Inside | HENDERY WAYV/NCT

31

He woke up to Kelly panicking.

"What's wrong?" He quickly sat up and held Kelly's shoulder. She pulled him into a hug. "Do you know how long I tried to wake you up?!!!" She sobbed hard. He softly pat her back, trying to calm her down. He honestly didn't know what happened.

One second he was in his safe place with Wei, the next second it turned pitch black.

"I'm here Kelly. I'm not leaving," he whispered.

**********************

"MOM I'M NOT COMING HOME TONIGHT!" Yun shouted and slammed the front door shut. Hearing his footsteps gone, Luna quickly tied her hair up into a bun and exited the room. The living room was trashed. He was home for barely 30 minutes and the living room turned into a pigsty.

Soft drink cans were all over the floor. Food packets, cigarette buds. She was picking the trash and stuffing them into the trash bag when she felt someone pulling her bun.

"I wish you'd tie your hair more," his voice was chilly. Luna froze. She cussed inside. His hands was ready to slip when his mother called for him.

"I thought you're not coming home?"
"I left my wallet," he grinned and picked up his wallet.

When the front door closed, Luna melted on the floor. She tried so hard to not break down, but she couldn't. Luna sobbed as she picked up the remaining trash.

She hated him so much for doing that to her. For touching her. She hated it so much.

Luna sat down in the shower and let the water gushed. It was another day of her hating Yun with all her being. How she wished she could just walk away from everything. But she couldn't. Not now.

She quickly washed up and exited the shower. She reached for a pair of scissors. She was ready to chop down her hair but Yue stopped her. "Luna, you love your hair. Don't do it," Yue took away the scissors.

"I don't love it anymore. I hate it..."

********************

It was quiet at the dining table. Kelly's eyes were locked onto her rice bowl. Hendery fiddled with his chopsticks. The dinner was so chilly that Hendery stopped eating midway and left the dining table.

He opened his window slowly and sat on the window sill. He watched the same cat sleeping on the roof. A soft knock on his door snapped him back to reality. Kelly stood at the door, holding a bottle of orange juice and some cookies. "Can I come in?"

He nodded and scooted over to give Kelly some space to sit on. She sat beside him and handed him the juice.

"It's sweet and tart. With some pulp in it," she said without even waiting for his question. He smiled and took a sip of the juice.

Kelly watched him sipped the juice. Her hand softly touching his head. She stroked his hair slowly, not wanting to pull any hairs off. He stopped her. "Don't feel sorry for me."

"I'm not, stupid. I'm giving you love," Kelly smiled at him. He too smiled. "Hendery, I'm sorry. I shouldn't get angry just now. It's not your fault."

"Well, you owe me donuts then. And also permission to go to amusement park this Wednesday," he shrugged. Kelly bursted into laughter.

"You know, I can take that cat and rub it all over you?" Kelly asked him. "Please I'd love to hug it," he dared her and Kelly jumped out of the window and lifted the cat.

"MOOOOOMMM KELLY WANTS TO KILL ME!!!" He shouted and ran out of the room.

"Come here!!!"
"Help me mom!!!!" He hid behind his mother who was cleaning the dining table.

It's supposed to be like this 10 years ago. But it doesn't matter as long as we're a family again.

**********************

Luna walked down the street and made her way to the dumpling house. The moment she stepped in, she could hear Hendery and Kelly bickering.

"You want to see Hendery is it? You'll have to wait. They're bickering," Mrs Wong chuckled. Luna sat down and waited. She heard everything Hendery and Kelly bickered about.

After a hot minute of waiting, Hendery left the kitchen mumbling over something. "Oh you're here? That's odd," he stopped when he saw her sitting on the table waiting for him. She smiled and ushered him to sit down.

"Sounds like a hot debate," she teased him. "Kelly is being unreasonable. It's not like I'm 7 anymore. Even mom said nothing. And she's yapping bla bla bla bla," Hendery expressed his dissatisfaction over his conversation with Kelly.

"Shut up, Hendery!"
"You shut up!"
"You sh....."
"Both of you shut up," Mrs Wong stopped them from bickering again. Luna laughed. Despite them talking in a foreign language, she actually understood what they were talking about.

"Hey wanna get ice cream?" He got up and was ready to walk away. Luna followed him suit.

"You left the store. Amazing."
"Dude, that store is stuffy. Especially in summers!"
"Wear something light then. Sweaters are for cold weathers, darling. This is summer heat," Hendery poked her arm. Luna shook her head and just laughed it off. As if she could wear anything nice and non baggy.

He ran to the freezer and slid the door open. "What flavour do you want?" He asked her. She shook her head but he bought two of the same flavour, paid for it and handed it to her.

He waited for her to bit into hers. "You're gonna stare at me until I eat them, right?"
"Exactly. Eat," he ushered her. Luna scoffed and bit into her ice cream.

"What does it taste like?"
"Ice cream?"
"I know but is it sweet? Sour? Tart? Vanilla?"
"Tasted sweet and cold. Creamy and a little bit tart? Because it's strawberry," it was weird for her to explain the taste but she did. His smile lit up and he bit into his ice cream.

"Why do you ask what it tastes like?"
"So you'd eat them and have a reason," he shrugged and ran away from her. Luna shook her head.

Hendery is a stranger but he felt so much like home. A home she'd love to be with forever. But maybe it's just her.

The sad song of the sea trailed along the waves. He sat down on the sands and wished for his gem to be his. But he could only wish for it.