“When the water has run dry, sit and watch for the rising clouds.” 

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THE BATTLE OF HEARTS

Requested by NamCheruru  (sorry if this is not fluffy romatic date story, hopefully you can still enjoy it)

PART 1

“Promenade Plantee... I wonder if I said it correctly?” She mumbled while sitting under a big tree. She checked on her aching ankle absent mindedly, didn’t really know what  she  should do. She knew she must get some help somehow, but the fact she wasn’t in a place where Hangul is understandable and her limited English also not helping; made her felt lost,

“Well... I am literary lost...,” she muttered to herself and flinched a little bit when she poked on her right ankle, “.... aissh what have I put myself into...”

She looked around her surounding, hoping to see someone passed by, but ‘Promenade  Plantee’ was a huge place and pretty quiet at this early hour, especially when it was not on holiday peak. The summer breeze quietly rustling the leaves of the trees,  humming of bees  were dancing between the flowers, the sky was bright blue, and the  soft scent of flowers and sun lingering; Ji Eun took a deep breath and she chuckled a little bit. She was lost and injured in the middle of a big park in a country that she couldn’t speak the langguage, but here she was feeling somehow peaceful. All the mess and problems she had, was somehow felt like behind her. She knew they still exist and soon or later she got to face them, but for now she just wanted to be covered by the quietness and peace of the place. Her phone suddenly buzzed for the nth time, she just checked on it without picking it up. The screen was black eventhough it buzzed and vibrated, it had probably broken because of the fall.

“He must be worried like crazy...,”  she said to herself, she huffed and closed her eyes. Her eyebrows gathered in a frown and she bit her shaking lower lips to hold the tears were peeping on her eye corners. She didn’t really know if she wanted him to find her or not. Every sane people would have said that she should wish for him to find her; considering her condition, but to be honest... the very reason why she was lost, fell and hurt her ankle was him. She wished she didn’t hear his conversation on the phone by accident. These two days were supposed their get away where they could gathered strength before going back to their real life situation.

“I am sorry... I know, It is all my fault... not her. We will return tomorrow. Please... understand? This will be our last time... together.”  His each words echoed in her mind loud and clear.

‘What does he mean with our last time together? Is he giving us up? After everything? I thought he said that he will fight till the end?’

Her phone buzzed again; startled her from her messy mind. This time she took it and tried to punch any button that exist, anything... in hope that it fixed the blackscreen; but as predicted nothing works.  She put it back next to her. She dusted her white skirt that sort of spoiled after her fall and carefully pulled her leg together. She hugged her legs and sighed while watching the sky.

“T'es d'accord, mademoiselle?” a kind and wise voice pulled her attention back. Ji Eun turned her head towards the source of voice. A sweet ederly woman was standing not too far away from her; smiling and was looking at her with a concerned look.

“Sorry, no French,” Ji Eun quickly answered. She tried to stand up, but her aching ankle betrayed her, and made her groaned in pain.

“Oh are you hurt?,” the lady moved closer and checked on her worriedly.

“Yes... and lost,” Ji Eun smiled sheepishly.

The lady started to ask a lot of question in fast English, Ji Eun was baffled as she tried to understand and answered her question as best as she could. But in the end she gave up and with an apologetic look she just shook her head.

“I am sorry, bad English.”

“Oh... It’s okay dear... Where are you from?” The lady slowed her pace and spoke in clearer pronounciation.

“Korea...”

“Oh my.... korean!” The erderly lady responded in fluent Hangul; her green eyes twinkled in excitment, “it has been a while, so please pardon my broken Hangul.”

“No.. No... it is really good actually,” said Ji Eun quickly. She felt a wash of relieve started to fill her heart.  

“That’s  a relieve,” she smiled kindly, “so did you hurt your ankle miss?”

“Yes, I think it is sprained after I fell.”

The sweet lady came closer to check on her right ankle, “I think it is not so bad, just not sure you can walk out of this place alone with it. Are you here alone?”

“No... I was with my... uhm boyfriend,” Ji Eun answered awkwardly.

It felt funny to her to actually say it casually that she has a boyfriend. All this time she was always unable to say it so openly, but it felt good at the same time.

‘When could I just say it this easy that I have a boyrfriend? That he is my boyfriend?’

“Where is he? Why isn’t he around?”

“Well...,” Ji Eun blushed and was at lost on what to say. She thought on saying that they got seperated by accident, but that would be a lie. Before she could weave a sentence to answer the lady, her phone decided to scream again; surprising both of them. She just glanced at her vibrated phone, didn’t know what to do.

“Why don’t you answer it, dear? That’s probably him right?” The lady looked at her with a curious look.

“... I can’t ... the phone screen is broken...”

“Oh dear..., that’s bad. Do you want to use my phone instead?” The lady quickly opened her bag and handed her phone to her.

Ji Eun accepted but still