Summary | He was a man who had wanted too much, and you were a woman who had lost so much. Once the wounds from the past come in the way for you to embrace your future with the man you love, the option for a new beginning comes in the form of erasin...
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This is Hana's mother.
You immediately feel uneasy, but she quickly gives you a reassuring smile. "I know the reason why you are here today. Your friend, Joohyun, filled me in last night."
All of a sudden, you feel light-headed. Joohyun, of course, you wonder. You should've expected your best friend to meddle, no doubt feeling responsible for spilling all the truth and causing you stress.
"What—what did she say?"
She takes her time answering you by placing all of her things in front of the grave before facing you. "She told me that you found your mother's secret treasure chest," she says with a light chuckle, as if she had expected something like this to happen.
"I already told your Momma too many times, and warned her that it would only cause a lot of trouble if she chooses to keep all of those keepsakes in that old house," she says while shaking her head. "I offered to take them all, you know, because I knew that it would do good to nobody if someone stumbles across that secret stash of hers. Now, look what happened. Someone did find it, and it just had to be you, of all people." She laughs, as if this incident has been entertaining for her to see.
Her reaction helps ease the tension flowing in the air. It feels warm and comfortable to continue talking to her like this, as if your subconscious still remembers what it was like to have this kind of friendly conversation with this woman.
"I understand why she couldn't let them go, so I can't really blame your mother," she continues with a somber smile. "We both watched you girls grow up together. All three of you. Even if you can't fully remember your childhood, you can probably see how your mother treats Joohyun like her own daughter. You have to know that she did the same with Hana. If it was hard for me to let go of the memories I had of Hana, I have no doubt that she would feel the same."
Your eyes start to burn, tears are starting to pool at the corners of your eyes. "Do you—" You find it hard to speak. Your throat feels tight with regret. "Aren't you mad at me...for what I've done?" you ask her, your voice shaking. "Did you come here to—"
"I came to see you because I finally have a reason to meet you in person. I had to hold back from doing so for the past couple of years, and it's been hurting me," she admits with a sigh, and then her eyes suddenly start glowing with unshed tears. "It hurts because I missed you so much."
The moment her voice cracks, something in your chest does the same. You have no idea what to say to her or how to respond. You feel the guilt and remorse coming to you so strongly that you feel like you need to apologise for hurting her, yet the words won't come out.
"There is no need to apologise. You've done nothing wrong," she suddenly says, surprising you when she seems to know what you are currently thinking. "Did Joohyun tell you everything already?"
