IF ONLYâ
@752naoko ( sometimes i still awake from you calling out )
naokoâs parents have always been warm and kind where hers were not. dahye thinks of them as fondly as she does her own â she loves her parents, sheâs grateful for the strict way sheâd been raised and she knows they love her, through it all. but naokoâs parents were the opposite of hers, and a different set of parents who mean just as much to her as her own. they brought laughter and jokes into her life, the carefree joy they exuded contagious. she loves them, just like she loves their daughter.
which makes the disgust on their faces when they pass her by in the halls hurt all the more.
sheâs always had a soft heart, and their looks weigh heavy on it throughout the day. keeping herself busy with her duties can only go so far. dahye excuses herself when she finishes the last batch of radaway, leaving earlier than usual when she finds tears blurring her vision every time she lets her mind wander. itâs not the most responsible of her, but she can always come back to work tomorrow a little earlier to compensate for it.
for now, she goes back to her room â or rather, naokoâs room, because sheâs converted her own into a makeshift hair salon for the dwellers who come by. there is a touch of naoko in every corner and as much as it comforts her, it also reminds her of the other girlâs parents. fresh tears well up in her eyes, dahye curling up into their duvet. the warmth of it soothes her in place of the girl herself, as she waits for naoko to come home to her. it must feel empty to come home to a room with only one person when sheâd had such a warm family growing up, and dahye canât help but feel guilty for it too, being the reason naokoâs become estranged from her parents. hers have always been strict and sheâd known, in some part of her, that they wouldnât have approved of the two of them. but sheâd thought naokoâs parents would be different. had hoped it, because she doesnât know if she can do this with only one person in her corner. even if naoko is the most important person to her right now.
the door opens after a long while and dahye jumps, guilty despite having nothing to be guilty about. ( yet. ) ânao?â she wipes her tears and smiles at naoko, entering their room, and sits up from the bed. âhow was the workshop today?â














