The tears that fell from her eyes weren’t constant. Instead, only two drops fell from each of her eyes.

I had seen her smile, pout, get embarrassed, even threaten me with cheek violence.

But this expression...

This was different.

It only confirmed one thing. She had stayed strong for too long, and now she couldn’t hold it in anymore.

"Sorry I came back so late."

Hearing her say that, I forgot about everything else. The past, the future, reality, or even imagination. There was nothing in my mind.

Just Viora.

And her held-back sobs.

"I-I wanted to come here sooner. But then something happened."

Now I couldn’t just stand there and watch. I walked in front of her and snatched the picture from her hands.

"Huh?!" She let out a startled sound.

"If you came here to cry, then you should have told me."

Her elbows were on her knees, and she turned her face away, trying to wipe the traces of tears from her cheeks.

"I-I am sorry," she began. "But I couldn’t control myself."

"No. I am not saying you shouldn’t cry. I’m saying... don’t keep it all locked inside."

Viora lifted her face. Her eyes widened slightly, as if she couldn’t process what I had just said.

"Woo... Woo Jin?"

"I’m here with you. So don’t worry about anything else."

The moment I said that, something inside her broke. Her lips trembled, and her shoulders shook once.

Then, she broke.

"I... I just wanted them to see me one more time," she said. "Just one more time... even if it was only for a second..."

Her hands clenched the fabric of her dress.

"You know... they were the greatest parents in the whole world."

I slowly knelt down in front of her and quietly listened to her.

"Whenever I fought with someone... they never got angry at me," her voice cracked more with every word she said. "They just... smiled. And said I could always come back home no matter what I did..."

After that, there was a small moment of silence as she took a deep breath.

"But I still didn’t come back in time."

"I still didn’t get to say goodbye properly."

For once, her breath hitched.

"And now... even if I stand here and call them... they won’t answer anymore."

That was when the last thread of her restraint snapped.

She covered her face with both hands, her shoulders shaking as quiet sobs finally escaped the wall she had built inside herself for years.

"I am scared..." she whispered between breaths. "I am scared I will forget their voices one day..."

Those were the last words she said before she stopped talking.

In that moment, the dust in the air, the sunlight through the window, even the silence, it all felt distant.

I simply reached forward and gently pulled her toward me. And for the first time since I met her... I was finally able to hug her through her most difficult moment.

She clung to me like I was the only thing keeping her from falling into that same emptiness again.

We stayed just like that until her shaking slowly began to calm down.

"This place is filthy."

Surprisingly, after calming down, she was able to make a remark.

"You sat first," I responded.

"That was emotional privilege."

Saying that, she wiped her face with her sleeve. Even like this, she was trying to act normal again.

"So now, should we go to my house, or do you want to live here?"

Hearing me, she pulled back and began to think about what she wanted. Would she go with me, or would she stay at a place filled with her past memories?

Both places had their own downsides. If she chose to stay here, then the bad memories might haunt her every second.

And if she chose to go with me, then everything would be new to her, and she would have a bit of trouble adjusting to the place. Moreover, Elena would also be there, which might create a problem.

Still, I hoped she could go with me. It’s not like I didn’t want her to stay in the house her parents built. I just wanted her to follow her heart.

If she didn’t want to go with me, then it was no problem. I would gladly accept that.

"Viora, just follo—"

Before I could tell her to do whatever she wanted, her voice cut through mine.

"I want to go with you," she whispered.

"Really?" I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

She actually wanted to go with me?

"Yeah, I really want to live with you."

Saying that, she stood up and pulled me up too.

"I just need a few things," she continued. "Can you help me find them?" 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Of course."

.....

After half an hour, I was finally able to find everything she wanted to take with her.

They weren’t something really grand or expensive, but things that held a special place in her heart.

They were the photo she had grabbed from the table, and an old scarf, which I had to dig out from the depths of the wardrobe.

That was it.

She only wanted two things. Nothing else.

"I will come visit again."

Before leaving, Viora said that not to anyone in particular, but to the empty house itself.

Exiting the house, I closed the gate and locked it again. Then I placed the key back where it had been before; under the flower pot.

While walking away, I was thinking about something. I wanted to come back and clean the whole house, but then I thought, what if Viora didn’t want it to be cleaned?

There must be a reason she didn’t want to stay there. She must have already said goodbye to her old life and wanted to look forward to the future.

So, I shouldn’t touch anything until Viora says so. For now, I should also focus on the future that is about to happen and get myself ready for it.

But there was one thing bothering me, and that was...

"Viora," I called her as we walked hand in hand.

"You are grabbing my hand too tightly."

"Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize it." She immediately loosened her grip, and I was finally able to relieve my poor hand.

But a second later, her fingers quietly found mine again.