Broken Glass

Sometimes a person could be so fragile. One brief touch was all it took for that person to shatter into the smallest of pieces, akin to broken glass.

It had been so long since Yeosang had seen a breakdown like this from Chae that he was at a loss about how to comfort her. Something that used to be so simple was now so hard to do.

Getting rid of all the bad thoughts out of his mind, Yeosang got to his knees beside her and placed his hand on her back. All he could do right now was this tiny gesture, and wait for her to calm down enough so he could find out what was wrong.

After all, she had been fine when she left the apartment. Then half an hour later, she had come back in the state she was in now. Just what had happened while she was out? By the looks of it, it wasn't something good.

They stayed like that for a while longer, and soon Chae's breathing had calmed down enough for her to talk properly.

Helping her to her feet, and then moving her over to the sofa, Yeosang sat beside her and clasped her hand in his bigger one. He still didn't know what to say at the moment, but him just being there was all the comfort she needed.

In the past, it was easy to comfort the other and be there for one another. However, as the years went on, the words they spoke became coated in thorns and only irritation would be left in the end. They could only find comfort in the things around them, instead of the person who was always by their side.

Relationships could be so strong that nothing could tear it apart, or so weak that anything could break it like glass: shattered beyond repair.

Now, they had a chance. A chance to start over again, and instead of running away from their issues, they could stand firm and work through it all together. So when Yeosang was sure that Chae was comfortable enough to speak about what was plaguing her, he opened with, "is everything alright? You can speak to me about whatever's troubling you, or we could just sit in silence. It's all up to you."

With her head lowered, the weak smile that played on her lips could barely be seen, and she replied, "It's just… I went out to get something from the shop close by and ran into…"

"Who did you meet?" He squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"My father." The word 'father' was squeezed out from her throat and almost choked her.

"Your father?" Yeosang sat up straighter and stared at her in wonder.

In the past Yeosang had asked to meet Chae's parents before but he had always been turned down. Honestly, he had felt a bit annoyed at always being told that he couldn't meet them, but at the same time, he had felt there was more to the reason as to why a meeting between them had been refused.

Everyone had their own stories to tell or ones that they never wanted to let anyone know. So, he never bothered to ask after the first couple of times. Until he met Chae's father accidentally.

They had bumped into each other whilst Yeosang was on his way back from University, and the whole ordeal wasn't very pleasant. It was mostly her father ridiculing her, and telling Yeosang that he could do so much better than a woman like Chae.

'Evil women like her, who could kill their brother, don't deserve happiness.'

Those were the words that the father finished his rant with, and the ones that stuck to Yeosang for years after the one-sided conversation. The more he remembered them, the angrier he became.

At that time, Chae and her brother had been children, and the event that happened was nothing more than an accident - something neither of them could've prevented.

"What should I do?" Chae's voice came out broken, and the sound of it tied Yeosang's heart into a knot. "Why did we come back here?"

I don't know…

That was what Yeosang thought.

What should we do?