"it didn't go so well."
pain, hopelessness, anxiety. she felt these emotions come in her body as the doctor spoke those five words.
"it didn't go so well."
she felt as if those five words would haunt her forever.
"it didn't go so well."
those words rang in her head for the rest of the night.
she just couldn't believe it. as crazy as it sounds, she was so sad that tears didn't even come out of her eyes. she was so sad that she couldn't even feel anything other than those three emotions.
she came back home after hearing the news. she stepped in the quiet, cold structure she once called home.
she turned on the lights, and reminisced about all the memories she shared with her grandmother as she looked around the empty house.
she walked to the chair her grandmother always sat on, and sat down on it. she felt like something just punched her in the heart. but that wasn't the only thing she felt, though. as she sat down, she felt something harder under the cushion. once she felt it, she stood up and lifted the cushion.
and once she saw the things hidden under the chair, that was when tears finally escaped her eyes.
➸
eunsang walked to his part-time job after visiting haeyoung. he couldn't believe he lied to her again. but he couldn't help it; he didn't want to tell haeyoung about his relationship with his mother, because he didn't want to see her worried. lying is the best choice for the both of us, anyway. eunsang thought as he entered the café he worked at.
the thing is, his mother wasn't a nurse. eunsang lied about that. yes, eunsang is rich, but he lied about being happy, too.
after his part-time job, it was already around 7:00PM. he already eaten some food from the convenience store, so it was time to go home. he never ate dinner with his family, because he was afraid to stay in the same room with monsters he had to call family.
he gulped before he unlocked the front door, stepping inside the house. he quietly went up the stairs to his room, making sure to stay as silent as possible. once he reached his room, he sighed a sigh of relief and locked his door.
he can finally relax. he can finally rewind and take all his worried away as he slept on his warm, soft bed...
...or at least he thought.
after he got ready to relax, a loud noise was heard from downstairs. after that he heard his name being called. eunsang already knew what was happening now. he sighed, and mentally prepared himself to go down the stairs to come face to face with his "mother".
"YAH, LEE EUNSANG!! COME DOWN HERE, YOU BRAT!" his mother shouted, and he swore the whole neighborhood could hear it. eunsang bit his lip in nervousness as he opened the door, went down the stairs, and met his mother, fuming with anger.
"y-yes, mom?" he said in a stutter, looking up to see his sister alongside with his mother.
"why did you steal your sisters money?!" his mother shouted, making his flinch. "give it back to her now!!"
"what? i didn't take her money! she was the one that spent all of it!" eunsang said, defending himself.
"you know how much money i lost, jerk?!" his sister shouted. "i worked hard for that money and your just gonna take it and lie, huh? is that what you're doing now?!"
"and don't raise your voice at us, brat! we're older than you, you have no right to do that!"
"well it's not my fault that she's just gonna lie about me taking her money so she can get more from you! you know how many times she already did that?!" eunsang scoffed. "of course you don't. you're just a forgetful bitch."
"what did you say?!" his mother shouted, more anger evident in her voice. "you stole your sister's hard earned money and then you're gonna call me a bitch?!"
"yes, i will. because i'm done with all your bullshit." eunsang said.
"LEE EUNSANG! how dare you say that?!" his sister said, anger evident in her tone. "mom! can you kick him out of the house, please?"
eunsang rolled his eyes, silently scoffing. all you're asking for is attention... he thought.
"that's it. pack you things, brat. don't come back until you have your sisters money. your lucky that i didn't beat you this time."
"fine, then, i'm never coming back. i didn't even do anything wrong. i'm glad you finally kicked me out since i didn't want to stay in this rathole, anyway."
he packed his stuff and left the house. now he didn't know where to go. it's better being out here than inside that house. eunsang thought. he would go to his aunt's house but it was too far away, and he would go to motel, but he was saving money.
but then, an idea popped out in his mind. i know where to go.
➸
haeyoung sat down on the cold floor, tears spilling out of her eyes as she saw the things under the cushion. she found pictures of herself, ever since she was a baby.
haeyoung always planned to look what was under there, but she would either forget or wouldn't be able to since her grandmother was sitting on that chair. but now, she knows what it was. it was pictures of haeyoung, haeyoung and her mother, and haeyoung with her grandmother.
she realized how much her grandmother adored her and loved her. now, haeyoung just misses her dearly, and she cried even more at the fact that she was never going to see her again. then, she found an envelope. it wrote, 'to haeyoung. if you find this before i pass, don't read it. but if you find it after i pass, read it, please.'
haeyoung gasped at the note, and slowly opened it. she was afraid that it would make her cry even more, therefore making her open it in caution.
and as she expected, the things inside the envelope made her tears flow twice as much.
it was money. and there was a letter that came along with it.
'hello, haeyoung. by the time you're reading this, i'm probably gone. i just want to tell you to not be sad, since now is the time to start a new chapter of your life. the money inside this envelope is for you, keep it in secret. do anything you want with it, just use it wisely.' the first paragraph of the letter said.
haeyoung continued reading the long letter, and was touched by her grandmother's words. there were many other things written in that letter, like writings about old memories, some advice, and even recipes for her grandmother's signature dishes. haeyoung felt a bit better after reading the letter, but even so, she was still down.
'so, my dear haeyoung, those were my last words for you. again, thank you for making me feel less lonely and accompanying me in my last years of life, and i hope you don't feel too saddened about my death. goodbye, dear, i'll be waiting for you in the afterlife.' the last paragraph said.
she was thankful for her grandmother's letter along with the cash that came with it, and that she was able to say her goodbye even though it wasn't in person. she put everything back in its place, and laid down on the couch, staring at the ceiling.
her head was in the clouds until she heard a knock on the front door. she stood up from the sofa, heading to the door, curious to see who it was. and once she opened it, she was shocked to see who it was.
"eunsang? why are you here?"
"hey, um- can i stay here for a while? just for tonight, i promise."
➸
ok so i'm editing the book right now [june 10, 2020], and i actually just put in the letter part of this chapter AFTER finishing the book while editing. it wasnt there when i first published this chapter. just a lil fyi :D