The One
The One
The One
It was another busy day at the mall where shoppers go about, having last minute shopping for Christmas. In the midst of the crowd, a worried looking woman, carrying a few shopping bags, wandered around as if looking for someone. She searched here and there, occasionally stopping to ask someone passing by showing them a picture of someone. She suddenly stopped in her tracks as something caught her eye, before running as fast as she could towards the center of the shop she was in where a little boy stood beside a Christmas tree. She hugged the little boy as worried thoughts slowly eased off from her mind. “Jaejin, are you ok? Where did you go off to? I was looking all over for you! Didn’t I tell you to always stay by my side? Omo, I can’t forgive myself if something ever happens to you. Do not do this ever again, arraseo?” She expressed great relief as she looked him through then hugging him again, tears falling from her eyes.
The little boy was crestfallen as he watched the woman fuss around. He reached out his hand to touch her face wet with tears.
“Mama…” was all he could utter at his age trying to comfort her.
“Lun…” The man beside the boy uttered in surprise looking at her.
The woman finally looked away from the boy and gazed at the man who spoke her name. She hadn’t noticed him when she rushed over. She knew that voice very well.
“Hong ki…” She gasped as he recognized him. She picked up the stuff she dropped then turned hastily to go but he stopped her.
“Wait, where are you going? I’ve looked everywhere for you. What happened? Why did you suddenly disappear two years ago?” he asked. He didn’t really know how to start. He didn’t understand why and what happened.
Lun looked helplessly at him. She didn’t expect to see him again. She started to panic. She looked at her son in her arms. The child looked from one adult to the other.
“Is--- is he your son?” he continued.
The woman could only nod, her lips trembling. She couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t bear to.
“I have to go. I’m sorry.” She started to leave again.
“No. Now that I finally found you, I’m not letting you go.” He said firmly despite his confusion. He wondered who the kid was and why she was acting like this.
At that moment, the child reached out his hands to the man.
“Appa.” The child uttered smiling, showing his two front teeth.
Both of them was startled and taken aback.
“Jaejin ah…” Lun looked at him wide-eyed with astonishment. She didn’t expect him to remember what she told him whenever she showed him a picture of Hong ki. Not now.
“A--Appa? Is--- is he our son?” he asked bewildered shifting his gaze from Lun to the boy. He had found the boy, all alone, looking at the Christmas toys hanging on the tree. He felt drawn to him so he approached. Was this the connection?
“Yah, tell me the truth. Why aren’t you saying something?” he pressed on, his heart beating faster with every second that passed in silence.
“I….He…” she stuttered. She didn’t know whether to tell him or not. In the end she simply nodded, her tears starting to well up. She couldn’t deny it anymore. It was time.
“He’s my son… He’s ours…” he took Jaejin in his arms. She just handed the kid to him. He caressed the kid’s face then pulled her and the kid into his embrace. Enormous happiness and relief flooded him as he shed happy tears. After all the searching and hoping, he finally found what he’d been looking for.
“I’m sorry… I really am…” she said in muffled voice under his embrace, her tears freely falling now.
He finally released them, his mind now filling up with questions again.
“I have to know what happened. You have to tell me.” He demanded looking through her eyes.
“I… we can’t talk here.” She said looking around. People were starting to stare. This was expected when you’re with a celebrity, she thought as painful memories started to emerge.
“You’re right. Let’s go to your house.” He agreed and put on a cap.
“What?! Why my house?” she asked wide-eyed.
“I want to know where and how you’ve live. I’m not losing you again especially now.” He answered, shifting his gaze towards his son in his arms.
They gathered their stuff and left hastily amidst the crowd.
*******************
It was late afternoon when they arrived home.
The place was not entirely secluded but not readily accessible either. The space from the gate to the house served as a small front yard and garden. The house had only one storey with two rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a dining room. The walls were brightly painted in yellow and blue stripes.
“This is where you live?” he asked, examining the place and registering in his mind the road they just took. “All this time, you were so close. We didn’t meet ‘til now.”
“You won’t easily find someone who does not want to be found.” She remarked, opening the door and placing the stuff she bought at the table by the kitchen.
“About that, why exactly did you not want to be found, in fact, why did you leave and disappear in the first place?” he asked as he put down his son who ran off to play with one of his toys.
“Ummm…” she started.
“Did you plan to keep my son away from me?” he continued stepping towards her.
“NO! I never did. I didn’t know I was pregnant with him when I left. By that time, I couldn’t turn back anymore.” She clutched her necklace. Her back was against the table.
He saw that the pendant was a gold ring, their wedding ring. She kept it all this time.
He felt for his ring which served as a pendant just like hers. He removed it from his neck as she watched before she too did the same. They replaced it to each other’s ring finger.
She was trembling the whole time, choking up her tears. After all this time, she thought she’d given up on them being together again like this.
He finally wrapped her in his arms in a sweet embrace like there was no need for words. It felt ages since she had this warmth enveloping her entire body.
When he finally let go, he wiped away her tears and leaned in for a kiss but at that moment, someone tugged at her skirt. It was their son looking up at them. They both drop to their son’s height.
“What’s wrong with my baby? Are you hungry already?” she asked. The boy nodded.
“Alright, Mama’s going to cook your favorite. Do you want that?” she asked again. The child answered with an enthusiastic smile and clapped his hands.
“Jaejin ah, Come play with appa while mama cooks dinner, okay?” He said while holding his hand toward the boy.
“I’m looking forward to your cooking. It’s been a while. You still owe me an explanation but for now Jaejin and I will bond, right Jaejin?” He told her before she could say anything carrying Jaejin in his arms and standing up.
***************
“Jaejin, this is also appa’s favorite. Eat a lot okay?” he said in between mouthfuls at the same time giving some to his son as they ate dinner.
“Is he picky with what he eats?” he continued looking at the boy.
“Ani, as long as it’s home cooked and not instant food, he eats well. Always reminds me of someone.” She answered observing both of them eat with much similarity. She used to look at Jaejin eat and wonder if his father was eating well and if she would ever see them eating together. She’s glad that he’s inquiring about what the child is like and taking care of him as he ate. She also wondered if a happy moment like this would last.
“How about you? Are you eating well?” He asked his eyes fixed on her. She didn’t notice him staring at her. He wondered what the distant look was about, she didn’t seem to have eaten much.
“Hmmm? No worries, I’m fine. I enjoy looking at the both of you eat.”
“Aigoo, that won’t do. You have to eat well. Here, eat.” He insisted offering her a spoonful. She reluctantly ate. He continued to serve her more.
Afterwards, he offered to wash the dishes while she prepared Jaejin for bed.
**********
He knocked softly on the bedroom door before entering.
The room, like the outside was also painted in blue and yellow. It had one bathroom on the left side of the room while on the adjacent side was a door leading to a small patio. The usual appliances, T.V., radio etc. was to be found around the room’s premises.
A music box was playing softly to the tune of Pachelbel’s Canon. He instantly recognized it. After all, he was the one who bought it. He remembered how he searched almost every music store for a music box which played the tune she loved.
Just as he remembered her, he turned to see that she was had her eyes closed as she listened to the music, now, while tapping softly on the child’s leg. Their child was already fast asleep, cuddled up beside a large yellow teddy bear with a blue ribbon on its neck, his head resting on its arm.
“Jeremy. You took him with you.” He said after a while. She was startled, she didn’t notice him entering. “Jeremy” was the name she gave to the bear. It was the name of his role in one of his drama series wherein he had dyed his hair golden yellow. She said it was one of her favorites because his character always cheered her up just like the teddy bear.
“Yeah I was able to. It’s one of the few things I could carry with me at the time. It is Jaejin’s favorite as well. He falls asleep much faster with it especially with the music box.” she said trying to recall the painful past.
“You had the time to bring that with you but you couldn’t say anything to me before you left?” He asked, rather hurt.
“SShh. Jaejin might wake up. Come let’s talk over there.” She led him outside to the patio where they sat. “I couldn’t. The point was for you not to be bothered with me anymore.” She continued.
“How can I not be bothered? My wife suddenly disappears without any word.” He said. “What really happened back then? We were fine, we were happy.”
“In our own world, we were happy but there were other people who were also affected. Ever since our marriage was revealed, things changed. Our relationship could’ve jeopardized your career. We were still young at the time; you could still do so much more. I felt that I was hindering you and thus had become a burden. I tried to live with it, tried to do my best, tried to ignore it but I couldn’t. I received messages from a lot of people which just worsened my thoughts. It became difficult to pretend that I was fine, that everything was fine as everyday passed. So when I was told to go Japan for a while just until the issue subsided, I took it as a chance to give you back your life. I know how much you love your work; you’re always passionate about it. It is your dream come true.” She explained.
“Why didn’t you come back then? The issue subsided a long time ago. You suffered and went through all that. Why couldn’t you tell me? You said I love my work, didn’t you ever think that I love you more than anything and everything?” his voice trembled.
“Don’t you see? That’s the point. Just because of me, you’re going to give up everything you’ve worked for and everything others have invested in you. Your family, your company, your fans… I did what I could do at the time. I just never thought that I might never come back to your life again. They said you went abroad to work.” Her tears flowed freely again.
“I went to Japan to look for you for a whole year. I couldn’t find you.”
“I discovered that I was pregnant, I was afraid of what might happen to the baby if I traveled the distance but I couldn’t turn back. I wandered around for some time until I met a nun who offered to take me into the convent. It turned out they had a program for helping mothers-to-be, like me. It was there that I stayed for the whole duration of my pregnancy until I gave birth. The nuns cared for me the whole time and helped me when I got out from their shelter. I was offered a job at a nursery. It was convenient for me because I could watch over Jaejin at the same time earn a living. Then, one of the mothers I befriended offered to rent me this house since she was going to stay with some relatives in the province at the moment. I never intended to keep Jaejin from you. I just never got the courage and chance to tell you.” She narrated then smiled, “We often saw you on T.V., you were doing so well and I thought it was the right thing to do. I couldn’t go back to you now that you’ve made it once again. I always tell Jaejin that you’re his father whenever we see you on T.V or in the photos. I didn’t think he would remember you much more and call you “Appa”. It was one of his first words.”
He was silent for a long time. He felt pathetic. All this time, she was fighting and doing her best for him and their child all by herself. And here he was, being angry for being left behind, thinking that she had found someone new and had forgotten him.
“Ummm. Well that’s my story. Now you know.” She said smiling after a while that he hadn’t said a word but just kept on looking at her. When he still didn’t show any reaction, she tried waving her hands in front of his face but he caught her wrist.
“How can you still smile like that? Just so you know, I feel very pathetic right now. You went through all that and I was of no use. I promised that I would care for you and protect you. You didn’t let me; instead I was the one being protected. You’re always trying to do everything by yourself with everything you’ve got. Whenever you experience some setbacks, you would sulk, eat a lot or shop for a while and then come back with a smile again. You seldom show how you really feel inside. Whenever you get mad at someone or something, you play some music or curl up in one corner with a book then you’re feeling fine again. You’re curious about everything that you love to explore and take things apart sometimes not being able to put it back the way it was. You’re a perfectionist but too lazy to finish it like you envisioned because you lose interest in such things too fast and change your mind randomly. You’re usually quiet but you always got a lot to say about things. You love to run even though you’re not in any hurry. You always seem to enjoy what you eat, no matter how simple it is and no matter how many times you’ve had it. Most of all you love to look up at the sky be it night or day.”
She looked up at the sky. It was a moonlit night. The full moon was brightly shining. One reason why she loved to look at the sky was because whenever she looked up she knew that no matter where she may be her love ones were all under the same vast sky, they were never far.
“Nee, did you know, you just fulfilled everything on my wish list?” she said looking back at him smiling despite the joyful tears that had fallen as she listened to him.
“Hmm? What wish list?” he asked wondering what she meant suddenly.
“My wish list. A list I made of the things that I want my destined one to fulfill. I especially made it hard or random. There are only five of them. I mentally check them every time it is fulfilled.” She answered.
“Really? What are those?” he was curious.
“The first was when you taught me to dance the waltz the first time we met at a special gathering of your company. The second was that blue rose tied with a gold ribbon with special messages on it which you gave me each day for seven days before my birthday. The third was on the day of my birthday when you gave me Jeremy. The fourth was on our first anniversary, the music box that I wanted so much. And the last is tonight when you described me as to how you’ve known me, by being with me, by taking note every bit of my character and trying to understand me.”
“I, uh, I guess I’m the ONE. He responded smiling. It reminded him of a song and it played on his mind.
“As long as I’m with you, I can’t go wrong.
Oh baby what you do to me~
You’re the ONE.
I’ve been trying to see you for such a long long time.
Maybe I just have to face that I went out of line.
How I tried to reach you in every way I can.
But it’s hard to find a way to show that I’m your man
When it comes to loving you, all those things that I would do.
Been waiting for this day for far too long.
I never could imagine it so strong.
As long as I’m with you, I can’t go wrong.
Oh baby what you do to me, you’re the ONE.”
He remembered their first meeting, their first dance and everything she has said, he recalled.
She nodded and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for finding us, for everything and for simply being here by my side again.” She felt happier in ages.
“Thank you for everything you did for me, for Jaejin, and for coming back to my life.” he leaned in to kiss her lips this time. They shared their first sweet long kiss since two years ago.
“Do you remember our first night?” he asked after a moment for air.
“Yes, why?” she wondered.
“The moon was shining wonderfully just like tonight.” He kissed her passionately again before she could reply then Jaejin stirred up crying. They broke their kiss and went back inside to their son’s side.
“Looks like Jaejin doesn’t want a younger sibling just yet.” She remarked, they both laughed. Jaejin started to cry again as if he knew what his parents were laughing about.
“Sshh, mama’s here.” She tried to hush him back to sleep.
“Appa’s here.” He added.
“Nee, sing him the song you use to sing for me.”
“Alright.” He cleared his throat.
“I hear you breathe, you’re lying close to me.
The shadow’s gone, I can find my peace.
You make me calm; with you I’m safe from harm.
And right by your side, I’ll stand through the night ‘til eternity.
That’s the way it will be.
And I wonder what you’re dreaming of; you’re so peaceful when you sleep.
Everything I want, everything I need is right here in front of me.
And if I ever lose my power to fly, then your love takes me high.
I’ll always be true to you.
Sometimes I think I might lose it all ‘cause the chance is so small.
‘Cause you’ll hold me close, I feel you near.
Don’t let go, say you’ll always be here.
Just hold me tight and I’ll be fine.
Dreaming, you will always be mine~”
“Goodnight, the both of you. Sweet dreams.” He kissed his family goodnight and placed a blanket over them. He chuckled at how fast she could still sleep whenever he sang that song to her.
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