Falling for you

Chapter 26

She stared at the carpeted floor of the airport,clutching her jacket in one hand and her passport and boarding pass in the other,her Gucci handbag slung against her shoulder and on her lap.Did she really want to go through with this?

Yes.Yes she did.

She'd caused the members of Seventeen so much trouble.More specifically,Wonwoo.She had previously heard that he'd tried to terminate his contract to the company.He'd threatened to confront the people who'd hurt her.She didn't want him to do that.She loved him too much to allow him to do something as stupid as harming a fan just because of her or even quit something he loved doing.

"All first class passengers to head to the boarding gates for boarding."a female voice said over the speakers.

She stared a little longer,feeling her eyes heat up as tears welled up and despite her attempts to blink them away,a single tear cascaded down her cheek and absorbed into the fabric of her mask.She raised her hands,pulling her mask higher up the bridge of her nose before proceeding to the front,handing her passport and ticket to the lady who smiled warmly at her.Tearing the perforated part of the boarding pass,she handed it back to Hyejin.

"Welcome to Emirates,Ms Choi."the attended said softly.Hyejin nodded promptly and proceeded into the aircraft,fiddling with the chains of her handbag as she settled into her seat.She leaned her head against the cool plastic of her compartment,facing the window,watching as snow cascaded down from the heavens above.She sniffed softly,her shoulders shuddering as sobs softly escaped from her parted lips.

She felt so lost in the moment.She hated the thought of leaving.It left her broken in so many more ways than one.She pulled her knees to her chest as she sobbed,curled into a ball on the comfortable seats of the plane.But even that didn't compare to the arms that would wrap themselves around her everyday.She bit her lip as she blinked back the rest of her tears.

She let her hand find its way to her back jean pocket,feeling the cold metal of her phone as she clutched it.Tapping twice on the screen,she let out another shaky breath as she stared at her lock screen,swiping up the tab on the bottom of the screen.

Staring at the wallpaper settings,her fingers hovered over the photo before she changed it,erasing the memory of having him look lovingly at her.She then proceeded to her camera roll,letting her fingers glide over the photos that she's taken with him or of him,deleting the photos that would never be recovered.

Hyejin shut off her phone,cradling the piece of technology to her chest.She then let out a long breath,closing her eyes and enjoying the darkness that took her vision the moment she did.For in the world that she got dragged into made her forget her worries.Instead,pulling her into a world where anything was possible.Where everything was perfect.Where she was happy.

Her hair flew in the wind,eyes filled with nothing but joy.Where her eyes weren't hooded with a plethora of different emotions.Instead,joyful and bright as though there wasn't a care in the world.

And,the fact that all that ended the moment she opened her eyes made her ache for the longing and peace that sleep gave her.Almost wanting and loving the idea of falling asleep forever.She gathered her belongings as she made her way to the front of the plane where she noticed that the weather was rather warm as compared to Korea,with the temperatures dropping to below zero for the winter season,America was a great change.

She rolled her suitcase as she let her hair cover the sides of her face.Her eyes darted around in wonder.But even that wasn't enough to hide the despair that was practically running through her veins.She couldn't help but hate herself for leaving.Yet,she also felt glad that she left.But in the process,hurt herself in the process.

"You'll be alright."she muttered as she walked forward to the taxi stand.Her short brown hair swayed gently against the wind,the only thing she hadn't regretted doing so far;getting a new hairstyle.It was refreshing to say the least.

She checked her phone and her contacts with her previous manager whom was kind enough to do her one last request:finding her an apartment.

Tears brimmed at her eyes but she fought them,blinking rapidly as she let the corners of her rosy red lip tug upwards into a smile.

"This is you're new beginning,Lily."she whispered to herself,letting her english name slide of her tongue with a smile.

———

As the boys walked through the door of their home,they felt something was off.They did feel that was for quite some time now.The members,did however see it as the light and joy of the house simply diminishing into a small flicker that was Hyejin.She'd cooped herself up in her room,declining all forms of interaction with them.Save for Joshua whom she considered her brother as well as Seungcheol.

Wonwoo kept quiet,eyes running wild with emotions that he,himself couldn't decipher.He knew something was off today and the tug in his heart told him so.But he couldn't say anything.He felt guilty for letting off his anger on Hyejin in a way he shouldn't have done.Even if she didn't want to say how and why she got those bruises,he shouldn't have screamed and hurt her even if it was due to pure concern.

He'd let his anger loose,something he never ever did before.He was always seen as calm and cool.Never as what he'd done.

"Guys.Come tool at this."Mingyu said,his eyes fixated on the phone.Seungcheol peeped at the phone from behind the man's back before snatching the phone completely.His eyes went dark and saying it was scary was an understatement.

"Search the house for Hyejin.Now!"

The members,though confused,ran off in several directions to look for Hyejin.Wonwoo,however,was the fastest,bounding up stairs to knock rapidly at her door,turning the knob rapidly as he knocked.

"Hyejin!Open up!I'll give you two seconds before I break this door."When no reply came,his heart raced.The usual "go away" was nowhere to be heard and that made his heart race.

He moved backwards before running and kicking the mahogany door.The door swung open but what was in it made his heart drop.It ached.He ached.

He dropped to his knees as he stared at the floor.

"Wonwoo!What-Seungcheol!"Jeonghan called.

Seungcheol was there in the blink of an eye.

"What!"he shouted before letting his eyes travel to Wonwoo who was kneeling on the floor then slowly to the room of his little sister.

The room was completely cleaned out.As if no one lived here in that year that she'd been residing here.As if the memory of her was a ghost.

He slowly walked into the room,throwing open doors to her closet,her bathroom and the drawers.But there was no sign of life.There was nothing but a note that sat atop her vanity.His eyes schemed across the paper,letting his eyes trace every single letter that was written in her beautiful and elegant handwriting.Droplets of water soaked into the paper.Frowning,he let his right hand travel up to his face,finding that he was crying.

He walked out of the bathroom with the paper in hand,looking at all twelve members that stared at him in confusion.

"She's gone.She left."