Chapitre Quatorze

>I finished crying in the instant that you left. And I can't remember where or when or how.
 And I banished every memory you and I had ever made.<

He was waiting there, at the table, a now cold mug of coffee in his hands as he stared into space, looking at nothing in particular. One would think that he might be a little bit cracked, seeing how he hadn’t moved since the last half hour. However, no one would ever know that his mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts, bringing him back to the past where all the love began, how it ended, and where he was now.

He never expected to see her again, at least after this long, but this meeting was inevitable. It had to happen, as much as he didn’t like it. He sighed as he shook his head slightly. Was this all fate’s doing? The world was a funny place indeed, and small. Or was this a punishment for him? Out of all the things that could take place, this happened to him instead.

He’d been dreading this day ever since she agreed to meet him, not sounding the least bit excited about the idea as well. He knew meeting him again after almost 30 years was the last thing that the woman would’ve ever wanted to do in her life.

But did they have a choice? No, they didn’t.

He was still staring at nothing when he heard the sound of heels clacking, getting closer to his table. He need not lift his head to know that it was she, for after 30 years; he still knew the aura she had around her each time she walked and carried herself.

“Hello, WooJin.” The woman greeted with no warmth in her voice as she took the seat in front of him before giving him the chance to greet back. She detested this meeting as much as he did, but they both knew it had to be done. Seeing each other again after 30 years wasn’t something both of them were keen of.

“It’s been a while, YoonHe.” WooJin said, taking in the sight of the woman in front of him, who once used to mean so much more than just a mere stranger.

YoonHe looked back at him; no smile was on her face as she placed both her hands on the table. Poised as ever, she was. That was one thing about her that would never change, and he used to love her for it.

“It certainly has. You haven’t changed a bit.” YoonHe said, trying to form a friendly smile but her lips found it hard to lift upwards, as she remembered what happened 30 years ago. It wasn’t something that she could easily forget, unfortunately.

“Neither do you.” WooJin stated. “How have you been as of late?” He couldn’t help but to ask. As much as he wished to get to the point straight away, he thought it would probably be nice of him to ask how she was doing lately, considering that they hadn’t kept in touch ever since 30 years ago.

And he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to be in touch with her.

YoonHe shrugged as an answer and crossed her arms. “As you can see, I am fine and healthy, just as how you left me years ago. So, your family’s doing fine too, I suppose?”

Her answer caught him a little bit off guard, and he quickly recovered his composure. Something told him that they might be having that conversation again at this very table today.

“Yes, they’re all well, thank you. Yours?” He asked.

“My twins are adults now, the same as your children, I would think. My husband left me when they were four, and so I focused on work.” YoonHe casually explained, and a brief look of regretful passed over WooJin’s face. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

YoonHe chuckled bitterly, and shook her head. “I guess I will forever be a fool when it comes to men. Might as well live on my own with my two children. Men will end up only leaving me, though I believe I’ve tried everything I could to be as best as I can.”

WooJin sighed softly and looked away. “You know why I did what I did back then.”

“Oh yes, you fell out of love, and that it was because I was too busy. You thought there would be no happiness between us that we can achieve.” She was too nonchalant about it that it made his heart hurt. Tendrils of guilt began to coil inside his heart as they were both brought back to those days three decades ago.

“I thought that you would understand that I gave my all to my career because I wished for us to live happily, in a happy house and there would be no worry for money. I never wanted us to worry about money, considering how hard it was for the both of us to eat when we were little. Both our families were poor. I didn’t want us to live that kind of life again.” YoonHe reminisced with a frown, thinking back those times when she was trying to climb her way up to make a change in her life, their lives.

“Yes, I did understand.” WooJin agreed. “But you were too focused on it that you started to miss out all the big and important things in our lives. I was working, and I knew that I could support our family when we got married but it didn’t seem enough for you. You were somehow scared that if in any case should I lose my job, things would get difficult and that was why you chose to work.”

“I was just being ready for the things that we didn’t know might happen.” She opposed. “I told you time and again that what I did was for us, everything I did was for us but you refused to understand that. And while I was out there trying to make sure we had a better life, you fell in love with another woman instead.”

“You cannot put the blame on me.” WooJin protested. “It was getting harder to see you. You didn’t answer my calls, you forgot our birthdays, and other major things, and each time I wanted to take you for a meal, you always had a meeting you needed to go to. Things drifted between us after we’d stopped talking for weeks. You left me alone while trying to make your way up to the top, YoonHe. I was alone, and I was starting to think whether that was all worth it. And I knew that love had already been lost by the time the two of us chose to get married.”

YoonHe said nothing, only staring at the table blankly. WooJin knew that she disagreed, he knew that look anytime, even though it had been so long. YoonHe was a strong woman, and she held onto her opinions so strongly too. But she cannot put all the blame on him about what had happened between them. Yes, he was wrong for falling in love with another woman, but that was because he couldn’t feel the passion and adoration the two of them used to have any longer, ever since YoonHe was so determined to be a success in the business world.

And WooJin was well aware that if they didn’t end this conversation now, it would not be over, and they wouldn’t get the chance to discuss the real matter at hand.

He took a deep breath as he decided to go straight to the point, no use in dragging one’s feet for much longer. He knew they both hated to be there, so might as well end their suffering quickly. “I suppose by now you are already aware of the serious matter we both have in common, as of right now.” He began, and YoonHe raised an eyebrow as a small smirk formed on her face. She knew what he meant.

“I suppose I do.” YoonHe replied, looking at the crowd in the restaurant with no interest, simply because she wanted to avoid looking at the man sitting across from her. “It’s regarding our children. And I want it to be solved very soon.”

“That makes the two of us.” WooJin agreed. “I couldn’t have my son being attached to your daughter any longer. He’s getting fond of her each passing day.”

“And I refused to have my daughter being a fool for yours, especially since he’s your son.” YoonHe countered, and her next statement caused WooJin to frown in somewhat anger. “I don’t want her heart to be broken the same way you did mine, WooJin.”

“Have care how you speak, YoonHe.” WooJin said in gritted teeth. “What happened between us stays between us. I don’t want them to be together because I don’t want things to be harder for all of us, for both of our families, considering our relationship years ago.”

“Oh, your reason is different than mine.” YoonHe smirked. “I don’t trust your son. That is my reason. Besides, the apple falls not far from the tree, yes. Who knows if he’s going to act the same as his father did?”

“MyungSoo is his own person.” WooJin said. “Do not judge who he is just because he is my son and what I used to do. I am doing this because I want to keep my family happy. Things would get bad if word about us is out, and both our children wouldn’t be happy either if they both know their parents were once lovers.”

YoonHe laughed somberly, and she shook her head in disbelief.  “Oh, things would go wrong indeed. Though to be honest, I don’t mind if they find out. It makes things a little bit easier, wouldn’t it? But I guess there is the matter of your wife. I don’t suppose she knows, does she?”

She took WooJin’s muteness as an answer, and she shook her head again. “I presume she doesn’t, and I don’t t