Chapter 4: Nothing Has Changed

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"Wooyoung-ah, come on in."

"Good afternoon, auntie. Oh, uncle Lee. You're here too." He politely bowed, taking off his shoes and putting them on the shelf by the door.

One afternoon, as he was about to exit his classes, he received a text from Charlottes parents. They had invited him to come over to their home, telling him there were some things they wanted to discuss. Of course Wooyoung agreed.

Naturally, they have been fond of him ever since he was little. Practically growing up together, Charlottes family felt just like his second family and they completely adored him.

Therefore, he had no reason to feel such anxiety from just visiting her parents. Yet, why did the knot in his gut signal him that whatever he was about to hear, it wasn't good news? Its couldn't be though right.

"Come sit." Said Charlottes dad, gesturing at the living room couch across from where he and his wife were seated upon. Wooyoung could only offer a small smile as he made his way there, putting his backpack down by his feet.

"How are you?" Asked Mrs. Lee. her expression adorned with the nurturing smile Wooyoung had grown to like.

"I'm well, auntie. I was just about to go visit Charlotte at the hospital."

At the mention, he noticed simultaneously how both looked at eachother. their faces dropping. His heart sank. There was silence that hung heavier than it should, before Mr. Lee took it upon himself to break it.

The next things he said broke more than just the silence, however. "About that..." He started, looking up at Wooyoung with hesitancy that he'd never seen before." We have decided, after much thought, to finally put Charlotte down."

It was as if you could hear a pin drop, the silence breaking down the last wall of strength he had. Wooyoung had felt his exterior and interior cracked. If his entire life ever since he lost her was a dream, he would very much like to wake up now.

"I'm sorry?" He choked out and turned to Mrs. Lee, who was sitting next to her husband. The warm smile moments earlier was now completely gone, replaced with a frown as she hung her head low to avoid his eyes.

This, Wooyoung realised, wasn't a dream. Rather, it was beginning to look like a horrible nightmare.

"But how can you decide to do that? Shes your daughter!, uncle! Shes going to wake up soon. Trust me. S-she's getting better." He blurted, tone growing less confident as he went on. He wasn't even sure if he himself believed that last bit. Alas, he persisted. "We can't give up on her!"

"Wooyoung," calmly called out Mr. Lee. face fallen.Woououng watched as he reached for his wife's hand and squeezed it. "It's precisely because she's our daughter that we made this decision."

Wooyoung just couldn't understand the logic of adults. How could they be so cruel over their own flesh and blood, when he himself struggled to come to terms with it every day? Did they suddenly turn heartless? Did they not care about her anymore as she doesn't speak or communicate with them.

The anger bubbling up in his chest must have shown on his face, because Mrs. Lee's expression shifted. "But—"

"Wooyoung, please. It's our decision. We're her parents. She's—" she spoke, having to pause just so she could breathe. "... our only child. If it's been hard for you, it's been... Much much harder for us."

Maybe it was because she was right, but wooyoung couldn't conjure a coherent response. After what felt like hours, he found his voice again. "Surely there's something we can do? Something I can do to help? Please, anything—"

Your Desire, My Painजहाँ कहानियाँ रहती हैं। अभी खोजें