Healer (A Chanyeol Short Story)

Chapter 4 - Fireworks

Nari finally made it home soon after running into Chanyeol. She just couldn't believe the nerve of that guy. How could someone go from getting mad at you and then feeling sympathetic towards you? She took off her jacket and sat it on the back of the couch before making her way into the dining room.

As she made her way through the door, she gasped when she saw her father passed out on the ground, his glasses off and beside his face. Nari ran over to him and kelt down, shaking him and tapping his face repeatedly.

"Dad! Dad! Are you okay? Wake up!" she pleaded.

After a minute of shaking him, her dad finally came through and groaned. "Oh, you're home?"

Nari watched him sit up and rub his head where he must have hit it on the tile floor. "I got home just a while ago. What happened?"

Her dad grabbed his glasses from off the floor and put them back on. "I guess I fell asleep. Did I worry you?"

Nari felt anger rush through her, annoyed at how careless he seemed. "Yeah, you did worry me. You were passed out on the ground!"

Her dad chuckled and took his glass off, cleaning them with the hem of his shirt. "Oh, well sorry, honey. Didn't mean to scare you."

Nari helped her dad stand up, him putting his glasses back on his face. "Didn't mean to scare me? Dad, if you're that tired, go to bed."

Her dad shook his head, rubbing the confirmed bump on his head. "Too much work, which I suppose I should get back to."

Nari stopped her dad from sitting back on the chair. "Please just go to bed."

Her dad sighed and put both of his hands on her shoulders. "Nari... I don't think you understand. I have deadlines to complete."

Nari moved her dad's hands off of her. "I do understand, and I know that those deadlines aren't as important as your health."

Her dad stood up straight, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm perfectly healthy. Plus, I had a nice nap on the floor. I already feel refreshed." he said cheerfully.

Nari crossed her arms, not buying it. "You passed out from exhaustion. I didn't have to be here to know that."

Her dad sighed once again. "Sweetie, if I want to make money, I can't skip those deadlines. I need that money to raise you and run this house."

"I'll do it. No, I've been doing it. My part time jobs pay more than you get in a month. In fact, I just got a new job that pays twice as much as I've been getting." Nari argued.

Her dad reached out to put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "You shouldn't overwork yourself-"

Nari swatted her dad's hand away. "Don't be a hypocrite." she said sternly.

Her dad frowned and moved his hand back. "I'm your father. I'm supposed to make the money, not you."

"Well you obviously aren't doing a very good job at that." she sniped.

Her dad started to get angry at her tone. "That's why I need to do all this work in order to do better."

"You need to get a better job or switch to a new writing company or whatever! Your boss doesn't pay you enough for your books!"

"It's my fault for not having any inspiration." he proclaimed.

"I've read your books though and they are good!" Nari exclaimed, looking at her father desperately.

Nari's father sighed sadly, looking away. "You read the books I allowed you to read. Those were all before your mom passed away."

Nari became silent, the mention of her mother and her dad's sad look telling her not to respond just yet.