Sunhwa didn’t have many friends. No, it had nothing to do with the fact that she owned a funeral house and most of the time slept in the same building with dead people. She didn’t talk much about her job, or other side of her; people didn’t know how she fared. There were only five days in a year when she showed her vulnerable side to people. That warm summer night was one of them. Whenever she was alone, her ghosts haunted her. Whenever she went to sleep, nightmares followed. She never took too long leaving the funeral house on these five days, and she never knew where to go. Sometimes it would be the shop Seokjae owned or maybe she’d go see Youngji if she was free. She was never sure about who to call, who to inform. Her steps had known where she was going, though; before she knew it, she had been in front of the Zach’s apartment. She didn’t dare go in, she just stood in front of the building like it would help. The wind pushed her in but she was as hard as a stone, she didn’t move. When the door opened to reveal Zach, Sunhwa was lost in her thoughts. A hand tugged her in, pushing her inside the apartment. She didn’t, couldn’t resist, feeling so powerless at that moment. She didn’t need to ask if she could stay, because the concerned eyes of Zach let her know of the question she didn’t ask. She settled on the coach, hugging her knees close as she looked at the floor with a blank expression. ‘Thanks,’ she said silently, her reply was a blanket over her shoulders.
Zacharie must have known Sunhwa for a few long years already, having met around the time he’d first arrived in Seoul. He was cold eyed, withdrawn from the world and absolutely impossible to approach. It wasn’t much different than how he was back in Paris but the abrupt change in environment had made him particularly sensitive to the people around him. He detested crowds and avoided all intimacy with a sarcastic tongue.
It was at a snail’s pace that they had become friends, somewhat drawn to each other’s own darkness and stoic gaze. They were close since, Zacharie’s walls perhaps faster to come down rather than hers. He didn’t mind so much though, knowing that everyone had their own secrets. He didn’t tell Sunhwa everything, and there was never any need for her to do so either.
That evening, just as he was about to head out to some sort of agency event, he’d opened the door to find her standing before him. Zacharie recognised the blankness in her eyes, having had Sunhwa show up on his doorstep more than once in the past. He reached out to her wordlessly, pulling her out of the frigid air and into his apartment. It wasn’t appropriate for him to ask questions, although he often wanted to. Too much information was still too much intimacy for him to handle, and Zacharie was more comfortable keeping some distance with the world.
“Here,” he said, voice soft as he wrapped a thick blanket over her shoulders. Zacharie had promptly pulled off his tie and jacket, making it clear that his evening plans were cancelled. He didn’t have to ask if she wanted to stay the night, because he already knew the answer. Instead, he just took his seat beside her and wrapped his arms around her thin shoulders, pulling her against his chest. “I’ve got you.”
