Shall We? | NCT Lee Jeno ff

Chapter 21 - Hyun Nam

When Father came into the room, he found Hyun Nam sprawled on the floor. Still wearing the dress she wore at the conference. It was now 9 pm.

"What was all that commotion?" Father asked, scrambling inside the room.

"Dad, I don't want to marry Kang Dae," Hyun Nam mumbled. She cried and cried, still afraid of saying it to her father.

"What? What did you say? I can't hear you. Stand up and say it to my face. Not with tears in your eyes. I never taught you to be weak," Father demanded and Hyun Nam obeyed. She stood up and faced her father. Her eyes filled with tears and rage but also fatigue.

"DAD! I DON'T WANT TO MARRY KANG DAE!" Hyun Nam shouted, not realizing what she had done. Her dad seized her arms. She dropped to the floor, holding on to her bedroom door for dear life but her dad pulled her away.

"DAD! I'M SORRY! PLEASE! LET ME GO!"

"Screaming directly to me. Such a disgrace."

"DAD! I'LL MARRY HIM. I'LL MARRY HIM. PLEASE," Hyun Nam cried, trying to let go of her father's grip but he was too strong. Was nobody home? Where were all the maids and butlers? Why couldn't they hear her? She didn't know what to do. She was helpless. Father pulled open his office door and pushed Hyun Nam inside.

"You should be given a lesson. Disrespecting an elder let alone me? That is an offense worthy of all the punishments in the world," his voice thundered through the whole room. Her tears seemed endless, pleading with her father to have mercy on her.

The sound of the TV clashed with the sounds of hits given to her. Hyun Nam was on the floor, she lay motionless, all she could do was cry for her mother and sisters. Where were her sisters when she needed them the most? She didn't care if they were not on speaking terms, she waited helplessly for them. For them to slam the door open and save her. But she was indeed alone. All she thought about was how long her bruises would heal. She thought about how she would have to wear long-sleeved clothes for months. But she thought about Jeno waiting in the rain for her. Or maybe he had given up and gone home, angry for being stood up. All of a sudden, her father stopped. Even Hyun Nam was surprised. Had he come back to his senses? However, she soon realized why he had stopped.

"Tonight, we have gotten news that Korean Air flight number KE2303 has lost contact with us and fallen into the Sea of Japan. The progress of our..."

Hyun Nam looked at her father who turned pale. She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to know. But from her father's tear-filled eyes. She knew what happened. She struggled to stand up but was able to run.

"HYUN NAM!" Father called out to her. She didn't know if he shouted her name because he wanted to console her or if he wasn't finished. But she didn't want to know. Her bruises didn't stop her from rushing to the front door where Mr. Jungho was seated.

"Bring me to Starfield, Mr. Jungho," Hyun Nam demanded, opening the car door.

"Your body is filled with bruises! I'm driving you to the hospital," Mr. Jungho frantically responded and ran to the driver's seat.

"Drive. Me. To. Starfield. Please."

Mr. Jungho didn't know what to do but obeyed as soon as he saw Hyun Nam's glistening eyes. She wasn't betting on Jeno to wait for her but she still went there. As they were nearing the library, the traffic light hit red. Her tears were now uncontrollable.

"What happened?" Mr. Jungho asked for tissues for her, but as he looked back. She was gone. The car door was left open and he found her running in the rain.

"HYUN NAM!" he shouted, coming out of the car but she was too far away to hear him. Her tears kept being washed away by the raindrops, but her grief didn't stop. She yearned for her mother's singing. For her touch. Her hugs. She yearned for her cupcakes. Her laugh. Her smile. Her tears were not only of grief but of regret. She sometimes regretted not wanting to go out with her mother. She regretted studying day and night until she didn't even meet her mother for days. She regretted not asking to be tucked in when she was older. She regretted everything she did wrong to Mother. But it was too late. Mother has laid down her hands and rested, safe and sound. Hyun Nam didn't notice she had been running for long because she stopped as she saw the COEX Mall. Some of the lights were already turned off. Not many people were around. She checked her watch to see it was already 10.30 pm, well over the closing time of the mall. As she wanted to turn around to wait for Mr. Jungho to pick her up. She caught a glimpse of a man standing in the lobby alone.

Familiar. Athletic body. Slender figure. He held an umbrella in his hand. He looked around like he was searching for something. But as he laid his eyes on her his eyes went wide. Hers did, too.

"HYUN NAM!" he shouted running to her.

"Jeno?" she whispered to herself, in disbelief.

"What are you doing in the rain? I've been waiting for you," he said and covered her body with his umbrella. It took him some time to see that she was bruised. That her eyes have been welled up by tears.

"What happened?" he asked but Hyun Nam had fallen to the ground, but it was a good thing he caught her. For the whole entire night, she had been asked the same question multiple times but this was where she knew she had given up.

"Hyun Nam?"
"She's gone! Jeno! She's gone!" she sobbed.

"Who's gone?"

"My mother!" she cried out. Jeno was just in disbelief like she was when she first knew. He had never consoled someone who went through the death of a parent. All he could do was cover them both with an umbrella and hug her. He slowly took off his jacket to clothe her bruised skin, warming her up from the coldness of the rain.

"I'm sorry," he said and laid his head on hers, stroking her back. Surprisingly for Jeno, she didn't budge when he embraced her. Hyun Nam found comfort in his touch. His touch. The warmth. The warmth was similar to her mother's. She could feel her mother in his hushed voices and strokes. She heard her mother sing. Oh, how wonderful it was. Maybe Mother was looking down at her, maybe she gave Jeno the warmth she would have used to comfort her daughter on that rainy day.

"It's going to be alright, Hyun Nam," Jeno whispered and let go of the umbrella to fully place both his arms around her body.

The sky was grieving with the daughter resting on the ground. The rain had died slowly, as the daughter's tears did as well. The streets grew cooler, matching with her body's coldness. Her black gown wrinkled and held raindrops. The two beings created a picture of spilled ink on the hard, wet stone. The last thing she remembered was succumbing to her fatigue in the arms of a boy. 

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