The class ended like usual. Students packed up, buzzing with energy, but Aera's phone buzzed with a call from her mom.
"Today Meera Auntie is coming to pick you," her mom said.
Aera nodded to herself and began walking out of school when she saw someone familiar waiting near the gate.
It was In-su.
With him was Meera Auntie, the only person in her life who truly made her feel understood, who gave her the love her parents sometimes failed to give.
As Aera approached, In-su turned to Meera Auntie and said, "Then Auntie, I'm going."
He smiled at Aera. Not a teasing smile, not a smug one, just soft. Real.
And then he left.
Meera Auntie watched him walk off and looked at Aera with interest. "Is that boy your deskmate? He is a well mannered boy"
Aera smiled, still looking in the direction he'd gone. "Yes."
Then without thinking, she added, "He's also handsome."
Meera Auntie stopped for a second completely surprised.
Then she smirked.
"Why not make him your boyfriend?"
Aera gasped. "Ma!"
She gave Meera Auntie a playful push on the shoulder, both of them laughing.
Then they left together, heading home.
As they stepped into the house, it was quiet.
Like always.
Her parents were off with their business work, meetings, calls, and their forever-busy schedules.
The silence was heavy.
But Meera Auntie smiled, placing her bag down. "Don't worry. They'll come back soon."
Aera gave a small smile. "Ma, I'm going to wash myself. Please prepare food."
"Of course," Meera Auntie said warmly. "I already planned your favorite."
And like that, Aera walked to her room, comforted not by the walls of her home, but by the presence of one person who always made her feel seen.
After washing up, Aera came downstairs, her hair slightly damp, the scent of her usual shampoo trailing behind her.
Meera Auntie had already set the table.
"Come, eat before it gets cold," she said with a smile.
Aera sat down quietly and ate warm food, simple but comforting. Just the way she liked it.
Once she finished, she thanked Meera Auntie with a sleepy smile. "It was perfect, Ma."
"Now go rest. You've been studying too hard," Meera Auntie said, brushing her hand over Aera's hair.
Aera yawned, nodded, and went back upstairs to her room. She changed, curled into bed, and within minutes, she was fast asleep.
Hours later, the front door clicked open. Her parents finally came back.
Meera Auntie met them at the hallway.
"She's already asleep," she told them softly.
Her mother set down her purse and asked, "Did she eat?"
"Yes," Meera Auntie replied.
"Mm. You can leave now," her mother said.
Meera auntie hesitated for a moment, her eyes flicking upstairs, then nodded and quietly walked out.
Left alone, her parents sat on the sofa, still dressed in work clothes, still tethered to their phones.
Her mother sighed, rubbing her temples. "I'm worried about her. Her body's getting weaker again. Her eyes looked tired this morning."
Her father scoffed. "She's not a child anymore. If she wants to study so badly, she should deal with the consequences. We can't keep babying her."
"But she's sick—"
"We all have problems. She has to learn the world won't stop for her."
Silence stretched like a heavy curtain between them. No more words. Just the hum of the air conditioner, and the weight of a daughter they never quite understood.
Upstairs, Aera slept.
Alone.