compendium | bts x lovelyz

24 | almost

Maybe their love wasn't strong enough. Or was it?

Jisoo felt lonely. She felt neglected. Pathetic. Unloved. 

Jisoo couldn't remember when she felt so loved. Maybe five? four? or even three years ago? She didn't know. All she knew was that she couldn't handle all the pain, the loneliness, and the empty feeling within her. 

All they did was to fight. That was a fact. When her husband came home from work, they would start fighting like they were born to tear each other down. They would always fight. But not in front of their daughter.

Their daughter. The most precious human being in their lives, the only person that kept their relationship from breaking. 

When did it start? What happened to their vows? Their promises to each other? Why was she unhappy? Why was she feeling emptiness instead of contentment?

That was what went on Jisoo's head.

She looked down at her fourth finger where a golden ring was currently sitting. She heaved a sigh before quickly continuing packing hers and her daughter's things.

Amidst packing, she once again caught her ring. The ring that was filled with their endless and undying love. 

Should we really leave him? Did our love for each other die out?

"Mommy, where are we going?" her five-year-old daughter, Jiseok, asked with curious eyes. Jisoo zipped up their suitcase before answering, "We're just gonna leave for a little while, sweetheart."

The kid furrowed her eyebrows. "Without daddy? Why?"

Jisoo closed her eyes momentarily, sighing. "Daddy's busy, darling. You know that."

That seemed to sadden the child. "Oh, yeah. Daddy's always at work," she sadly muttered, lips quivering.

Her mother quickly went over her and hugged her. "Oh, my baby. Don't worry, I'm sure daddy wanted to come with us, b-but couldn't," she assured her, kissing her hair gently. Jisoo felt tears welling up her eyes. 

"Now, go to the living room and wait for mommy, okay? I'll just check everything up," she told Jiseok before ruffling her hair. The latter sniffled quietly and gave her mother a small smile before leaving.

Jisoo then and there broke down. Not wanting to let her daughter hear her cries, she sobbed quietly, curling herself into a ball. Her heart hurt for her daughter. Her heart hurt for herself.

She desperately needed to feel warmth and comfort. She needed him. 

Even though her husband didn't have time for them, she still needed him. Their daughter needed him. 

Jisoo remembered during the Fathers' Day, the school invited fathers to bond with their children. With her husband's busy work, he couldn't even attend that day. Only apologizing to their daughter quickly before leaving the house for work. She remembered Jiseok crying so hard that day. She didn't even go to school. It hurt Jisoo to even think about it. 

She remembered Jiseok saying she envied the other kids for having their fathers by their side―dropping and picking them up at school. Jisoo also envied the mothers there when they talk about their husbands. She couldn't even share a story about him because what's there to share?

Being a CEO of a big company sure was a big responsibility and required a lot of commitment, but did he really have no time for them? Even a short time? Even a minute?

Jisoo wiped all her tears and called the person she was longing for. 

"Hello? Jisoo? What happened?"