━━STRANDS OF FEEBLE light reflected off the windows of jianyu's rundown truck, streaking through zhao daiyu's hair like silk ribbons.
after a considerable amount of time spent forced into eating breakfast and changing, she was out the door and back on her way to see her father.
the night had left her a disheveled heap of bloodshot eyes and grayish-green tinted skin. far too weak and helpless to resemble anything other than a small child crying out for the family she so desperately needed.
the chinese boy sitting on the driver's seat beside daiyu was humming along softly to the radio—a distraction from the chaos in his own mind. his mess of morning curls were tied up at the back of his head, adorning his face in a contrasting gentleness to his sharp features.
through the mirror in the sun visor, daiyu could see the tired figure of ms. rén, eyes closed and face grim. her body was positioned against the window, head nodding against the glass sluggishly—the movements were reminiscent of a drunk woman that was helplessly lost.
nobody uttered a word, and they allowed jianyu's soft hums to fill the heavy silence laying thick inside the vehicle.
upon reaching the bland hospital, daiyu couldn't stop herself from flinging the seatbelt off her and anxiously waiting for her friend to park his car.
"daiyu, slow down—" jianyu made to protest, but his words were drowned out by the patter of her shoes hitting the concrete at a rapid pace.
the air in the building was cold, almost freezer-like, as if the doctors were trying to preserve a dying patient. it unsettled the chinese-korean girl, who wrapped the borrowed hoodie she was wearing tightly around her body. her father had always been a big fan of warm weather. the man despised the cold. it clung to him like a ghost, he often told a younger daiyu.
with almost silent steps, daiyu walked up to the front desk, wringing her hands together. the lady at the desk immediately took notice of the teen's fatigue, made evident by the lines below her eyes and her general appearance.
"how may i help you?" she asked politely. her eyes were sympathetic and sad, like a puppy that had been kicked.
"i'm here to see zhao yŭxuān. he's my father—i was told we could visit early before the surgery." she muttered out, hands wringing in a constant motion.
the woman briefly glanced back down at her computer and hummed in acknowledgment. the rather loud clacking of the keys interrupted the heavy silence, and the receptionist clicked a couple of times before addressing daiyu once more.
"of course. just fill this form out, and you'll be able to see him." she added, handing daiyu a clipboard and pen.
daiyu nodded, before hearing the distinct sound of footsteps and remembering that she had not arrived alone.
"actually, there are two more people with me. is that okay?" the chinese-korean girl spoke up as jianyu and his mother appeared by her side.
a heavy, albeit comforting, hand furrowed itself against daiyu's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. the shorter of the two only let her eyes meet his, and a smile didn't dare creep against her lips. her facial muscles had long forgotten the upward curve of her skin, the crease in her eyes, and the flash of her teeth.
all her face knew to do was show grim defeat and line itself with a withering hope.
"are they family members as well?" the woman, whose name-tag read 'yù míng', asked politely.
"no, they're close friends. practiacally family." daiyu said hastily at the expression on the woman's face, gripping the two closer to her. "please allow them to see him. i'm his only family left, and they're—they also want to see him too."
