------------------------------------------------

[Rei]

Right after I left the pack, going home was the last place I’d resorted to going, and my parents’ place was no longer my secret hideout. I want to be alone, I want to be far away from this town, again. This is what I do best when things get to complicated, and when it’s starting to suffocate me – I run.

So, this is what I did; with all the gas in the tank of my car, I took an impromptu trip down South, 5 hours’ drive without stopping. And during the 5 hours,’ I was gone, my phone continues to ring, all coming from a different caller. I hope this trip is worth it.

All through the hours’ I spent in the car; I cried for the first hour, cursing out my life the next, silence on the third, blaring the speaker up on the fourth hour – and on the final, I sighed in relief when the sight of my grandparents’ house came into view.

By the time, I parked the car in front of their house, it was 11 at night already. Gradually, the tiredness I ignored in the past hours were catching up on me.

Getting out of the car, and locking it. I dragged myself to their welcoming front step, and brought my hand up, hovering over the button of their bell.

Taking a deep breath, I pressed the bell. The sound echoed around the house, later followed by feet shuffling towards the front door.

Once it was open, I burst into tears again. Throwing myself into my grandparents’ warm arms, I sobbed harder.

“Rei,” My grandmother cried with me whilst caressing my hair.

“We miss you so much,” My grandfather said this time, pecking a kiss on the top of my head.

There, three of us in front of the door, in a weeping mess. When we were done, Grandpa Yongsuk closed the door and moved into the living room.

My grandparents must’ve been on their way to bed, calling it a night before I arrived, looking at them dressed in pajamas and sleeping gown. Now, we’re all sitting by the fireplace as they try to keep my cold body warm. Grandma Eunsuh had gone into the kitchen and made us coffee.

“Where have you been all these years, Rei?” Grandpa Yongsuk asked, his eyes still watery. Mine was already dried, I couldn’t bring myself to cry anymore.

Just in time for my respond, grandma returned into the room with a tray of coffees for the three of us to hang on to catch up with one another.