Spill
Salient Love
As soon as the door clicked shut, my smile faded.
The house was eerily quiet and absent of television-caused commotion, surprisingly, but it absolutely reeked of alcohol and garbage.
I sighed heavily, tossed my bag aside, but of course not doing the same for my laptop, laying it on the coffee table instead. I rolled up my sleeves, and started to pick up each beer can and pizza box.
The rubbish trail left behind by my dad got lesser and lesser, but it was still a massive lot. As each oily, tainted and smelly box or can slipped into the trash bag, I felt like marching up into his room and shaking some sense into him.
I know he felt upset about the accident and everything, but this is seriously excessive. Why is he wasting himself away and drowning in junk food over an incident that happened so long ago; it seemed so far away and surreal now, why is he still like this? It's been dragging on too long.
I tied up the rubbish bag and tiredly dumped it in the garbage can, yawning. A small part of me felt worried, that he could have something else on his plate I wasn't aware of but yet the larger and more convincing part of me thinks he is just being irresponsible. Even if everything was his fault, the whole incident, shouldn't he try to make up for it then? By working to pay off Minhee's hospital bills, to finally visit her or something?
I saw a pile of mail lazily thrown onto the counter and went over to check for any that was for me.
"Bills... Bills... Ad.. Bills.. "
I frowned. Why are there so many unpaid bills?
I was about to open them to check when the main door clicked open again and someone stepped in.
"Dad?" I carefully asked, turning around, placing the letters back down.
My dad grunted a response, kicking his shoes away and stepping into the house.
I just stared at him, confused, forgetting about the letters.
"Wh- but- where did you go?"
My dad didn't even take a single step away from the couch unless it was to relieve himself, to get more food, or to sleep comfortably on the bed, much less leaving the house to go somewhere.
".. You went to get pizza again?" I blurted.
I saw a small tinge of hurt flash in his eyes, hurt that his image in my eyes had diminished so much.
I almost felt bad.
Almost.
If he wanted to regain the perfect, fatherly image in my eyes again, he had to do something and not lay around all day like this.
"No. I went to visit Minhee," he answered, looking at me with sober eyes. His eyes were bloodshot, like he had been crying.
I stared at him, unblinking. What? He visited her?
"B-but.. Wh-" I sputtered.
"Why suddenly visit her when you didn't for the past months?" I said bluntly. I didn't know how else to sugar-coat my words.
My father flinched, pain crossing his expression, but then nonchalantly shrugged. "I don't know, maybe I was finally ready to face her."
"Why are you not ready to face your own daughter? She was in a accident, and she obviously needs family support, so why can't you face her?" I finally poured all my questions. I mean seriously, he didn't do anything wrong to her, why must he not let himself see Minhee?
My father's face instantaneously darkened.
"Don't be so impolite to your own father, Daehee. I have been letting you do what you want the past few days, even letting you shout at me and vent your anger, but enough is enough."
I just stared at him.
Enough.. Is enough ? Who had been the one visiting Minhee, clearing up the house even with an injured shoulder and-
I sighed. He wasn't going to care about my rants anyway. It would just make me seem more immature.
I guess something must have happened when he left the house for him to be so grumpy.
"k." Was all I could manage to say.
"Look, just go to your room."
I frowned. I still had to make dinner and stuff.
"But-"
"Just go!" He snapped, finally turning around and glaring at me.
I scoffed. The person who was lying on the couch and getting drunk for months is forcing me to return to my room? Bad day or not, he had no right to just yell at me like that.
"What? Who are you to suddenly order me around?" I felt like crying all of a sudden.
I was so frustrated! Seriously, he couldn't see that it was hard for me the past few months too? And all he did was lie around? Did he seriously think he did some godly thing and he was in the right? I didn't understand and-
I just stood there, clenching my fists till my nails dug into my skin.
Instead of coming over to pat my shoulder, my father just bent down and picked up another beer bottle.
"Just. Go to your room."
I took a deep breath and looked up, wiping away the tears that started to form.
"No." I said simply.
I still hadn't had dinner nor had I watched any tv yet. I want to stay here, does he have a problem with th-
"JUST GO DAEHEE!" He suddenly shrieked, the beer spewing from the bottle and landing all across the room, including my uniform.
I jumped from his loud volume.
..What just happened?
I couldn't even feel the beer stain that started to spread on my uniform, and the beer that landed on the couch, on the carpet, on my laptop..
My practical side slapped me suddenly.
My laptop.
Project.
immediately, all my tears and emotions, anger, all reeled back and was replaced by practicality.
No matter how angry or whatever happened in my personal life, the project can't be ruined, because I would be sabotaging Luhan too.
I didn't care about my grade,
but i can't disregard his.
I quickly ran to my laptop and grabbed a tissue, hastily dabbing the keyboard. I saw the beer slowly seeping inside, inbetween the buttons and I knew my laptop was screwed.
".." I murmured, trying to soak up as much of the beer as possible.
I then tried to turn the laptop on. I could feel my dad's eyes burning a hole in my back.
Nothing happened.
I jabbed the power button again.
Black.
Again.
Nothing.
"No.. Nonono the project!" I jumped up. Just ing great.
All the time spent on the report is gone!
What do I do?
I picked up my sort-of-dry laptop and turned to my dad.
He had the decency to looked a tiny bit sorry.
"Thanks," I spat, grabbing my school bag and marching upstairs.
I didn't know what to say to him anymore.
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