It was a mory from the distant past, an echo of my childhood etched in my mind like a recurring dream. I was only 13 at the ti. The mory was fragnted, so parts were blurry and colorless, but the feeling it brought was always vivid and painfully real.
"Nayun."
His voice sounded gentle and familiar, calling to as I practiced archery in the bright sunshine. Turning around, I saw Oppa standing there, watching with a worried look. His countenance was calm, but his eyes gave away his unease.
"Hm?"
I put the arrow aside and turned completely towards him, wiping the sweat from my forehead with my forearm. My body ached and my fingertips throbbed from holding the bowstring for so long. Still, I wanted to continue.
"You can take a break if it's too hard."
He approached slowly and took my hand. His firm fingers wrapped around mine carefully, and his eyes narrowed when he noticed the burst blisters, the cuts and the dried blood. His expression turned grim, as if a trace of pain flashed across his face.
But I just shook my head, gently pulling his hand back.
"I'm going to try even harder. I want to beco an even bigger and better heroine than you, Oppa."
My words were full of confidence and childish pride, a bold statent coming from soone who didn't yet understand the weight of the world. Oppa stared at for a mont, surprised, and then a gentle smile curved his lips.
He lifted his hand and ruffled my hair lovingly, sliding his fingers gently through the sweaty strands. His touch was warm, full of affection and security.
"I hope you really make it."
His tone was encouraging, but it carried a trace of sothing I didn't understand at the ti.
"Oh, by the way, you haven't forgotten about next week, have you?"
He crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly, looking at sideways with a mischievous grin.
"We're going to Foreverland."
Foreverland. Korea's most famous amusent park. Most children would have jumped for joy at hearing that. But at the mory, I just shook my head, hesitating, with an invisible weight pressing down on my chest.
"Um... I can't go. I'm going out with my friends."
There was a brief silence. Oppa's smile faltered for a mont, almost imperceptibly, before he returned it.
"Really?"
His voice sounded soft, but there was sothing behind it. A twinge of disappointnt?
"Then I guess we'll have to go another ti."
He took a deep breath and ruffled my hair once more, but this ti more lightly.
"Don't try too hard, okay? You won't get any stronger if you overload yourself."
"Um! See you later, oppa!"
The scene dissolved like paint dripping off a canvas, and darkness took over my vision.
Then another mory erged - or maybe it was just the pain of what was to co.
That night, Oppa fell into a coma.
"Ah."
My eyes opened suddenly, and the crushing weight of sadness fell on my chest like a wave. The sunlight coming through the window illuminated my face, but all I felt was a biting cold inside.
Without realizing it, tears began to run down my cheeks, silently. I was gasping for breath and my heart was clenching in my chest.
Even after so many years, that morning was still etched in my mory.
And the pain... It had never really gone away.
My body trembled slightly as I tried unsuccessfully to control my breathing. The pain was still there, sinking into my chest like a blade buried too deep to be removed.
I brought my hand to my face and felt the warm wetness of tears on my skin. I swallowed, but the feeling of emptiness didn't go away.
I slowly turned my head to the side, looking up at the ceiling with a lost gaze. The golden morning light spread across the room, reflecting off the furniture with a soft glow, indifferent to the storm raging inside .
With a shaky sigh, I forced myself to sit up in bed. My body felt heavy, as if the weight of mories was trying to drag back into the darkness of my dreams.
I reached out and touched the bedside table, where a frad photo rested silently. My fingers glided over the glass, tracing the silhouette of the smiling face I would never see like that again.
"Oppa..."
My voice ca out in an almost inaudible whisper.
The mory of that morning remained intact, untouched by ti. And every ti I relived it, I felt the sa overwhelming regret, the sa silent guilt.
If only I'd said sothing different... Would things be different if I'd said sothing different?
"Bzzzz"
The sudden sound made my shoulders shake. My smartwatch vibrated on my wrist, interrupting the endless stream of mories that threatened to engulf .
I blinked a few tis, wiping the mist of tears from my eyes, before lowering my gaze to the device's glowing screen.
[Call from... Theo Sagan...]
My eyes widened slightly when I saw the na on the screen.
Theo Sagan.
The hesitation only lasted a second before I slid my finger across the screen and answered the call.
Theo's image reflected above the watch like a hologram.
I lifted the watch so that it could catch my face and tried to clear my throat to hide any trace of emotion.
"Hi?"
My voice ca out weaker than I expected.
"Good morning, tigress. Are you all right?"
His voice had a soft, playful tone, as if he was trying to cheer up.
For a mont, I was silent. The weight of the mory still clung to , but the concern in his voice made calm down a little.
"Yes... I've only just woken up."
I said, forcing a more natural tone.
"Did sothing happen?"
There was a brief silence between us.
"Nothing urgent. I just felt I should call you."
My breathing stopped for a mont. He "felt"?
The free hand that was still holding the photo trembled slightly. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips together.
That idiot always seems to know everything about . But it was good nonetheless. For others, it could be scary, but with , I really ca to like this side of you, it was a good feeling.
"Got it..."
I mumbled, looking away to the window. The sunlight still shone brightly, but now it seed a little less cold.
"Do you want to pick you up? Or can we et there in Seoul?"
"I think I'll go to Cube first and then we can co together."
"That's fine with , we're boyfriend and girlfriend after all."
Theo's answer ca quickly, without hesitation, as always.
I let out a soft sigh, feeling a small smile threaten to appear on my lips. That idiot... He really knew how to make soone feel better, even without aning to.
"I'll see you later, then."
"See you soon, Nayun."
The call ended, leaving only the faint hum of silence in my room. I looked again at the frad photo in my hands, running my fingers over the glass once more before putting it back.
'Yes, today is the day we'll be together again, as a family, Oppa!'
The silence in the room seed less suffocating.
I stood up slowly, feeling the stiffness in my muscles caused by the accumulated tension.
I walked over to the mirror and looked at myself. My eyes were still slightly red, but the shadow of sadness that had consud minutes ago was no longer so intense.
I took a deep breath.
Theo...
I closed my eyes for a brief mont, reliving the sound of his warm voice and his natural way of making feel safe.
"Let's take a shower and find that guy."
...
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