Hold Me 10: Her Absence and Her Comeback

Author's Note

Just a quick recap, Joy went to Sungjae's apartment and they have a heart to heart conversation and Joy said she was going back to her grandmother's house. She was afraid that will not be strong enough to comeback here and asked Sungjae to be the reason for her staying here.

Previously:

"I want to be happy Joy. I just don't know how to.."

We might be misplaced, disturbed and a lost soul. But we are just looking for a place where we can fit in. Where we can be normal...

Maybe we meet each other to help us on our journey to find ourselves. To push us to keep on walking.

Or maybe, we meet each other to be healed.

***

"Hold me, so I will understand."

Joy stood in front of her grandmother, her smile spread until it can even reach her ears. She had her arms wide open ready to embrace the old woman.She was older than before. It has been quite a while. She had missed her grandmother terribly.

However, her arms were left cold and hanging as the old woman stared at her in confusion.

Joy stood there, her eyes widened in shock as her grandmother laid back down on her bed and reached to hold the picture frame of her grand daughters.

“Sooyoung ah… sooyoung ah… Come to me, I miss you. Park Ha Neul, you shouldn’t take your daughter away with you.” She grumbled.

Joy kneeled down in shock when her little sister the youngest out of the three came and held her unnie up.

“Sooyoung unnie. Grandma has dementia. She will remember you at times. Let’s go and eat dinner first.”

“You go, I’m going to stay here with grandma.” She said as she felt her eyes flooded with tears.

“Sooyoung unnie. Come on.” Park Na Ri insisted and tried to tug her big sister hand but her effort remained futile.

She had stopped pulling Joy’s hands when she heard a loud thump of the main door closing.

“Na Ri ah, did someone come?” The second eldest of the three siblings asked as she took off her

“Let her be. She should know better than to not visit her blood relatives.” Park Min Ji who just got back, threw her bagpack away and glared at the oldest of the three emphasizing on the ‘not’ part of the visit. “You should not be here. Go back to your comfy house.” Min Ji snarled at Joy.

“I-I..” Joy wanted to say something to her little sister but she had closed the door before Joy can say anything to her.

‘I miss you Min Ji ah’

“Sooyoung unnie, Min Ji unnie did not mean that. You know that right?”

‘I’m afraid I do not know that anymore… I’m afraid that she actually means it.’

Of course, Joy would never say that to her little sister. Instead, she patted the 15 years old girl head and nodding her head signifying that she understood Min Ji meant well.

After a while, her grandmother finally wake up from her sleep and once she saw Joy in front of her. She burst into tears. “I miss you, my baby.”

Joy did not hesitate to hug her grandmother. “Do you recognize me halmeoni?”

“I do Sooyoung-gie.. I do.”

“I promise to get you some help halmeoni. Just trust me okay?”

“You did so much for us already. You did not need to do this… It just meant I’m old. Your aunt is taking care of me well, dear.”

Joy sobbed, even more, shaking her head. “I don’t want to leave you here halmeoni, I want to bring you to Seoul.”

“Sooyoung, if you are going to be like this. I don’t want you to visit me. You need to be strong for your little sisters. You cannot break down like this. I’m old but the three of you must move on with your life.”

“I hate it there.”

“Why dear? Did they hit you?”

“No…”

“Then are they doing anything bad?”

“No… It is just that…”

“Just what dear? Have you given them a chance?”

Joy bites her bottom lips refusing to admit that she barely does.

“Sooyoung, they are nice people.”

“I know, I tried to be nicer too but I just cannot be their daughter and they are not my mom and dad.”

Her grandmother did not say anything but held Joy’s hand softly against her.

Joy finally joined the rest of her family for dinner after leaving her grandmother to fall asleep.

Her aunt spares no qualm on engulfing her into one big hug. “Sooyoung, you look so pretty! How time do you wonders!”

“I have always been pretty though?” Joy teased.

Her little sister, Na Ri almost spat out the rice she has eaten… “And I thought you have become more modest.”

Joy chuckled and her aunt joined with the laughter but not Min Ji, she just stayed quiet just responding Joy with a slight nod or shaking her head whenever Joy asked her any question.

She knew Min Ji hates her by now…

Small Min Ji that has always been the closest to her…

Her parents are always away and it has always been Joy the one