[Flashback]
"Tell me who forced you to marry Eunae because the last time I checked, it was you who you wanted to marry her out of your own will." His mother taunted, and it only made him angrier.
"Out of my own will?" Yunoh scoffed. "Do you honestly think I could just watch the business to crumble down without doing anything? I might have chosen to marry her, but it wasn't out of my own will. It was out of helplessness and desperation!"
"Then you could've told us," his father started with a strained voice. "You could've told us the truth instead of lying that you've been meaning to marry her because you love her. Damn it, Yunoh! She was like our own daughter too, and you had the audacity to do this?" his father yelled indignantly.
And almost instantly, Yunoh flinched seeing him shake in anger. Never had he heard him talk in such a manner and never did he see him this exasperated. Steam was practicall
"A-ah, I think I-I have to go-""Don't leave, Nana, Riri sad," the little girl cut her off, placing her little fingers above his hand, seemingly sealing it for her not to leave.Conflicted, Eunae subtly nibbled her lower lip and internally contemplated. She surely wanted to run away and never see them again, but at the same time, she did not want to leave the little girl who stayed by her side, while pain engulfed her whole.She did not want to be an ass by leaving them abruptly after benefiting from their kind acts. She was not the kind of person Yunoh had always thought of-she was not, and she did not want to be the manipulative bitch he had tagged her as.Slumping back on the sand, Eunae finally made her choice. She sat comfortably beside the two strangers, who were having triumphant smiles painting their lips."Yehey! Nana stay!"Eunae failed to stifle th
Eunae grinned, feeling incredibly sanguine. She wanted to learn more about love, and she was happy to find someone she could ask about what it really meant.Because above all, she was desperate to know if everything she had went through were bits and parcels of love all along like how she believed in. Or more so, like how she wanted herself to believe in."Did love mean giving everything you got?" She started excitedly, ticking one question after the other in her mind."Probably," he shrugged. "We usually tend to give everything for the person we love," he stopped as she looked at her with a smile. "But of course, not entirely to the point where you won't have anything left."Suddenly, color seemed to drain from her face and the excitement rushing through her bloodstream popped like a bubble that ceased to exist. And as if seeing through her, his smile slowly vanished as he looked at her with n
M A M I H L A P I N A T A P A I(Yaghan) (n.) a look shared between two people experiencing a private moment, in an expressive and meaningful silence, when each knows the other understands what is being expressed.Eunae woke up still sitting by the shore. Her head rested on his shoulder and one of his arms now wrapped around her torso."Feeling better?"Slightly squirming from his hold, she squinted her eyes just right in time for her jaw to drop.The beautiful sunset had now sat perched on the horizon, embracing her with so much warmth and hope. It was a welcoming scenery of tranquility, reminding her that whatever misery she had gone through for the day would somehow end in a few coming moments."Hmm."Without any word u
E P I P H A N Y(English) (n.) a moment of sudden revelation.It had been a few hours now since Eunae stood by the shore and watched the sun do its leaving ritual.Settling her feet on the grainy sand and focusing her eyes on the dancing yellow ball of light, her mind was somewhere else, digging answers on what to do next.It had been a week or so since she ran away, and she honestly did not have any clues on what to do next.Trying to find any sort of answer, she backtracked the conversation she had with Stephen and strived to understand the heaviness of each word he uttered.And as she did so, Eunae found herself pondering on one question:Did she really love Yunoh?With everything she had been through and finally
L A D O U L E U R E X Q U I S E(French) (n.) the exquisite pain of wanting the affection of someone you know you can never have.Walking to the place she called home for the last two years, Eunae tried to memorize very detail it held. She was not expecting that having a good long look could give a myriad of flashbacks that stirred her from within. It was a combination of the good ones and the bad ones-probably everything she never knew that would eventually lead to where they were now.Time surely flies, and it flies fast.Gulping the lump on her throat, Eunae could easily recognize the voices echoing from the inside. They sounded familiar-too familiar as a matter of fact that she could even somehow picture how they looked as they talked.&nb
Eunae felt her heart crack as she eventually let her mask slipped away. Her shoulders relentlessly shook as she tried to suppress her whimpers.Looking at him, she placed the tip of her nose against his as she finally let him go with the last tears in her eyes and last beam on her lips. "That's why I'm letting you go, I'm finally letting you go. I hope you find your happiness, Yunoh. And by the time you do, I want you to take a hold of it, and don't ever let it go."Removing her hands on his face, she dragged her luggage and went for the door. To the freedom she had been wanting for. But before she could even twist the knob, she quickly looked back at him as he tugged her wrist. He held it ever so tightly almost as if he did not want to let it go.To her surprise, Eunae watched as tears continuously streamed down his face. His teardrops stained the floor and his plump lips trembled restlessly, while gazing at her with ey
H I R A E T H (Welsh) (n.) a homesickness for a home you can't return to, or that never was; an earnest longing or desire; a sense of regret. [Time Leap] "You sure you're okay to drive?" Eon asked warily as soon as Yunoh slipped inside the car. Yunoh was at Eon’s home together with their small circle of friends, celebrating the latter's 29th birthday. They had spent the whole night drinking and talking, most of which revolving on what they had achieved through the years. Due to their busy schedules, it had been quite long since they had gathered completely. It was no longer a surprise that they ended up finishing a rack of beer. The hand of the clock was nearing 3:00 AM when Yunoh finally decided to go home. "Yeah," Yunoh answered, cozying up on ca
[Flashback]"Tell me who forced you to marry Eunae because the last time I checked, it was you who you wanted to marry her out of your own will." His mother taunted, and it only made him angrier."Out of my own will?" Yunoh scoffed. "Do you honestly think I could just watch the business to crumble down without doing anything? I might have chosen to marry her, but it wasn't out of my own will. It was out of helplessness and desperation!""Then you could've told us," his father started with a strained voice. "You could've told us the truth instead of lying that you've been meaning to marry her because you love her. Damn it, Yunoh! She was like our own daughter too, and you had the audacity to do this?" his father yelled indignantly.And almost instantly, Yunoh flinched seeing him shake in anger. Never had he heard him talk in such a manner and never did he see him this exasperated. Steam was practicall
Suddenly, her train of thoughts was abruptly cut short when the piercing shriek made it into her ears. Almost immediately, she carefully put down Wendy and rushed to the little boy who was bleeding, his hand pressed against his forehead. "Alex, what happened, sweetheart?" Eunae asked calmly, trying to tuck the nervousness pricking her nerves that she herself was trembling from the sight before her. "Tweachwer, my h-hwead... table...I h-hwit my hwead," the little boy named Alex wept, pointing his finger at the gushing blood coming out from his open wound. Eunae's reflex was to instantly slump on the floor and cradle the little boy in her arms and place a hand over his bleeding forehead. "You accidentally hit your head on the corner of the table?" She asked gently, roaming her eyes around and trying to find the other assigned teacher for the class. Not exactly finding where her co-teach
Y U G T O(Filipino) (n.) a fundamental transition or development of a story or phenomenon."Tweachwer, mammam," The little girl mumbled as she held onto the hem of Eunae's dress while being slumped on the floor.Putting the tray down on the nearest table, Eunae crouched and lifted the little girl in her arms with a smile that reached her eyes, "Do you want some water, Wendy?"Almost instantly a soft chuckle left her lips the moment the little girl enthusiastically bobbed with her short little arms raised in the air.It was almost as if the young girl was incredibly too happy even to the point of pumping her fists midair. It was cute as Eunae took note of."Okay, okay, sweetheart, let's get you some water," Eunae said sweetly, walking to the built-
R E D A M A N C Y(English) (n.) a love returned in full; the act of loving the one who loves you; to love and to be loved.[MATURE CONTENT AHEAD: R-18]Eunae knew Stephen never liked calling the deed as sex. He had always explained to her that sex had a lot of meanings-from describing a person; an organ; or an activity, and he did not want to label what they were having with a word too broad and often used too lightly as if it was nothing, when it was too important and too intimate for him.It might sound weird and lame to many, but it was probably one of the things that made him different from everybody else.Shrugging and mockingly titling her head side to side, she gave him a roll of the eyes. She was just in the mood to rile him up.He
[MATURE CONTENT AHEAD: RATED 18]"I heard you hate me."Her body instantly relaxing with the familiar voice that soothed her vexation.Years had passed yet hearing his voice still never failed to send tingles to her body. But realizing she was supposed to be angry with him, she quickly struggled from his hold."Oh, yes, I do," she grunted, hostility evident from her tone.A chaste kiss landed on her neck and it almost flipped her emotions inside out."We both know you don't, little sunset," Stephen said softly, keeping his lips on the base of her neck.Shrugging, Eunae breathed an audible sigh, trying to keep her staggering bitchy aura in place, "Whatever, get off me.""Never."Eunae stifled a moan as soon as Stephen ran his tongue along the base of
F O R E L S K E T(Norwegian) (n.) the euphoria you experience when you're first falling in love."Drink this."Eunae's face instantly fell upon seeing the drinking glass filled with the liquid she hated the most."No, I'm not drinking that disgusting thing," she outright refused, shaking her head in utter disapproval."Little sunset, you have to. You and the little rainbows need this," Stephen coaxed with the gentlest tone she had ever heard him."No, we don't. We're perfectly fine," she mused her hands from her head to toe as if telling him they were alright. "See?""You are drinking this," he said sternly, having no room for any conversation.Shaking her head once again, sh
E U D A I M O N I A(Greek) (n). a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous.The hardest part in leaving was not what you had left behind, but the thought that you could had spent a whole lifetime with the person you had left behind. And that was Eunae felt for the first few years when she packed her bags and flew to New York, leaving everything and everyone behind.The aftermath of having a broken heart was truly devastating. She was back to square one in trying to figure out who she really was, what she really wanted, and what she really needed.To put it simply, finding the pieces of herself she had lost was too tedious. It was waking up every single day questioning where she should begin only to be met by the same question the next morning.
"It's time to say goodbye now. We have to go, sweetie," Eunae called out gently."I don't want to go yet. I still want to play with Uncle Yunoh."Yunoh looked at Eunae, who breathed a sigh, crouching down and settling her delicate hands on Mark's cheeks. "But it's time to go home, sweetie. It's already late."But the little boy only shook his head, determined not to go home."Buddy, mommy has to rest, your fellow rainbows have already worn her out too much," Stephen added."But I still want to play," the little boy dolefully muttered, fidgeting the hem of his shirt."You can just come back and visit me again, mate," Yunoh eventually said, kneeling before the little boy, who adored him so much even with the few hours they spent together. He ruffled his hair and a calculated smile painted his lips when the little boy spoke."But I don't know when," Mark
S A U D A D E(Portuguese) (n.) a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant, or that has been loved and then lost; "the love that remains""Mark, stop running! I told you, no running once we arrive."Just then, the front door burst open with Eunha walking inside the house. A little boy running and leaping by her side excitedly and looking so pumped up."Sorry, grandma," The little boy said sheepishly. He scanned the house and quickly ran towards them, rendering Yunoh stupefied. "Mommy!"And just then, the world seemed to stop."I missed you, mommy!" The little boy continued to chirp. He even jumped into Eunae's arms excitedly."Oh sweetie, mommy missed you too. Were you with grandma all along?"
C A V O L I R I S C A L D A T I(Italian) (v.) the attempt to revive a long-finished love affair.Waking up disgruntled, the noises downstairs had Yunoh frantically move around to fix himself. There were clanking of the kitchen utensils, a few excited greetings of "hi, hello, we missed you," and a handful of sobs seemingly infiltrating the conversations they were having.By the time he looked presentable, his palms could not stop sweating and his heart would not stop pounding irrationally fast as if any moment from then it would burst and leave his chest. With defined bags under his eyes, he eagerly took a few deep breaths and calmed himself down.Truthfully, he had been up since 6:00 AM. Yunoh did not know but preparing the clothes he would wear and the lines he would say