TOMORROW | Changbin

11||Gone

Jiyeon's POV

Though I despise the darkness, it seems to draw me in further with each passing moment. I find myself sinking deeper into its depths, unable to escape its suffocating hold.

A soft giggle drifted across the room, pulling me away from my thoughts. My precious daughter, Aeri, lying beside me in bed, clutched tightly to her beloved bunny, Mr. Piolo.

"Mama?" she whispered, her voice laced with an innocent curiosity. "Do princesses really change their hair in a second?"

I cracked a smile, the sound barely a whisper in the quiet room. Turning onto my side, I brushed a stray strand of her silky black hair away from her face. Her eyes, a startling reflection of Changbin's, sparkled with the question.

"Well, sweetheart," I began, my voice soft and soothing, "it does take time for princesses to change their hair, even with a magical comb." I gently ran my fingers through her ebony locks, the familiar texture a balm to my soul.

Aeri scrunched her nose, her brow furrowing in concentration, a trait she undeniably inherited from her father. "But in movies," she countered, her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper, "they just wave their combs and poof! New hair! I want it too"

I chuckled at her sweet demand. I wonder Who would be the bearer of truth when that day came? Who would tell her that fairytales, like magic combs, weren't real?

For now, however, I let her dream.

I thought back to Changbin, a younger, more innocent version of himself, eyes wide with wonder as he confided in me about Hogwarts. He was utterly convinced they'd forgotten to send him his acceptance letter, a notion that both amused and endeared him to me.

He was my lovely fool.

A giggle escaped my lips as I reached for another storybook, about to embark on another adventure with Aeri. But before I could even open the cover, a familiar voice filled the room.

"You know what, Aeri love," Haein said, stepping through the doorway. Her smile could light up the entire house. " Tomorrow, I'll style your hair just like Princess Sofia's!" She plopped down beside Aeri on the bed.

Aeri's eyes, bright as suns, turned towards her aunt. "Really, Auntie?"

Haein chuckled "Yes, but only if you close your eyes and sleep now. Princesses need their beauty rest, after all.

Aeri, ever the obedient child and fantasy lover, squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Haein's gentle hands combed through Aeri's hair, a soft lullaby humming on her lips. It wasn't long before Aeri drifted off to sleep, a peaceful smile playing on her face.

My gaze lingered on Aeri, my daughter, as she drifted off to sleep, clutching her beloved stuffed bunny, Mr. Floofers, close.

After ensuring Aeri was deeply asleep, Haein and I tiptoed downstair. We moved like wraiths, every step calculated to avoid detection.

Haein's hand hovered over her laptop, the metallic click of the about-to-close lid echoing in the suffocating silence. "I should probably get going," she mumbled, her voice lacking its usual carefree lilt.

It wasn't a question. It was a flimsy excuse, a flimsy escape hatch that did nothing to quell the inferno building within me.

"Stop right there Lee Haein" I growled, the words a low rumble in my chest. My voice stopped her cold, hand frozen mid-air, laptop forgotten.

She spun around, her playful facade faltering for a split second before confusion clouded her features. "What's gotten into you, Jiyeon? You look like you want to rip my head off."