paths of fate and future - a jidal endgame fanfic

chapter two: a piece of advice

author's note:

i dont know about you guys, but dal-mi needed a wake up call and im here to deliver it. she's going to suffer a little in order to GROW THE F UP AND BE A BETTER PERSON

she had so much potential at the beginning, ugh.

so i wrote this chapter from her perspective and lemme say that i cried a lot with this one. there i was writing at four am and suddenly my ears were SOAKED in tears, yup yup. prepare the tissues and dont go hating on me

have a nice reading!!!!

see the end of the chapter for more notes

xx

"Don't go following your dreams so blindly. Follow your heart first and always."

Haelmoni's advice was still fresh on Dal-mi's mind when she received the news about her grandmother's passing.

Dal-mi was always at her side, being planted in Haelmoni's room and refusing to eat or even change clothes. After two restless nights, she decided to listen to Do-san's pleas and rest a little in the hotel they stayed nearby.

Listening to Haelmoni's doctor's positive insight made her hopeful, and she finally felt that she could breathe properly.

After listening to her grandmother's advice, she kissed her head lovingly and went away to sleep for a few hours. Spending so much time in the hospital environment and all the tension had fully drained her energy.

Dal-mi didn't know what a full night of sleep meant since this nightmare started.

When her mother called out of nowhere announcing that Haelmoni was taken to the ICU, Dal-mi felt everything around her freezing and her insides burning from fear and desolation.

Since her grandmother fell ill, every day was a little miracle and a bunch of frightening moments.

Phone calls, sirens, and sudden visits started to trigger odd anxiety, one where nausea took over, and her blood pressure dropped fast. One where her skin palled, and her hands trembled as if she was close to passing out.

Waking up to desperate calls from her mother was even worse.

Between shallow breaths, tachycardia, and black dots painting her vision, Dal-mi listened that her grandmother, her favourite person in the whole world, her second mom and first friend, had died.

She died peacefully in her sleep, they said. As if Dal-mi would ever find peace again.

She didn't feel pain, they said. As if Dal-mi would ever stop feeling it.

When her grandmother died, she took a part of Dal-mi away, permanently and profoundly. Every cell on her body seemed to be combusting, leaving behind the resemblance of what she once was.

Crying her eyes out inside Do-san's warm embrace, she felt numb all over. Little did she know that this numbness would follow her, cornering every emotion for a very long time.

Somewhere else in the city, Ji-pyeong packed his bags with bloodshot eyes. After visiting a significant place to say goodbye, he would leave Korea, and it's treacherous memories behind.

xx

Coming home to an empty house was the worst kind of torture.

Being forced to leave the hotel room and go home to deal with Haelmoni's funeral made all the pain come back. Dal-mi's injuries were still open, constantly bleeding and in the worst moments.