Chapter 3

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“Hong Ki, are you alright? You seemed to be in such deep thoughts?” Yeong Ae caressed my cheeks lovingly and gently.

Her touch was so subtle and full of love.

I knew I could never bear to give her up.

However, a voice was what I had been yearning for all my life.

Why must life be so hard on me?

Why must this happen to me?

Why must I give up Yeong Ae to get a voice?

There were so many people who had their voices and were in love happily. Why could I not be the same as them?

“Yeong Ae, I love you.” I declared my love for her through my words. That was the bare minimum I could do.

“Silly! Why are you telling me this now? This is so random. I love you too!” Yeong Ae chuckled and confessed. I could only smile in melancholy to myself. She looked so beautiful and blissful now.

I would give anything to make her this happy for eternity.

Maybe I should give up my voice.

“Hong Ki, do you know how much I yearn to hear your voice? I wanted so much to hear you say the three words to me… I am sorry. I know your situation but yet I have such selfish desires. I would really love to hear those sacred words from you. Am I asking for too much? I really wish that you have a voice of your own.” Yeong Ae revealed her feelings.

“I am sorry. I would love to say those words to you too. I love you, Yeong Ae. I really do. I LOVE YOU! =]” I scribbled on the paper.

Should I choose to have a voice instead?

I was thrown into a dilemma.

“Don’t be sorry, silly! It is not your fault! I am still very fortunate to be in love with you! I should be and will be very contented with what I already have. I decided to not pursue the matter over my past memories. What really matters is the present and the future we can create together, right?” Yeong Ae recovered her usual bubbly self and acted like some professor teaching philosophy.

Her act amused me and I grinned widely. Yeong Ae was so adorable.

“Hong Ki, this is for you.” Yeong Ae took out a coloured sketch.

“This is beautiful! You are so gifted! Why are you giving me this?” I asked as I stared hard at the coloured sketch, which was actually a self-drawn portrait of Yeong Ae herself.

“I want you to remember me, forever and always. I am afraid that one of us may lose our memories but this picture will act as our reminder. It will be our witness to our love.” Yeong Ae explained, as if she had a bad premonition that our love would not last.

I pulled her tightly into an embrace and kissed her gently on her cheek. She wrapped her arms tightly around me as well. At that moment, no words mattered. We understood the love we had for each other.

“Yeong Ae, can you help to clean these dishes?” Mdm Kim called Yeong Ae away.

I stared at the giant clock. Time was ticking. It was going to be twelve midnight.

I felt as if I were Cinderella who had to rush home by midnight before all the magic disappeared. However, I was not the lucky Cinderella who could live happily ever after, together with her beloved Prince Charming. I had to make a serious sacrifice in order to achieve my deepest inner desire. I had to make a magical and miraculous sacrificial deal.

“Hong Ki, you have one more minute. I need you to tell me your final choice. Do you accept the deal?” Mdm Kim approached me directly.

I pondered really hard. Images of Yeong Ae were flooding my mind. Past memories of being bullied, neglected by parents and all the harsh pains of being voiceless haunted me too. My eyes were fixed onto Yeong Ae who was humming as she cleaned the dishes.

“I … I accept the deal.”

I could remember the fateful choice I made in the end.

The desire to speak and to declare my love overpowered my mind and heart.

That was the beginning of my new life, with a new voice.

I remembered the swirling of all the objects around me, and then the blinding white light.

When I regained conscious, I was in a little and cozy apartment. My guitar and the coloured sketch were with me. The apartment seemed to be built for me. All necessities had been prepared and everything in it was tidy and neat. I found myself a full-length body mirror. None of my facial features had changed.

The next thing I tried was to speak.

“A…Ah…I am Lee Hong Ki. I love Lee Yeong Ae!”

I realised that I had a voice.

“I can speak! I have a voice! I can speak!”

I exclaimed in enthusiasm.

However, my happiness was short-lived. After the realizing that I could speak, I recalled the condition for my voice. I ran out of my new apartment. I walked around in circles. I traced my steps that day. I stared at the traffic lights. I searched through the thick and yellow pages of the street directories. I could not find any single trace of Hajime.

I could not find Yeong Ae.

For days and months, my search failed miserably.

Then I decided to open a cafe and created a band.

‘Until You Return’ was the name for my cafe.

Glancing at the young man who was sitting in front of me, I ended my story by declaring my love for Yeong Ae once more.

“I love her as well. She was my Lee Yeong Ae.”

“I understand. I guess I could fit the pieces together now. I think Ga Tong sacrificed all of her past for a new life without her unbearable family. I think she chose to sacrifice me. She knew she was leaving. That was why she gave me this little glass bottle with the dried firefly inside.” The young man concluded.

“I guess it so. Jong Hyun, care to work at my cafe?” I offered. He had a rare and heavenly voice. He would be a bonus addition to my cafe. Furthermore, he was waiting for Ga Tong who was my Yeong Ae, as well. Perhaps, the determination and unwavering love of the two of us could bring her back to us.

“Thanks for the offer! I guess I will take it temporarily, if you do not mind.” Jong Hyun accepted the offer.

“Of course!” I shook hands with him.

That was when the little glass bottle, that Jong Hyun had placed on the table, began to shake violently.

Our eyes were then glued to it.

Greyish-white smoke rose from the firefly’s wings. The firefly was burning inside the bottle. Soon, it burst into bright orange flames.

However, queerly, there were no ashes.

The dried firefly simply burnt and exploded with bright sparks. Then, it was gone. There were no remains of it. It was like Yeong Ae or Ga Tong’s disappearance. She was simply gone.

I was about to ask Jong Hyun what had exactly happened when I saw the same blinding light.

“Lee Hong Ki and Kim Jong Hyun, I am Mdm Kim. I just want to let the two of you that your Ga Tong or your Yeong Ae is leading a pleasant life. She is happy with what she is doing now. I had asked her to take over some of my responsibilities. She would love to have the two of you to move on with your lives as well. She no longer belongs to your world, Hong Ki and Jong Hyun. Keep her in your heart and mind and then move on! I am really touched by the deep love you have for her, but you two should move on. I will let the two of you have a glimpse of her now. This will be the last you will see of her. Cherish the fate that the three of you had shared.”

I saw Yeong Ae’s sweet and lovely grin. Her eyes were still sparkling with much joy. The delight revealed made her more appealing.

“Ga Tong…!” I heard Jong Hyun call out.

“Yeong Ae, I love you!” I prayed that she could hear my voice now. I hoped she could hear the three sacred words that I had been unable to say to her personally.

Within a few moments, everything went black. Afterwards, Jong Hyun and I stared at each other, in silence.

“Let’s have a drink…” I suggested.

“And move on with our lives afterwards.” Jong Hyun added with a wry smile.

I smiled in return. No further exchange of words was needed. We understood each other and knew the best choice for us.

On the table, the empty glass bottle stood rigid.

On the wall, the coloured sketch hung perfectly still.

It was time to really move on.

Ga Tong or Yeong Ae, she was the woman Jong Hyun and I loved deeply. Like what Mdm Kim stated, she would be in our minds and hearts, forever and always.

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FINALE!

the end.

th1rd3ye/crunch