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I hope you still remember your interpretation of the song I gave you from the previous chapter and let me know if your hunch was correct.

Thank you so much to Um_what, Dhei_oktv31, Unbelieveablenot, AmberSykes, gottwicepink, HeoStelar123456, ZekkenKryberLiu and greenoak113 for the new upvotes. I really appreciate the upvotes, fellows. xD

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Chapter 12:

"Strangely Attached"

…Years ago…

“I’m sorry boy, but she’s gone.” The doctor said while patting the shoulder of the young Chaeyoung.

He knew the line was meant to console his numb emotion, sadly his heart did not even bother to listen. All his hazy eyes can behold is the scene where the nurse is slowly covering the cold body of the most important person in his life with a white bed sheet. The doctors and nurses tried to revive the patient, however, leukemia cut her salvation.

“He is too young to lost his mom, I pity him.” A nurse murmured while following the doctor outside.

Once the door was locked, the child finally abandoned his will to forbid his tears. In silence and with silence, he let those fluid represents the howling beneath his shattered heart. He won’t let somebody’s ears to hear his lament, not because he is afraid to have the title of a weak infant but his mind is wailing something else.

Don’t worry Mom, I will follow you. Just wait for me, I will be there.

It might look like an unpleasant scheme that most people could have in their minds, but for a child whose life centers towards his mom, it was simply following her in another dimension of the world.

Then he took something out of his pocket, his phone. He picked a classic song, set it up on a repetitive mode and put on the small table near the death bed of his mom. The song is his mom’s favorite, he clearly remembers how his mom kept playing it over and over again. Although it’s a Russian song, he knows the meaning behind it and knows exactly the reason why his mom loves that certain music.

The song was entitled “I asked the Ash Tree.” He pushed the play button, and sat in the chair beside the bed. Hearing only the intro of the song already brought his eyes into tears. He closed his eyes and go back to that memory, when his mom explain to him the meaning of the lyrics.

(This part will explain Chaeyoung’s action towards Mina, and his concept about true love.)

[Flashback...]

“Mom, I don’t understand the song.” His mother who’s feeling each verse of the lyrics opened her eyes to observe her innocent son.

“Do you…” Her voice was gruff. “…do you want me to translate it in English?”

“Yes, please.” The boy was confused seeing his mother formed a smile on her lips yet her eyes deployed hushed tears.

(She pressed the rewind button on her mp3 player. For every stanza, the mom paused the song and translate each line. The child was meticulously listening.)

.

.

.

I asked the Ash tree,“Where is my beloved?”

The Ash tree didn’t answer me, shaking its head

So I asked the Poplar, “Where is my beloved?”

The Poplar only covered me with its autumn leaves

So I asked the autumn,“Where is my beloved?”

Autumn only answered me with the pouring rain

So I ask the rain,“Where is my beloved?”

For a long rain has been pouring its tears outside my window.

So I asked the crescent moon, “Where is my beloved?”

The crescent moon hid underneath a cloud, didn’t answer me

So I asked the cloud,“Where is my beloved?”

But the cloud only melted in the blue skies

My only friend I’m asking you, where is my beloved?

Tell me where she’s hiding, do you know where she is?

My loyal friend answered me, so honestly he answered me

She was your beloved, once was your beloved

She was your beloved, but became my wife

.

.

.

“I still can’t understand it, Mom.”

The mother genuinely smiled this time. Held his cheeks, and fixed his messy hair as she inquire.

“CY, what was the question asked by the singer?”

“He’s asking, where is his beloved?”

“And to whom he asked it?”

“Uhmmm… to ash and poplar trees, rain, autumn, moon, cloud and… then his friend, his loyal friend. That was actually the peculiar part, why would he ask it to those things first, when he could have directly asked his friend?”

But instead of a giving an immediate response, the mother asked once again.

“Except to his loyal friend, what were the replies of the others?”

“Nothing, they did nothing but gave tons of excuses.”

“And why do you think that person asked those things? He surely knows that they can’t answer back.”

“Uhmmm…“ Chaeyoung being a smarty, figured it out in a snap. ”…because he knew the answer, but he was denying it. He can’t accept a fact that is too much for him… to bear????”

“What do you think is the answer that he doesn’t want to hear?”

“It was the answer of his loyal friend, that the beloved he keep searching, became the wife of his loyal friend.”

“So who do you think was the friend?”

The child was stuck with the last question. He had memorized all the verses yet there wasn’t a named mentioned in the lyrics.

“Mom, it only stated as a loyal friend, no name was given.”

“It was a metaphor, CY.”

The hint was given, now he only need to connect the dots. Minutes passed by, and silence engaged them until he tossed a wild guess.

“Perhaps, it was the title of the song, his loyal friend was the ash tree. So his beloved became the Ash tree’s wife. And if it’s a metaphor, then that tree represents

…… a place???”

Uncertain about his answer, he looked up to see his mother’s reaction, waiting for another sign that he is decoding the right thing. And his Mom provided the needed gesture, she bobbed.

“And this kind of tree is commonly located in…in cemen.....tery……” His tone dropped. “So his beloved was gone, Mom. He was in the cementery when he asked the question to those things around him, hoping they’ll give him the answer that will oppose the heartbreaking truth that he already knew.“

“As expected, my CY is really smart….” Her smile did not reach her eyes.

“Who is that beloved of yours, Mom?”

She tried avoiding his sunless gaze.

“I knew it’s not Dad, because he’s alive. So it was someone else. Someone you can’t see any longer. That person who has been in your heart for so long. Grown ups called them true love. Although I don’t understand that perspective, I still want to know who was he?”

“It’s not important anymore. It’s part of the past.”

“You’re the same person asking the ash tree Mom, in denial… you can’t shed a tear for someone who’s not important.”

 “Aigoo, are you sure you are a kid, you think so mature? Maybe you are a Philosopher in your past life, I can’t even lie to you.”

Don’t give me that kind of smile, Eomma, when your heart consumed the contrary.

“Mom, please, who is he? What was his name? How did you know he is your true love? Promise, I won’t spill this to Dad.”

He even swears using a cross-my-heart signature. For a couple of minutes, his mother contemplates whether to expose the name or not. Eventually, she can’t decline her son’s puppy eyes.

“Eiji Hase… He was a Japanese. It’s quite funny how his actions contradict the meaning of his name, Eiji mean peace. He was a certified troublemaker, the leader of the gang, a rich kid who can get what he wants and a handsome guy who can make the girls in our university, crazy.”

“Including you?” Chaeyoung tried to uplift the mood by throwing a tease.

“The opposite of it. I’m his number one hater. That troublemaker pissed me everyday and everywhere. And I hate his guts the most.”

“Just like Tom and Jerry?”

“Yes, you can say that.”

“Huh? So where’s the true love in that? If you wanted to choke each other.” Her lips formed a beam, a genuine one, this time.

“That’s the wonder of love, such a mystery. One night, in my second year, I was on my way home when it rained heavily. I took a shelter in the nearest waiting shed, unfortunately a bastard was with me at that moment. He tried to harass me ually, but then…”

“He came and rescued you, right?” The mom dipped her head.

“Later I found out that he always followed me, making sure that I’m home safe and sound. He was also the one who gave me chocolates secretly, so that I won’t fall asleep in the class, telling me that I’m such a sleepyhead. And that he bugs me in order to earn my attention.”

“Aww, so sweet.” The child couldn’t help but to smile seeing how his mom giggled while telling the story. “So you dated after that night?”

“No, it didn’t happen.”

“WHat? Then how can you say that he was your true love, if there’s no exchange of I love you’s just like what I saw in series and movies.”

“Yes, no one said that words between us, but that certain feeling exist within us.”

“Feeling???”

“The soul’s connection…”

“Soul’s connection?” Young Chaeyoung furrowed his brow.

“No one can really explain it, but you can feel it when you found that someone.”

“Why can’t explain that certain connection?”

“Uhm.. it was like this, have you ever experience detesting someone without a proper basis? I mean you only saw this person for the first time