It was dark in the room, with only one light stand on in the corner. SeoNam ran his fingers on the spines of books and journals when he stopped at an old album. He pulled it off the shelf along with a cloud of dust. Coughing and waving, he escaped the scene and into the living room. He dusted the cover, revealing its faded blue color. After a brief moment of hesitation, he turned the page.

A picture of baby SoRa welcomed him, beaming at the camera. SeoNam chuckled as he recalled how bright his daughter used to be even when she was an infant. Then followed a picture of her crying, then a picture of her mother holding her, both faces peaceful. The next few pages were filled with photos of their daughter, and the the next section was when they went for a picnic. The family of three smiled in front of the camera, SoRa in HaNeul's arms, no one could have expected this dream-like family to fall apart just two years later.

SeoNam traced the faces of his former family, still connected by blood. He chuckled at the memory of how quickly and simply everything came to an end. With just a paper and pen, their bonds were broken.

Just then, the door bell rang. He got up from the dining table and went for the door. "Who's there?" he asked, turning on the light in the entrance.

"It's me," a woman answered from the other side.

SeoNam froze, the voice familiar in his ears. He slowly reached for the nob, his hand nearly trembling, turned it to unlock the door for the visitor, and pushed it almost as if peeking at first, his breath taken away.

The woman stood, skinny and fragile, her long hair black with strands of gray here and there. Wrinkles were carved in her still beautiful face, her eyes missing the past brightness and ambition. There was only the slightest touch of makeup yet her beauty stood out. The biggest factor that she lacked was youth. Still, SeoNam could easily tell who she was.

"Come in," SeoNam said, opening the door wider. She stepped inside after a split second of hesitation and SeoNam closed the door behind them.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you, at least until the door?" JiYong asked, closing the door behind SeungHyun.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks man," SeungHyun replied, patting JiYong's shoulder. He began heading toward the house, each step carefully planted on the pavement. Never having heard his friend get back in the car, he waved his hand to signal him to go on. JiYong sighed and entered his car after a brief second then drove away slowly, checking his tall friend from the rear view mirror. Hearing him driving away, SeungHyun exhaled briefly and straightened his spine. "Man up, Choi SeungHyun," he told himself as he restarted his path.

The way from the rather narrow street to the house was straight, through the front yard of many miniature gardens. Blooming flowers welcomed the young master although he could not see them. One step at a time, SeungHyun made his way to the wooden door. He remembered how his sister always used to complain about the plain look of the house; she had dreamed of a castle-like house. The straight path leading to the house was in her eyes boring. For SeungHyun, there was nothing better; he could run straight in and out the house without wasting time. He would come home after playing soccer or tag or hide and seek with children from the neighborhood, covered in dirt and twigs, always getting scolded by his mother afterwards.

It was around middle school that he stopped running around with other kids. His father had started formally training him to become a doctor. Coming from a family of doctors, it was inevitable that his father would expect his son to follow the path. Going to academies and hiring tutors were only starters. Receiving perfect scores on tests became a given, as did losing friends. With no time to do anything but studying, he, or the other kids, gradually cut off all interactions. The only person who stayed by his side was JiYong, who had already entered the entertainment industry at the time. Still, JiYong called as often as he could and made time to stop by his friend's house. 

SeungHyun finally arrived at the door, took a deep breath, and rang the bell, listening to the familiar sound echo. 

"Who's there?" a woman spoke from the intercom. Her voice was sharp, yet he knew there was warmness hidden beneath the coldness.

"SeungHyun," he replied, steading his voice.

A second later, a woman swung the door open, her eyes wide and teary. She ran up to her son, hugging him tight, without a sandal on her feet.

Hey~

The characters are finally making a move ( ✧Д✧)

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment everyone (hopefully) was waiting for.... SeungHyun has returned home (੭ ˃̣̣̥ ω˂̣̣̥)੭ु⁾

Please feel free to leave a comment, and I will reply~^^