Reaching for Love (COMPLETED)

1

The noise comes from the firetruck parked downstairs does not even bother Chaeyoung as she is telling her father about her day through the phone. She tells him that a kid from the neighbouring residential's hand got stuck in something so his mother called for the fireman. She is telling while showing reaction as if her father is in front of her but she hears nothing from his side.

She feels like he does not listen to her so she calls out for him, "Abeoji?"

No response from the other end.

"Abeoji? Abeoji, are you still there?", she asks.

Only then, she hears her father saying sorry and asking her what she was saying. Chaeyoung sighs before replying, "Abeoji, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm good, Chaeyoung-ah.", he answers but Chaeyoung knows the truth. Her father always lose focus when she is talking to him every time she goes back to the hometown. He also tends to forget what he is doing as he always questioned himself what did he do before. It all started to happen after her mother passed away, she realizes it.

"Abeoji, what are you doing right now? Are you sure you're doing fine?", she asks as she thought of how he was when she went back to the hometown two weeks ago.

Her father tells her to not worry about him and just focus on her work. He always said that but she never listens especially after her mother's death. His condition made Chaeyoung grew worried of him and thought of quitting her job. However, he will probably be angry of her decision so she stays in Seoul even though she has not yet found a stable job there.

"I miss you, abeoji. I'll be back this weekend, okay?", Chaeyoung says as she is actually worried of how her father is doing alone in Busan.

"Chae, I told you before. Don't come back often unless you've found a proper job. Did you forget that?", her father replies with a serious tone.

"I know but..."

"You came back two weeks ago. So, don't come back until next month. You have to save your money, Chae.", he cuts her words.

Chaeyoung does not have the courage to object it since what he said was right. She needs to save up since her wage is not big as she just works at a convenience store for now. She had graduated 6 months ago and still waiting for reply from the companies she had sent resume to.

"Chaeyoung-ah, did you hear me?", her father asks when she did not reply a thing to him.

She nods and says, "Yes, I heard you, abeoji. I just...I miss you."

Her father chuckles hearing what she said. "Yah, you were fine for a whole semester not coming home and now, you miss me after 2 weeks we met?", he says remembering when Chaeyoung did not come home at all as she was in her final semester.

"Hmm...that's different, abeoji. Now, I'm not studying anymore. I'm not stressed with assignments and got a lot of free time so I don't know what to do with that free time other than missing you, missing our home.", she replies, still trying to tell her father to let her come home for the weekend.

"You can always call me, my dear. I'll tell you everything you need to know about me and our home. Okay?", he tells her.

She pouts as she heard it. She knows that it will be hard for her to change her father's mind. He always has something to say back to her and she cannot fight it. Absolutely not especially now that her father has no one else other than her. She cannot break his heart, she loves her father so much.

"Fine, abeoji. I will only come back next month. But I will call you anytime I want, okay?", she says.

After she ends the call with her father, she looks at the phone screen for a while. There is a picture of her and a middle aged man at the home screen which made her thinks of that man at that time. He was smiling brightly in the picture making Chaeyoung smiles too just by looking at it.

"How are you doing, abeoji?", she asks.

Suddenly, she hears something broken and shifts her head to the book shelf beside the television. She looks at what was making that breaking sound and saw something on the floor. So, she makes her way near the book shelf and picks it up as she carefully closing the window. Some broken pieces of glass can be seen on the floor.

"Seriously?", she mutters as she is quite surprised of the strong wind outside.

She flips the photo frame in her hand and looks at the photo in it. It is a photo of her with the same man on the phone screen but he did not smile as bright as he did like in her phone. His eyes were seen a bit teary in that frame. So was Chaeyoung, both of them looked sad or something in that photo frame.

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First chapter ✔

Anyone who read this, thank youuu and I'll see you in next chapter 🤗