Light A Flame | Yoon Jeonghan

1. Broken bonds

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

He found himself standing in the solemn confines of his father's office, a silent witness to a scene that shattered his world. Before his eyes, his own father, a figure he had always admired, was betraying his mother in the most intimate way possible.

That fateful day marked the birth of an unwavering resolve within him—a vow to seek justice and retribution against the two individuals who had torn his family asunder.

"Mom," Jeonghan pleaded, reaching out for his mother's hand, but she moved swiftly, collecting her scattered clothes and placing them into a suitcase. "Please, Mom, just listen to me!" His voice quivered with desperation. "Don't go through this by yourself. Don't do this to me."

Tears streaming down her face, his mother glanced downward, taking a few moments to gather her emotions. Slowly, she approached Jeonghan, her hands cupping his face tenderly. "I'm broken, Jeonghan," her voice trembled with sorrow. "Staying here, seeing your father after what he's done... I just can't bear it any longer. Please, my dear, try to understand," she implored.

"Mom..." Jeonghan's voice was barely more than a whisper as he touched the hands that cradled his face. His eyes, filled with a plea only a son could make, locked onto his mother's gaze. "Take me with you, please. Don't leave me here." The vulnerability in his voice was palpable, carrying his longing for the comfort of her presence during this turbulent time.

His mother's tears flowed even more freely upon hearing her son's heartfelt words. She held onto his face as if trying to hold back the tide of emotions. "I can't, my love," she choked out between sobs. "I can't put you and Soomin through this upheaval. I can't tear you away from your life here—school, friends, this home you've known. Everything you cherish is here. I'm the one who has to go, far away." Her voice trembled with a mixture of pain and determination, conveying the depth of her sacrifice for her children's stability.

"Please, Mom," Jeonghan's plea quivered in the air as his mother gathered the luggage and bags that were already prepared. With a heavy heart, she turned to descend the stairs, tears streaming down her face like rain. Jeonghan followed close behind, his voice a desperate refrain that echoed through the empty spaces of the house, each call a plea for her to reconsider, to stay.

Just as the emotional scene reached its peak, Soomin arrived home from school, stepping into the house to find her mother and brother in tears, their anguish palpable. Her eyes widened in shock and panic swept over her entire body as she spotted the luggage clutched tightly in her mother's hand, a silent but profound indication that something was terribly wrong.

"M-Mommy," Soomin's voice quivered as she began, her own tears already falling like rain. "Where... where are you going?" Her voice trembled with a mixture of confusion, fear, and a desperate hope for an answer that would ease the turmoil in her heart.

Without offering an reply, her mother enveloped Soomin in a tight, tender embrace, pulling Jeonghan into the circle of their shared sorrow as well. The three of them clung to each other, tears falling as they found solace and support in the warmth of their family bond. In that moment of profound vulnerability, their tears became a language of shared pain.