Flowers Over You | Kth

Chapter 10: Stay Over

"Don't take what your mother said to heart, you know how she is when she's angry," Mrs. Kim said as she sat at the edge of the bed in Hayan's old room at the penthouse. Hayan lay curled up under the blanket quietly. She was shutting down again, just like she did every time she argued with her mother. She didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment but Mrs. Kim was persistent. She softly nudged Hayan when she didn't respond.

"Hayan, come on," Mrs. Kim continued. "Look, I made you fresh strawberry juice, it's still your favorite, right?" Hayan felt her place a platter on top of her and felt like a child being tempted by a toy. She didn't mind it, it was comforting, the thought of being treated like a child. She shifted under the blanket, hinting Mrs. Kim to move the plate off of her and as she did, Hayan sat up, the lilac blanket falling off of her. She looked at the glass in Mrs. Kim's hands then sent her an apologetic glance.

"Thank you." She said in a low voice as she took the glass. Mrs. Kim smiled but said nothing. Uncomfortable with the silence and unable to meet Mrs. Kim's eyes, Hayan chose to look around the room instead. It looked exactly how she'd left it when she moved into the college dorms at 19. Now that she looked at it as an adult, Hayan realized how much it looked like the room of a spoiled child. She was a spoiled child. She had never returned to it, the penthouse or her room, always making excuses about being busy with life. It was partially true and partially a lie because even if Hayan hadn't been busy, she knew she still wouldn't have wanted to come back. The truth was Hayan resented this place and the people inside even though a part of her knew that she should only feel gratitude towards them.

If it weren't for Mrs. Kim, she thought, she would have been in a completely different place, but then again, would she have preferred it? Would she rather be in a ruddy place in life than be around people she couldn't love properly even when she tried to? Hayan didn't have an answer.

She didn't love Mrs. Kim a lot, but Hayan knew that a part of her cared for her even if she didn't like admitting it. Despite her bitter feelings, Hayan believed that deep down she felt strong gratitude towards Mrs. Kim. Perhaps, that was why Hayan couldn't refuse when Mrs. Kim asked her to sleep over earlier that night. There was something about the way she spoke that even Hayan, who was always quick to say no, couldn't reject her. She had tried to make excuses, of course, she told Mrs. Kim about her plans of sleeping over at Sara's place, but Mrs. Kim insisted and Hayan was feeling way too emotional to be stubborn tonight.

"It would be fun like old times, we can have midnight snacks together, and there are some things I want to say to you." Mrs. Kim had said and she had sounded so happy about it that Hayan couldn't say anything back at all.

"I'm sorry for being so childish right now," Hayan said, her lips pursed as she gulped down the juice.

"You're not being childish, you're just upset." Mrs. Kim only smiled but Hayan wanted to break down. She had the kind of softness in her voice which a children craved in their mother's voice when they grew up in a broken family. Unconditional kindness, that's what Mrs. Kim was full of, and Hayan could never understand how she was so selflessly loving. A part of her wanted to be like Mrs. Kim and a part of her hated it, considering her foolish.

"I'll talk to your Mom so don't stress about it, okay? She might sound unreasonable right now but she'll understand," Mrs. Kim reassured Hayan, reaching out her hand to take the glass from Hayan as she finished the juice.

"I mean, does she really expect me to stay with her all my life? I'm grown up now, you know," Hayan sighed as she watched Mrs. Kim put the glass in her lap.

"I know, hun, I think your mother is having a hard time accepting that. You're her only daughter so I think she doesn't want you to be away from her. She's always been a little too overprotective,"