Through Her Eyes ✔

27. HOPE

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Soul related medicines help in pacifying the effects of Soul aches.

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Her eyes huge on the mirror. They're filled with confusion and sadness. No matter how many times she lifts her head up to contain her tears, they still freely fall. She tries washing them with water, with soap, and wipe them with the softest bath towel she has, but nothing seems to work.

Daun closes her eyes. Groaning, she annoyingly splashes more water on it. Drops and drops of tears and water mesh together making her face wetter than ever. She's a mess. No matter how many times she wipes away the tears, it would still flow from her eyes, as if her tear ducks are so loose and wont stop from leaking.

Her chest is not helping even. It feels lost and fearful. Like a child abandoned. Like the time when she was left on her own on that dark room.

The memory triggers more tears. Her fears swelling more and more overwhelming the sadness and melting it away. Now she feels nothing but helpless.

She doesn't understand.

She looks over the medicine cabinet and opens. Hurriedly takes a dark blue bottle. She hesitates first. Recalling on the promise of not taking it any longer. The promise to stop herself from relying on it... a promise that she had broken so many times to count.

She trembles... she has to... and so she takes not one but two... and gulps on it. She drinks the water from the faucet to ease the tiny tablets on her throat.

Now... she has to wait for its effects.

She looks on the mirror again. Though her eyes are puffier and cheeks more red, it looks a bit brighter. The sadness still lingers, but at least, she's no longer a mess. She can already hold her self up and at least pretend she's okay. Gone are the tears and she smiles. The stretch of her lips and the appearance of her little dimple is an easy task, perfected with the numerous times she had practiced. Smiles she had to be familiar even with her shattered heart. Now, she smiles not for the sole purpose of pretense. She smiles with relief. Relief that she can finally steps out from her bathroom and face Jimin where she left him, at her work space.

Now, she is a bit ashamed. 'How will she explains this to him? The way she pushed him away... the way she ran. Will he ask her questions? Will he interrogate her and digs the things that even her can't understand?'

Answers that she is not even aware of.

She puffs her chest and breathes deeply. She can't be a coward and waste more time secluded. She has to face her friend. He had comforted her, and she has to show how grateful she is with it.

**********

The door creeks opens and he snaps his head up. He's sitting on another chair closer to the door. A wooden chair at her desktop. It's monitor showing the last picture she had taken with him - a rainbow light on a blindfolded Jimin with his crooked teeth showing.

He straightens his back the moment he sees his Daun.

She is leaning on the door frame. Her left hands kneading her right arm in embarrassment. Her eyes swollen but no longer crying. Her gaze down cast, as if afraid to look at him in the eyes.

"Daun-ah." His voice so soft as if whispering.

It's been a while since she suddenly whispers sorry and ran towards the door. Almost an hour actually. It breaks his heart seeing her like that. She kept on mumbling "I can't understand.", and he doesn't too. It makes him more worried. What triggered her to be like that?

The silence is deafening. Her phone has stopped playing for a while now. He slouches again, elbows on his knees as he peeks towards her form and studies her. He stays seated, afraid to do the first move.

Her complexion glistening as if she just took a bath. She's wearing another blouse now, a dress rather. A one piece long lacy dress right below her knees. It is short sleeved. It's neckline rounded but wide. He can see her neck line glistening with water. Her clothes is white compared to the baby blue long sleeves topped with a long high-waisted skirt that she wore a while ago. She looks like an angel with her outfit. She looks more vulnerable with it.

"Are you...Is everything okay?" He asks.

She nods.

"I'm sorry." He hears her whispers. Her voice a little bit croaked. It seems that her throat is constricting her to say anything. It's tone wavers and whispery. His chest tightens, as if someone is groping his heart and twisting it.

"No..." He stands. Unable to step towards her, he leans to his right foot instead and put his hands on his pocket. He wants to punch someone. But who? It's only the two of them. But why does he feel that someone has to be blamed for her state... him? What did he do? "What happened?" He doesn't want to be rude but yet asks.

"Nothing..." She shakes her head and looks to his eyes, determination on her eyes. "I am like that sometimes. Sorry for witnessing that."

'What?...W-why?' His mind wants to ask more but holds himself against it. He has the gist of it - of what she felt. After all, it's one of the themes of their songs... depression? anxiety? "You can tell me... if you want to."

"It's okay now... I have taken a remedy." She smiles. The curves on her lips has no substance in his eyes. It's meaning doesn't reach her eyes. It's a bit hallow and unfeeling.

He smiles. The word remedy is unnerving him. What could it be? What have been the remedy? A pep talk? He wants to know, but if she says she's okay, he has nothing to do now. Hasn't he? He can't just intrude. If she is not ready yet to open herself towards him, towards them, then he has nothing to do but wait. Wait for the time that she can freely tell him the things that's bothering her.

The things that made her that way.

"Okay." He whispers. Okay for now as they decides to continue their shoot. This time a bit awkward. Nonetheless, he needs to stay longer for her, for his heart.

*******

"Hyung..." Jimin exclaims.

"It's that obvious, isn't it?" The eldest sighs.

Jimin's eyes wide as he looks at the swollen eyes of their Jin-hyung. "You slept late last night?" He guesses.

"Yes..and woke up crying." He sighs. His voice is laced with worry. He sits on the sofa and munches on a snack. "You want?" He offers to Jimin.

"Why?" Hoseok, who was just lying around on their living room, asks as he gets some chips for himself. It was a question that just pops on his head, not thinking on the deeper significance of it.

"I felt so happy last night. I can't just sleep. I kept giggling and then when I woke up at ten, I couldn't stop from crying." The words alarms the other two occupants in the room, Jimin and Hoseok, then it clicks. Soul feel.

"Daun... is she okay? I wonder." Hoseok voices out his worry. The smiley member who's the model of happiness and merriment just scowls. He pouts as he worries on their soulmate.

"Actually... I was with her." Jimin confesses and tells them what happened. The whole truth. He has his speculations over her sudden out burst. He was hoping she had felt their connection but he doubt it. Her actions is something he is familiar with and he wishes that he is wrong.

The two older brothers listen attentively, not wanting to miss even a bit. They were giddy at first but as Jimin continually recounts the events, as he tells about her tears and the fears on her eyes, the other two can't help but worry so much more about their soulmate. Their Daun.

"I think it's time to call for help." Hoseok says as he dials a number. One that is much familiar with the other two.

Two pairs of eyes hopeful as they look at Hoseok, their J-Hope.

Hope, the last thing on that pandora's box. Perhaps the only thing that can bring them together... finally.