Fundamentally Good

Torn Apart

Day 13 Cloytober: Hurt

Content Warning: Death and car crash 

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Flashback – 10 years ago

Knock knock knock...

Seri rapped on the hood of the car casually as she smiled cheekily at her husband and their daughter. The blissfully married couple exchanged a secret smile, for they both recalled the story behind such a mundane, albeit odd ritual every time they went on a drive.

Seri's eyes twisted into those familiar crescent moons when she saw Haneul reaching for her, twisting, and turning in her father's arms to get to her. Ri Jeong Hyeok let out a booming laugh when he noted down the impatience in Haneul's eyes, a look that she inherited from his lovely wife.

Cooing gently, Seri took Haneul from her husband and pointed at the hood of the car. "Sweetie, want to knock? We wouldn't want any innocent animals to get run over now, would we?"

Smiling cheekily, Haneul mimicked her mother's movement and the couple applauded for their little one, proud that their one-year-old was finally part of their family ritual too.

"Jagiya, let's go before it gets darker." Ri Jeong Hyeok uttered in the softest voice in the universe, each syllable tender and love-filled for his precious family.

Nodding her head, Seri buckled Haneul into her car seat before they both laid a gentle kiss on their child's forehead. Minutes later, they were off, winding through the darkening night towards their home.

Home.

Family.

Love.

Freedom.

It wasn't easy to find acceptance in love, much less a family they have always dreamt of having. Before they met, they had each been imprisoned by their past, moving but never quite moving forwards because they were stuck.

When Yoon Seri crash-landed in Ri Jeong Hyeok's life, that was when everything changed.

It became their start to finding freedom and family in each other.

Ri Haneul was their precious gift from the heavens, a reminder of the hell and heaven they went through to deem themselves worthy of their precious child.

They had no regrets.

Letting go wasn't easy, but to let go was to give one more emotional capacity to embrace what could have been all along.

Ri Jeong Hyeok had to let go of his guilt over his brother's death to embrace Seri's infuriating yet endearing fiery soul.

Yoon Seri had to let go of all the emotional baggage and feelings of unworthiness to embrace Ri Jeong Hyeok and his boundless capacity to give and protect.

They found love in each other.

They found freedom in each other, simple as that.

Smiling softly at each other, none of them was aware of the creeping darkness that had no chance against the warm atmosphere in the car. Little did they know, the snow that started falling that night would mean an end to the family they have found in their lifetime.

That night would always be Ri Jeong Hyeok's greatest regret.

That night would always be Yoon Seri's deepest scar.

Because that night, they didn't just lose their lives, they lost their family too.

Now, car accidents resulting from a runaway deer was common. It happened all the time. But the Ri family wouldn't have died that night had the brakes been working. From a distance away, Ri Jeong Hyeok saw the luminous glow of a deer's irises, prompting him to slam down on the brakes instantly. Yet, the car continued hurtling towards the deer.