Twist Of Fate

Chapter 65

Home Sweet Home

It felt quite warm in here. You kept your eyes closed. Your face scrunched. The couch felt hard too.

You missed your soft bed so much right now. You wanted to stretch your back but couldn’t move somehow.

Well, you could move but the thing is that you didn’t dare to move, knowing the fact that Yongguk laid right beside you.

Last night you fell asleep on the couch together very closely in fact. So close you had felt the warmth of his body, his warm breath on you.

None of you had any options. There was no bed after all. You could feel and sense his presence. You could feel his body, and the warmth that it provided.

The same warmth it had provided you all night in this cold hospital room. His arm that was behind your back, holding onto you made you stiffen, not dare to move.

Your legs were tangled together. You were too shocked to move. You had never allowed yourself to get this close to him.

It would be a blatant lie, if were to say that you didn’t like this situation that you were in. Then you stiffened, when you felt his hand move away from your back. You held in your breath, waiting for his unknown move.

Much to your surprise, he laid his hand against your cheek. You became even more still, if that was possible at this point. The only thing that wasn’t still and quiet, was your beating and racing heart.

Somehow his palm and the tips of his fingers felt colder than his body. It felt soothing. The coldness combined with the warmth that his body provided.

He brushed your hair past from your face and tucked it behind your ear so gently it made your skin tickle. You bit onto your bottom lip, feeling your face start to heat up.

Now, you didn’t know what to do or say. Didn’t know when you should open your eyes to let him know that you were awake.

A part of you wanted to open your eyes and see him. But something was definitely wrong with you.

There was a feeling inside you that made you stay still. You couldn’t make yourself do that. Did he think that you were still asleep?

He had never done this to you before. Never touched your cheek. Had something gotten into his mind?

You wanted to open your eyes, to confirm this, but then again, you don’t wish to ruin this moment or make it become awkward between you.

Hence, you decided to keep your eyes closed, not move, or do anything at all. It was probably the best option you had right now.

Then he surprised you further by sliding his fingers through your hair, carefully and so gently it made your heart race.

At this point, you were going to lose it, if he would do something else, but you didn’t know. You breathed in deeply.

“Kwon?”

The silence ended. You could no longer pretend to be asleep. No longer enjoy this moment. He pulled his hand back, bringing you back to reality.  

But then something hit you. You opened your eyes wide. Stared into his eyes. His face was just inches away from you, and then you ducked under the blanket.

Oh my God. I’ve not washed my face. I’ve not even brushed my teeth. I probably stink too. You scrunched your nose, sniffed, but froze. You didn’t smell bad.

In fact, you smelled quite good. You smelled of cologne, Yongguk’s cologne, and your eyes widened.

“What are you doing?” His voice was low and gruff.

Since you didn’t reply, he tucked on the blanket, trying to pull it away, taking you by surprise. However, you held onto the blanket firmly.

To this, he let out a groan of frustration. What was up with him? Why was he getting irritated over this? You couldn’t get it.

Oh well, you were acting childish, but couldn’t he try to understand that you have a dignity to protect, that you might not want him to see you looking like a mess in the morning.

You knew that you looked horrible, and that your face was one hundred percent bloated, your eyes probably swollen, because you had cried so much yesterday, that you probably looked like a puffer fish.

“Stop playing kid’s games.” He said.

“Yah, Bang Yongguk, I’m not.” You scoffed.

“Then come out.” He hissed.

You gasped, when he fiercely pulled at the blanket, tugging it towards him as you held onto it firmly as if it held your dear life, and just somehow, you slipped off the couch, still holding onto the blanket. You hadn’t expected him to tug at the blanket so hard. Your powers gave away and your eyes widened like saucers.

As Yongguk was holding onto the blanket, he followed you down to the hard floor. You groaned, when your back slammed against the floor.

Not even a second later, when you hit the ground, Yongguk collapsed on top of you. You groaned again, getting smashed under his heavy weight.

“Ow, my back.” You whined.

Yongguk stared down at you. The blanket no longer covered your face. You reached your arm out and covered your eyes instead. Yongguk was not moving away.

“Kwon, are you okay?” He asked.

“Ow, why’d do that?”

You writhed at the soreness. Your body already felt so sore after having slept on that hard couch in that tiny space.

“Why did you act like that?” He asked in a stern tone now.

His tone became deeper. You could sense a fine balance between anger and worry in his voice. But you didn’t pull your arm away, just yet.

At this rate, he would force the truth out of you. You knew how stubborn this hardheaded man was and how he could be indifferent and uninterested in some things that concerned only you.

“Kwon?” He said, sounding impatient.

“I’ve not washed my face. I’ve not brushed my teeth.” You hissed back, keeping your arm over your eyes.

He took in a deep breath. You felt his warm breath, when it touched your arm, making you wonder for a split second about how close he was to you. You furrowed your brows.   

Then, you felt him pull back a bit, but he grabbed onto your arm and pulled it away from your eyes, revealing your eyes.

“So what? I’ve already seen your bare face. I’ve seen you, when you’ve been sick.” He said.

You stared into his eyes. Why did he have to point that out to you? Didn’t he know that no man should ever tell a woman that?

“Because I care.” You said.

“But I don’t care about such trivial things.”

Slowly, you pulled your hand down, facing him, and his eyes bored in yours. He didn’t show any remorseful look as he looked at you.

He took in another deep breath before he finally pulled away from you and he moved back to sit on the floor, leaning against the couch. You stood up, looked out and instantly stiffened.

Ki Joon sat on the bed, staring at you and Yongguk with a confused look, but then he suddenly giggled and covered his eyes. His cheeks turned a light brush.

“Are you two fighting?” He asked after pulling his hands down.

“No.” Yongguk broke out in a clear tone as he stood up from the floor.

You shook your head firmly. Ki Joon giggled. He seemed to find it amusing. Yongguk tried to seem fazed.

It was all Yongguk’s fault. Hadn’t he pulled at the blanket, you wouldn’t have fallen. Ki Joon caught you in an awkward situation. Though, the kid didn’t seem bothered.

“How long have you been awake, kiddo?” Yongguk asked as he approached the boy on his bed.

Ki Joon shrugged. He had probably witnessed his parent’s weird antics for a while. You scrunched your face, when you turned to look at Yongguk, who had caused this situation which you were in, but he simply had a hard look.

Yongguk walked over to the boy and sat beside him. You looked at Yongguk. He had to look so perfect in the morning.

Even when his hair was tousled and he hadn’t washed his face, he still looked so handsome.

“I need to wash up.” You said as you walked off quietly.

You shut the door to the washroom and headed over to the sink. You stared at your face, eying your features, to see if there was some dirt here and there. Thankfully, you couldn’t see anything specific, no smudged makeup from yesterday.

You the faucet, and splashed cold water on your face, thinking about how absurd it is to care so much about one’s appearance once you start liking someone badly.

You turned off the faucet and huffed out annoyed, now wondering about how you managed to sleep last night in that situation and condition.

You must have just been really drained to have managed to fall asleep beside or almost on top of Yongguk.

You rubbed the back of your neck. This time wondering about whether he managed to get some sleep. You needed to get out of the room.

After finishing washing up, you headed out, but stopped abruptly, when you saw that Ki Joon was standing on his feet, and Yongguk stood beside a nurse, signing some papers, and sharing words.

“Ki Joon has been discharged.” Yongguk said as he turned to look at you once he handed over a pen and a chart to the nurse in the white kit.

“Really?” You stared at his face, and he nodded.

“Can we go home now?” Ki Joon asked impatiently.

“Yes, right away, honey, right away.” You chimed. You rushed over to the small desk, grabbed your bag and swung it over your shoulder.

“I don’t want to be here.” He said in a small voice.

You spun around and faced Yongguk, but he entered the washing room. You heard the lock turn and stood stiff.

Of course, he needed to wash up too. Shortly after, he stepped out and looked towards the little boy.

“C’mon, kiddo, you have to wash up before we go.” Yongguk said calmly.

To your surprise Ki Joon protested. He stomped the ground, shaking his head. His emotions riled up. He closed his fists, continuously stomping his feet, saying aloud that he wanted to leave now.

You stood still, stunned to see Ki Joon act out, not knowing why he had a sudden externalizing behavior.

“No. I want to leave.” He said angrily.

Yongguk was headed towards Ki Joon, but you got down on your knees in front of the little boy. Instantly, your instincts took over, closed your arms around him, hugging him closely into you.

You sensed Yongguk stop beside you. You held Ki Joon for a while till he stopped moving when he felt you.

“We will leave. We will be home soon.” You said.

Then you felt him close his small arms around your neck tightly. He snuggled into your chest, hiding his face.

Though, you didn’t like seeing him hurt. You felt relived to see him search for the comfort in your arms. You gasped of relief.

Closed your eyes and tightened your hold on him, letting him feel your comfort. Soon, you felt him ease up, and you patted his back gently till he calmed down.

“Are you okay now?” You asked, and he nodded, still holding onto you very tightly.

You felt your heart clench and squeeze. You had never felt this kind of feeling before that couldn’t be described with any words.

“Come with me.” Yongguk said as he extended his hand for the boy, who quickly grabbed the latter’s safe and warm hand.

You followed suit and stopped at the door, when you caught Yongguk looking at you. You blinked your eyes, feeling confused. Why was he looking at you? You lowered your eyes.

Ki Joon entered the bathroom. You stood next to Yongguk at the door. Then he suddenly patted your back, making you look up and meet his gaze. He had a small smile on his face, and you stiffened at his smile for you.

“You handled that damn well.” He said.

For a moment, you wondered whether you heard correctly. Had Yongguk just complimented you for how you tackled Ki Joon’s outburst? He rarely complimented your strategies on handling certain unexpected situations.

You fluttered your lashed. Your cheeks felt warm, oddly. It was suddenly warm in this cold hospital room.

“Thanks.” You said silently.

Ki Joon pulled his pants down, sat down on the toilet. He mumbled something, which none of you heard clearly.

You stood with Yongguk and gazed at the boy. He placed his arm with the cast on his lap. He mumbled again, staring on the ground.

You looked at his cast, feeling a sudden lump form in your throat, but you swallowed hard to make it go away.

“What did you say?” Yongguk asked.

“I’m a big boy.” Ki Joon said aloud, surprising you.

“Yes, you are.” You acknowledged his frustration.

“I can wipe my own bum.” He said louder, sounding frustrated.

He was upset over his broken wrist. He felt helpless. You poked Yongguk’s rib, he jerked at the sudden move, and stared down at you.

You eyed him, trying to send him signals, to help Ki Joon. At times like these, Yongguk would always have some nice punchline, but he seemed lost right now. You sighed, giving up.

“Mom and dad know that, but we still need to help you, like we always have.” You said.

Ki Joon mumbled again, puckering his lips. He was still sullen. You knew how much he wanted to be independent, become big.

Hence, not being able to fully clean himself on his won for a while would really frustrate him. Though most kids of his age need help in this area, Ki Joon wanted to be autonomic.

“I’m done.” He said with a sullen look, waiting for help.

Instantly, Yongguk stepped in to help, and Ki Joon bent over, whining cutely. You pursed your lips as Yongguk was cleaning him. Ki Joon sighed, and sighed some more.

“Kiddo, are you upset about this?” Yongguk asked.

“Yes.” Ki Joon groaned.

“This is nothing to be upset about. We are here to help you. And soon enough, it will get better. You need to stay strong, my boy.” Yongguk said once he was done helping the boy.

Ki Joon looked up from his lap at Yongguk with a little pout on his face, and he nodded. A smile appeared on your face. You knew Yongguk would know what to say to make Ki Joon calm down.  

“Okay. I understand.” Ki Joon said in a small and little voice.

“I know you know that.” Yongguk said firmly, like he hadn’t expected anything less from the boy.

Ki Joon got up from the toilet, and Yongguk got down on his knees to tie the lace on Ki Joon’s pants.

“Wash your hands with soap.” Yongguk said after standing up, and Ki Joon nodded.

It wasn’t something new, but somehow, seeing Yongguk be so affectionate and like a positive father figure for Ki Joon made something inside you move- that stupid muscle called a heart. You held in your sigh.

“Don’t make your cast wet.” You reminded, when Ki Joon for the faucet, and he nodded once more. Yongguk rolled Ki Joon’s sleeves up.

You leaned against the door frame, watching the two. Yongguk was helping Ki Joon, making sure he cleansed his hands throughout and didn’t wet the cast.  

“Can we really go home now?” He said after a quiet moment.  

“Yes, the doctor said that you are all well.” Yongguk the boy’s hair.

“I want to go now.” Ki Joon said as he looked on the ground.

You could sense that Ki Joon didn’t want to spend another second at this hospital. For some reason, he didn’t like it here. You furrowed your brows, wondering about what it could be.

“I don’t want to be here.” Ki Joon said in a small voice.

“Let’s leave.” You said.

You looked at Yongguk, not wanting to think too deeply about it, now. Yongguk turned to look at you, and he nodded.

“I want to go home too just as much as you guys do.” Yongguk said.

The three of you left the room and headed out. You held onto Ki Joon’s hand as you walked down the halls.

From the corner of your eye, you could feel Yongguk’s gaze on you, making you naturally look out at him.

“Kwon.” He said.

“Yes?” You replied.

“We both arrived here by our cars. Let’s go home together. I’ll have someone pick up your car.” He told.

“Let’s do that.” You said, and he nodded.

“Will you be needing your car?” He asked.

“No.” You said.

“Alright, just give me the keys later, and I’ll have someone drive your car home.” He told, and you nodded.

~❋~

“Home sweet home.” You sighed at the sight of the white mansion.

Never had you been this relieved to finally be home. Yesterday had been the worst day of your life.

Though you were back home, it somehow felt like the bad things weren’t over just yet. There was this eerie feeling inside you, making you uneasy. You heaved a deep sigh the moment you stepped into the house.

Somehow, standing still at the doorway and waiting to be greeted by Tigger, you froze, when it dawned on you that Tigger wasn’t home, and the fact that you yet had to inform your family.

“It feels empty in here.” You said aloud, when you could sense Tigger’s absence. You were used to getting greeted by the brown little poodle, whenever you got home.

“He’ll be back with us tomorrow.” Yongguk said as he walked past you, startling you.

You hadn’t even been aware of the fact that you spoke your mind aloud. You turned to your side and saw him disappear into the living room with the little boy.

You hung your coat and bag on the rack. Then took your shoes off tiredly. You strode off to the living room, where the boys were, and you gave up instantly, the moment you saw the comfy couch.

The couch was so soft and cozy. You sighed relieved, when you fell into it. Your back felt sore, when you straightened your posture.

But you couldn’t lay down for too long and relax. None of you had had breakfast yet. You ran your hands down your face, becoming exhausted at the mere thought of having to cook right now. You had never been this emotionally drained before.

As you were about to get up, Yongguk stood up from the couch and looked towards you, meeting your eyes, you stiffened at his gaze.

“I ordered food.” He said as though he read your mind and actions.

“When?” You gazed at him, taken back.

“Through the app, when we left the hospital. The food should be here any m-” He stopped midsentence by the sound of the doorbell. He raised his brows. “It’s here.” He announced, turned around and waked away.

You were dumbfounded. Yongguk was always a step ahead. Even in such situations, he thought ahead and planned some things. He was so logical.

If you were ever to get stranded on an island, it would have to be with Yongguk, you wouldn’t be afraid. You grabbed onto your temples.

“What am I thinking?” You mumbled.

“What are you thinking?” Ki Joon asked.

You looked down at your side, noticed that Ki Joon had moved to your side and was gazing at you with those knowing curious deer-like eyes.

You huffed out. You needed to be a step ahead of Yongguk sometimes. It wasn’t fair that he was always the one who fixed these problems. You felt so helpless.

“It’s nothing, sweetheart. I’m going to help Yongguk. Just stay in couch and relax.” You said softly as you tucked him in a blanket. He nodded and huddled in the blanket.

You stepped into the hallway, leading to the front door where Yongguk was with the delivery man. You could hear his deep voice, speaking with a guy with a much softer tone compared to Yongguk’s ocean deep voice.

“I’ll pay with my card.” He said.

You walked up to him from behind. Yongguk grabbed the bags with food, shut the door and turned around, to discover you, standing in front of him, staring. You stepped back.

“What are you doing.” He asked, gazing down into your eyes.

Couldn’t you even go to him now, to help? You sighed. Ignored his question, grabbed a bag from him, spun around and walked to the kitchen. He was right behind your heels.

He stepped into the open kitchen and placed the bag on the counter, stopping beside you. He had even paid for the food. When would you ever be able to give back for all that he does?

He leaned down, staring at you, but you looked straight out on Ki Joon, who was relaxing in the couch with some of his stuffed animals. But you couldn’t concentrate.

Yongguk’s whole presence was overwhelming. He stood closely to you. He leaned down further, getting even closer to you. He was eying you, like he had something to ask.

“What’s the matter?” He asked.

He ended the silence with a question, which you didn’t feel like answering. How would he possibly understand you, when it didn’t even occur to him that you wanted and feel a need to be a part of this.

It was too ridiculous to start an argument over this right now. You had no energy left for that. You weren’t in no means in the mood for it either.

“Nothing.” You sighed.

You opened the bag and brought out of the containers with food. He had ordered traditional Korean cuisine, something you could never get enough of and food that is filling.

Your gaze fell to the counter, when he placed his hand on it. He still stood beside you, gazing at you with that hard-never-ending stare that made you want to crawl into a ball.

“Yongguk.” You said in a soft voice.

“What are you upset about?” He asked.

Were you that easy to read now? How could he know that you were upset? Did you show it? You furrowed your brows, wondering, dazing off.

You needed to practice with your poker-face. This wouldn’t do. This is too dangerous. He even reads your mind sometimes.

But the feel of his arm brushing against your side, made you snap back to reality, and your eyes drifted over his tall frame and into his deep eyes. You held in your breath briefly.

“Tell me.” He ordered with a deadpanned look.

“It’s trivial. It doesn’t matter.” You tried to brush it off.

“Clearly it isn’t, since you are giving me that look.” He said with a frown.

“What look?” You blinked your eyes, confused.

“You gave me that look in the hallway.” He said.

You pursed your lips, wanting to curse at yourself. You hadn’t even realized or noticed your actions.

There was really no escape to this. You bit back on your lip, lowered your eyes, thinking for a second about how you should put it out.

“Let me pay half of what you gave for the food.” You said.

When you agreed to move into his house and to raise Ki Joon together, you hadn’t made an agreement on food payments. You figured that the bills should be split in half.

But it had happened more than once, where he has paid for you. Lately, he seemed to be doing more of it.

He took a step back, your eyes followed his movements, and his expression went from blank to rock hard.

“Is that it?” He asked. His voice growing deeper.

“What do you mean ‘is that it’?” You asked, stunned at his reply. He kept that straight look.

“I’m not starting a fight with you about this.” He said sternly.

“I wasn’t looking for a fight. I just want to make it clear.” You said in a firm tone as your eyes bore in one another’s.

Without a reply, he turned around and walked out of the kitchen. He headed down to Ki Joon. You watched him sit down with the boy and tuck into the blanket.  

You remained still, stared out, shocked at this, shocked that he didn’t want to have a decent talk about it, angry at yourself for bringing it up, torn about whether you should have remained quiet.

It just escalated so quickly, and you didn’t want this. You sighed out, trying to comprehend it, but it was too hard right now.

You breathed deeply, feeling the emotions build up. You knew that you weren’t exactly upset over Yongguk’s cold reaction towards you.

But it was something else underneath that wanted to erupt. You stepped out, rushed upstairs to the bathroom.

Once you made it to the room, you locked the door. You paced back and forth. Tipped your head back, to prevent the tears from falling down your cheeks.

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