𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄 | Y.JH. [✓]

#46: Painfully peaceful

JEONGHAN

"YOU'RE THE REAL WEAK FOOL,"  I shouted.

"YOU B*TCH!"

My hand still held his wrist firmly while I gave out all my strength to remain his gun pointing down my abdomen. Between our next-level father-son quarrel, my ears can still pick up Hayoon's cries and inaudible pleas beside me.

'Don't look at her... don't look at her!'

At this exact point, I only feel weak. My body is already aching and my hands are already beginning to tremble out of tiredness, and also from extreme want of rest.

I already spoke of every insult I know of towards my father— But he still didn't do the thing to let me rest in peace.

'If you're no longer here, wiping your existence will make her safe.' My mind uttered by itself like it was talking directly at me.

'Forever I say, forever.'

The deadness and the lack of light in the room soon affected our thoughts and everyone knew it would be finally the end, to what I thought at least. I took my very final sigh and looked up to meet my father's intimidating eyes, 

the same as I remember.

"YOU USELESS HAG! PULL THE TRIGGER ALREADY!" I hissed and hardened my grasp. "Just pull the trigger already... I'M TIRED OF EVERY—"

"J-Jeonghan, please stop..."

My whole body felt shivers when I felt her second-worthy touch. Despite being tied up, she was still able to hold into the lower hem of my shirt. She kept pulling me back but I didn't give in, I instead stood in my position.

"So, is this your last wish or something?" My father wickedly laughed. "You know what, I really regret everything that I did."

Regret? Bullshit.

"STOP LYING FOR THE LOVE OF—"

"I regret raising you not what I want you to be. Actually, it's all your mother's fault. It's her fault why you're such a weak, naive wimp! But remember this, YOU WILL BE ALWAYS KNOWN AS A MURDERER! AND NOTHING ELSE WILL—"

And then, a loud shot was heard.

As I felt the bullet go through my body, I choked and slowly lowered my gaze down my stomach. There it was, it was finally happening. Before my father could continue his words, I decided to step on his shoe to see if he would accidentally pull the trigger.

And pull the trigger he did.

"JEONGHAN! JEONGHAN NO!"

I let go of my previous firm grip and allowed myself to fall down on the ground. I placed my hand on top of my deep wound and grabbed the last laugh, looking at my father somewhat victorious.

He still stood like ice when Wonwoo finally stepped in. He snatched the gun away from him and before the hag could run away, Wonwoo shot him straight in the leg to stop him from escaping. He pulled out his handcuffs right after and rested his shoe on the old man's frail body,

returning a concerning look at me while I slowly die.

"O-Oh my God, can you still hold it in for a little bit? Someone call the ambulance— CALL THE AMBULANCE, QUICK!" Hayoon knelt after she was freed by Mingyu, who was now shakingly tapping numbers on his phone.

"No darling, it's okay." I smiled, a hard attempt to smile rather.

"And I guess... It'll be very impossible now to see your future husband and kids in this case now, huh?" I joked.

I should be out of my mind right now to even joke, but it was true. It was now impossible. After hearing what I said, another set of tears flowed down her cheeks and my hands were quick to respond, wiping them away continuously.

"No no no, come on, you need to hold it in, please? Do it for everybody— For Mingyu, for our future, for me—"

"Hayoon, I am doing this for everyone."

Mingyu stepped in and spoke desperately, "Brother, please, just listen to what Hayoon got to say. You can't die like this! Not in the hands of that monster!"

"Yes! Mingyu's right and—"

"No Inha, I-I think... I think that all of your lives..." I paused, making sure to take one glance at each one of them before I proceed. 

"...that all your lives will be peaceful when I'm gone. Listen, this is for the best—"

"Stop it, stop saying that..." Hayoon begged through a soft whisper.

"Mingyu, Wonwoo, take care of them when I'm gone—"

Her grasp on my shirt tightened. "Stop talking... I don't want to lose you..."

They all remained quiet and watched like I was slowly fading away to thin air. I enjoyed the everlasting peacefulness even though it all shifted when they heard the sirens from the loud ambulance outside.

I knew I wouldn't make it anyway. So with my last wish stuck in my head, I grabbed her attention away from the sirens and wiped the remaining tears on her face.

"Hayoon, stop crying..." I pleaded. "Smile, smile for me darling."

"But Jeonghan—"

"It's my last wish, you wouldn't want to miss this opportunity... do you?"

There was sadness and hesitation scribbled all over her face. But swallowing her whole grief aside, she lifted her lips and forced it to turn into a big wide smile.

"There you go, you look s-so..."

.

.

.

"beautiful."