━━THE STREETS OF guangzhou hardly felt welcoming to daiyu as she walked through the large crowds to the airport exit.
even with her stature, she felt immensely small in her home country. as though undeserving to step foot on a land she'd once abandoned for meaningless words on paper that turned out to be her ruin.
hailing a cab was the only thing on daiyu's mind, and getting home to her father without delay.
he came first, daiyu had to remind herself.
he should've always been first.
her only home, her only rock. so daiyu would only think of him like she said she would.
no more grandparents, no more seoul, no more laughter as she ate pizza at the store by the school, no more listening to the gentle music produced in her friend's broadcasting room, no more constricting and confusing feelings for a boy who had nestled himself into her twisted heart.
no more seyeon, suho, and seojun.
they were only a hindrance in her mind, a force pulling her away from her family. her true family. the family that nursed her as a child when she was sick and worked endlessly for her happiness.
daiyu's family that loved her when her so-called mother ran off with another man. she and that man had their own family, one where they made clear she was unwelcome. that was seyeon's family. and no matter how much she wanted it to be gone, there would always be a barrier separating the two of them.
not fully understanding the other, even in her departure. feelings left unsaid, nestled into broken hearts and torn souls. all of it, daiyu pushed down in a box labeled 'for later, or perhaps even never', because not even she knew if they would be able to exchange words anytime soon.
the cold night air disappeared into stuffy warmth as daiyu hailed the nearest cab and shut the door. her mouth spoke before she could fully comprehend the words leaving her lips, leaving the driver to stare at her awkwardly.
"xx hospital, please." she had said, only to receive no answer in return.
a small gasp left her lips as she realized her mistake, and a small pang in her chest made her swallow harshly.
"xx hospital, please." she repeated with a small bow of her head, which made the driver nod his head in understanding.
she had unintentionally spoken in the wrong language. even being back home, the customs she had developed from being away for so long really took a toll on daiyu.
her gaze focused on the outside, her quiet inhales and exhales fogging up the car window. the familiar landscape felt like a fever dream, too disoriented and disfigured for daiyu to remember.
home didn't really feel like home anymore.
━━THE HOSPITAL FELT colder than ever before, a blinding white surrounding her from all sides.
her old sneakers felt immensely dirty as daiyu walked into the room where her father resided, looking halfway to death.
"he's had kidney stones for a while. there's a chance of death for the surgery, so we allowed the patient to see his family. he already agreed to the surgery. it'll be performed tomorrow night." the nurse adjusting his iv drip had informed her, big round eyes staring at daiyu's disheveled appearance with a forlorn empathy.
