Twenty Years Later

Dara

“I am very excited about this Dara. This place is amazing! Seunghyun and Bom’s wedding is going to be like a fairytale that comes alive!” CL gushed.

I am currently sitting in a limousine with my best friend who couldn’t stop gushing about the village that Bom lives in. We landed to Korea just 2 hours before this limo ride from the States to attend Bom and Seunghyun’s wedding.

I love two people in my life. They are Bom and CL. And I couldn’t share my nervousness and sadness about this place and ruin CL’s moment. Therefore, I just nodded and looked over the window and clenched my fists until my nails are embedded on my palms as I remember the pain this village has brought me.

The day that Jiyong has left me was the same day I left Korea for good. My father was true to his words. The week after I broke Jiyong’s heart was full of grief and devastation. Three days after I left Korea, I barged in to my father’s office and begged once again. I told him how Jiyong is not just a “taxi driver” and I loved him very much. I told him that I will fly back to Korea to marry him. However, just like three days before, it all went to waste. He lifted up his right hand and swing it towards my face. It brought me to the sides and still not back to my senses, I felt another pain from the same cheeks as my father striked me again. My father has hit me seventeen times throughout my life and adding two to that makes it nineteen. He has hit me multiple times, but he has not done it twice in a row. I was left bereft and uncollected. I was a coward. I learned from my mistakes and I never brought Jiyong up again.

I lived through this abuse until I graduated from college. He did not only abuse me physically, but verbally as well. Sometimes, it would take him hours and hours in telling me how disgraceful I am. He made me feel unworthy. Through all of this, I learned how to tune out and numbed myself away from his continuous tirade. And all I could think about is that Jiyong deserved better.

Three weeks after I broke up with Jiyong, I received a call that Bom suffered from a car accident. Seunghyun was driving and they were hit by a drunk driver. Seunghyun was not severely injured, but was left with bruises and scratches. However, Bom has suffered greatly from the accident that lead her to break up with Seunghyun. Seunghyun did not stop Bom from breaking up with him because he felt that it was all his fault whereas Bom, who still loved Seunghyun, was too stubborn to tell him so.

I tried to Bom into getting back with Seunghyun a week after they’ve broken up.

“Dara looked at me. Seunghyun is like a freaking god, and look at me.” Bom screamed. “I gave a big ing scar on my face and I cannot even walk