"𝙄𝙛 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙄'𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙮 𝙣𝙤𝙬." -KM
She was the wood. He was the flame. After this, they would be ash.
A cruel twist o...
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After Miyeon showered away her latest monumental lapse in judgment, she tamed her knotted hair, which bounced around her bruised shoulders. She braved the cold loft to change into a pair of white boyfriend jeans with a black pullover hoodie and threw on a matching oversized wool coat. She pulled the hood over to cover up all signs of depravity so she didn't look as haggard as she felt.
When she descended the staircase with her luggage, she found Haechan standing in front of the large picture window. When he started toward her, she prepared to knock him in the face, but all he did was reach for her bag, which she relinquished.
When he stalked out to the rover, Miyeon tidied up the best she could and threw the soiled linens in the washer and started a load. If she was talking to the douche, she would have reminded him to toss it in the dryer once he brought Hirae home.
As it was, she averted her face and slipped past him, turning sideways so she didn't touch him since he was standing in the doorway like statue. She wanted to admire the diamond dust, but the cold penetrated through her clothing and took her breath away, so she hurried to the truck instead.
The trip down the mountain was nothing like last night. It was amazing the difference a few hours could make. The world around her shimmered with a pure innocence she wished she could go back to. Under other circumstances, she would have enjoyed the beautiful scenery, but the suffocating proximity to this asshole made the hour-long trip hell. She needed to get away from Haechan so badly, that her skin itched.
He lied and betrayed her in so many ways, it made her head spin. The worst part was that she had wanted children with him. She had fantasized about having a son that looked like him or a girl with his eyes. The fact that he had stolen even that dream from her made her want to rip his face off. If possible, this hurt more than anything he said to her in Tokyo because it showed, in no uncertain terms, that Haechan had never pictured a future with her. Their relationship had been a sham.
When he parked at the hospital, she had her door open before he came to a full stop. She charged toward the doors, determined to say her goodbyes to Hirae and get out there, but Haechan's long strides quickly caught up to her. They walked into the hospital with enough space between them for a gurney to pass through.
When they entered the elevator, Miyeon stood in the corner with her arms wrapped around herself. Like the car ride, neither of them spoke. When they reached the ICU, the nurse escorted them to Hirae's room. She listened with half an ear as the nurse discussed Hirae's care plan. When Miyeon entered, Hirae's face lit up, but when her eyes went past her to Haechan, her face went dead white. "Haechan?" Hirae whispered.
Miyeon rounded the bed and watched as mother and son stared at one another. As the silence stretched, the nurse's gaze went from Hirae and Haechan to Miyeon. Miyeon shrugged to show she didn't know what was going on either. She married into the Lee clan but knew very little about their dynamics. Neither Hirae or Haechan had ever explained their very distant relationship, and she had never pried.
