He was Falling Inlove | Choi Seung Cheol

Chapter 5: Tell me Why

(Almost 2 Years ago)
"You're drunk again." Eri says as she lay the Eros down in their shared bed. He came home late, at exactly 1:19 am, by means of Mingyu. "Mingyu said you called him to fetch you in a bar, what is happening, Eros?"

Eros hugs her and giggles. "I love you, Eri. You know I always do." he says.

"I know, Eros. But you know what I feel about people who drink too much." Eri says as she plant a kiss on Eros' forehead.

"Yeah, I know. You hate it because your father used to do that when you were a child. It made you feel alone and helpless." Eros says. "But I know how he feels."

"Eros, what's wrong?" She asks as she massage Eros's forehead. He's going to have a bad headache tomorrow for sure.

"Eri, I don't know what to be like tomorrow. I'm kind of troubled. Mom is pressuring me to have a child, should we start trying again?"

"That's not going to be a problem. We can visit our gynecologist first thing tomorrow." she says, reassuring him. He always wanted a child and it's not a problem to  Eri. "Was that everything you're thinking of, my love?"

"I think I'm gonna break your heart with this one." Eros opens his eyes and stares at his wife. "I want you to quit your job."

Eri felt like everything she had built with him just cane crashing down in 15 seconds. 15 seconds was all it take for her to look at Eros in a different way.

She stares at her palms, eventually flipping it to look at her nude stained nails as she shake her right leg in frustration. She tries hard to find words to respond to him but tears started falling down her pale face instead.  In that very moment, she felt really sad.

"Can you do that for me, my wife?" Eros asks, half asleep.

"Eros, what made you think that I am actually capable of doing that? choosing you over my career?" she asks, he may be drunk and just saying senseless things but it breaks her heart thinking about how he thought about those things.

"Because you love me, don't you?"

(Present)
Tears welled up in her eyes as she look away from her laptop where her recent case study lies. She stares at her hands and tries to bite her cheeks for her to stop crying but her heart betrays her. She started crying even she did not realise she was actually crying already.

"I can't even finish this work, Fuck."

She studied more than 5 years in college. Failed a lot of classes since she get stressed a lot and tends to isolate herself when things get hard. Although she learns fast with her high IQ, her attendance failed her a lot. That's why she also chose a home based work, so that environmental stressors can't get to her that much. But that changed when she and Eros divorced.

"Stop, Eri. It's been years. It's done now, it's just a bad memory." she says as she shiver, she was upset, mad, confused and angry. She always had find it hard to breathe in throughout this times, it was an anxiety attack. She had been having these since she was a child but still kept it all inside so that she would look smart and calm outside.

But it has been destroying her mind and well being since forever.

"Water, I need water." she says. She eventually unlocks the door of her research laboratory and walks towards their kitchen as she take deep breaths. "It's alright, Eri.  They were all just memories now, bad ones."

She places her left hand on the pocket of her laboratory coat and gets her depressants. She opens the refrigerator to get a cup of water and drink her medicine.

"Are you depressed?" A voice asks. She turns to see and realizes it's Jian.

"Why do you care?" she says and tries to walk past her but Jian talks again.

"Or are you just mentally ill?" she teases.

"Do you want to die?"

"Since when did you started acting like that?" Eros suddenly enters the kitchen. Wearing just his robe. It was then that Eri realises that he was wearing their matching robe that they got gifted as newly weds— and Jian is wearing the other pair.

Eri smiles and it staysterrified Eros a little. She stares deep in his eyes for a minute and says,

"I don't know, maybe when you started making your womenw wear my things?"

and then Eri leaves.

"She's one scary woman isn't she? did you see her smile while tears welled down her face?"

...
They say the worst thing to carry is the weight of the things you forgot to carry while having the worst time of your life. And that's right. Eri knows that best.

"I can't believe you're having this problems again, Engr. Rouge. This is why I am telling you to take breaks from time to time." The board of Research Director says as Eri stays put on on her seat. "You failed to submit your case study for the design you were proposing, this is the second time it happened. I understand that people may feel sick and emotional at times but we have work to do."

"I'm sorry, Director." she says.

"I understand you, Eri. I do, but as per work regulations and policies. I have to suspend you this time. I hope this suspension does not suffocate you even more. Think of this as a break. Take a break and come back well, better. please."

...
Eri came back on their home and seeing Eros waiting for her is not the best thing that she hoped would happen.

"You're back." Eros says. "You look horrible, are you alright?"

"Since when did you start acting like you care for me?" Eri tiredly says. "You've been doing great not stepping on my line and not caring at all for a year and six months, just keep it up."

"And you've been doing great dodging all my questions and avoiding giving me closure. How can you not even tell me why you divorce me?" Eros snaps back.

"How can I not tell you why I divorced you? Do I even have to tell you? Do you even deserve an explanation from me?" Eri laughs with anl tired voice. "No, Eros. You don't deserve an explanation from me, instead, tell me why you saw me as a calm wave when I am pure chaos. Tell me why you married me. Tell me why you wanted me to put up with the lie you throw into my face!"