Wake Up - Hulyo
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As I walked through the hall, the echos of my footsteps filled the deafening silence so excruciatingly killing me inside. Step by step, I made my way to her room. The flowers softly resting beneath my palm were elegantly arranged, fragrant and lively. Very ironic.
It was almost like a never ending story, in which one constantly suffers while the other watches in pain, so disappointed at the thought of being useless.
I stop at her door, eyeing the box shaped glass window where the light poorly seeped through. My gaze then travelled from my hand where the roses lied, to the nameplate attached to the side of her door.
Hwang Yeji, 21
What a pretty name. It's like she was named after an angel. Simply ethereal, very warm and soft inside, she's everything I could've ever wanted. She's too good to be true.
Everything was too good to be true.
I didn't notice a tear sliding down the curve of my cheek until they were helplessly falling nonstop. It took a lot of courage for me to stop, to convince myself that everything will be alright, that once I wipe my tears away her pain would disappear along.
And so I did, facing down as my eyes met my shirtsleeves. I took a deep, exasperated breath as I listened to the loud bray of my heart. My hand shivered as it opened the door, revealing two people standing beside her bed.
"Ryujin.." Her mother softly called, noticing my presence through the loud silence. Mrs. Hwang came to me, blocking my sight of her daughter as she walked. "I'm glad you're here now."
Her father, on the other hand, was just silently gazing to her with a bittersweet smile on his dry, apparently dehydrated lips. He adored his daughter through his tired eyes, with heavy bags underneath and maybe even a trail of tears.
"Is she asleep?"
"Yes, yes she is." Mrs. Hwang said, trying so hard to suppress the cracks on her voice as she lowers her head to wipe the tears falling alongside her cheeks.
"She was waiting for you but eventually fell asleep when she grew tired. You can wake her up now if you want.." She continues, as she gently taps her husband's shoulder. "We should leave you two for now."
And so they left us, silently walking out of the room leaving me with nothing but dead silence. The air-conditioner emitting this buzzing sound, the murmurs from the outside of her room, and her peaceful and heavy breathing were all that I could hear.
I observed her as she slept. Unfazed, so serene and beautiful. Yet.. at the same time so very sad and heart breaking.
"If others would look at you right now they'd never notice the pain you're going through." And again, a tear slid from my eye. Then came another til I just sat there and sobbed my sorrows out.
"Babe?" Her soft voice called to me.
"Did I wake you up? I'm sorry." I say, feeling bad as I might have woke her up with my loud crying.
"No, don't worry Ryujin."
We were quiet for a short while. I gazed at her, at how pretty her jet black hair rested upon her shoulders, at how perfect her feline-like eyes looked. Then our eyes met, as she was also adoring me in silence.
