30

Dara’s P.O.V.

For a brief amount of time, I am puzzled as to why Tabi looked so afraid. I am about to call out his name, but as his eyes met mine, I almost instantly shared his fear. I should be afraid. His parents had resented me begrudgingly all these years and if they were to see me now with their son, whom they had spent who knows how much to save, it would probably take every fiber of restraint in their body to not lunge at me.

I felt my heart palpitating and my muscles tightening. I wanted to run, but for some reason, I couldn’t move. I could only look around helplessly as his parents’ faces met mine. Sure enough, they immediately recognized who I am.

“YOU!” The woman screeched. Her eyes fixated angrily on me as she stomped forwards. “HONEY, IT’S THAT FOUL GIRL WHOM NEARLY TOOK OUR SON’S LIFE!”

“How dare you show up at the celebration of our son’s birthday? You were the low life that nearly took all this away from him!” The man is walking towards me.

I started to panic, but still couldn’t move. ‘Somebody save me…’ I thought desperately. At the exact moment when Tabi called out to his parents, I felt a grip on my wrist. I instinctively looked up, and am shock to see not Tabi, but Jiyong. Without a word, he drags me off to the exit. I look back to find Tabi nodding reassuringly at me. I give him a slight smile and kept my head down the rest of the way. I didn’t dare meet eyes with Tabi’s parents or the other guests.

As I reach a fair distance from the party, Jiyong finally let go of me. “I called my driver, he’ll arrive shortly.”

“T-thanks.” I didn’t know what else to say.

“I’ll be going now.” He nodded curtly and is about to leave, but I quickly grabbed his arm.

“She’s nothing special. She’s average in looks, and well…pretty much everything she does. She’s not particularly good at anything. She’s not wealthy, she’s stubborn, annoying…and she always gets herself into trouble. She doesn’t handle stress well, she’s painfully clueless…and that sometimes makes her come off as heartless.”

“She’s nothing special by society’s standards, but she’s one of a kind to me. It’s stupid I know…but she’s just…I don’t know, I guess it’s what one calls love? When you have an attraction for someone but can’t explain it? I’ve known her for a long time…I see things in her others don’t. I try to be there for her when I can.”

“Why not? You sound very nice and well, above decent, and if she can’t see that, especially when she’s really not all that special, she doesn’t deserve it. The least she can do is giving you a chance. And about those burdens…or guilt or whatever you call it…if you’re honest about…I’m sure it’ll work out.”

Parts of the conversation back at the party replayed over and over in my mind. I am dense, but I am certain he is talking about me, especially since now that I know it is all coming from him, everything made sense. When he was hospitalized, he was as convincing as one could get, but I still couldn’t completely believe him. My mind was a mess, and it still is now, I tried to explain to myself that it is just a difficult transition—childhood enemy to admirer. It isn’t that I had never considered being with Jiyong, I just never see it actually happening in real life. It had all just suddenly hit me now, how he had revealed the exact same things to whom he thought is a stranger, and the things he said to me back at the hospital when he was clear of whom it was before him, it all matched up. I gripped his arm a bit tighter, hoping to make him look back.

“Let go, Dara.” He finally managed to say after a few moments of silence.

“No.” I persisted, “we have business to finish.”

“Just forget everything I said, okay?”

“How can I forget?” I walk around him so that I am now facing him. He looks at the ground to avoid my gaze. “What you said back there can’t just be forgotten, Jiyong. I know they were true.”

“Why didn’t you believe me back at the hospital then?” His eyes slowly met mine; an empty expression masked his face.

“I…” I tried to think of a way to explain, but realized I couldn’t. “I’m sorry. I believe you now.”

“You know…” he uttered gently as he removed a strand of hair from my cheek, “it’s too bad that the advice you gave me isn’t from someone else…otherwise…I would’ve followed them.”

I stared at him, perplexed. “What do you mean?”

“It means it’s too late.” He smiled pitifully. “You didn’t know it was me in the closet…you didn’t know who I was talking about…until you saw me. You gave that advice…based on the assumption that it wasn’t me. Now that you know it’s me…do you still want me to take your advice?”

“I can’t possibly chain her down like that. They’re burdens I should bear on my own.”

“I…” I trailed off.

“Just as I thought.” He tried his best to smirk, “I know you too well, Dara.”

I bit my lip, and decided to ask an extremely risky question. “Jiyong…what are your burdens?” My heart drop when he looks away from me. “Jiyong, please.”

I am almost begging, what could have caused him so much pressure? Was this all the root of the problem—why he couldn’t confess to me throughout these years?

“Fine.” He finally said. I am about to let out a sigh of relief, but the look from his eyes made me worried instead. “I’ll tell you…just the sake of ending it all.” He smiled one last time, “once you know everything, you would never want anything to do with me...ever again.”

Tabi’s P.O.V.

The party had to be called off earlier than I had intended, but with the unexpected encounter of my parents and Dara, problems became too obvious for the guests to relax. Once we return home, the confrontation began.

“Tabi, you have a lot of explaining to do.” My mother said calmly, but it is obvious that she is boiling deep down.

“Yes you do, son.” My father joined in. “What happened to you? Before, you would have never done such things behind our backs.”

“It must be that foul girl!” My mother begin raising her voice again, “SHE TRICKED YOU INTO THIS, DIDN’T SHE? She took over you once before and now she’s trying again!”

“No, that’s not it.” I tried to remain composed, but I found it harder as my parents begin spewing words out of nowhere. “It was an event out of chance…”

“Chance? I bet she planned everything.”

“No, she did not! She-”

My mother started bawling. “She nearly took your life! We almost lost you!”

“It was an accident, I tried to save her because I lov-”

“Love? Tabi, you were too young to know what love was! You were just too kind for your own good!”

My frustration level is at its peak. “My feelings for her haven’t changed! The loss of memories merely suppressed my feelings for her, it never changed it. I’m sorry that I never remained a fool without memories. If I had, everything would have been going as planned, right?” I added bitterly.

“Tabi, you don’t understa-”

“No…” I shook my head agitatedly. “YOU don’t understand. You kept me literally locked away from the memories that were rightfully mine…and because of that, I lost the chance of being with the only person I had ever truly had feelings for…do you know what a crime that is…?”

“Lost the chance…?” My parents were finally listening to what I had to say.

“Yes…I lost it all. I knew from the beginning after I’ve recovered…that I am no longer the one her heart leaned towards…” I laughed to myself, “While chance reunited us, it also brought us apart. She’s with me because she feels that she’s obligated to be…but I know it isn’t what she wants. The person she should be with…is the person who has been there for her all along…watching over her…even when she wasn’t aware.” I looked at my parents, who were now awestruck. “Mr. and Mrs. Choi…your kindness over all these years…are irreplaceable. You took me in when nobody else would…and for that; I forever remain in your debt. However…this is something that I must do on my own. I do not resent you for this…perhaps she was never mine to begin with. This will be the first time I have ever gone against your rules…but please allow me to see her one last time…for the sake of making things right?”

My parents looked at each other unsurely, and finally agreed quietly. This is the first time I had ever called them something other than “mother/mom” and “father/dad”. They must have finally realized how much this meant for me.

Dara’s P.O.V.

Jiyong told me everything—the accident…how he was there but failed to get help, his childhood struggles…how he wanted to fit in with everyone else, his jealousy…how he wanted to get close to me but couldn’t because of his mental conflicts. I remained silent the whole time (I didn’t want to go through the entire speech of Jiyong’s, because I expect that if I follow my series, I would have a basic idea of what his burdens are—I assumed that I would find it boring or pointless if I just repeated everything).

“There you have it.” Jiyong said, “My pathetic life story.”

I didn’t know what to think. I wanted to say something, but soon, a car came parking close by.

“There’s your ride.” He said calmly.

“I…” I wanted to talk to him more, but he pushed me towards the car almost hastily.

“Take her home.” He ordered, the driver nodded and open the car door for me.

“No, I refuse to go until we talk more!” I retorted aggravatingly, resisting all attempts to get me into the car.

Suddenly, another car pulled up. “Sir, you called?”

“Yes, right on time.” My jaw dropped as I saw Jiyong get into the other car. He must have seen this coming.

I had no choice but to be driven home, but the entire time, my mind never left Jiyong. My thought over his burdens, I didn’t know how to react. He is just a child then…does that make him evil? He kept referring to himself as a “murderer”, but I knew he didn’t hold any killer intentions. If this had happened to me, I would probably feel burdened by it as well. I tried to think in his perspective, but due to being overwhelmed, I still couldn’t think clearly. The only thing I knew for certain is that I am going to find a chance to talk with him again.

Jiyong’s P.O.V.

My thought silently throughout the ride. Dara probably hates me now…after all, my stupid decisions in the past nearly killed off Tabi. If I had ended up talking to her more, she would probably grow to despise me even more.

‘It’s better to leave with at least a bit of dignity…’

As I reached home, I carefully stepped into my crowded room—clothes and all sorts of other personal belongings were sprawled everywhere on the floor. I found a spot on the couch and sat down soundlessly. I held back the tears, because there isn’t any reason to cry anymore. From my understanding of her, Dara would probably try to get a hold of me. Sadly, no matter what she does, she will be too late.

In less than a week, I will finally begin to fulfill my duties as a successor to a prestigious company. What does this mean? It means studying abroad and leaving everyone and everything behind…for the next 3 years.

---------------------------------------

sorry for the late update!