Wonwoo's Protection

18. Getting Closer

TW: Mentions of physical abuse and scars. Also minors, shoo! This chapter is not for you guys!

Inha was on the verge of tears during the drive back to their apartment after that disastrous dinner at her father's place. She looked at Wonwoo who had an unreadable expression on his face as he drove them towards their house. The very hands that she thought were beautiful were clutching the steering wheel as if he would lose control, making his knuckles white. 

Inha didn't know if he was like that because he heard what her stepmom said or if she had done something wrong for him to raise his voice like that to make her leave with him that instant. Inha was hurt and was confused about the whole situation as her half-sister and stepmom were sniggering at her after beeing yelled at by Wonwoo. 

As soon as Wonwoo opened the door to their apartment, Inha just wanted to rush inside to lock herself in her room so that she could cry her heart out. But Wonwoo had other plans. Before she could get away from him, Wonwoo caught her by her elbow to stop her from running away. Inha looked down at the floor instead of looking at his face, her heart pattering loudly at the sudden turn of events. Wonwoo took a step forward and lifted her chin slowly and gently to connect his eyes with hers. He saw how her tears were threatening to spill as he took his time to scan her beautiful features.

"I'm sorry about yelling at you earlier" he said in his deep voice softly, almost like a whisper. And that's when Inha's floodgates opened and Inha started to sob uncontrollably. He quickly embraced her and held her tenderly.

"I was not angry at you Inha" he added as he stroked her hair softly. "I.. I was just angry at your stepmom and half-sister for talking to you that way. I didn't know what to do and so I expressed myself in an unpleasant way at that moment",  he admitted to her. Inha on the other hand was clutching onto his black button-up as if her life depended on it, staining it with tears. She was shaking uncontrollably in his arms as Wonwoo tried his best to calm her down. He felt that he failed as a husband as he was the cause of her tears. 

There were times when Wonwoo had seen her cry in the middle of the night when he came out to drink water. Those were the times he wanted to reach out to her, to wipe away her tears, to tell her that he's there for her. But all he did was to go back inside his room to not intrude her space. However today, when she let go of her heavy emotions on his chest, he knew he had to comfort her as her husband.

Wonwoo then slightly leaned back to look at her face. He cupped her cheeks as he wiped away the tears that fell down from her face. "I am sorry" he said and pressed his lips upon her forehead, a gesture he didn't do after their wedding day. 

Inha looked at him with a vulnerable and weak expression as he kissed her forehead. She didn't know what took over her to show how hurt she was to Wonwoo. Inha has always been someone who cries when no one is watching and smiles by hiding her pain in front of others. That is how she had lived all her life and therefore to cry and show her pain in front of Wonwoo felt liberating to her. Whenever Wonwoo had asked if she was okay, she would immediately plaster a fake smile and say yes, but today she gave herself the permission to cry on his strong chest. 

Therefore when Wonwoo kissed her forehead, she was taken by surprise and seemed to calm down a bit. There was just something in his eyes that made her stop breathing for a second. She could not decipher as to what exactly it was, but he had so much resolve in his eyes - a resolve to protect and love her.

"I want to see you Inha" he whispered in his deep voice that sent a shiver across Inha's spine. She tried to remove his hold on her waist but he only held her back more tightly than before.

"I want to see all of you, you, your scars. I know you are hiding them from me by wearing these full sleeved clothes, but I want to see them" he said and Inha drew a sharp breath.