The whole journey back to her apartment building was strangely silent but at the same time comfortable. Mister Kim had insisted he drive her car even when she had offered to send him off first. So, he drove all the way to her apartment building, helped parked the car and even accompanied her all the way to the front door. They did not talk much because first; she has no idea how to properly talk to him now that feelings are involved and they had kissed and second, she is still too exhausted from everything.
All she could think of is showering and continue her sleep since it is finally the weekend.
"You should really rest", he stands behind her, watching as she pressed the combination on the little black screen on the doorknob. "You need the rest"
Halting midway, she turns around to face him. "Don't you think we need to talk?"
He raised both eyebrows, seemingly surprised at the question. But then he slowly relaxes and smiles, closing the distance between them. "We do. But you need to sleep. We will talk about us later, or tomorrow, okay?". He swiftly puts one hand on her shoulder and leans in to lightly kiss her forehead before caressing the back of her head gently.
Caught off guard, Haru feels herself blooming with heat at the sudden gesture. A low gasp fell out of her lips when she feels his lips on her forehead in a feathery touch. She might have flinched slightly, body unconsciously jerking at the sparks ignited on her skin when he did that.
"Go inside", he steps back. "Sleep, okay?"
A sudden gush of feelings rushed into her heart, sending signals to her head and then, to her entire body. Seems like every inch of her existence is reacting to his gesture. When she looks up to meet his eyes, her entire stomach flipped at the fondness in his eyes filled with nothing but unspoken emotions. The way he looks at her feels different now and if possible, more affectionate this time.
"Haru?"
"Y-Ye—oh! Right, I will rest, of course", she mentally slaps herself for gawking at him. "Please have a good rest too, Mister Kim"
He smiles at the way she calls him "Mister Kim", wanting to tease her but then he decided to save it for later. He waits till she finally unlocks her door, returning the little tired smile she offered him before closing the door. Making sure she has locked the door by the beeping sound heard, he then finally makes his way to the lift.
At the other side of the door, Haru leans on the big wooden door, staring into the dark space of her apartment. A few seconds standing alone in the deafening silence, she slides down to the floor as realization hits her. She did not get to think of anything thoroughly since last night. So now, when she is finally at the comfort of her own home and alone, everything hit her like a massive brick.
The thought of Areum not being her real sister, Haneul having a few months to live and her parents being ignorant towards her—everything.
She sits on the cold floor, her back leaning on the door, body shuddering as the agonizing thoughts wave into her head. It feels horrible, every thought pains her and breaks her. Letting the thoughts take over her sanity, breathe starting to hitch as her chest tightens, and the overwhelming urge to cry appears.
Pain. All she can feel right now is pain. Unbearable pain that not even anyone can see nor feel, but she can. The pain tears her being, breaking her heart again and again, reminding how destroyed she is on the inside. The hidden anxiety returns, ruling over her as she weakly fights it, attempting to not let it eat her again.
"Shit", she buries her face in her hands, tears finding their way out. "Please—just—"
Her voice breaks as her head hangs low, tears streaming down her face falling on to her folded legs. Her big apartment suddenly feels too small and too dark, playing with her head as she feels as if the space is swallowing her alive. The eerie silence makes her shiver as the poisonous thought loops in her head, piercing her heart like a sharp knife.
Pain. Everything is painful.
Every breathe feels too heavy and too painful. As if it sucks the life out of her every time she tries to. The tiny sobs slowly turning into loud cries, fingers twined into her head as she cries out loud alone on the floor. Her head spins, dizzying even when she is seated on the floor. Everything around her feels like it is distorting into a fuzzy vision, making her feel like she is afloat but at the same time, it feels like she is being dropped from a height.
"Please—just—I just—"
The soft knock on the door startled her, head flicking up in astonishment. She gulps to herself as she gets up to look at the door, confusedly staring at it.
"Haru, it's me"
She puffed at the deep voice coming from the other side of the door. That voice—that soothing deep voice—she loves so much belongs to only one person. Despite the confusion, she unlocks the door in slow motion and gently pulls it open.
Stood there is Mister Kim, knowing eyes looking at her. She did not even get to say anything when he suddenly steps into the house and pulls her into his embrace.
"I am sorry", he sighs, tightening his arms around her. "I shouldn't leave you. I am here now, I am here"
"M-Mister Kim? W-Why—"
"Cry. I'll be here"
Amidst the bewilderment, the warmth and the gentleness of his embrace makes her feel things she had never felt. Maybe, all she needed was a company—or maybe, she needed him. So, when he had tighten his hands around her again, she gives in into the comfort. She rests her head on her chest, allowing his calming presence to take over her.
"I am here", he says again, one hand softly caressing her back and another at the back of her head. "I am here for you"
And that is all it takes before she burst into tears again.
-
Dizzy, extreme dizziness is exactly what she feels the second her eyes flick opened to a dim room. The world seems to spin around, vision swirling as she tries to scan the surrounding, both hands pushing herself upright. Blinking slowly, feeling the slight uneasiness around her swollen eyes, she makes up the familiar sight of her thick soft white comforter resting on her thighs. The lingering smell of vanilla and sweet pea from her humidifier hits her nostrils. Her room is completely dark, curtains drawn and the faint orang light slicing through the almost sheer curtain gives her an idea that is almost end of the day.
She sits there on the empty big bed, letting her brain slowly trails back to everything that happened hours ago. Mister Kim had come back, held her so tightly as she cried like a madwoman. Recalling how she literally sobbed in his arms, clutching onto him when the overwhelming emotions crushed onto her, making her dragged him down to the cold floor. He said nothing at all except words of assurance that he will be there for her and she should cry to her heart's content.
He held her the entire time, not minding how completely drenched his shirt from all her unending tears. It could be hours of her crying on the floor, no words—nothing. It was just endless tears and inaudible mumbles spilling out of her trembling lips. She remembers the way he kept her so close to him, one arm around her and another at the back of her head. He stayed like that, did not move an inch till she literally fell asleep due to the exhaustion.
He must have had carried her onto the bed and left after that.
"Did...he...leave?", she looks around for any trace of him but found none. "He did"
Rubbing her eyes in attempt to brush that sleepiness away, turning to her nightstand searching for her phone. Realizing it is not there, her hands roams all over the bed but still could not find it.
"I was sure...my phone was in my jac—wait, oh it's there", she spots her jacket on her vanity table.
She almost stumbled onto the carpet, losing her bearing a few seconds due to her head still spinning. Dragging her feet towards the vanity table, one hand fishes into the pocket of her jacket and feels glad when her phone is found.
"What time is—good lord!? I SLEPT FOR 5 HOURS?????"
The grumbling in her stomach reminded her that it is time to get some food since she clearly skipped her lunch. Sighing to herself, she plops onto the vanity chair and stares at the empty room, wondering.
"I want to eat with him...", she pressed her lips in a pout, bringing her phone close to her face as she unlocks it. "Snap out it, Haru, come on"
Randomly scrolling her phone mindlessly, the strange sound coming from outside of her bedroom startled her. Her eyes perk immediately as she turns to look at the door. Hesitantly she walks out of her room, eyes squinting at the bright orange light of the hallway leading to the living room and the kitchen at the side. There are sounds coming from the kitchen, seems like a low murmur of a deep voice and the sound of the juice mixer blazing through the space.
Slow steps towards the brightly lit kitchen, she stands beside the wall as her eyes falls at the broad back of a tall man. She watches him pouring something that looks like a mixture of milk with a hint of pink into two clear glasses. His low voice fills the silence, that deep-rooted voice humming to a song she does not know. His hair looks wet, as if he just got out of shower but then he still wears the same clothes from yesterday.
Mister Kim....is still here?
~~~~
NOTE
Hello everyone! Updated quite early today hehe because i didnt want to do work so...i updated instead. I hope this chapter is good! Thank you for readinggg. Love youuu