Round Twenty-Six

 

Tiffany leapt back from the shock. Her hand covered her lips instinctively as a light shade of pink infiltrated her cheeks.

 

“S-Sorry, you came too close. I-I couldn’t help it.” He mumbled softly.

 

“O-Oh. Ok-kay…” Tiffany stuttered as her insides were all flustered.

 

That got Jessica’s eyebrows waggling. She exchanged knowing looks with Yul. She had never heard Tiffany stutter before. Then she recalled the phone conversation she had with Tiffany the other day. What had it really been about? Was she perhaps, looking for some assurances rather than advice? Jessica chided herself for not helping her best friend out a little bit more then; she was then deliriously happy after a make out session with Yul.

 

It was only now that she saw Tiffany’s dilemma—Siwon or Taeng. If it wasn’t for Taeng, Tiffany might have already returned to Siwon; it was what she had always wanted. However, from the current look of things, Taeng seemed to be making some headway into Tiffany’s heart.

 

Yul was rooting for Taeng to get his girl. He had never seen Taeng so into anyone before. He’d always been a happy-go-lucky kind of boy and his dates had always been very innocent. One could call his previous dates puppy love. From what he has observed in the recent months however, it would appear that Taeng’s feelings for Tiffany surpassed that level.

 

Siwon could do nothing but watch Tiffany as she blushed. The shyness she displayed upon being kissed in front of others was something new to him. Tiffany wasn’t exactly the blushing sort of girl. A sense of dread seeped into his heart. Was he on the verge of losing Tiffany for good?

 

Right then, a doctor entered the room and unknowingly diffused the slightly awkward situation, much to Tiffany and Taeng’s relief.

 

“Good to see that you have regained consciousness.” He then proceeded to rattle off a series of Taeng’s vital statistics briskly and scribbled something on that clipboard that he had brought in with him.

 

Finally, he turned to Taeng. “You’re a lucky man. If the knife had cut just an inch higher, you might have lost your ‘best friend’, if you know what I mean.”

 

Taeng’s eyes had never been opened wider as he looked down at himself. His hand unwittingly drifted over his lower torso, as though making sure that his ‘best friend’ was still there.

 

“You out because of the shock from the incident as well as the impact from your head hitting a hard object. According to your friends, you had slammed your head into a wall and screamed—the doctor screamed, ‘BLOOD!’ —before passing out cold.”

 

All five of them jumped in their skin as the doctor screeched a high-pitch scream, mimicking Taeng’s scream. Gosh, what a weird doctor.

 

“Unfortunately, visiting hours are over.” The doctor glanced at his watch and continued without missing a beat as though screaming ‘BLOOD!’ was something he did all the time. “Your friends will have to leave now.”

 

Taeng nodded sadly, looking very much like a little boy who didn’t want to be in the hospital and Tiffany’s heart went out to him.

 

“Would you like me to bring you your peas?” She whispered in his ear gently.

 

Taeng’s eyes lit up as he nodded gratefully.

 

“I’ll take the keys to your house then.”

 

Taeng nodded his consent again. Tiffany smiled at him warmly and ruffled his hair affectionately.

 

“Thanks for saving me from that mad woman Taeng. I just want you to know that I’m very touched by your bravery.”

 

Taeng grinned boyishly and lowered his eyes shyly. “It was nothing.”

 

“Fany, let’s go, I’ll send you home.” Siwon’s deep voice interrupted their moment.

 

Tiffany straightened up and walked out with Siwon’s arm draped around her shoulders possessively. Taeng’s heart sank to the pits when he saw that. Has Tiffany accepted Siwon’s proposal?

 

“Taeng, rest well, buddy. I’ll come again after work tomorrow.”

 

“Thanks Yul.” Taeng smiled gratefully.

 

Yul lowered his voice to a whisper. “Don’t give up on her Taeng. You still have a fighting chance.”

 

Taeng’s face lit up like a Christmas tree and he nodded enthusiastically. He wasn’t giving up.

 

~~~~~
 

Mr. Jung’s anxiety level had risen sky high. His older daughter had moved out to live with her boyfriend and he had not heard from her ever since. His younger daughter had run away, sending him a text message once a day to tell him not to look for her, that she was fine.

 

One big word loomed up in his mind. KARMA. And with that, he fainted.

 

“Yeobo! It’s time for dinner…” Mrs. Jung opened the door and looked into the study room.

 

She walked to his side when he did not stir. It was only after a few attempts to wake him up that she realized that something was seriously wrong. She panicked, not knowing what to do so she screamed for help.

 

The chef samchon was bringing the dishes out to the dining table when he heard her screams for help. He dashed to the study and was shocked to see Mr. Jung slumped over his desk. He called for an ambulance before calling Jessica. He broke the news to her gently, knowing that the way she treated her father was not a true reflection of how she really felt about him.

 

After calling Jessica and calming her down, his hand paused for a moment on the receiver. Jessica wasn’t the only daughter of the Jung family. There was one more. He took a deep breath and picked up the receiver again.

 

~~~~~

Jessica was shaken, to say the least. She hardly responded to any of Yul’s concerned questions and caresses. She had to be supported by Yul as they made their way to the hospital where he lay in bed with a number of tubes stuck into his arm. All it took was one look at her father in his condition for her to break down and cry. Yul grabbed her before she hit the floor and helped her onto a seat in the very big, private and absolutely over-the-top luxuriously furnished ward. He hugged her tightly and cooed comforting words into her ear.

 

Her mother was glad to see that she came with Yul. “Sica, I’m going home to rest now. Take care of your father alright?”

 

Jessica hugged her mother tightly before letting her go. “Go home and rest omma.”

 

Yul then wrapped Jessica in his arms and rocked her gently. “He will be fine…”

 

Jessica sniffed and buried her tear-stained face in the crook of his neck and they sat like that for a long time. Then the door opened again and this time another sobbing girl made her way in, escorted by a tall and handsome man.

 

Yul was surprised to see him. “Young!”

 

Jessica looked up and saw the other sobbing girl. At that exact moment, the other girl turned and looked at her. Their eyes met, all red and watery. Jessica’s heart went into massive turmoil but for her father’s sake, she didn’t make a fuss. She simply nodded curtly and buried her face back into Yul’s shoulder.

 

The other sobbing girl sniffed as she saw her half-sister for the first time. She didn’t look at scary as she had sounded that day in the study. A strange feeling of bonding wrapped itself around her heart and squeezed it. They were half-sisters after all.

 

“I’m with Krystal.” Young said to Yul. “I had no idea…sisters?!” He mouthed the rest of his sentence to Yul, pointing at the two sobbing girls and shaking his head with a totally befuddled look on his face.

 

~~~~~
 

“Doctor, my dad better be fine, or else!” Jessica flared up at the doctor who was somewhat stuttering as he tried to explain Mr. Jung’s health condition to them.

 

“Sica baby…” Yul her hair gently, calming her down a little bit. “…your Dad will be fine.” He winked at the doctor and signaled silently for him to proceed.

 

“As I was saying…” the doctor gulped and shot a quick look at Jessica. “… Mr. Jung is doing well and we are monitoring all of his vital signs. We are running all the tests we can at the moment to find out what caused him to black out. We will be able to diagnose him once the results are ready. Based on my initial diagnosis, he has been extremely stressed lately and that may be a contributing factor to his condition now.”

 

Jessica looked at her feet guiltily. I’m the reason he’s stressed.

 

Krystal looked at her feet guiltily. I’m the reason he’s stressed.
 

~~~~~
 

The sisters sat side by side, watching over him as he slept on. They felt awkward yet… in a strange sense… bonded. Was it because they had the same father? It was as though a thin, invisible string was tied between them—a steadfast yet fragile bond.

~~~~~
 

Outside the room, Young and Yul were bonding too.

 

“Are you with Krystal as in with her or are you just a friend?”

 

“We’re friends. We met on the plane and then she asked me for some help. All she told me was that she had problems with her family. She didn’t say that it was this family.”

 

“I hope you don’t cross any lines Young. She’s Sica’s sister… I don’t want any harm to come to her.”

 

“Woah, Yul… You wounded my pride. I’m a gentleman. I haven’t done anything to her except help her so far.’ Young defended himself instantly. He then looked at Yul in amusement. “Are you sure you two aren’t married yet? Some husbands don’t even care that much about their sister-in-laws.”

 

“We aren’t married yet but I wouldn’t be with her if I had no intention of marrying her eventually. I will, when the time is right.”

 

“Woah… woah… you’re the man Yul. Marrying Jessica Jung? HAHAHA…it’s a nightmare to me.” Young lowered his voice furtively. “Did you see how she literally made the doctor pee in his pants? I’d be peeing in my pants everyday if I’m with her.”

 

“She’s not like that all the time.” Yul smiled.

 

“That’s because she’s in love with you.” Young laughed. Then he looked a little sneakily at Yul. “So… what’s it like…you know…with Jessica? Does her…er…fiery temper…make things…you know…hotter between you two?” Young waggled his eyebrows rather comically.

 

Yul laughed and shook his head. “I don’t kiss and tell Young.” He smiled.

 

“Aww…what a spoilsport…but from the way you’re smiling…I’d say you’ve got it pretty good in bed.” Young snickered.

 

Yul laughed again. “Think what you want.” He glanced at his watch. “Let’s ask them if they want any food. It’s time for lunch.”

 

~~~~~

 

“Tuna sandwich!” Jessica and Krystal chorused. They looked at each other—awkward.

 

“Well, we’ll head out to get it for you ladies. Be right back!” Young tried not to react to that awkward moment. He turned and walked out as quickly as he could with Yul behind him.

 

Jessica sneaked a peek at Krystal. They looked rather alike yet at the same time not really alike.  At any rate, I’m the prettier one.

 

Krystal sneaked a peak at Jessica. They looked rather alike yet at the same time not really alike. Will she get angry if I talk to her? What can I say to her? She breathed deeply and summoned all her guts.

 

“Unnie.”

 

There she said it. She called her sister for the first time. She did not get a response however; Jessica simply stared off into wide, open space. She decided to try again, a little louder this time.

 

“Unnie.”

 

It was only then that Jessica realized that Krystal was calling her. Her heart pumped that much faster and a strange adrenaline rush swopped through her system but her natural instinct was to stop it all from getting out of control.

 

Without looking at the younger girl, she spoke. “Were you talking to me?.”

 

Her tone was icy cold, which chilled Krystal a little but somehow, after seeing Jessica cry her eyes out over their father…she didn’t feel quite as afraid of her as before.

 

“Unnie.”

 

“Don’t call me for nothing.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Forget it.” Jessica paused for a moment. “I’m going to use the bathroom.” Then she stood up and left the room.

 

Krystal couldn’t help smiling to herself. She just had her first conversation with her sister!

 

~~~~~

 

On the other side of the hospital (yes, Taeng and Mr. Jung are in the same hospital), in a much less luxurious ward, Taeng hugged his peas happily. Tiffany had brought his peas to him. “Taeng… can we talk?”

 

He immediately turned somber and nodded. Tiffany sat down beside him and held his hand in hers. She took a deep breath before starting. “I know that I agreed to date you before this and although we didn’t get to have our first date, I would like to say that my time with you has been… has made me very happy.”

 

Taeng smiled.

 

“However, as you know… things are a little more complicated now. I had thought that Siwon and I were impossible. His mother objected strongly to our marriage and you saw what happened in the office that day. All that made me try to move on and you made it easier for me to.”

 

Taeng grinned.

 

“But…”

 

Taeng’s face fell.

 

“After that lunch, Siwon’s mother realized that she had been cheated by the mad woman who tried to stab me that day. She’d told her a pack of lies and that broke us up.”

 

Taeng’s lips trembled slightly.

 

“I want to be honest with you Taeng. You deserve to know everything. Siwon was proposing to me before all that happened. Quite frankly, I don’t know what to do about it now and it’s because of you Taeng.”

 

Taeng’s eyes blinked rapidly.

 

“Taeng…” Tiffany exhaled loudly. “You made me realize that there are other guys out there. You and your mess ups and your weird moments and your peas…” Tiffany smiled. “… made me really happy and so now… I don’t know what to do.”

 

Taeng breathed hard.

 

“I need to figure out who I want to spend all of my tomorrows with.”

 

Taeng let out his bated breath in a rush. “Tiffany, I’ll be happy so long as you are.”

 

His simple words made her tear. “Oh, Taeng…” Her lips trembled.

 

“Don’t cry Tiffany. Take all the time you need to think about this. I will wait for your answer. So will my peas. You like my peas, don’t you?”

 

Tiffany laughed and nodded. She the peas on Taeng’s lap as she smiled at the fond memories involving his peas.

 

“Uh… if you decide to be with me, you get to have my peas too! I’ll share!”

 

Taeng’s sunny, boyish grin made Tiffany laugh again. She laughed and laughed and laughed.

 

“Taeng, you just made me feel so much better.” Tiffany shook her head smilingly.

 

Taeng grinned widely. Yul was right. He had a fighting chance.

 

~~~~~

 

A few days later, there was a knock on the door.

 

“Come in.” Taeng answered.

 

Two policemen entered and looked at him strangely. It wasn’t every day that they got to see a grown man hugging peas. They shrugged at each other—just another day at work.

 

“Are you Mr. Kim Taengoo?”

 

“Yes I am.”

 

The policemen nodded briskly. “We have a few questions to ask you with regard to the knife incident that you were involved in.”

 

Taeng’s eyes opened wide. This is so cool! I’m bring interviewed by policemen! He looked down at the peas in his arms and grinned at them. Aren’t you proud of me, peas? OH YEAH!

 

“What are the questions?”

 

And the policemen commenced their questioning.

 

It lasted for about twenty minutes in which the policemen asked him questions like why he was in the area and what he saw. They asked for finer details, like her appearance and such. He couldn’t really give much detail as he had been literally running for somebody else’s dear life. He was focused only on one person…Tiffany.

 

The policemen exchanged knowing looks with one another—this was one heck of a guy in love. They thanked him politely and left after informing him that they might need his help again.

 

These policemen had already questioned the knife-wielding assailant who was identified by Tiffany and Siwon as Lee Sunhae. They gave their testimonies separately and had to explain the situation in detail. It was difficult for Siwon to talk about it but Tiffany had fewer problems describing their relationships with one another. She surprised herself with the ease at which she talked about Siwon’s relationship to her—complicated as it was—and Sunhae’s relationship with Siwon as well as with herself.

 

“Officers, are you going to question Taeng as well?” She asked suddenly.

 

“Do you mean Mr. Kim Taengoo? Yes we are. He is the one who got injured in this case so we have to question him about it.”

 

“He’s still needs some time to recuperate. Could you ask him a couple days later?”

 

The policemen looked at each other and shrugged. “Sure.”

 

Tiffany broke into a wide smile and her crescent moon eyes thanked the policemen who smiled sheepishly at her. They too couldn’t help being charmed by her.

 

~~~~~

 

A few days after that, Taeng was discharged from the hospital. He had suffered nothing more than a cut on his thigh which was bandaged. Fortunately for him, the knife hadn’t gone too deep. Tiffany had texted him apologizing for not being able to help him out as work had piled up sky high.

 

It was Yul and Jessica who came for him. Yul supported him as he walked gingerly to the car and drove him home. “How’s things with Tiffany, buddy?”

 

“We’ve been texting each other.”

 

“That’s all?”

 

“She’s been busy and I’m still injured so we haven’t met ever since.”

 

“Taeng…you gotta do something. Send her flowers…write her a letter…something.”

 

“Oh.” Taeng looked lost. “I didn’t want to disturb her. She sounded very busy when I called her once so I haven’t called her after that. Without me around, I think she has a lot more work to handle by herself.”

 

“Buddy, you gotta tell her how you feel. You said that Siwon proposed right? You gotta do something!”

 

“Taeng, just go over there and kiss her.” Jessica spoke all of a sudden. The two men gaped at her. Jessica sighed at the sight of the two clueless men. “Siwon has been talking to her a lot and Mrs. Choi has been trying to persuade her to marry into the family. If you don’t make your presence felt, Tiffany is going to cave under their persistence and you’re going to lose her, Taeng.”

 

Taeng gasped in horror.

 

~~~~~

 

“Tiffany, I know that my mother has caused a lot of grief to you. It is also because of me that you came close to being stabbed by Sunhae.” Siwon’s heart grew heavy at the thought of possibly losing Tiffany because of Sunhae.

 

Thank goodness that woman is behind bars now.

 

“I think I don’t deserve you but I just can’t let go of you Tiffany.” Siwon got onto his knee for the second time. He held up the Tiffany & Co. box and opened it. Inside it was the loveliest ring Tiffany had ever seen.

 

“This isn’t the same ring as the one you had the first time.” Tiffany’s eyebrows were raised in surprise.

 

“I bought a new ring to signify a new start for us. I can’t possibly use the same ring that I used years ago, can I?”

 

“So what happened to the ring that you proposed to me with back then?”

 

“I donated it to charity.”

 

Tiffany gaped. “That ring was so expensive!”

 

Siwon shrugged. “It was for a good cause. Besides…this new ring is a lot more expensive.” He grinned boyishly—a look at Tiffany missed seeing—and puffed up his chest. “I’m richer now. I worked hard to build my chain of pharmacies and they are raking in the profits as we speak.”

 

Tiffany smiled. “I’m happy for you…really. I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well.”

 

Siwon looked deep into her eyes. “I’m offering you the option of seeing me do well every day for the rest of our lives. I wanted you then, I still want you now. I think this is proof of how long we can last. Tiffany, after going through everything, don’t all these tell you that we are meant for each other?”

 

Tiffany stilled. She hadn’t thought of it that way.

 

“It’s amazing that after going through our horrible breakup and all the horrible lies that she told to the extent of the insanity in her attempt to hurt you physically that after all that, we are still here, and I am on my knee for you.”

 

Tiffany looked at Siwon. It was pretty amazing. They had gone through so, so much. They survived through it all. Wouldn’t it make them stronger now? Siwon seemed to sense that she needs some time to think about things. “I’ll leave the ring with you. Take your time to think about it.”

 

“Siwon,” Tiffany spoke suddenly as he got off his knee and stood up. “Thank you for giving me time. I will need it. I have to think about it very carefully. And I want to be honest with you about one thing.”

 

Siwon unwittingly held his breath.

 

“You’re not the only man in my life right now.”

 

Siwon’s face fell but he nodded. “I know and I have to accept that.”

 

“Siwon, I want to be sure about who I want to build my future with. I can’t rush this decision.”

 

“I understand. I will wait.”

 

“Thank you for waiting Siwon.”

 

“I love you Tiffany.”