STARGAZING| WEAK HERO CLASS 1

𝘛𝘞𝘌𝘓𝘝𝘌

"Go in. I've already had my visit, Mr Kim will be here tomorrow with her students." After her confirmation, Soo-Ho stepped past his grandmother and slowly opened the door. His eyes landed on Yeong-Ja who sat up, leaning against her pillows, staring out the window. The sound of his footsteps caused Yeong-Ja to turn her head and look at him, she smiled softly and awkwardly waved and Soo-Ho swear he could collapse in relief and happiness.

"Please don't hug me, I think your grandmother broke another bone or two with how tightly she hugged me." Her voice was scratchy, Soo-Ho chuckled and sat down on the edge of her bed. He stared at her with a smile, studying her.

"How are you feeling?" Yeong-Ja chuckled softly with a lazy grin slipping onto her lips.

"Just about as good as I look. So, shit." Soo-Ho laughed through his nose and shook his head, his hand coming up to brush the strands of hair behind her ear.

"You're awake, that's all that matters." He said and Yeong-Ja's cheeks flushed ever so slightly as she looked at him, he smiled before drawing his hand away back to his lap. Yeong-Ja licked her lips, briefly looking away from him.

"I-I saw you." Yeong-Ja whispered Soo-Ho tilted his head as she looked back at him.

"When you saved me as my parents were...I saw you just before a fell unconscious." She reiterated and Soo-Ho bit his lip and softly shook his head.

"You don't have to-"

"Thank you." Yeong-Ja's softness cut Soo-Ho off and he gazed at her. 

"Thank you for saving me Soo-Ho." Soo-Ho nodded silently and he felt her hand lay on top of his own causing his eyes to snap to their hands. Yeong-Ja too looked at their hands before retracting her hand, they sat in silence for a moment before Yeong-Ja spoke quietly once again.

"I was six when the abuse started...But it began way before that, the only reason it didn't happen to me before that age was because of my brother-"

"Yeong-Ja you don't have to tell me. You don't need to explain." Soo-Ho cut her off, not wanting her to tell him because she thought she owed him an explanation or something. He didn't want her to feel like she had to tell him because she didn't. Yeong-Ja, although she did feel like she did owe him an explanation, it wasn't the whole reason she was telling him. She was telling him because she felt ready to let him in, maybe not completely, but enough. She sent him a reassuring soft smile and he lowered his head, signalling her to continue.

"My older brother...Do-Hwan was my safe haven, he took most of the beating so I wouldn't have to but of course, he couldn't always be there. He was obsessed with the stars, and wanted to be an astronaut at one point just so he could be closer to them. He's the one who taught be everything I know about the stars...On his 17th Birthday, he had picked me up from school, our parents out on their drug bender. I had bought him a game that was wanting for ages with what little money I was able to save and planned to give it to him later that night. Anyway, we had gotten home and he, and his friends had decorated my room with glow-in-the-dark stars. Walls to ceiling, even decorated the entire inside of my closet. But our parents came home far earlier than we thought, so he told me to hide in the closet, cover my ears and to not come out until he came back...H-He never did." Yeong-Ja took a deep breath, looking up and blinking away the tears.

"T-they beat him so violently that his ribs collapsed and pierced his lungs...H-He died c-chocking on his own blood. H-He couldn't even scream-" Yeong-Ja's choked words were suddenly muffled by Soo-Ho's chest as he embraced her shaking form, his arms around her shoulders as he laid his chin on her head.

"You don't have to continue. It's alright, I've got you." He whispered gently, patting her back softly. Yeong-Ja's own arms wrapped around his waist, relishing in his warmth as she tried to calm her tears. They stayed like this for a few moments before Yeong-Ja pulled away after she composed herself and wiped her tears away, laughing slightly at the sight of Soo-Ho's now damp shirt.

"Sorry about your shirt." Soo-Ho rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I don't give a damn about the shirt." He responded, he lifted his hand and cupped her face in his palm, his thumb whipping away any residue of her tears.

"Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me." He whispered, Yeong-Ja smiled weakly.

"Don't make me regret it." She playfully threatened, trying to lift the mood. Soo-Ho simply gazed at her, his expression serious.

"I won't. I won't let them hurt you Yeong-Ja." And Yeong-Ja couldn't help her heart for warming at his sincerity and she nodded because if there is anything she has learnt about Soo-Ho in the short few months of knowing him, it was that he is just as furiously loyal as he is strong.  

"I know," Yeong-Ja whispered, she took a moment to stare back at him. A question sitting on the tip of her tongue.

"Soo-Ho..." Yeong-Ja trailed off, catching the attention of the boy in front of her. Yeong-Ja glanced away in both awkwardness and nervousness.

"D-Did you mean what you said?" Soo-Ho's brows furrowed in confusion and Yeong-Ja cleared her throat.

"W-While I was in the coma...I could still hear...And ah-I heard you. Saying that you...That you needed me?" The hesitation and awkwardness in her voice cause her to cringe, the look of embarrassment and shock on Soo-Ho's face only intensifying those feelings causing her to instantly backtrack.

"Maybe it was just the drugs, yea! Definitely the drugs, forget I said anything. I was just imagining it-"

"Yes." Soo-Ho's sudden confirmation ceased Yeong-Ja's rant instantly. Soo-Ho glanced down before looking back at her, although he was beyond embarrassed that she had heard him say it, it was nothing but true.

"I do need you Yeong-Ja." He repeated and Yeong-Ja froze, staring at him in shock. Soo-Ho softly smiled, saying nothing about her reaction and simply stared at her, taking in the way the golden light hit her skin making it glow a honey brown.

"I need you. So don't leave my side from now on." Yeong-Ja took a breath and nodded, both of them choosing to ignore the jump of her heart displayed on her monitor. Yeong-Ja was awake, and that's all Soo-Ho cared about.