roommate. wooyoung

THIRTY-EIGHT

NARI —

I've been home since the day I mistakenly told my feelings to Wooyoung. I haven't heard from him nor seen him since that happened. Neither have I seen Miyeon. She hasn't called or texted me. My stomach coiled at the though of Wooyoung telling her of what had happened between me and him at the parking lot. I shook my head and grabbed a fistful of my hair. No, I don't think he would have the guts to tell her what had happened, telling myself that, I felt a slight ease.

But I was lonely.

Now that I didn't have a boyfriend or a friend to go to. I felt empty. I sat on my living room couch with my knees to my chest, staring blankly at the black television screen.

Suddenly, my head started to hurt.

"Nari, lets go!" A loud voice boomed through the house.

"I'm coming!" A squeaky voice responded from upstairs the house.

"If you don't come down here in less than five seconds, your mother and I will be leaving you here!"

"I said I'm coming!" The little girl exclaimed, running down the staircase with a barbie doll in her hand.

"What took you so long?"

"I had to find my favourite doll,"

The man didn't say anything after that and walked out the front door. The little girl watched as her father walked to the car and went inside of it. Next to him was a lady, her mother. They were both talking as she was still outside, closing the door behind her.

When she opened the door to her side of the car, they stopped talking.

"You like going to the park, Nari?" Her father asked through the rear view mirror.

Nari didn't speak but responded with a head nod.

"How about we get you cotton candy that's by the park and we enjoy ourselves there, hm?"

Again, Nari didn't speak but nodded her head.

The drive there was dead quiet. Once Nari's father parked the vehicle, Nari was the last one to exit the car. Her father circled around the vehicle and stood in front of his daughter and then bent down to her level.

"Why don't you sit on a nearby bench while we get you a bag of cotton candy,"

Nari obliged and did what she was told to do.

As the father watches his little girl walk away from him with a sigh, he turns to his wife that was behind him with a slight frown on her face. He gestured for her to go inside the sweets stores and she did with him following behind her.

"I don't think this is a good idea, honey," the father started.

The woman held up her hand, "I don't care, I just want to get this over with. I'm glad she picked her favourite doll because it'll be the last one she'll ever get. Actually, it'll be the last thing that she'll ever receive from us."

The father was ready to retort but it was his turn to order what he wanted to get.

While sitting at the bench, Nari swung her short legs back and forth as she watches the kids playing out in the open field. Some were kicking a ball around, the others were chasing each other, and the rest was either riding their bikes or in any form of skating.

The sky was blue with clouds in a few areas. The birds chirped overhead of her and she looked up to enjoy the beautiful day. She wanted to smile but something was holding her back from doing so.

She heard a twig snap beside her and she saw her father holding a bag of pink cotton candy in his hand. Nari creased her brows and looked over her father's shoulders.

"Where's mum at?"

He pointed back, "she's still at the store, don't worry."

Nari slowly nodded her head. Her father handed her the bag and she set it beside her on the bench.

"I'm going to go back in the store and get your mother and I something as well. You just wait here and enjoy your special treat,"

Her father looked at her one last time before turning on his heels and walking back to his vehicle.

"You know, she asked where you were at," the man told his wife.

The mother lets out a shaky breath but kept a straight face, looking in front of her, "lets just go, I don't want to be here any longer."

The vehicle backed away from the parking lot and disappeared from sight.

Seconds turned to minutes; minutes turned to hours. Nari barely touched her sweets. She waited for her parents to come back so she can enjoy the treats with them. She left the bucket on the bench and went inside the store, looking for them.

"Mum? Dad?"

I didn't know I was crying until I felt a teardrop running down my face. I touched my cheek and felt dry patches and newer trails from the tears that escaped. I sniffle and clenched and unclenched my jaw.

A sudden tug in my stomach happened and I groaned at the feeling. It was guilt. I wanted to apologise to Wooyoung and tell him that I didn't mean to say all the things that I said but I was too embarrassed to do so.