As me and Taesung walked alongside the sidewalk, I held onto my stomach tightly. The wound the ninja gave me wasn't a serious one, but it still made it hard for me to walk. Every step I took moved and opened the wound. I kept a straight face, so that Taesung wouldn't worry. The tiniest thing I do can worry him to death.
"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked me.
I nodded my head.
"Why do you ask?"
"You're holding your stomach tightly and you're walking awkwardly."
"It's nothing to worry about. I'm fine."
I've never been in a fight that ended up wounding me like this. Though, I've never been in a fight against a ninja.
I accidently let out a heavy sigh.
I just hope he can answer all of my questions. There has to be reasonably explanation about what happened in the locker room, right? I never did anything to anyone. Well, none that I know of. Even if I did, it had to be accident. I would never purposely hurt someone, unless they did something to me first.
I took out my house keys from my bag and stuck it in the keyhole. I turned the key to the right, hearing a click. That signaled that the front door was unlocked. I grabbed and turned the knob, pushing the door open.
"I'm home! Māma! Bàba! Yéyé!" I called out; as I shut the door after Taesung stepped in.
It was quiet, until I heard sniffling in coming from the family room. I threw my bag on the first stair and placed my keys on the table beside the door. I walked into our family with Taesung following closely behind me. Both of my parents were sitting on the black leather couch. My mom was holding her face with both of her hands as she cried into them. My father was embracing her back, trying to comfort her. His face married a disconsolate expression. Worry struck me as I stared at my parents.
"What's the matter?" I asked them as I sat on the couch across from them.
Taesung sat down on the same couch next to me, marrying the same worried expression I had.
"We have some bad news, honey." My father told me, trying to prepare me for what he was going to say.
I gulped down the knot that was stuck in my throat.
"What is it and where's yéyé?"
"That's just it. Your grandfather passed away last night."
I felt my heart sank and shattered immediately after that.
"W…what?" I asked him. My voice as starting to get shaky.
"We found his body on his bed. His room was starting give off a ghastly stench, so I checked his pulse to find out that he didn't have one." My father explained.
"Yéyé is dead?" I asked as my eyes started to be filled with tears.
"No…this can't be. He was just alive and well just yesterday! He looked so lively and happy! How can he die last night?"
"His body is at the mortuary right now to check and see what the cause of his death was."
"Nǚér, I know how much you loved and respected yéyé. At the funeral, I would like for you to say some things about him. After all, you are the one that spent more time with him." Said my mother.
I stared at the brown carpet. My vision was getting hazy and fuzzier as tears crowded my vision. I wanted to hold them in and not cry, but my eyes couldn't hold them all. The tears trickled down both of my cheeks. I closed both of my eyes when I couldn't see clearly anymore. I held my face with both of my hands and continued to cry into them. I felt a warm arm embrace my back in a comforting way. I figured it was Taesung. I felt that I needed as much comforting as possible, so I leaned into his chest. Taesung fully embraced me.
