A Star That Does Not Leave the Night Sky - Twenty-Seventh Night

Leona sets the knife on the counter as a wave of dizziness hits her, gripping the edge of the counter tightly. Why this again? 

"Sweetie?"

Roughly, Leona shakes her head, trying to dislodge her nausea. She needed to endure if they wanted to finish preparing the New Year's dinner on time. "I'm fine--" And she is cut off as a dumpling is pushed into her face by Madam Kim, who smiles worriedly.

"Go play with the other children," says Taekwoon's mother, shooing Leona. "Four hands are more than enough to make supper." She nods at his older sisters, whose eyes narrowed when Leona didn't move and continued to insist that she was fine and could help. Madam Kim clears sternly. "Girls--"

"She's a female Taekwoonie," sighs the eldest, closing her eyes and shrugging.

"But she didn't grow up disgusting like he did," chirps the second eldest, taking over Leona's station and nudging her gently. "Shoo, kiddo."

"But I--" Leona began, only to be cut off by the youngest sister, who was half a head taller than her.

"If you want to help, go fetch your twin," she says firmly, taking Leona's shoulders and steering her to the family room. "Taekwoon-ah, mom needs your height. Get in the kitchen."

Reluctantly, Taekwoon leaves his nephews and nieces to follow his sister. He glances at Leona as he passes her, sighing as she looks at him with those haggard eyes. She definitely was not well, despite what she'd insisted when she arrived with Hakyeon and his nephews. Lightly, he hits the back of her head. "Just rest, Leona."  And go save Hakyeonie from our nieces; they're dolling him up in my sisters' old clothes and it's disturbing.

Looking after him for a beat, Leona sighs and makes her way over to the "woman" on the couch. The woman was being pulled in every direction by chittering girls and Jaehwan, looking very disgruntled and distressed. 

"Kids," she says sternly, clearing . She sighs again after flicking a glance at her boyfriend. It's his fault for being a pushover, but why . . . he's actually really pretty . . . The kids pause, looking between the adults with their wide eyes.

Save me! Hakyeon's eyes pleaded as one of the girls took out a barrel of crimson lipstick.

"Kids," Leona repeats, plucking Jaehwan off of Hakyeon while thinking about how  to get her viscious nieces off of him. She bites her lips. "Aunt Leona wants to be pretty, too--" Mentally, maybe even physically, she feels a herd of horses kicking her pride as she attempted to whine and appeal to them. "It's not fair if you only doll up Aunt Yeonie." And she squeezes her eyes shut as she hears the delighted squeals.

"Of course! Uncle Hakyeonie is no fun because he doesn't get it--"

"Hakyeon-ah--" Leona began as the exhausted, zombie-esque dino-daddy flops onto Taekwoon's bed, since her brother had returned to his dorm earlier to prepare for the next morning's recording and schedules as Leo.

"I'm sorry, Leona . . . I had no idea how hard it was to be a woman," he sobs. "My feet--"

"Hakyeonie . . . makeup," she say, lightly pushing his shoulders to force him into a sitting position. "Wig . . ." And heels. I won't tell my brother you stepped on his bed in those, but . . . "Hakyeon-ah--"

"I'll do it tomorrow," he grumbles. "I'm dead tired--no, dead. Just dead. Can't I rest in peace and wash everything off in the morning?"

Leona shakes her head, about to drag him to the washroom when she remembered that she had makeup wipes in her purse. "It's bad for your skin. Just . . . sit for a sec, OK?" And she goes to dig through her purse as he lets out an unhappy whine.

"Bathroom is across the hall. How am I supposed to wash without getting up--oh . . ." He blinks as Leona removes the wig and gently wipes away the unibrow. He closes his eyes as she pauses. "Thanks." And he keeps his eyes closed as she erases the rest of the makeup and applies her moisturizer to his face. Then she carefully tugged the pins and wig cap from his hair, fighting back a mean giggle as his hair looked like deep fried pinwheel that exploded on his crown.

Taking a deep breath to kill the laughter that was his pain, she asks, "Better?"

"Much. Thanks," he yawns widely, flopping back down and scooching over a bit. He pats the empty space next to him. "Come on in, cat."

Leona shakes her head, the laughter gone now. She was still worried about why he was so irritate last night and why he was so quiet on their drive here. It was her fault, wasn't it? She wanted to give him space to sort out his gripes with her before asking him anything. "I . . . I'll be in the other room with our Wonshikkie and Binnie--" Hastily, she tucks him in, kisses him good night, and flees from the room.

Leona looks away as Hakyeon reaches over to fasten her seatbelt on the passenger side, her eyes focused on the scene outside; her cousins and their families. They were married before they had the kids that bidding grandpa and grandma good health and a blessed new year. And they'd waited until they'd finished their education and social responsibilities. Maybe their family-- hers and Hakyeon's--would be just as picturesque and less tolling on Hakyeon if they weren't so young when they had Jaehwan. Maybe if he'd met a prettier, nicer--normal--girl, he'd be happy--

"Leona--" he calls, his eyes on the rear view, checking on the still-sleepy kids and his fringe. He bites back a sigh as she jumps in her seat. She was so spacey and distant nowadays . . . it was annoying to him how awkward they were sometimes, almost as bad as when he'd first transferred into her life all those years ago. Maybe if she'd met a stronger, more dependable--responsible--man, she wouldn't be so out of it right now. Maybe if she'd settled with a man who'd already had his life together and fulfilled his social obligation--

"--home. Hakyeonie?"

Concern.

He hated it. He hated it when her already tired eyes carried more worry. Because of him. Because of his kids. He grits his teeth, biting back the anger at his own shortcomings. "I'm fine. Are we ready to go?" And he regrets how sharply he'd answered her as she looks away with widened eyes, nodding. Who will take care of our family and you when I'm gone?

And the family drives home in silence. Leona's eyes were off in the distance with her mind somewhere, and Hakyeon's eyes were casted on the road ahead of them.

//END - Twenty-Seventh Night

20150318 - long time no update, sorry! There should be 3 chapters left, and maybe an epilogue :3 Jaedelle finally managed to steer the story back to it's original ending~~whoooooo

Recap - Celebrating the new year with family, that "something" continues to eat away at Hakyeon and cause friction with Leona.