{ C h a p t e r . T w o }

She placed the bouquet of fresh daisy down on the tombstone carefully and returned her longing gaze on the photograph of her deceased father. 

“Appa… Have you been watching over me?” Her smile was weak as tears were b at the corner of her eyes. “I’m starting my job next week – in a law firm, just like what our family is all about. Are you proud of me?” Taking a seat right next to the tombstone, Ji Eun continued the conversation as though her father was literally beside her. “I wanted to be different… But this is the best I could do.”

Memories started flashing at the back of her head as she reminisced the times where her father was still around.

She remembered when she was six, she showed her painting from class proudly to her parents, all beaming in anticipation for compliments. Her father ruffled her hair and exclaimed in surprise, “Our Ji Eun paints so beautifully!”

“What’s the use of painting?” Her mother would say, without even looking up from her pile of reports from work.

She saw the smile on her father vanished for a moment when he looked disapprovingly over at her mother, but the smile immediately returned when he grabbed Ji Eun by her shoulders and planted a kiss on her forehead, “Appa is proud of you, Ji Eun ah… always remember that.”

‘Appa is proud of you, Ji Eun ah… always remember that.’

Those were the words which Ji Eun lived through with for the past decade.

There were constant arguments behind the door of the house master bedroom back then, especially during the period of her mysterious coma condition. Not long after, her mother announced to the three daughters that their father would no longer be living with them. Ji Eun could hardly digest the disheartened news when she received the second blow – the death of her father when she turned fourteen.

The sun was almost setting by the time Ji Eun snapped out of her thoughts. She then stood up and gave a respectful bow to her father, “Goodbye, Appa. I’ll come again another time.”

//

Strumming the guitar with his eyes shut and ears wide opened to absorb the soft, peaceful music in, Park Chanyeol was a perfect example of enjoying life at its simplest form. As the chords came to an end, a satisfied smirk spread across his face. Chanyeol hurriedly grabbed the pencil from the table and scribbled on the music sheet in front of him.

“This shall be it!” He declared, stretching his sore arms from the hours long of strumming. “Time for some drinks!”

He got up from his seat and headed out of the recording studio in his new apartment. The sight of the night sky outside his wide windows surprised him.

Didn’t he just returned from his grandpa’s office? Wow, the time in the studio must be running double the speed of outside.

Chanyeol chuckled inwardly as he strolled to the kitchen for the drinks in the refrigerator.

Thud.

He paused, eyes wandering around the house in search of the strange sound.

Thud.

Could it be the door?

Putting the can of beer down on the kitchen’s island table, Chanyeol made his way towards the main door where the sound seemed to be coming from. He tapped on the digital door viewer and saw a seemingly drunk lady leaning against the corridor in front of his doorstep.

She could barely hold herself upright even with the wall supporting behind her.

Wait… She looks familiar…

Just when Chanyeol opened the door, he noticed her legs started to give way completely. Without further hesitation, he rushed right next to her and allowed her to fall safely into his arms, her messy hair swept off her face in that swift movement.

Chanyeol examined her face intently.

“Ah –” His eyes lighted up upon realization. “She’s the nice lady in the lift!”

“L…” Ji Eun mumbled incoherently in her sleep, her eyebrows were knitted deeply.

“L?” Chanyeol repeated. He bit on the bottom of his lip and looked up at the lift lobby area, as though an answer would appear. “Aish… I don’t even remember which level she lives…”

//

“L…?” Her voice and footsteps were the only sound as she walked through the familiar tall grass field. Ji Eun knew that she had finally returned to the place she had long missed, except, there was a certain someone missing. The wind was blowing through the endless field mercilessly and the dark purple sky was hovering over her petite frame.

From a distance, she could spot the lonely willow tree at the edge of the cliff. Ji Eun plucked her feet off the ground and ran towards it. Her fingers traced over the fine tree leaves, causing the magical elements in it to glow briefly at every touch.

“Who are you?” A threatening male voice hollered behind her.

Ji Eun spun around and came to face the person she had longed to meet – despite him being much taller and matured looking, she knew it was definitely him. Those pair of deep brown eyes were ever so mesmerizing and mysterious.

“Why do you only come now?” Ji Eun asked, her chin was wobbling as she tried to fight back the tears from escaping.  Still holding the teary gaze on him, she closed up the gap between them and circled her arms around him. With her face finally buried in his chest, it was only then, Ji Eun allowed those tears to flow uncontrollably. “I miss you…”

//

The door opened as Chanyeol walked out of his room with neatly folded comforter in his arms. He approached the soundly asleep Ji Eun on the sofa and laid the comforter carefully onto her, making sure she did not catch a cold in the winter night. Just when his eyes traced their way to her face, Chanyeol caught the sight of a tear rolling down her cheeks.

Both alarmed and curious, Chanyeol took the seat beside her and rested his gaze on her. His hands reached out to her wet cheeks and wiped those tears with his thumb.

“You must be so hurt to be crying even in your sleep…” he mumbled under his breath.