FALLING SLOWLY ||Complete||

Raging Goddess

Fear. It rolls in waves. Each wave overlapping the other in intensity and power. So fears the obsession he sees in the eyes of his youngest brother. He fears the acid of his mother’s grudge. He fears and it makes him react.
He has seen the end of that particular path, he knew enough to what ends such ambition would lead. Tae was lost to them in the same cause. He would be damned if he stood by and watched another of his brothers walk the same knife edge.
So runs a frustrated hand through his hair, scraping at his scalp as he maneuvers his way through the late evening traffic. He tries not to think of Tae’s bloodshot eyes, of him begging to be forgiven. He tries not to allow his imagination to replace Tae with Jung. He would need his sanity just for a little while more.
His mother will have to answer this. He will make her.
Her office is full of the fragrance of the tea she drinks. As he barges in only her eyes widen a little.
“You have to stop!” He tells her, without a greeting or any form of opening. “Not Jung - not again.”
Attorney Yoo sips the last of her Tea calmly and places her cup down. The ice in her gaze when she looks up shrivels his resolve. Her mouth twitches a little as she takes his disheveled appearance.
“What have I done?” In her tone there is a cold indifference hiding an edge of malice.
So inhales sharply watching her hallow look of oblivion.
“You’ve turned him into another Tae.” He tells her, fighting to keep his voice steady.
“Oh he does resemble Tae a lot does he not?” When she speaks the fondness in her tone makes him swallow. Her eyes soften and So feels the first painful flip of his heart. “The same ambition, the same thirst to prove himself, the same fire in his eyes..”
“Stop..” His voice breaks as he focuses on his breathing and shutting off the images her voice evokes.
Attorney Yoo stands up, her eyes narrowed. His eyes flicker to her fingers, where many rings glitter. She curls and uncurls her fingers, nails sharp and painted muted silver catching the light like metal claws. So stumbles back, finding his balance just in time.
“But then, does he remind you of Tae? Of how you betrayed him?”
In the split second of pause that follows So regrets this entire confrontation as his lungs burn for more air. Then he recalls Jung, Jung of yore and the soul - less man from the evening and his eyes return to his mother’s.
“I was trying to save him.” From himself, is the part he doesn’t add. The words hang in the air between them for a moment. The words he had never dared to utter. Attorney Yoo’s face twists with anger.
“What did you say?”
“He was ruining himself - he was becoming a demon. You know Omoni - you know very well.”
“Huh!” She snorts, too close to him that he could see the way her eyes gleam red in the reflection of her own decor. Her laughter is the most poisonous sound he has ever heard and amplified by the closed space it echos around him. “You were envious!”
“I was not!” He exhale is harsh. “I was afraid for him.” I was afraid of him.
“And you saved him? Did you save him?” Her hands bunch up his collar and shakes him, her eyes pools of liquid fire. “DID YOU SAVE HIM?”
“Omoni -”
She lets him go and steps back to brush her palms together as if she had contacted with filth.
“Don’t call me that - it makes me sick.” He tries to catch his breath, calm the sickeningly rapid beat of his heart. “I will not have my son’s murderer calling me mother!”
“I did not kill HIM!”
“You caused his death - you animal - you beast, you’ve been eating up my life - my family ever since you were born!” Her rage borders on insanity, each word punctured with a slap and a having breath.
So hardly feels her nails scraping at his skin, he remains focused on her words, the venom in her eyes. His own heart beating painfully as he gasps for air, his vision sliding in an out of focus.
He can no longer think of Jung. Only Tae - Tae in a pool of blood, his eyes as life slowly bled out from him.
**
Soo could think no more. She had never seen something so frighteningly violent as the woman with her unleashed fury. She has always been wary of Attorney Yoo - the woman reminded her of some cold hearted Goddess. Everything from her beauty to her emotions touched with ice, vicious and unforgiving. And now - the woman looked no less a horned demoness preparing to devour her own child.
She thought of So, in a dimly lit corridor, struggling to catch his breath and knew for certain what demons chased him in those moments of darkness.Coming between them had not been a conscious decision that much Soo can vouch. She would think of the reasons that led her after the storm had weathered.
The first contact of Yoo’s hand against her jaw sends Soo backwards into So, her knees buckling painfully as she struggles for balance.
The moment she slams into his chest So wakes up. His arms come around her from back as he spins them around, effectively wrapping himself around her and standing between the derailed woman and Soo, his head ducked and forehead touching hers.
The doors are thrown open as secretary Han rushes in, finally alerted to the commotion inside.
A drop of heated liquid trickles down her chin, springing from the corner of her lip that has split open. Soo vaguely realizes when So brushes his thumb across it. His large hand cups her face, his eyes fearful and his breath still uneven.
She wonders if he knows of his own bruises, if he even cares enough. Instead she raises her own fingers to smooth a fringe of misplaced hair off his face and - acting on pure whim - runs her hand over his face.
His eyes widens in wonder and his breathing calms slightly.
Soo diverts her attention to answer secretary Han who is frantically asking if they were alright. Her eyes shift to Attorney Yoo, who is also still breathing heavily - those claw - like hands fisted to regain some control.
And something flickers in her mind.
The same room - the same woman raging - the same arms around her - the same thundering beat of heart and a So with blood on his face - blood on his hands.
“Ha Jin! Ha Jin!” Echos of a scream. “Leave!”
“Help!”
“Ha Jin -!”
Her vision blacks out and the memory slips away again.