Chapter 32 – Party Crasher

Jae Hyuk paced back and forth while occasionally glancing at the empty, glass vial sitting on his desk threateningly. The moment he saw Joon being rolled into the operating room for a massive hemorrhage, he knew his fate was sealed. Now it was only a matter of time before his alliance with Hyuna was known to the rest of the world. At that moment more than ever did he regret ever thinking about harming Yonghwa and Seohyun. Nothing good had come out of him taking actions against the innocent couple. Min Young wouldn’t be back from the dead and even if she could return, she still wouldn’t love him.

If he kept quiet about the incident, he wouldn’t ever be able to sleep for the rest of his life. The thought that he killed someone whose only crime was loving a psychopath would torture him forever. As much of a cold hearted person he was, his conscience would never let him live it down. “Aish!” he huffed in frustration.

Before he could continue his self hate party, he heard a commotion coming from down the hall where the emergency operating room was. Peeking his head out the door he saw nurses rolling out a stretcher with a body on it. Jae Hyuk prayed to God that on that stretcher was a living Lee Joon. It was a desperate prayer to his creator that he knew would never actually come to pass. His fears were confirmed when he saw the director of the emergency wing give Yonghwa a reassuring pat on the back.

Yonghwa looked up at his senior and gave the man a weak smile. Nurses that were all fond of the young doctor gave him quick hugs before returning to work. Jae Hyuk’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach when he realized what was going on. Lee Joon was dead. The soul reapers had come for him already and Jae Hyuk knew he was next on their list.

“Dr. Jung, I’ll write an email to your supervisor over in your ward,” Jae Hyuk heard the director tell Yonghwa. “I know we shouldn’t let personal problems get involved with work but I don’t think you can handle this situation right now. It’s best if you head on home.”

“Kwaen-kwaenchanhayo…” Yonghwa mumbled. Anyone from a mile away could tell Yonghwa was anything but alright. The man looked completely destroyed from head to toe. He wasn’t fooling anyone with his act.

The director flashed Yonghwa a weak smile and gave him a pat on the back once more. Before heading off the authoritative man gave Yonghwa a look that said he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Yonghwa bowed deeply, allowing everyone to get back to work. Shuffling over towards the office Jae Hyuk was hiding in, Yonghwa began to sob quietly.

Jae Hyuk’s eyes felt a familiar sensation in them as he watched his despondent rival wearily float through the hall. Yonghwa knew the pain of death all too well. For the second time in a couple of months, Yonghwa would have to bury another close friend. Jae Hyuk felt terrible for ever getting involved with any of this mess.

“Jung Yonghwa,” the now sentimental man called out from behind.

Yonghwa turned around to see a not so pleasant figure standing where the voice came from. He had really nothing against Jae Hyuk, but that didn’t mean he was happy to see him whenever they crossed paths in the hospital. “Yeah?” Yonghwa asked while rubbing the burning tears out of his eyes. This time, he didn’t even try to fake a smile.

“What happened?” Jae Hyuk asked shamelessly. The more the seconds on the clock passed by, the more disgusted he felt by his own self. He knew exactly what happened. He knew exactly who killed that man now being rolled down the halls as a cold corpse that would never experience the joys life had to give. “I overheard the commotion and realized it was a friend of yours.”

“I never thought I would see the day that Hwang Jae Hyuk had any kind of sincerity in his voice towards me,” Yonghwa bitterly pointed out. Jae Hyuk half smirked at the comment. If he really thought about it, he never would have guessed he would worry about Jung Yonghwa either. “Joon had a massive hemorrhage that we couldn’t stop no matter what we did. His wound was too big for the blood to stop pouring out of it. The poor guy bled to death in a few seconds.”

Even though he knew everything about the situation, hearing it from Yonghwa made it all the more real. Hearing it from a person who had been in the room during the surgery made him believe everything that had just happened. “Do you know the cause?” Jae Hyuk questioned grimly.

Yonghwa sighed and shook his head. Of course to the rest of the world, nobody would ever think of blaming Hyuna for the incident. After all, she would have to be the boldest person on the planet to kill Joon right in front of the entire hospital. “The director thought the injuries were too stressful on Joon’s body,” Yonghwa said jadedly. “It looked like the idiot was accepting death willingly. I think he couldn’t handle the stress this world brought him.”

“I don’t know the situation your friend went through,” Jae Hyuk lied before pausing for a few seconds. “But do you think he’s better off where he is now?”

“Even if there is a hell out there…” Yonghwa trailed off. “I’m sure he’s happier there than he was in this ty existence we live in.”

“Sorry if I overstepped my bounds with that question,” Jae Hyuk apologized with sincere regret in his voice. “I think you should listen to Director Park and just head on home. You won’t be able to think about anything else but your friend for a while.”

“Stop being nice Jae Hyuk, you might actually make me think of you as a human being,” Yonghwa managed to joke in his grief stricken state. The two rivals managed to show each other a weak smile at the half-insult, half-compliment. Now more than ever did Jae Hyuk think he was a complete idiot in thinking of Yonghwa as a rival. That man was something Jae Hyuk would never become. Yonghwa was something Jae Hyuk would never be able to reach no matter how hard he tried. Jung Yonghwa was arguably the greatest human on earth while Jae Hyuk was nothing.

Yonghwa walked out of the funeral home for the second time in his short life. If he could help it, he wished he could be spared of ever going back in there for the rest of his life. For the second time, he had to listen to the wails of a desperate mother begging their creators to give back her child. That is something Yonghwa hoped he would never experience again. Hearing the cries of a mother aching for the return of her offspring is possibly the most painful experience of anyone’s lifetime.

“Hey,” Jang Woo greeted from behind. “You there Yonghwa?”

“Oh sorry Jang Woo, I just needed a bit of fresh air,” Yonghwa explained while giving his best friend a pat on the arm. “I can’t stand being in there anymore. I hate to see Joon’s parents like that.” Joon’s mom was almost like his own mother. Whenever his mother couldn’t be there for him, Joon would make sure his mother would comfort him just as she would comfort her own son. Hearing her cry in heartbreak made him want to keel over and die alongside Joon.

Jang Woo nodded without adding more to the conversation. None of the people present at Joon’s funeral were particularly friendly with him anymore. When he left with Hyuna all those years back, all of his friends and family decided to cut off all ties with him. However, having a friend or family member die put a lot of people in a situation where they felt obligated to come give him one last respectful farewell. Even his parents who vowed never to see him again came to mourn their estranged son.

“They must feel terrible since they last spoke to their son years ago when they cut off ties with him. All for a woman who isn’t even here right now…” Jang Woo grumbled. Nobody was happy with the way that the woman that caused all of this wasn’t even showing her face. Half of the people present believed the story about the kidnapping, but a lot of people didn’t. Yonghwa and his friends were some of the skeptics and doubters of the crowd.

Yonghwa wished Hyuna would just show her face and endher little charade. He knew whatever she was planning from the shadows would not be a pretty sight. If she was going to spring a trap on them, he wished she could just go ahead and get it over with. Everyone was much too tired of her tricks to continue dealing with them.  

Eunjung and Seohyun came up from behind the pair and gave them each a respective kiss on the cheek. The two girls gave each other weary smiles before pulling the boys back into the funeral hall. “Yonghwa, Jang Woo and I have been talking about postponing the wedding for a while. I don’t think it’s right for us to be celebrating at this moment.”

“Why Eunjung? You guys are already ready to go for next Saturday. You’ll lose the wedding hall and not to mention all the preparations that would be ruined,” Yonghwa replied. “Don’t postpone it.”

Seohyun nodded in agreement with Yonghwa. With the amount of work it took to plan a wedding, she didn’t feel that it was prudent to let it all go to waste, especially since the young couple spent a fair amount of their savings on it. “I talked to Joon’s parents and they told me to tell you to not postpone it,” Seohyun pointed out.

“What?” the soon to be married couple asked in unison.

“When I went to greet them they asked me to tell you specifically to not let this get in the way. They were like our parents too when we were younger and they are so happy you’re getting married,” Seohyun explained. “They don’t want to let this ruin your big day.”

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After careful consideration and a sizable amount of discussing the subject, Joon’s parents finally convinced Jang Woo and Eunjung to go through with the ceremony. Finally, it was the day that the two would be forever tied to each other for the rest of their lives and beyond. Just as the girls anticipated, Eunjung was shaking in fear for what was in store for her after she went through the wedding hall doors. “Why are you shaking? Sit still or else I can’t touch up your make up unnie!” Krystal cried out.

“Mianhae,” Eunjung apologized unenthusiastically. “I didn’t think I would be this jittery. I don’t even know why. I love that pabo so much that I think I would give my life for him. You’d think I’d be set for this haha…”

Seohyun and Krystal laughed at Eunjung’s uneasy laughter and continued to make the finishing touches before their product could be displayed out for the world to see. Eunjung had let her usually short hair grow as long as Seohyun’s, something that only brought out her beauty even more. Her porcelain skin complemented the light, but perfectly done make up all too well. The strapless dress hugged her flawless figure, showing off her well sculpted body.

“Unnie you look stunning!” Krystal squealed. “That dress makes you look like a princess or Cinderella. I bet Jang Woo is going to want to skip the wedding and just go straight to the honeymoon.”

Eunjung blushed at the compliments and the thought of Jang Woo’s erted smile when she finally showed herself to him at the altar. There was no doubt in her mind that Krystal’s comments would almost come true since Jang Woo had an insatiable “appetite” when it came to those things. “Yah..! Don’t talk about the honeymoon or else he will get ideas.”

“It’s not like you guys don’t do it all the time anyways unnie,” Krystal nonchalantly shot back. “I can’t wait till you guys go on your honeymoon so I don’t have to hear Jang Woo oppa’s name being yelled out every single damn waking hour of the day.” Both Seohyun and Eunjung choked on their spit at the mention of what the engaged couple did behind closed doors.

“Soo Jung ah!” bellowed a male voice from the doorway. “What the hell are you doing talking like that? You are a lady and you should speak like one.” Seohyun rolled her eyes at Yonghwa’s attempts to be manlier than he actually was, eliciting a giggle from the other girls present. Krystal continued fiddling with Eunjung’s headpiece, completely ignoring her snotty brother.

Seohyun ran up to Yonghwa to give him a quick peck on the lips before locking her arm with him. “So when are you guys going to tie the knot?” Eunjung asked in hopes to change the topic away from her nighttime activities with her fiancé. “No doubt you guys have gotten ‘closer’ in the past few months living together.”

It was Yonghwa’s turn to blush madly at the girl’s comments. “We don’t… Yah! Eunjung! We-We’re not like that…” he meekly muttered. Seohyun pushed herself away from him while laughing hysterically. “What Seohyun?!”

“Nothing, I just think it’s hilarious that you are such a baby about it. We’re adults, we should be able to speak about this like them,” Seohyun retorted. “To answer your question Eunjung, I won’t marry this guy until he grows a spine and a pair of balls.”

“I hate all of you. Eunjung I hope you trip on your way to the altar,” Yonghwa mumbled with a pout. It was times like those when you couldn’t help but think Yonghwa was a total choding. The girls laughed even harder at his childlike antics before giving Eunjung one last inspection to see if she was ready to move out.

Soon enough, it was time for the bridal march to play as the beautiful bride walked towards the man that she would be bonded to for the rest of her life. Eunjung looked to her right to give her dad one last hug before he turned her over to the person that would take care of her from now on. In reality that man wasn’t even her real father, but she loved him as if he were. When she was only four her father died in an accident at work and her mother remarried a few years later. Her new father had a child from a previous marriage, her step sister Hyomin, whom she grew to love as a real sister.

“Eunjung ah, I know you wish your real dad could be here but it’s an honor to let this old man take his place for today,” her dad said before giving her another hug. Tears started to form in both of their eyes as they wrapped their arms around each other. “I’m glad you became the beautiful, strong, and determined girl you are now.”

“Appa… you know I love you just as much as if you were my real dad. You were a good dad to me and you will continue to be for as long as I live,” Eunjung sniffled back. “You’re a good man and a wonderful father, don’t even think I don’t love you because you didn’t give birth to me.”

“Don’t cry my little girl, you’ll smear the makeup,” he managed to mumble back before regaining his composure.”

The doors opened suddenly, giving Eunjung only half a second to look forward towards her new destiny. The familiar bridal march played, motioning for her to begin the walk to the altar. Along the way she saw the many faces of the people she loved and cared for in the world. Just as she was looking over at Yonghwa and Seohyun, she felt her heel get caught on her dress, making her stumble a bit. Yonghwa had to bite his tongue in order to not die of laughter right then and there. Seohyun poked his rib while laughing a little herself. Eunjung shot him an acidic glare before regaining her composure.

The ceremony seemed to be going without any problems besides Eunjung’s little stumble which no doubt was brought on by Yonghwa’s curse. Seohyun had to constantly poking Yonghwa to wake up. She knew he really hated those kinds of events but he was the best man and as such he was sitting in the front row. She couldn’t have him sleeping at an important time like this.

“Now will the Maid of Honor and the Best Man please bring the rings that will serve as a symbol of the bond these two will share for the rest of their lives?” the officiator spoke over the microphone. Yonghwa broke out of his bored daze and escorted Seohyun up to the altar where the exchanging of the rings then vows was going to happen.

Outside of the wedding hall, someone lurked, looking for the opportunity she came here for. Through a small window in the side door of the wedding hall, Hyuna peeked in to see the wedding she would have been invited to had she still been friends with them. All of the smiles and happiness in the room disgusted her. As usual, it seemed the grass was always greener wherever Seohyun and Yonghwa were while she was always alone and miserable. She failed to realize that it was her fault, and hers alone, that she was always flying solo.

“We’ll see if you two ers can still smile after I’m through with you.” With a sinister smirk drawn on her face, she pulled out a small handgun and aimed it at the small, but large enough, opening for her to take the life of those who she wished were dead.

Her finger found its way to the trigger as she aimed for the one person she hated the most on the planet. Seo Joohyun had always been someone she despised from day one. It always seemed like Seohyun’s life was so easy. The girl hadn’t done anything to earn her success but somehow she always ended up the winner while Hyuna was left with the scraps. Whether it be in school, with money, or even in love, Hyuna was always left with Seohyun’s scraps and she was sick of it.

“It’s over,” Hyuna whispered. “I’ll finally put you out of your misery you prissy .” The gun clicked just as she was about to take her shot before Yonghwa got in the way. Her hand began to shake at the thought of shooting the one person she truly loved in the world. If anything, she thought she should get rid of Yonghwa and leave Seohyun all alone in the world.

That evil thought went through her head over and over. It was the perfect plan after all. If she killed Seohyun, nothing good would come of it. Yonghwa would mourn her loss for the rest of his life, or even worse he would kill himself and follow her into the afterlife. However, if she killed Yonghwa, Seohyun would suffer a fate much worse than death. Hyuna managed to steady her shaking hand and aim straight for Yonghwa’s head. With the slight motion of her finger of the trigger she could make Seohyun suffer so much and she could relish in the thought of it for the rest of her life.

“Seohyun get ready to feel the pain of not having your way for once in this world,” Hyuna whispered before getting ready to pull the trigger. All she had to do was muster up the slightest bit of courage and shoot, but her body wouldn’t move. Her head told her she was so close to having her plan complete. Her heart however, was shutting down every limb in her body. Soon enough, Yonghwa and Seohyun moved back to their seats, slightly out of the line of sight of the window.

Hyuna put the gun back into her purse and made her way to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. She couldn’t understand why she couldn’t just take the shot and get it over with. She felt weak and she hated it. She always told herself she was strong and that she would step on anyone that got in her way. Now that she was so close of getting what she wanted, she had backed out. Then again, after pointing that gun at Yonghwa, she had no idea what she wanted.

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“Cheers to the newlyweds!” the crowd yelled. Everyone raised their glasses of champagne and clinked them in celebration. “Congrats guys, you deserve to be happy and finally settle down,” Joon’s mother congratulated. Eunjung and Jang Woo smiled at the motherly woman and gave her a slight bow. It felt good to see the dejected woman smiling after having her only son die.

“Thank you Mrs. Lee,” Jang Woo thanked her. “It means a lot to have you here with us. We promise we won’t let you down and we will be happy for the rest of our lives.”

“Don’t do it for me,” the old woman laughed. “Do it for that beautiful wife of yours. She’s a gem, son. Take care of her or other guys will want to steal her away.”

“Don’t worry, I have her tied down now and she won’t be getting away.”

The crowd laughed at Jang Woo’s remarks, raising the glasses up to their mouths to take their first congratulatory drink. Just before Eunjung took a sip, she was abruptly stopped by her new husband. “Yah what gives!” she yelled out in a very unladylike fashion. “We were toasting to our happiness.” The close friends and family were startled by Jang Woo’s actions, giving them expectant looks.

“You can’t drink or else our Junior will be harmed. Drinking is off limits!” Jang Woo yelled back. The crowd began to murmur before Jang Woo recognized the mistake he made. Soon enough everyone turned from each other to the newlyweds, hoping to clear up Jang Woo’s comments. “I mean… We can’t be drunk if we’re the hosts right?!” he awkwardly laughed out. “Right guys?!”

“Jashik~~~!” Yonghwa cried out before throwing his arm around his best friend’s shoulder. “I knew you guys were getting busy, but I didn’t know you were getting this busy.” Eunjung’s face grew tomato red upon hearing Yonghwa’s crude remarks while their parents were around. “How far is the bun in the oven?”

“YAH!” Eunjung yelled embarrassedly. “Are you really going to do this in front of my parents!?!?”

“Ham Eunjung…” her father growled. “This wouldn’t possibly be a shotgun wedding would it? I know I raised my daughter to have the decency to wait until after marriage to have children.” Eunjung and Jang Woo cowered at the stern voice the man was using. Jang Woo knew he was toast due to his laughable blunder. Had it just been his friends he mentioned it to, he would have been fine. However, he knew the older adults would be quite upset.

“Appa I’m sorry!” Eunjung cried out with tears streaking her face. “I know I should have been more careful. It’s really not a shotgun wedding. I’m only two months along and the wedding was planned half a year ago. Please don’t be mad!”

The people in the crowd shifted awkwardly as they watched the situation unfold. For a delicate matter like this to come out into the open at a time like that was extremely uncomfortable. When the man saw his daughter break out in tears he ran over and hugged her tightly. “I was just kidding Eunjung ah!” he bellowed. “It’s your life to take care of not mine. You don’t have to be sorry. In fact I’m so happy I’m going to be a grandpa.”

“Aish! Appa!” Eunjung cried before heading to the bathroom to clean up her face.

“Unnie I’ll come with you!” Krystal shouted as she ran behind her.

“Now young man…” Eunjung’s father growled towards Jang Woo. “We’re going to have a little talk about how you’re going to take care of my daughter from now on. It seems like you like to cause a little trouble so I’ll have to rough you up a bit.”

“Ne abeonim…” Jang Woo whined as the guests parted ways to have their own conversations.

Eunjung couldn’t help but laugh as she angrily padded away the tear streaks smearing her make up. Since she didn’t wear much to begin with, the damage wasn’t too bad. Krystal helped her with the finishing touches, leaving her to powder her own face shortly after. “Ugh Jang Woo is a complete idiot!” Eunjung fumed. “Now I’m going to be known as the girl who had her wedding ruined by my husband revealing I was pregnant before getting married.”

“Yeah you are hahahaha,” Krystal laughed hysterically.

“Thanks for the support Krystal… I know I can always count on you,” Eunjung sneered at the younger girl. “I need to head back to the reception. You done here?”

Krystal shook her head a little while continuing to run her lip gloss over her lips. Eunjung smiled at the bratty girl and headed out to greet her guests in hopes that they would forget about the events of the last ten minutes. Something told her however that that wouldn’t be the case. Krystal gave herself one last cursory glance in the mirror before turning to head out the door when she was startled by a darkly dressed figure wearing sunglasses.

“Hello brat,” the woman greeted. Krystal recognized the voice instantly as the one person she hated the most in the world. Krystal tried to make a run for it only to be stopped by having a knife held up to her face. “You are going to have a little talk with your unnie today. And I know you wouldn’t want to ruin Jang Woo and Eunjung’s big day by screaming would you?”

“You’re sick,” Krystal spat back. “What the are you doing here you witch?”

“Same thing you are doing here; I’m watching my dear friends getting married,” Hyuna cynically replied. Hyuna brought the knife closer to Krystal’s throat, threatening to slice open the delicate skin with the sharp edge. Krystal tensed up as she felt the cold steel brush past her skin, bringing goosebumps to form on her entire body.

“You won’t get away with any of the tricks you’re trying today,” Krystal growled. Hyuna wasn’t fooled by the false bravado the youngster was showing. She could almost smell the fear coming off of the cornered girl but she supposed Krystal was keeping up the show so Hyuna would let her guard down.  Hyuna began to lead Krystal towards the bathroom door when Krystal tried her luck and managed to knock her hand out of the way.

Just as Krystal made a run for the door, she was stopped dead in her tracks by a clicking sound behind her. She turned around in fear to see Hyuna having a drawn gun in her hand. “Not today little one,” Hyuna chuckled. “I thought I said you were having a chat with unnie today?”

“Kill me right now instead!” she shot back. “I’d rather die than go along with any of your schemes.”

“Go up the stairs towards the upper deck of the building,” Hyuna ordered. “Try anything funny and I will have Yonghwa and that boy killed. Hmm… what was his name again? Was it Minho?” Krystal’s eyes shot open at the mention of her boyfriend and her brother. The courage she had just gained in her escape attempt vanished and was replaced by reluctance. Hyuna had just won the game, it was checkmate. “Go on. I promise I won’t hurt you or your brother. I just came to tie up a few loose ends and then I’m gone.”

Krystal moved along the path to the stairs while Hyuna followed right behind her. Krystal knew she could try to make a run for it, but it was risky. Upon thinking of a plan, she decided against it when she saw two thugs coming up to hold her down as they ascended the stairs. No doubt those were the goons she hired after she killed Joon and made up the ransom note. “You won’t get what you want Hyuna. You’re such a greedy that will never be satisfied. Your own ambition is going to be the end of you.”

“Oh don’t worry. I’ll get what I want. I won’t hurt anyone unless I have to. I wouldn’t want to hurt our dear friend Eunjung since she’s pregnant or I would be really upset,” Hyuna responded in a sweet tone. Those words almost made Krystal puke at the sheer amount of hypocrisy in them. She wished she could think up a plan. The people in the reception hall were sitting ducks, but Krystal couldn’t do anything about it.

She knew Hyuna didn’t care about anything but getting her way. Krystal was sure that today was the day Hyuna either died, or was put in prison. However, Krystal knew all too well that Hyuna wouldn’t go down without a fight. Even if the evil watch was out of everyone’s way, she wouldn’t go alone and that’s what scared Krystal the most. No matter what, her friends and family would get hurt. The way Hyuna conducted her business was very egocentric. If she got what she wanted, there was no problem with her if she had to kill a few people to get it. Krystal just hoped that they could all get away without too many losses.

Author’s Note: So here I am guys. It’s been a year I believe and it feels a little weird to be back. I know I was supposed to finish this story ages ago, but I haven’t had the time to. Instead of giving a million excuses to my many readers that were eager to read this story, I will just give out a quick little speech and move on. I’m really sorry guys but life has been stressful. I’m in my last year of school and I’ve been insanely busy with school/friends/life stuff. I hope you guys can forgive me for the huge absences I’ve been taking with this story, but it’s almost over.

Anyway, onto the story. I believe I have perhaps 2 chapters left. I don’t know how I’m going to go about them just yet since I left my notebook with my ideas in my dorm room and I’m back at my house for the winter break. I’ll figure it out and get it to you guys ASAP. I’m sure everyone’s so ready to have this story come to a close. I know I am. As usual, I will reply to your comments when I can and will definitely finish this before the end of my break. As for another story, I may or may not get on that with the way my life is at the moment. I’ll have to see. Thanks everyone for reading!!! I will be eagerly waiting for you all to enjoy the end of this story.