the truth untold

the storm

The first week of March came fast.

Lalisa and I were catching up in our favorite cafe, trying to plan her trip to Korea next month.

"How exactly did you convince Hobi to do a dance collaboration with you?" I asked her, drinking my Caramel Macchiato

"Well.." she trailed, "Kookie helped me."

I smirked, "I knew it. You've been in contact since the concert, haven't you?"

Lisa nodded, "He asked for my number when everyone's busy taking photos."

"And you're still just friends or??" I tilted my head

"We're just friends." she answered

"If you say so~" I said in a sing-song voice, trying to tease her

"Anyway, I'll be going to Korea next week. Want to come with me?"

"You know I can't, Lali"

"But your boyfriend's going to be enlisted soon. Don't you want to see him before he goes in?"

Taehyung's enlistment is a topic Tae and I have been trying to avoid ever since we knew about it. Now that Lisa mentioned it, with Tae busy attending to his own responsibilities, I feel so down.

"We're busy right now. The last time we saw each other.. It was the day after Valentine's day."

"But you're still calling each other, right?" she asked, "You both still have time for each other?"

I smiled bitterly, "Of course. We make time."

Just then, my phone rang. Taehyung's song for me, Winter Bear, played as it was my phone's ringtone. God, I going to miss him so much once he's inside camp.

"It's Jinyoung." I told Lisa when I saw who the caller was

I answered Jinyoung's call, not feeling well with his sudden call since he usually just text me when he needs something.

"Hello?" I said

"Soo, I'm sorry but you need to go to the hospital now." he said, "Your eomma's in the emergency room."

It was so unexpected, what Jinyoung just dropped.

Eomma's in the emergency room.

"Unnie, are you alright?" Lisa asked, waving a hand in front of my face until she took my phone from my hand and talked to Jinyoung, "Jinyoung, what is it?"

My hands were shaking yet I couldn't move. I only came back to my senses when Lisa pulled me up, telling me to drive to the hospital where Peter is in.

We were frantic the whole ride, with Lisa helping me get through as she asked the nurse where the recent car accident victim was.

"She's still in the emergency room with Dr. Holmes. It's on the 3rd floor."

Lisa practically dragged me towards the elevator and the third floor corridor, where Mr. Park, Katie, and Jinyoung were waiting.

"Big sis" Katie cried and ran towards me

With Katie crying in front of me, I can't help but to shed tears too.

"We were just going home from the supermarket when this truck driver lost control of his steering wheel. Mom quickly swerved our car away but the truck hit her side in the process. I'm sorry, unnie."

"It's not your fault, Katie. It's not your fault."

"How long has she been in there, Mr. Park?" Lisa asked

"Half an hour. Peter's trying his best to stop her bleeding."

"How did you two know about this?" I asked them

"Peter called me. He couldn't tell it to you directly."

Another half an hour has passed and Peter finally went outside the room, all bloody and sweaty.

"She couldn't make it." Peter said as he gave me my mom's locket

As soon as he said it, my knees felt weak. Jinyoung helped me balance myself, trying to make me sit down as the other people around me cried.

"I'm sorry. I'm going outside first." Peter excused himself

I knew he just can't let us see him crying too.

---

The news of my mom's death spread like wildfire in the television news as well as the internet. Mr. Park tried his best to stop the news from spreading but it was too late, since a lot of people have already said their condolences in my instagram account.

I was in the office, collecting my things on Jinyoung's table, which I left since we were still interns, as I talk to Jinyoung about Peter's plan for my mother's burial when Ms. Soo Min interrupted.

"What's making you sad, LITTLE girl?" she asked, "Have a family problem?"

"I'm sorry. Haven't you heard the news? Don't you have television?" Jinyoung asked her, trying to keep calm

"Oh? The one where her mother died?" Ms. Soo Min said, looking at me without any guilt, "She deserves that. What? With raising a girl like Jisoo? One who takes advantage of famous boys so she could have a nice job, she clearly didn't raise a fine young lady, did she?"

Jinyoung stepped between Ms. Soo Min and I, towering over her, "I don't know what you're trying to point out here but leave Jisoo and her family the fuck alone."

"Why, Mr. Park Jinyoung, are you going to threaten to sue me like your lame father?"

I knitted my eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"Ms. Soo Min" we heard Mr. Park say with full authority, "You still haven't learned your lesson, have you?"

Ms. Soo Min smirked, "I don't care about what you all will say about me. This company needs me so they can't really fire me anytime soon. I've been in this company way longer than you did, Mr. Park."

"I don't care about your position here. I CARE about my other employees. Quit bothering my son and her friend and BE A DECENT woman for once." Mr. Park stated and looked at me and his son, "Let us go now."

---

What Ms. Soo Min and Mr. Park said to each other bothered me, but I really couldn't think about it since Peter and I have some planning to do about mom.

In the end, we decided to cremate her body.

Taehyung and his members tried reaching out to me after they heard the news, but I could only answer them vaguely and briefly.

It was Taehyung who got the longest replies, of course, but his messages still can't help me avoid the pain I'm feeling.

Thinking about it, eomma just left me so sudden...

and now, this month, Taehyung will be enlisted.

With all of these thoughts bothering me, all I could do was cry my heart out and sulk in my room.