C.13

 

 

Chaerin sitting in her desk alone, all her office mates are already went home so the lights are reduced. Her fiancée, So Hyuk won’t drive her home today because he has some meeting for photoshoot, so she brought her car this morning.

She decided to stay at the office longer after what happened today.

She met Jiyong again.

Chaerin sighed.

The picture of Jiyong left the gallery with the sad eyes and a broken smile in his face broke her heart. But she knew there’s no option for them, their story’s ended.

Chaerin looking at her phone home screen picture, a photo of her and So Hyuk.

“I choose him, so I gotta stick with him…” she murmured, “I gotta choose someone who treat me best.”

But the she remember during the time she was together with Jiyong, he treated her like a queen, he was so perfect.

“Arrgh!! Why??? Why he must come back now???” she pulled her hair in frustration and jump a little when her phone rang.

Unknown number

“h-hello?”

“I shouldn’t said congratulation… I shouldn’t—I am not happy for you… Chae… I’m not happy…” the voice across the line is obviously drunk, but she immediately knew who is it.

“J-jiyong oppa?”

“I love you… and you know you love me too—you shouldn’t do that to me… to us…”

“Oppa, where are you??”

“Hotel—“ and the phone call hung.

 

Chaerin feel her heart beats faster, “… what should I do?”

She pressed her boss’s number.

“Sir… I am sorry to call you in this hour, but… I need to ask Mr. Kwon’s hotel address… he… he left some catalogs he needs… I’m gonna sent a courier to give him those…”

Not long after her boss text her the hotel address.

 

Chaerin doesn’t know whether its right or wrong but she find herself driving to Y hotel where Jiyong stay. She runs to the lobby.

“Excuse me.” She asked the receptionist.

“May I help you ma’am?”

“May I know the room number of Mr. Kwon Jiyong?”

“Oh I’m afraid that we can’t reveal our guests room number to other parties, ma’am, I’m sorry.”

Chaerin sighed.

“What about the pub? Or the hotel bar?” she asked.

“Its in 20th floor ma’am.”

She walks into the hotel bar and she was right, she found him sitting alone in a table near the big glass window facing the city.

“Jiyong oppa…”

He lifted his head.

“Chae…” he stood up but then stumble.

Chaerin catches him, “you’re so drunk.”

“Chae… I miss you.” He pulled her to his embrace.

“You should go back to your room and rest.” She said.

She helped him getting to elevator and help him walking to his room. She opened the room door and sat him on the couch.

“Oppa don’t be like this, this make me sad…” she said.

“Chae…” he took her hand, “don’t leave.”

Chaerin gulped.

“I know you’re engaged, but please… stay with me tonight, just for one last night, Chae…” he raised.

His eyes pierced deep into hers, swimming in her dark brown eyes. His palm caressing her hair, his thumb smoothing across her soft cheek.

“Please…” he whispers.

Jiyong’s eyes going down, looking at Chaerin’s lips.

“Don’t you miss me?” he asked.

Chaerin lost her ability to speak but her heart screaming of how much she misses him.

“Don’t you miss us…?” he went closer to her.

Tears stream down her face, “There’s no single day passes without me thinking about us…” she murmured.

He tilted his head and close his eyes, his lips aiming on her lips.

He tried to kiss her.

Chaerin push him away.

“Don’t.” she panted. “I can’t… you—you can’t…”

She saw his eyes flooded by disappointment.

“I’m sorry…” she murmured.

“Chaerin, just one last kiss…” he said, “I can’t let you go just like that, Chae, I told you… I lied when I said I’m happy for you cause I’m not!”

“You just congratulates me, oppa, you never said you’re happy for me…” she said.

“I said it! But I didn’t mean it!”

“You didn’t… you only congratulates me.” Chaerin pushed him further.

“I don’t even want to congratulate you!! I’m broken, Chae, my heart’s broken! What did I do wrong ‘till you moved on this fast, Chae?? I don’t deserves this.”

Chaerin shock, “Oppa, I don’t deserves this too, I’ve been fighting against myself for months, I’ve been crying all night without knowing what’s actually happened. I tried to search for you, I left messages to you, I didn’t changed my number so you can call me, but you didn’t.”

Jiyong paused, he never knew that, he just asked Seungri and Youngbae and they both only answer that she’s in Japan, he didn’t try harder.

Tears falling from his eyes, he scoffed, “you’re right... I don’t deserves you, I didn’t try harder to find you… Chae I’m…” He looked down.

Chaerin bit her lip.

He lifted his head and looking at her, “But give me just one last chance to be with you, Chae… then I will let you go, I promise…”

“Oppa,” she look straight into his eyes, “you must know that I still have strong feelings towards you. One kiss will not enough, and one night will lead to other nights… and I can’t, I can’t do this to So Hyuk oppa… I choose him and he’ll be the one for me. So let’s just end it now.”

Jiyong sighed, tears are falling.

“This is the end?”

“I’m sorry, oppa…”

 

+

 

The next day Chaerin received email during the lunchtime.

 

Kwon Ji Yong

Dear Chaerin, the detail of furniture I choose is attached, looking forwards for the invoice and shipment details.

I’m sorry for not able to discuss it with you directly since I’m already back to Seoul this early morning.

Best regards,

KJY

 

Ps. I’m sorry for what happened, I hope it won’t happen again in the future. I know you deserve a good life, I’m wishing lots of happiness for you and I mean it this time.

Pss. Don’t forget to send me you wedding invitation, I will try to come and congratulates you in person.

 

Her heart pounding hard to read that.

“Jiyong…” she murmured, “Anyeong…”

 

+

 

So Hyuk parked his car in front of the gallery where his fiancée, Chaerin worked, last time he saw her was two days a go, when Jiyong is suddenly appear, he was waiting for her to say a word, but she hasn’t brought up the topic.

He release a heavy sighed.

 

Flash back

Two days a go.

 

So Hyuk left the gallery, left Chaerin and Jiyong, he believes Chaerin will solve the problem and he’s ready to accept any decision she made. Suddenly her colleague called him.

“So Hyuk-kun, someone’s looking for you.”

He was surprised to see that man, Kwon Jiyong, waiting for him at the lobby.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Lee So Hyuk-ssi… I’m Kwon Jiyong.”

“I know who you are.” He said.

Jiyong paused, “Then, can I talk to you?”

They sat in coffee shop in front of his office building.

“How do you find me?” So Hyuk asked.

“Not very difficult…” Jiyong said.

So Hyuk took one deep breathe, “Okay, Jiyong-ssi, how can I help you?”

“It’s about Lee Chaerin.”

So Hyuk’s heart skipped a beat, “What about my fiancée?” he stressed on that words.

He saw Jiyong gulped, “yes… about that…So Hyuk-ssi, do you love her as much as I do?” he suddenly asked.

So Hyuk startled, “I… yes, I love her.”

Jiyong paused, and then he said, “I love her so much, very much. And even there’s some incidents that made our relationship seems difficult, I never love her less.”

So Hyuk looking at him sharply, “Ok, so—“

“She told me clearly that she engaged to you now, and here I am right now, not to asked you to give her back to me, I won’t do that cause she’s not even mine anymore.” He said, “I’m here to make sure that you will love her with all your heart, more than yourself, and you’re willing to make her happy for the rest of her life. To always make her smile and never make her cry. Can you do that?”

So Hyuk stunned.

“because that’s what I’m gonna do if I was in your shoes.” Jiyong continued.

“I will.” So Hyuk said.

He could see his sad eyes but Jiyong immediately change it into a smile.

“Thank you… Congratulation for the engagement and I’m happy for you.”

 

End of flashback

 

 

+

 

 

She went off the office and saw So Hyuk—as usual—waiting for her at the parking lot of the studio.

“Hey…” he said.

Chaerin smiled. “Hey…”

So Hyuk peek on her from the corner of his eyes.

“Everything’s okay?”

“yeah, just busy taking care of some invoices, and so on…”