We are No Good for Each Other

Yoona’s hands gripped the fabric of her skirt tightly as she listened to Kyuhyun’s recollection of the last five years. It had taken both her and Sooyoung’s time to coax the man to speak to her about the past, but once he’d relented—his stories took hold of her attention and refused to let go.

She hadn’t thought that the circumstances of her friend’s enlistment into armed force had come with a price—one that had destroyed his name and had also almost taken his life if not for her husband’s efforts. Efforts she hadn’t known were being done whilst she fell into despair in his absence.

With her knuckles shaking ever so slightly in her lap, Yoona slowly lifted her head to meet Kyuhyun’s sorrowful gaze. He had recounted his tale quite animatedly; speaking of frightful people and events she didn’t dare want to know or re-live. He spoke of the lieutenant he had served under—a corrupt man and an insurgent who had framed Kyuhyun of his own dastardly crimes—and then of the troubles he had to face while on the run from his own platoon’s wrath and the Japanese militia…

She had feared for him while he spoke of events that had already passed. And even more so for her own husband’s involvement in his best friend’s escape. There was so much she didn’t know nor understand—it frightened her that she might never truly stomach everything that would be said that day.

“Changmin was able to get me back home in a cargo ship,” Kyuhyun began after a long pause, taking a long swig from the drink Sooyoung set out for them in the living room. They were huddled in front of a roaring fire; Kyuhyun on one side with a grim expression and Yoona at the other, gripping the fabric of her flowing skirt. Sooyoung sat in between them, patting her friend on the shoulder—unbearably quiet throughout Kyuhyun’s storytelling. Yoona couldn’t possibly listen anymore, couldn’t possibly want to stay for longer to hear about what her husband did or did not do—but she had to, needed to.

“He didn’t come home though…”

“No, of course not. Obviously.”

Yoona nodded at this and waited as Kyuhyun heaved a heavy sigh.

“He said he promised the family that helped him with the arrangements that he would get their harvests up by 10% before the year was through. Changmin told us that at most it would only take him a month or two to organize everything before coming back here, but obviously that didn’t happen. He used up all the money he brought with him in case of anything to help the family… and eventually had to work more to earn everything back.”

“Sooyoung tried to explain it to you at the time…” he trailed off, catching Yoona’s gaze with his. She looked back steadily, unflinching as he continued—his tone more or less accusatory than it should have been. “The family had just reported him missing then but when she came to tell you what happened, you were so distraught and angry that you shut everyone out completely. I couldn’t come out of hiding and show myself to you just yet to explain everything and eventually once Changmin learned about this, he told us not push you any further…”

“He told us that we should worry about ourselves and try to live normally. He said that he’d find a way to come back and make it right between all of us, so we left town for awhile to rebuild our lives.”

Sooyoung continued for her husband from then on, clasping Yoona’s hand in between hers. She was trembling slightly as she listened to the words spoken to her, unsure of it all but calm at the same time. Yoona didn’t want to seem weak—she couldn’t afford to be viewed like that anymore.

And even though she felt like fainting from all that she was learning that day, she also knew that couldn’t run away into isolation again. Hiding away from the inevitable truth that would surface was cowardly and Yoona believed she was anything but that.

“Kyuhyun and I married in a month after Jiyoung was born but even then with the difficulties of having to raise a child while moving constantly—we were determined to come back and not to let this town scare us into running out on our lives.” Yoona felt the gentle squeeze of her friend’s hand over hers as she spoke, spreading warmth through her heart. Sooyoung smiled at her as she continued; her words clear and concise—cutting through the silence in the room.

“Kyuhyun said he couldn’t do that to Changmin. He said that he had to look after you even if you didn’t want him too and I felt the same. It took us awhile before we were able to come back here—even with Changmin’s help, it took more than what he could give just for us to buy this house back. We were able to get everything my parents left for me here – the house and the cantina – but it took even longer for us to help Changmin to gain back what we owed him.”

Sooyoung finished in a flourish, gesturing at the walls of their home surrounding them. Yoona nodded slowly in understanding as her admissions sunk into her thoughts and she weighed them. It was almost too much to process in such a short time, but somehow it all also made sense. The growing realization of her husband’s innocence also slowly made it hard to breathe.

“I—I don’t know what to say,” Yoona choked, her breath coming up in short, rasping gasps. Her hands trembled as tears prickled her eyes and Sooyoung gently reached out to squeeze her arm once again. “All this time I’ve thought ill of my only true friend and – so this means that he—that Changmin had spoken the truth before he left. He’d left to get Kyuhyun home and—”

A wave of remorse overwhelmed her as she struggled to continue.

“Shh.” It was Kyuhyun, surprisingly, who came to console her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she began to openly cry. “Neither of us expected things to go this far. The three of us thought things would be fixed before the New Year but… I’m sorry, Yoona. Truly, I am.”

She sniffed into her sleeve in an unlady-like fashion, cracking a smile when the couple chuckled kindly in unison. Warmth filled her heart as her long-lost friends gathered on either side of her to comfort her; their smiles open and true. It’d been awhile since she felt safe outside of the family. To be around her friends—real friends—was something she’d truly missed.

If I had listened back then when Changmin had tried to explain that night—then maybe I wouldn’t felt so alone.

Yoona’s lip quivered at the thought, suddenly guilty. She bowed her head, hiding her face as tears surfaced behind her eyelids. “You have nothing to feel sorry for, Kyuhyun,” she said, squeezing the hand Kyuhyun held, “All I want is the truth and you’ve given me at least half of it. I’m more than grateful for your telling me at any time.”

If he noticed her trembles, Kyuhyun did not give he