her that way. She's cried but never showed this side of her to Jisoo before.

They stood in front of a tombstone.

"Mr. Choi," Jisoo starts instead of Lia "your daughter's finally here to see you."

Lia gives Jisoo a look, her eyes pleading for something but Jisoo tilts his head towards her father.

"Dad, I'm back," Lia says awkwardly, searching for places to look at "I'm sorry I didn't visit you as soon as I got here. I just felt like if I did, things would have been even more worse for my emotions."