Round Forty-Five



Hyun’s confused pout broke into the most cheerful grin ever.

“You like me back!”

Hyoyeon nodded shyly in return as her skin was coloured a gentle shade of pink.

“Did you make that ginger goguma cheesecake for me?”

Hyoyeon nodded shyly again.

“Could you make another one for me?”

Hyoyeon looked at Hyun and beamed. “Sure! I was planning on making another one anyway.”

“Why?”

Hyoyeon squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply. Then she said, “I was going to tell you that I liked you since high school and I played pranks on you because I wanted you to remember me, not because I hated you. And you told me that the ginger goguma cheesecake was your favourite at the Expo so I thought of making it so that you won’t get angry with me when you hear my confession.”

“You liked me… since high school…”

Hyoyeon looked at Hyun with bated breath. The ginger goguma cheesecake was gone. She had nothing to pacify Hyun with now. She could only hope that he wouldn’t get angry with her.

“And you played pranks on me, not because you hated me… but because you wanted me to remember you…”

Hyoyeon nodded. Please don’t be angry…

“All those pranks… so many of them… they were so humiliating… I suffered so much and it was all because you wanted me to remember you?”

Hyoyeon swallowed hard. Things weren’t looking so good for her right now. She knew that the pranks had been traumatizing to Hyun and she wished that she wasn’t the one who brought it upon him but she couldn’t change that fact.

“P-Please don’t be angry with me… think of all the goguma treats and the ginger goguma cheesecake! You like it, don’t you? I can make more. I can make goguma treats for you every day!”

“I don’t understand your mentality. Why would you put someone you like in so much pain?”

“Y-You never seemed to be interested in girls. You wouldn’t even look at their letters. If even the school belle failed to ask you out, what chances would I have had? And I bet you don’t even remember who the school belle is… right?”

Hyun’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to recall who the school belle was.

“School… belle…?”

“Nicole Jung. Do you remember her?”

“Nicole… Jung…”

“You don’t remember her, do you? But you remember me. You recognized me at the resort during Sunny’s birthday.”

“Yes, I did…”

“That’s a good thing, right?”

“Why is that a good thing?”

“Well, you like me now… don’t you?”

Hyun smiled shyly but nodded in agreement.

“See, if I didn’t play pranks on you in high school, you wouldn’t have remembered me and if you didn’t remember me at the resort, you wouldn’t have gotten angry with me and if you weren’t angry with me, I wouldn’t have had to make it up to you with 155 goguma treats and if I hadn’t given you all those goguma treats, do you think you would like me now?”

“Probably not…”

“There you go. You should be thankful that I played all those pranks on you and traumatized you in high school. Say thank you.”

“Thank you.”

“Say thank you Hyoyeon for playing those pranks on me.”

“Thank you Hyoyeon for playing those pranks on me.”

And Hyun could only blink as Hyoyeon tried to stop herself from laughing out loud.

“What’s funny?”

Hyoyeon struggled to put on a straight face and shook her head. “It’s nothing… just a thought I have in my head.”

“May I call you Hyoyeonie?” Hyun asked suddenly, surprising Hyoyeon with his question.

“Why the sudden question?”

“Sunny calls you Hyoyeonie and it sounds really cute.”

Hyoyeon giggled. “You can call me Hyoyeonie if you want to.”

“Hyoyeonie!” Hyun called her immediately and smiled happily. “Hyoyeonie!”

“Hyunnie!” Hyoyeon returned the favour playfully.

“Hyunnie…?”

“Yes, if you’re going to call me Hyoyeonie… then I’m going to call you Hyunnie. Do you like it?”

Hyun scratched his head and looked at Hyoyeon for a brief moment. Then he smiled and nodded. “I like it.”

“Hyunnie!”

“Hyoyeonie!”

“Hyunnie!”

“Hyoyeonie!”

And they went on like that for quite a while.


~~~~~


Sunny wasn’t feeling good. On the contrary to what she had told Hyoyeon, she wasn’t alright at all. She was hurt.


~~~~~


She regretted linking arms with Joongki as soon as she had done it. She knew that she had stooped too low for her consciousness was waving a huge red flag that said ‘DANGER’ in big and bold letters. So as soon as they were out of sight, she artfully unlinked her arm from Joongki’s and continued with the tour as professionally as she could. Thankfully, he did not question her moves. In fact, he was very nice after that episode and they arrived back in Seoul in the early evening, wrapping up their business trip on a positive note. Joongki had promised to work out a deal with her and work with their resorts for the new tour packages that his company would be launching soon.

So on the work front, she was successful. On the relationship front, however, she was in the pits.


~~~~~


She was hurt and in need of some company but she knew that Hyoyeon would take forever to confess if she wasn’t pushed to do it there and then so she left. Hyoyeon was bold in most instances but when it came to romance, she was utterly shy beyond words. That girl wouldn’t even tell her who her crush was all through high school, for fear of being forced to confess to him by her.

It had been way too obvious in the apartment and Sunny knew that she had to force it out of Hyoyeon.

Now as she plodded down the streets of lights and buzz, she hoped that Hyoyeon hadn’t copped out of confessing. She’d whack Hyoyeon’s head real hard if the blonde didn’t confess.

She walked aimlessly down a street and found herself stopping in front of a place that she had not expected to arrive at—Seventh Heaven. She looked down at herself—dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank top (thank goodness for her insoles in her hi-cut sneakers)—and wondered if she should go in. She certainly wasn’t dressed for the occasion and it’d be rather humiliating if she were to be refused entry because of her outfit. Just then, the bouncer called her.

“Sunny!”

She looked up and saw the bouncer that had chatted with her a few times before.

“Oppa!”

“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you coming here for a while. Do you want in?”

Sunny looked at the long, snaking line of people dressed to the nines, waiting to enter and then at her clothes.

“Oppa… I’m not dressed for it tonight.”

“Nonsense, Sunny… it’s not the clothes that make the person. And besides, I still find you way too cute in a tank and jeans.” The bouncer winked at her playfully.

Sunny made a quick decision. She missed the atmosphere in Seventh Heaven and she needed to release some of the negativity that was brewing inside her.

“I’m in, oppa!”

“As you wish,” said the bouncer, stepping aside and unhooking the barrier to allow her entry.

As Sunny walked into Seventh Heaven, she could hear the whines and complaints of two girls who were next in line to enter the place.

“Oppa! Why did you let her in? Just look at her shabby dressing!”

And she caught the bouncer’s reply, “She can get any man she wants in this place long before you do even if she wears granny pants.”

Sunny couldn’t help smiling at what the bouncer said although she seriously doubted she could wear granny pants and get away with it.

Putting her worries about her choice of wardrobe to rest were the numerous people who greeted her just as cheerfully as they used to.

“Sunny! You’re back!”

“You’re finally back to burn up the dance floor tonight!”

And the bartenders were just as happy to see her as the bouncer was.

“Sunny, Sunny, Sunny! We missed you!”

Sunny flashed her megawatt smile and put on her cutest voice for them. “I missed you too, oppa!” And she felt better all at once upon seeing their boyish grins—a common reaction to her cuteness.

“Which drink would you like to start the night off with? It’s on the house!”

“I’ll have a Flatliner.”

The bartender nodded and turned to get a shot glass before doing a double take. “Flatliner…? Are you seriously asking for a Flatliner?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Someone’s out to get herself feeling miserable tonight.”

“I’m already feeling miserable.”

“And to combat that you order a drink that burns?”

“Spot on.”

The bartended sighed and shook his head but mixed the drink anyway. He placed the shot glass in front of Sunny together with another glass of gin and tonic. “To sooth the burn after,” he explained kindly. “No matter how sh*tty we may feel at the moment… it’s always better to take it easy on ourselves.”

“Thanks… I appreciate your concern.”

Sunny downed the shot of Flatliner in one gulp and slammed the shot glass onto the counter as she felt the burn searing a path down , oesophagus and all the way down… down… down… and she was ready for some fun… fun that she had begun to miss after falling in love with Yoong. She let it burn, savouring the trail of fire that heated up her insides before she downed the entire glass of gin and tonic as well. It would be rude not to finish it when it was given to her out of good will and she didn’t want to be rude to a nice bartender.

She headed down to the dance floor and gave herself away to the pulsating beats of the energetic music that pumped everybody’s blood into a manic state of high. For just one night… she would let her hair down… as short as it was. She danced with abandon but neither did she let anyone touch her unnecessarily. She had not lost her art in dodging grubby hands and lusty men and so all they could do was watch and ogle as she executed her signature moves in the most seductive of ways.

That was until she felt a familiar pair of hands on her waist. Turning around to look at who it was, she had her guess affirmed.

“Young, you’re here! Dance with me and let’s turn all those wolves green with jealousy. Come on!”

Sunny encircled her arms around Young’s neck and started to move to the beats emanating from the massive high tech speakers that hung from the corners of the ceiling.

“Sunny… what are you doing here by yourself?” Young simply stood still, holding her by the waist to support her.

“Don’t ask… just dance…” Sunny yelled over the music.

“Why are you here by yourself, Sunny?” Young persisted in asking as he stood perfectly still, disallowing Sunny from indulging in the pleasure of dancing.

“If you’re not going to dance with me, I’ll dance by myself.” Sunny turned around to dance away only to find that he was holding her securely by her waist.

“Come with me.”

“No.”

Young ignored Sunny’s protests and dragged her out of the dance floor and up to the VIP area that was reserved for him. He pushed Sunny onto the luxurious cushioned couch and sat down beside her.

“Sunny, what did you drink? I’ve never seen you getting drunk before.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“Admit it… you’re a little more than tipsy right now.”

“I’m more than tipsy but I’m not drunk. I know what I’m doing.”

“Would you be dancing with me like that if you weren’t drunk?”

“It’s only a dance… it’s not like I’m doing anything indecent with you.” Sunny pouted and folded her arms, all party mood lost.

“Are things between you and Yoong alright?”

“No. I hate Yoong.”

Young sighed and rubbed his temple with his fingers. “Alright, what did he do this time?”

“It’s too complicated.”

“Tell me everything. We have all night, Sunny.”

“What happened to your idea of having fun? You wouldn’t want to spend your night out with me telling you my sob story, would you?”

“Sunny, you’re my friend and my best friend’s girlfriend. The two of you are more important than a night of crappy fun. Now, tell me.”

Sunny sighed. “He’s jealous of this guy that I’m working with and he turned up in Jeju when I was giving the guy a tour of the resort. He brought a girl along with him and he had his arm all over her and they were walking along the beach and the way he looked at her…” Sunny broke down into a sob. “And he said that she’s his favourite girlfriend.”

Sunny felt Young’s arms wrapping around her petite frame and the warmth that he gave made her even sadder. Her tears fell freely from her sad eyes and her shoulders and chest heaved from the large jerky breaths that she took in between sobs. She felt his gentle pats on her back and buried her face into the crook of his neck, seeking solace in his embrace.

“Sunny… you know that he’s lying when he says all that right?”

Young’s voice was just by her ear, low and soothing.

“It’s all an act to make you jealous. Yoong doesn’t cheat, not even when he was a player. He hates cheaters so he won’t be one. That girl was probably someone he grabbed to play along with his act.”

“I-I k-know… b-but it still hurts…”

“Please forgive him… Yoong does really stupid things at times but I know that he really loves you.”

Sunny shook her head but her sobs had subsided and were now reduced to sniffs.

Young held her by her shoulders and looked at her carefully. “Are you feeling better now?”

Sunny nodded.

“Good. That’s a relief. It’s really worrying to see you break down like that.”

“I’m sorry…”

“No you don’t have to be. I’m going to give Yoong a piece of my mind for doing something so stupid and hurting you. I might even give him a punch.” Young’s eyes twinkled in the semi-darkness.

Sunny giggled. “And a kick where it hurts most...”

Young grinned. “Then I’d have to kick you.”

Sunny blinked and looked at Young, failing to catch his wit for a moment. Then she laughed. “Are you sure kicking me will hurt him the most? I had something else in mind…”

“He loves you more than he loves himself. It’s just that he has a really stupid way of showing it.”


~~~~~


In the darkness of his office, illuminated only by a table lamp, Joongki looked through the small stack of photographs that a private investigator had taken of Yoong and Sunny. There were pictures of them holding hands, laughing, hugging and kissing even… proving beyond doubt that they were romantically involved with each other.

The pictures weren’t enough, however, to ascertain if Sunny was indeed Yoong’s weakness, so he had taken it upon himself to get near to Sunny and observe how Yoong reacted to his moves. He had not expected Yoong to turn up in Jeju with a girl but he could tell from that act that Sunny was Yoong’s weakness and if any revenge were to be taken against him… it would be through her.

Only one thing made it less satisfying and a little bit more painful to carry out his plan of revenge—his heart.

He found himself admiring Sunny’s smile in the pictures. His finger would trace over her smiling face and pause as he imagined himself as the recipient of her megawatt smile. He found himself smiling as he looked at pictures of her with her head thrown back with wide open, laughing.

She looked so happy that his heart hurt at the thought of her losing that smile. But the thought of his sister brought him back to reality. His sister was innocent. His sister was inexperienced. She was swept up and along by Yoong with his impish good looks, smooth talk and easy going demeanour. She was charmed into uncharted territories and lost her innocence the day she met him.

And now, she was broken. It pained him to see how broken his sister had become when she finally came to the conclusion that she had been played. It pained him to think that he could have prevented it had he flown back to Seoul with her instead staying on to extend his holiday with some girls he had met.

He blamed himself, mostly. His sister was played by a player when most ironically, he was a player who played with numerous girls as well. It must have been karma, he figured, to have his own sister falling victim to a player just like himself.

He couldn’t bring himself to play on after witnessing how hurt his sister was and so he quit being a player. But what he was doing to Sunny reminded him very much of what he used to do and also what Yoong did to his sister and it made him uncomfortable.

To put it simply, he was conflicted.


~~~~~


Sunny felt better after pouring out her heart to Young. She was thankful for his presence that night and he received a message from her that said just that.

Sunny 07:40
Thanks for being there for me last night.

Young 08:15
That’s what friends are for. Don’t go to Seventh Heaven by yourself in future. Call me the next time you need someone. Okay?

Sunny 08:21
Okay (:


~~~~~


MR. TAXI TAXI TAXI TAXI…

Yoong picked his phone up groggily. He did not have a good sleep. It was difficult to fall asleep when he was waiting and hoping that Sunny would call or message him back. He had not heard from her since their Jeju encounter and he was deliberating if he should just go to her apartment and knock her door down. However, he decided that she wouldn’t appreciate him knocking her door down so he stuck to calling and messaging her instead.

“Yeboseyo…”

“Yoong get up.”

“What is it? I’m dead tired.”

“Do you want to know where Sunny was last night?”

That got Yoong to wake up immediately. He bolted up into a sitting position and clutched his phone in a death grip.

“Sunny? Last night? What happened? TELL ME!!!”

“Cool down, bro… nothing happened to her… she’s safe.”

“She’s safe? What? Was she in danger???”

Young had to yell. “SHUT UP AND LET ME TALK!!!”

“Okay… okay… you don’t have to yell you know…” grumbled Yoong as he winced from the ear piercing yell he received from Young.

“I saw Sunny at Seventh Heaven last night.”

Yoong gasped. He had forbidden her to go there without him.

“Don’t worry, she wasn’t with anyone.”

“SHE WAS ALONE???”

“She was dancing by herself. She didn’t allow anyone to touch her.”

“That’s my Sunny.” Yoong smirked with pride.

“And I dragged her out to our VIP seats and she started to cry while telling me about your idiotic act with some girl.”

“She cried…?” Yoong mumbled sadly.

“Yes, she cried. Big, big sobs kind of crying. She was really hurt by you, Yoong. You need to apologize to her and beg for her forgiveness.”

“Why should I? She’s the one who went against my wishes and brought that freaking player to Jeju. I warned her about him so many times but she wouldn’t listen. I even asked Onew to keep an eye on her but she had the cheek to bring that jerk around by herself!”

“Yoong…”

“Yes?”

“She was just doing her job but you were just plain stupid. A real idiot is what you are. How could you act all lovey dovey with another girl in front of her?”

“I wanted her to be jealous and understand how I feel when she’s with that guy.”

“Well, she’s hurt. Are you happy?”

“No!”

“So your fantastic plan failed big time. She totally knows that you’re just acting with some girl, trying to make her jealous. She can see through you, Yoong. And she’s hurt because she can’t believe you would try to hurt her like that. You’ve lost your touch, Yoong. We’re players and we don’t stoop that low… do we?”

Then it finally hit Yoong. Yes, he had been so stupid to play that game. Oh no… he felt like kicking himself.

“Thanks for knocking some sense into me, bro. I’ll make it up to her.”

“Do it, before it’s too late.”

“I will.”


~~~~~


Jessica was nervous. Sweaty palms and forehead, fidgety toes… she had them all as Yul drove them to Goyang, where his mother lived.

“Do you think she will like me?”

Yul squeezed her hand gently to comfort her.

“She will like whoever I like.”

“You might be wrong.”

“Baby, don’t worry about it. She’ll like you. I promise.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, really…”

“But what if she doesn’t?”

“Firstly it’s impossible, but if the impossible happens, I’ll persuade her to like you.”

Jessica giggled and smacked Yul’s arm lightly.

“You’re not even being serious. How would you persuade your mother to like me if she doesn’t?”

“I can say lots of good things about you… and tell her how much I love you… that should do it.”

Jessica grew a little pensive and she tapped her finger against her chin as she frowned.

“There aren’t that many good things about me besides the fact that I’m rich and gorgeous, is there?”

Yul took his eyes off the road to look at her incredulously, for a brief moment. He pressed his lips into a thin line and quivered a little before bursting into laughter—loud, unbridled laughter—rendering Jessica completely clueless about what he was laughing over.

Jessica pouted and prodded him with her finger. “What’s so funny?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Never mind.”

Yul chuckled to himself as he turned his car into the street that his mother lived on. He slammed on the brakes hard without warning when Jessica grabbed his thigh very suddenly and painfully and they jerked forward in their seats.

“Yul… I’ve never been more nervous in my life.”

Yul smiled and pulled her closer by her chin until their lips met before releasing her chin.

“You’ll be fine.”

“I’ve never met any of my boyfriends’ mothers before! I don’t know what to do!”

“Baby…”

“Yul…”

“Just smile and look pretty. You’re good at that, aren’t you?”

“Smile and look pretty… I can do that.”

“Alright, let’s go in.”


~~~~~


It wasn’t as bad as Jessica had thought it would be. Yul’s mother was a beautiful lady who had aged most gracefully. She had a beautiful smile and Jessica was sure that Yul’s good looks had come from her—handsome smile included.

She put on her best manners all throughout dinner and took Yul’s advice seriously. Just smile and look pretty.

“Yul has told me a lot about you. He calls me quite often to tell me what is going on in his life so I feel like I’ve known you for a while now.”

Yul calls his mother quite often? When does he do that? I’ve never heard him talking to his mother before.

Jessica smiled and looked pretty.

“I know that you’re quite nervous about meeting me. Yul told me that you are want my approval of you very badly and I’m very happy about that. In this day and age, not every girlfriend would care about how their future mother-in-law sees them or thinks of them. I’m pleased that you care.”

Jessica smiled and looked pretty.

Mrs Kwon turned to Yul with a piercing glare. “What did you tell Jessica? Why is she smiling all the time? And why isn’t she talking at all?”

Yul chuckled and whispered in his mother’s ear. “She was so nervous that I had to help her to calm down. So, I told her to smile and look pretty because she’s good at it.”

“Yul!” scolded his mother. “How could you tell her that! No wonder she isn’t answering me at all.”

Jessica smiled and looked pretty.

“Sooyeon ah… may I call you Sooyeon?”

Woah, Yul even told her my Korean name???

Jessica smiled and nodded, still looking pretty.

Mrs Kwon shot her son her chiding glare before turning back to Jessica.

“Sooyeon ah, I’d like to speak to you in private for a little while. Come with me, if you will.”

Jessica smiled, nodded and looked pretty. She stood up and followed Mrs Kwon into a room, leaving Yul sitting at the dining table chuckling to himself.

Once they were out of earshot and the door had been shut, Mrs Kwon sat Jessica down on the bed.

“Sooyeon ah, don’t listen to my son’s silly advice. You don’t have to be quiet all the time. If there’s anything you would like to ask me… feel free to do so.”

Jessica’s shoulders sagged with relief at Mrs Kwon’s kind words and she finally opened to speak.

“Is this Yul’s room?”

“Yes.”

Jessica brightened up considerably and began walking around the room curiously.

“Sooyeon ah… there are some things about Yul that I must tell you.”

Jessica sat herself down next to Mrs Kwon on Yul’s bed and listened.

“Yul had a very rough childhood. Did he tell you anything about his past?”

“He told me about his father. And I know about Sunny and how her family helped you and him.”

“My, my… Yul has told you quite a lot, hasn’t he?” Mrs Kwon looked a little surprised. “I’m glad though… that means that he trusts you.”

And Jessica’s heart swelled with emotion. Yul trusts me?

“Did he tell you about his brother though?”

Jessica blinked. “No, he’s never mentioned anything about a brother.”

“Ah… well… perhaps that is the most painful memory he has which he prefers to forget.” Mrs Kwon took Jessica’s hand into hers and held it gently. “Sooyeon ah… I’m going to tell you a little bit about Yul’s brother in hopes that you will be able to understand Yul more and be his support in times of need.”

“Yul… is strong… I’ve never seen him in need to support before… but I’m willing to help him in whatever way I can.”

“No, no… Yul hides his weakness well. Underneath all those principles and morals, lies a boy who has memories that still hurt. He just builds up strong walls to imprison his pain and weaknesses so that he may appear tall and strong but Sooyeon ah… you are going to marry him and be with him for the rest of your life. You will eventually get to see the different sides of Yul… even the ones he wants to hide and I feel that I have to prepare you for that.”

“Yul has weaknesses?”

Mrs Kwon nodded. “You know that his father died in a gang fight, right?”

Jessica nodded. “He told me about that.”

“Well, he didn’t tell you that his brother ran away from home after their father died. He was very close to his hyung. He idolized his hyung and looked up to him like a guiding star. So when his hyung ran away and joined a gang in another town… Yul was left to fend for himself… without a father… without an older brother. He did his best to take care of me… that sweet little boy… but he was young and impressionable and the worst favour I did him was to trust a man enough to think that he would take care of me and my son.”

Mrs Kwon paused before continuing with her story.

“The man I married… wasn’t too bad but his family was horrible to me and Yul. They couldn’t accept me… or Yul… and no matter how hard Yul tried to be good and brilliant… he just was never good enough for them and when I saw how Yul was suffering… I decided to leave the family. And I suppose… you already know about Sunny and her family.”

Jessica’s mind was in a mess. She had barely recovered from the surprise of finding out that Yul had a brother, before learning about the darker aspects of his childhood that he did not delve into when he told her about his past. He had kept it simple but she now realized that she had underestimated the amount of hardship he endured in his growing up years.

“What is his brother’s name?” Jessica asked in a hushed whisper, as though the mere mention of Yul’s brother would bring forth disaster.

“Hyukjun... Kwon Hyukjun.”

“Hyukjun… should I just keep this to myself?”

“You can tell him that I told you. I don’t like to keep secrets in the family. I’ve taught Yul to be forthcoming with the things he does and this has kept us close especially during our difficult times.”

“Is this why Yul sticks to his principles so closely?”

Mrs Kwon laughed lightly. “He does get a little bit unbearable at times, doesn’t he? He is so organized with his things that it even gets to me sometimes. But to answer your question… yes… ever since he lost his father and brother… he has had to rely on his principles and morals to get by. These are the things that hold him up. They are his guiding stars… and I am very thankful that he chose this way instead of the way that his older brother chose to take.”

“Have you ever seen his brother after he ran away?”

“He came to see me just before he had to be enlisted to serve his national service. I guess, enlisting into national service makes you think of your family and you want to see your family before enter the army. But we’ve never seen him since.”

Jessica nodded pensively.

“Sooyeon ah… I’m telling you all these because I’m entrusting Yul in your care. I’m very glad that Yul managed to let someone into his heart. I’ve always been worried that Yul may end up alone because of the way he is…”

Jessica held Mrs Kwon’s hand and smiled. “I promise to love Yul no matter what happens.”

Mrs Kwon smiled warmly at Jessica and nodded. “That’s all I need you to do.”


~~~~~