The words don’t sound quite right. It doesn’t help that her mom is crying in the background and all Haewon can hear is the droning in her ears and the pounding of her chest. It’s not right. It shouldn’t be right.

Sehun is concerned, eyebrows furrowed as he watches his girlfriend’s face morph into confusion and disbelief. He reaches over to put his hand on her free one on the table, but she doesn’t even blink when he does it.

“Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Sehun feels nervousness build inside him when he realizes how small Haewon’s voice sounds. It worries him to death to hear her like this. After she hangs up, she’s still quiet with the dumbstruck expression on her face. He clasps both of his hands around her. “Haewon, what happened?”

“Sehun, I have to go home. Like, right now.”

“Hae, tell me what’s going on first.” Sehun puts his hands on her cheeks and lifts her face so he can look into her eyes.

“Sehun, I just have to go,” she pleads.

He lets out a quiet sigh and nods. “Okay, I’ll drive you. Get ready.”

The atmosphere when Sehun pulls up in the driveway is hauntingly gloomy. Haewon bolts out of the car right as he finishes parking, but Sehun doesn’t blame her. He lets her run into her parents’ home as he gets the two duffles filled with clothes from the trunk. Haewon hadn’t told him anything, only to help her pack. He didn’t plan to tag along either, but he knew that Haewon wouldn’t be back anytime soon and he wanted to be by her side.

Haewon was near tears in the car so Sehun just soft music and left her to be. She would come to him when she was ready. He had an inkling of what could have caused Haewon such distress, but he hoped that it wasn’t true. Assumptions never ended well either.

When he entered the house, the front door left slightly ajar for Sehun, he counted the heads gathered in the living room and felt his stomach drop. His premonition was right.

Haewon remembers how her grandfather used to spoil her rotten because she was his only granddaughter. He used to walk her to and from school when she was younger and eventually started slipping her money whenever her parents didn’t. Haewon’s fondest memories had something to do with her grandfather, whether he was a part of it or just present at the occasion.

It hurts to realize that he wouldn’t be there to make more memories with her.

Sehun ‘s chest provides a sort of comfort, and his fingers in her hair soothes more than she thinks it could have. The lights are off because Haewon can’t stand to see the pictures of their family hung around her room. She doesn’t want to cry, but she’s getting closer to it every second.

“Haewon, you can cry,” Sehun whispers gently. “You don’t have to hold it in.”

Haewon shakes her head petulantly. “I can’t. I won’t stop.”

“You can cry. There’s nothing wrong with hurting,” he says. Sehun pulls her in closer to his chest. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Reality sinks in.

Sehun holds her all night as she mourns, until the sun peeks in through the curtains. For as long as she needs.