Thirteen
Remnants Of The Heart
banner by leah
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She tried stopping the tears but they just won’t stop. It was like a dam of water, endless and continuous. There was this beating pain inside her chest that she wanted to stop as well but she just couldn’t figure out. She couldn’t even understand why she’s behaving the way she was right now. So what if he left her? He did nothing but annoy her so why waste the tears?
There was this part of her that answered - the selfish and needy part of her saying that she needed him as Seunghyun couldn’t really defend her from Minwoo. If there was one person who could stand up against that guy, it would probably be Jiyong. Catching herself, she shook her head. She should not be thinking of Seunghyun and Jiyong in those ways. It wasn’t right to do so.
Going back to the house, she threw herself to the bed, pulled up the covers and continued crying. Whether she liked it or not, she needs Jiyong in order for her to survive. He’s more experienced in dealing rough situations compared to Seunghyun and Seunghyun’s just too. . . gentle to kill someone and she would not really want his hands to be tainted with violence. As for Jiyong. . .
The thought of Jiyong brought a stabbing ache in her chest again that it brought up heavier tears. She mentally scolded herself for being so selfish and needy but that did not stop the tears from coming. It went on like that until she finally fell asleep.
Dara woke with a start when she heard a door opened and closed followed by footsteps. She curled in a ball, thinking Seunghyun must have arrived. She closed her eyes and silently hoped that he would not check on her or pull the covers off of her. She could still feel the traces of tears down her cheeks and she could bet that her nose was rosy red from too much crying right now. Her heart thundered inside her chest. She couldn’t understand why was she so nervous in having Seunghyun know that she cried because Jiyong left. That would be awkward.
She waited for him to come near her but nothing happened. She only heard a chair being dragged then silence. A grumble in her stomach made her bit her lower lip. When her stomach grumbled again, she took a deep sigh before slowly sitting up. She looked around and found no one. The chair was in the dining area, with some paper bags placed on top of it. A small frown appeared in her face until at her peripheral vision, she saw a shadow of a person. Her head instantly turned to the direction and her eyes widened upon seeing who it was. Her reaction was instant and certain. She jumped off of the bed and ran to him. Not giving him the chance to stop her, she threw her arms around him and closed her eyes, taking in his familiar scent - danger and safety.
“You came back,” she breathed. Relief washed over her like a tidal wave.
But then, Jiyong took her arms off of him and pushed her away. Without even looking at her, he walked away and went to the dining area where he started making his revolver shiny again. Dara was not able to stop the hurt from spreading through her system.
“Where have you been?” she asked as she went after him.
He didn’t respond.
“You shouldn’t be leaving just like that without any explanation!” she went on but he did nothing but remain silent. “Look, I’m sorry if –”
The door opened and Seunghyun came in. “Hey, sorry if it took me longer than –” he started but stop upon seeing the scene in front of him. a small smile was about to curve his lips but he stopped it, instead a small chuckle vibrated inside him. “Jiyong, have you been wiping that gun nonstop?”
“What do you think?” he answered.
Frustration and annoyance filled Dara’s face and Seunghyun could not help but adore her. “You,” he said, nodding at Dara. “Come here.”
Dara gave Jiyong one last look before going to Seunghyun. He held her in his arms as he whispered, “I missed you.”
Jiyong then snorted. “She cried all day, waiting for you.”
“You did?” Seunghyun asked.
“I did not!” Dara said, addressing Jiyong.
“Yes, she did,” Jiyong answered Seunghyun. It irked Dara more as obviously, he’s trying to ignore her existence.
“Awww,” Seunghyun smiled. “Dara. . . did you miss me that much?”
Dara was so annoyed that she only frowned at Seunghyun.
“I did say, I’m coming back, right?” he softly said. “Come here, you little sweet thing,” he added in a murmur and pulled her in for a hug. Maybe she was just being sensitive or maybe her senses were perked up because she could swear she heard Jiyong sighed.
“By the way,” Jiyong then said, his back still on them. “I’m leaving but I’ll leave the car with you.”
Dara pulled away from Seunghyun and faced Jiyong’s back. “Wh. . . what do you mean you’re leaving?”
With a sigh, Jiyong stood up and faced them, more of faced Seunghyun as he totally directed his gaze on him. “I think it would be best if we go our separate ways from now on.”
“You can’t just leave like that!” Dara said but Jiyong kept his gaze on Seunghyun.
Seunghyun was frowning. “Well. . . with regards to that, we might have a problem.”
“And why is that?”
“I just took time to go here to inform you guys that I might be gone for a few days.”
“Why?” Dara turned to him.
“My mom’s in the hospital right now,” he solemnly said. “She’s in a bad shape and. . . I really don’t want to leave you here, if it’s not for your safety, I would bring you with me but I can’t afford to lose the two most important women in my life at the same time.”
“Seunghyun, I. . .”
“The doctor said it’s just a matter of time. . .”
“I’m sorry. . .” she said and hugged him.
Jiyong looked away, a small sarcastic smile curving his mouth. “I don’t see that as a problem with my departure.”
The two separated again. Seunghyun hesitated for a moment but then decided to just ignore his pride. “I need someone to look after Dara.”
“Why don’t you just ask one of your friends to do that?”
Seunghyun shook his head. “I need someone who’s capable of protecting her.”
“And why should I do you a favor, hmmm? I think I’ve already done enough.”
Dara balled her fists. For some reason she can’t understand, she finds the thought of him leaving quite disturbing and annoying. “If you want to leave, just go ahead and leave! I don’t care! We don’t need you here! I’m more than capable of protecting myself!” she suddenly burst out. Still, Jiyong kept her gaze steadily on Seunghyun. Dara was on the verge of crying again and that would be awkward, not to say pathetic.
“Dara. . .” Seunghyun whispered. He then glanced up at Jiyong. “Give us a minute.” He steered Dara away from Jiyong’s earshot. “What is going on?” he asked. “Just a while back, I wanted him to leave but you didn’t want to so I didn’t argue with you.”
“He annoys me to death! He’s irresponsible, stoic and. . . and. . . . annoying!”
Seunghyun’s eyes narrowed. “Did something happen while I was gone?”
“Did something happen?” Dara echoed sarcastically. “Huh! He went all alpha male with me and when I fought him, he walked away and just left like that! He left without a word! Then he came back and won’t give any explanation and won’t talk to me!”
“He must’ve been pissed with what you said. What did you say anyways?”
The question took Dara by surprise and flashes of what happened a while ago filled her mind. Slowly, heat crawled through her cheeks and she looked away from Seunghyun. “I can’t remember,” she lied. Jiyong was right, she is a liar.
“I don’t want him here with you as well, but we need him, Dara.”
Dara didn’t say anything. Well, first, there’s no point arguing as he’s right. Second, somewhere deep inside her, she didn’t want him to leave. She took in a deep breath as her airway suddenly tightened.
“And besides, if he annoys you so much, then you don’t have to talk to him.”
She opened but closed it again. How could she tell him that the fact that Jiyong’s not talking to her is the reason why she’s so annoyed right now?
“If he wanted to leave, we could not really stop him,” she said.
“I’ll talk to him,” Seunghyun then said. Guilt washed over Dara as she recognized hope springing up inside her chest. She shook her head. What was happening to her? “You think I would not be able to convince him?”
He obviously misinterpreted her actions but she didn’t find it in her to correct him. He gave her a soft kiss in the forehead before asking her to stay put as he’s going to talk to Jiyong.
“You’re joking!” Dara heard Jiyong laughed a while later. She frowned and nibbled on her lower lip. She was tempted to eavesdrop but she didn’t really want to hear how Jiyong would refuse Seunghyun’s request for him to stay.
Not long after that, Seunghyun went back to her. “It’s all fine now,” he said. Dara stared at him with a blank face. “He’s staying after I get things sorted out with my mother.”
“How did you convince him?”
He smiled. “I just had a deal with him.”
“What deal?”
“That’s a secret. . . for now.”
“Ya!”
“I’ll tell you when the right time comes.”
“But. . .”
“It’ll be fine,” he said, giving her an assuring smile.
They shared a few kisses and teary words before he left. He used the car Jiyong stole as he did and Dara could only watch the tail lights disappear into the darkness. She went back to the house and looked for Jiyong. He was still in the place where he was. “Why did you stay?” she asked. He didn’t answer; he didn’t even glance up at her. “So that’s it? Why won’t you talk to me?” she demanded, kicking his shoes.
“I don’t like talking to liars.”
“You talk as if you’ve never lied.”
He started whistling in a tune she hasn’t heard of and just went on wiping his revolver with a cloth. Dara then just had enough. She took the gun off of his hands and threw right across the room where it hit the wall and dropped to the ground with a thud. Satisfied, a smile curved her lips. She then faced Jiyong. The satisfied and smug look on her face disappeared upon seeing Jiyong wiping a different gun with the same cloth.
“So, that’s it? You will never talk to me?” she asked. Silence greeted her. “So what if I lied to you about I feel? Did that matter? Why are you so all worked up about this, anyways? It’s your pride, isn’t it? Your stupid pride couldn’t just accept the fact that Seunghyun is better than you in many ways. You just couldn’t accept that I’m not really as ugly as you think I am for Seunghyun to like me and I’m probably the first girl to not like you even if you’re. . . you’re. . .” Dara faltered as she realized what she was about to say. She was about to say that he was one hot y guy with his signature smirks and boyish smiles.
Oh my God! What am I thinking?!
“Anyways,” she said, clearing . She was about to say something when her stomach grumbled. Her eyes then went to the food in the table – two pieces of garlic bread and a container of pesto penne. “Are those yours?”
Jiyong didn’t answer. She narrowed her eyes at him and since she was really hungry and annoyed an idea then popped up in her mind. “Silence means yes, you know.”
Still, he didn’t answer.
“Can I have them?” she asked. She waited for an answer but when silence greeted her again, she gritted her teeth and said, “Another silence, which would mean yes.”
She was about to reach for the food when he slapped her hand away. He took one of the garlic bread and ate it in two large bites. She frowned at him and tried to reach for the container again, anticipating him to slap her hand away but he didn’t this time. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she settled in front of him and ate her heart out.
He couldn’t do it. He wanted to leave. Hell, he had all the reasons to leave but he couldn’t leave her the same as he could kill her. He was all screwed up, he knew that. He had every reason to refuse Seunghyun’s request but what did he say?
Damn, she was right that his pride was stepped on. Moreover, he was hurt. Oh hell, he was. The emotion took him by surprise that he left off a while ago just like that. He needed time to think. Only to realize there’s no need to think. He knew why he was being the way he was. He likes her. He likes her so much that he had every reason to leave and not see her and Seunghyun go all lovey-dovey. But no, he was being masochist in deciding to stay. When did he ever become so self-sacrificing? He’s going to hurt himself a hell lot by watching the two kiss and hug all the time and he was staying over to make sure Dara would not be harmed. He was putting his heart and life at stake.
He snorted at the thought of having a heart. He killed countless people and now he was thinking about having a heart?
“You look dangerously y when you smirk,” a soft voice interrupted his thoughts. He was suddenly tempted to look at her, but he stopped himself. Looking at her wasn’t a good idea. He’ll just have to make her safe first and then he’ll leave, for good. Once the threat to her life is gone, he knew he needed to leave for good. There was no point in staying any longer.
“I must stop smirking then,” he said, not sure when or how or what made him decide to speak to her.
“Why?” she asked and he could hear the eagerness in her voice. If he didn’t know better, he would think she was glad that he’s talking to her again. But of course, that’s not it.
“I must look really stupid doing so.”
“Didn’t I just say that you look dangerously y?”
“Well, you’re a liar, aren’t you?” he said, keeping his eyes on the gun he’s holding.
There was a few moment of silence. “You aren’t really going to let that go, are you?” she asked. There was something in her voice that made him look up at her. As he did, he saw her teary eyes but then, she quickly looked away. He heard her sniff discreetly before standing up. Jiyong mentally swore as shameful guilt welled up inside him. Damn the girl for making him feel things he never wanted. There’s always something about her that makes him feel guilty.
He grabbed her wrist when she was about to walk out on him. “Walking out on me?”
“I lost my appetite,” she said.
“Sit and eat it up,” he said. “You can’t expect me to eat the leftovers of a liar, can you?”
He knew he hit a bone when she looked down at him with a glare. She was stirring emotions inside him that he never had before that it’s making him defensive as he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea. And his idea of being defensive was what he was doing.
Dara pulled her wrist from his grip. “I pretty much figured out that I lied to you but that doesn’t mean you have to treat me so rudely. Don’t you think I should be doing that instead of the other way around? I mean, you shot me, tried to kill me and kidnapped me but I’m not being rude now, am I?”
She was ranting again. One thing about her that he finds really adorable was her inability to stay angry. He used to bully her to no ends before. She would cry, claim that she hates him then she would ran to Seunghyun. Then, the following day, she’ll start talking to him again. Dara and Seunghyun, they were the only kids that stood up against him. Seunghyun usually doesn’t want to meddle around other people’s business but he always does what Dara asks him. That girl, at such a young age, got some kids around her little pinky finger and she didn’t even know it.
And he was one of those kids. Only, he was smart enough to know that she looked up to Seunghyun and she had only had her eyes on the older guy. For her, the other was the perfect guy for him while he, Jiyong was just the typical bully of the town.
“If you find me so rude, then don’t talk to me.”
“If I could, I would have done that already!” she blurted out, making him pause. “I mean. . . you’re the only here with me, I don’t really have a choice, do I? If Seunghyun was here, I would. . .”
“What? You would not talk to me?” he asked. “If he was here, I don’t have to bother staying as well.”
“What is wrong with you?! Why are you so perked up in staying here? Of all people, you should know better than go off on your own especially in your state! You’re wounded and –”
“Stop saying those things as if you care!” he interrupted. “You are one lying and flirty witch, aren’t you? You say things that push me away but you act differently! What game are you trying to play at? You push me away but you run after me when I do! You find me rude and annoying but you won’t stop talking to me! I’d rather if you just ignore me until your boyfriend comes back so I don’t have to think that you like me too!”
The shock and surprise in her face made him swear out loud. He didn’t just confessed his guts out to her. He wanted to deny it but the look on her face told him he could back out any longer.
“Y-you. . . wh. . what did you just. . it’s. . .”
With a sigh, he stood up and turned towards the door.
“You can’t leave,” she said.
“I want some air,” he answered and stormed out. He totally screwed it up. Hell, what was wrong with him? While he was out in the darkness scowling at his stupidity, Dara was left inside with a dazed expression.
After some time, she blinked and robotically turned towards the bathroom. “Why is it so hot all of the sudden?” she asked herself.
She leisurely took her time in taking a bath. When she was done, she went to finish her meal and waited for Jiyong to come inside again. But after some time of waiting, she decided she had given him enough time to breathe some fresh air. She went out and looked for him. It was easy to find him as he was standing just under the moonlight, his hands inside his pocket while he had his head tilted up to the sky.
She knew he sensed her coming as she saw how his shoulders tensed. “It’s cold out here,” she started.
He took a sigh, turned around and started heading back to the house without even glancing at her. Then, he stopped. “Forget everything I said,” he told her. “I didn’t mean those words.”
A lump formed in . “That makes you a liar too, you know.”
“If that’s what it takes to take the words back, I’ll gladly be called a liar.”
She was just fed up with it. “Fine!” she snapped and turned around to face him only to find no one. Get a grip on yourself, Dara! Why are you so bothered if he’s being like this with you?
- - - - - - -
A/N:
I'm so sorry if took me a while to update this!
SORRY!
But here ya go!
ke ke ke....
Thanks to LEAH for the chappie banner! kkkk
Speaking of banner, I received a banner from an awesome person for a fic that has been long finished, just wanted to share it with you guys, hehe. Here ya go:
THE BLACK PHOENIX by rachy
SPECIAL SHOUTOUT to:
MON and PAU - ayan, nag-update na ko. 2 na lang utang ko.. hahaha
hagocimit
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