The Big Reveal

Chapter 65 | Reveal

Narrator's POV

Han Joon finally comes home after the tiring day, seeing off all the guests who came to his wife's funeral today. He heads up to his apartment, worried about his daughter; Hana. The concern is visible in his body movement; he doesn't know what to do in his life anymore. He walks to his lounge and finds Hana sleeping on the couch. He walks to her and bows down to pick her in his arms. Her face still has traces of teardrops that ran down her cheeks and her face.

Han Joon picks her up, trying his best to not wake her up. She is as light as a feather. He enters her room and lays her on her bed.

"Mom." She says it faintly in her sleep and Han Joon just looks at her.

"I am here." He comes back to her side after taking her socks off. He gently moves her a bit and lies beside her. Hana grips his arm and cuddles it, while Han Joon's other hand caresses her hair off her face and plants a kiss on the side of her face. She smiles lightly. But all Han Joon could do was cry. He couldn't stop his sobbing looking at her tiny face.

"I am sorry. I don't know how I will nurture you alone. I don't-" He bursts out into more tears and his wail fills the room. Fear of waking her, he gently moves his arm out of her grip and kisses her again on her cheek.

"But I promise you, I'll play every role for you, your father, your mother, and even your friend. I can never fill the void you have for your mother, but I can try loving you like her. I'll try, I promise." He brushes her hair for the last time and leaves her room.

Han Joon wipes off his tears from his wrist's cuff and realizes that he has been doing this all day and the cuff is quite dirty now.

"I should better take a shower," he says to himself and walks to his room.

He has never seen a place this desolate. His bed lies empty and the thought that he would always be sleeping alone on this from now on shatters his heart. He looks around the room and feels Ji Hoo in everything. She always took care of things. A light smile embraces him, as he remembers her traces on everything in the room. He walks to the dressing table and picks up the scent she used. He uncovers it and smells it deeply. The fragrance took him back to her, but when he opened his eyes, she was nowhere. With the feeling of gloominess, he sprays it once on his body and keeps it aside. He will remember her in things now; her perfume bottle, her skincare products on her side table, the little bookmarks in her books, and her touch on everything.

Keeping his crestfallen self aside, he moves to his closet to take out some clothes. And when he opens it, Ji Hoo is there too. The closet is distinctly divided; all black and whites of Han Joon and a plethora of colors in Ji Hoo's closet. She loved colors. There hasn't been a single color Han Joon never saw her wearing. He rubs his hands against her clothes and stares at them for a moment.

"You filled colors in my life, and now you made it colorless again." Han Joon whispers and tears flow down his face. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply. Without glancing at them again, he bows down and opens his drawer of undergarments. Everything is arranged from her hands. For once, Han Joon wished he could do everything without touching any piece in the room to feel her touch alive.

He remembers when he used to go for a shower and saw Ji Hoo sleeping, beautifully. He never woke her up, but when he came out of the shower; his clothes for the day were already hanging, along with his undergarments and all other essentials. She spoiled him in so many ways and the only excuse she used to give was that she loved to do her chores. She loved to dress him up, to make food for him, to express her love not just physically, but in every little thing. She has spoiled him.