Day 13 Cloytober: Hurt
Content Warning: Death and car crash
❦❦❦
Flashback – 10 years ago
Knock knock knock...
Seri rapped on the hood of the car casually as she smiled cheekily at her husband and their daughter. The blissfully married couple exchanged a secret smile, for they both recalled the story behind such a mundane, albeit odd ritual every time they went on a drive.
Seri's eyes twisted into those familiar crescent moons when she saw Haneul reaching for her, twisting, and turning in her father's arms to get to her. Ri Jeong Hyeok let out a booming laugh when he noted down the impatience in Haneul's eyes, a look that she inherited from his lovely wife.
Cooing gently, Seri took Haneul from her husband and pointed at the hood of the car. "Sweetie, want to knock? We wouldn't want any innocent animals to get run over now, would we?"
Smiling cheekily, Haneul mimicked her mother's movement and the couple applauded for their little one, proud that their one-year-old was finally part of their family ritual too.
"Jagiya, let's go before it gets darker." Ri Jeong Hyeok uttered in the softest voice in the universe, each syllable tender and love-filled for his precious family.
Nodding her head, Seri buckled Haneul into her car seat before they both laid a gentle kiss on their child's forehead. Minutes later, they were off, winding through the darkening night towards their home.
Home.
Family.
Love.
Freedom.
It wasn't easy to find acceptance in love, much less a family they have always dreamt of having. Before they met, they had each been imprisoned by their past, moving but never quite moving forwards because they were stuck.
When Yoon Seri crash-landed in Ri Jeong Hyeok's life, that was when everything changed.
It became their start to finding freedom and family in each other.
Ri Haneul was their precious gift from the heavens, a reminder of the hell and heaven they went through to deem themselves worthy of their precious child.
They had no regrets.
Letting go wasn't easy, but to let go was to give one more emotional capacity to embrace what could have been all along.
Ri Jeong Hyeok had to let go of his guilt over his brother's death to embrace Seri's infuriating yet endearing fiery soul.
Yoon Seri had to let go of all the emotional baggage and feelings of unworthiness to embrace Ri Jeong Hyeok and his boundless capacity to give and protect.
They found love in each other.
They found freedom in each other, simple as that.
Smiling softly at each other, none of them was aware of the creeping darkness that had no chance against the warm atmosphere in the car. Little did they know, the snow that started falling that night would mean an end to the family they have found in their lifetime.
That night would always be Ri Jeong Hyeok's greatest regret.
That night would always be Yoon Seri's deepest scar.
Because that night, they didn't just lose their lives, they lost their family too.
Now, car accidents resulting from a runaway deer was common. It happened all the time. But the Ri family wouldn't have died that night had the brakes been working. From a distance away, Ri Jeong Hyeok saw the luminous glow of a deer's irises, prompting him to slam down on the brakes instantly. Yet, the car continued hurtling towards the deer.
***Skip***
As though she sensed the unrest in the air, Haneul let out a strangled cry in her car seat as she reached for her parents. The little one was scared and wished her parents would give her a hug. But alas, Seri and Jeong Hyeok were both focused on the deer ahead.
Eyes wide, Seri reached over to grip her husband's coat fearfully, her slender hand permanently donning the flash of gold from their first couple ring that glinted in his peripheral vision.
The car's tires screeched angrily as Ri Jeong Hyeok attempted to swerve and Seri let out a frightful scream, shouting for Haneul and Jeong Hyeok.
It was dizzying and choking to watch as they successfully manoeuvred their way past the deer.
But the danger was far from over.
The car had lost control and the brakes were not on their side. That nerve-biting fear was apparent as Ri Jeong Hyeok slammed down desperately on the brake that wasn't doing its job to stop the nightmare unfolding in front of his eyes.
Just seconds away was an oak tree that would no doubt lead to a horrific death if they crashed right into it at such a speed. The soldier within him recognised that. If one didn't get crushed to death by the sturdy bark, they would fly to their deaths once the car flew from the impact.
He had to stop this.
He had to save his wife and their child.
They were only five seconds away from the tree now and Haneul was still reaching desperately for her parents. A beautiful child fated to die too young for the greater good of the world.
Next to him, Seri's terrified shout of his name had Ri Jeong Hyeok turning to grasp her hand and shield her right as the car crashed heavily into the tree.
Crash.
Through the disconcerting ringing in his ears, Ri Jeong Hyeok vaguely noticed the blood on Seri's forehead.
"Seri..." He whispered, trying to wake his unconscious wife.
His own hands were bloodied and littered with cuts. He could feel a throbbing on his back and his head, partly from the impact of the crash and partly from the glass shreds embedded deep into his skin – a result of his last act of protection towards his wife and child.
"Haneul..." The man whispered.
He couldn't even lift his head anymore. He didn't know if their baby was alright. He couldn't hear her anymore...
He couldn't fight the darkness anymore too...
***It's safe***
Summary: In an attempt to swerve away from a deer, the Ri family crashed right into a tree because the brakes weren't working.
"I'm sorry."
Those were Ri Jeong Hyeok's last words before he caved to the darkness.
"You have to live..."
❦❦❦
Back to the present
If only they could remember what happened in their past lives. Perhaps then, Ri Jeong Hyeok could stop regretting a past that he couldn't remember. Perhaps then, Yoon Seri could stop feeling so grievously hurt over a past that she had long forgotten.
Perhaps then, they would be able to recognise that love never dies.
They were still here, together albeit in different forms. And if they looked close enough, Haneul was with them too.
"Have we met before?"
Yoon Seri was startled by the angel's question, for the way he said it was as though he remembered something she couldn't. Or perhaps she remembered something he couldn't.
Either way, the devil didn't quite know how to react and simply said the first thing that came to her mind.
"I doubt so, Ri Jeong Hyeok...I would remember a handsome face like yours." Seri admitted before her eyes widened when she realised she said that out loud.
She was baffled by her honesty but that somehow did the trick in snapping Ri Jeong Hyeok out of his waking nightmare.
"I'm fine." He whispered, letting go of Seri ever so reluctantly.
That same reluctance could be seen in Seri's eyes as she straightened up, holding her hand out to the angel.
"You good?" She asked nonchalantly, ignoring the tear stains on the angel's face, knowing that bringing his memories up would be akin to digging a knife into his open wound.
Wordlessly, Ri Jeong Hyeok took Seri's hand, nodding mutely in response to her question.
It was true that he had a terrible habit of saying he was fine when he wasn't – he didn't like to burden others – but this time, he meant it. Although the memories still haunted him, Ri Jeong Hyeok did feel better now after embracing Seri for the first time.
Without saying another word to each other, the devil and angel followed Dae Reul to the precinct, recognising that they both needed some silence to collect their thoughts. Keeping a close eye on the child, the pair watched when Dae Reul's father refused to let go of his daughter when he realised he had almost lost her.
It took an hour before the father could function normally again.
A father's heart. Deep down, Ri Jeong Hyeok understood it well.
To a father, the last page of a book wasn't what mattered to him. It was about every single word and sentence in the book. In every paragraph and in every punctuation – as tiny as they were – because ultimately, their child's safety and happiness meant everything to them.
In writing the beginnings of their child's book, a father served to protect and love. To ensure that their children lived a long, happy life to get to their last page. To ensure they get to write their own ending.
Ri Jeong Hyeok could understand why the police officer was feeling shaken, for he had almost lost the right to call himself a father. It didn't help that he was strongly reminded of a case he had been working on for years now, a case that his superiors had been screaming at him to close for months now.
"It's been ten years since it happened! Why are you bent on solving this case? It was a car accident." His superior slammed a case file onto the table.
"It wasn't just a car accident. The brakes were cut." The officer eyed his superior coldly, pointing at the headlines of the newspaper clipping.
"It wasn't a freak accident. Someone deliberately intended to harm this family. Three lives were lost that night. This isn't just any case."
"Officer Kim! I suggest you stop this nonsense. Maybe focus a little more on your child? Didn't she almost get into an accident today?"
What his superior said struck a nerve and the officer could barely reign his anger in. His knuckles were tight to the point that his nails were cutting deep into his palms.
How dare he!
Studying the man curiously, Devil Yoon and Angel Ri followed Dae Reul as the little one knocked on the door. Any second later and Officer Kim would have blown up, but the presence of his child kept him from doing so.
Curtly, his superior left the father and daughter. Sensing her father's unrest, Dae Reul reached up gently to pat her father's arm.
"It's okay, appa. He's mean. You're the best police officer I know!" Dae Reul grinned.
"Thank you, munchkin. Shall we go for ice cream today?" Officer Kim suggested lightly.
"But eomma..."
"It'll be our little secret." The man winked.
Giggling, Dae Reul nodded her head. As Officer Kim tousled Dae Reul's hair, the newspaper clipping fell onto the floor, landing right next to Dae Reul's feet. Curious, Devil Yoon and Angel Ri read the headlines together, finally piecing pieces of the intense argument Officer Kim had with his superior.
HEADLINES: Korean couple found dead with their child. A freak accident on a snowy night.
That night, three lives were lost. A family was torn apart.
But that wasn't the only hurt caused by the "freak" accident. An officer had been traumatized too, for those were his friends.
His friend from the North and his friend from the South. A couple destined to be together but was forced apart. A couple who found their way back to each other despite the odds.
Their love taught him to cherish his own family too...
It has only been ten years, but the wounds poured deep, and from there came a deep-seated determination to deliver justice to those who wronged such a beautiful family.
He would figure this out one day. Perhaps then, there would be a union of heaven, earth, and hell.