Ji Yeon and Kai’s walk home

J: “Hey Kai, where do you live again? (^_^) you don’t have to walk me home if you live in a different direction.”

K: “Oh, it’s no trouble at all; I actually live right past your neighborhood. My house is a 30 minute walk straight ahead.”

J: “Really? Cool (^_^) I didn’t know that. So… (exhales) (smiles), whenever you’re ready.”

K: “(inhales deeply and exhales) Gosh… I haven’t told this story to anyone apart from the guys… so just like you, I’m a bit shy about it… but here goes…”

Back when I was a kid, I witnessed how mother told father to leave. It seems that he had fallen in love with another woman when he was out on a business trip. Actually, it’s always been hard on mother even before they got married. Since father was supposedly a super hot guy, according to my mother, even when they were boyfriend-girlfriend a lot of girls tried to attract him. After all, not only was he handsome but he was also good in studying. Because he was a popular guy, he was quite playful and hung-out with a lot of girls, so mom never felt secure. That was, until he proposed (^_^). Even though he was always with other girls, he knew mom was the right one. And you know how they met in the first place? My mom was part of the school’s dance troop—she was an awesome dancer, with a great body to match. She was a simple girl off stage, but when the music played so did her soul—her feet moved to the rhythm and jived with the beat; her face so full of enthusiasm and passion. Mom said that’s what dad said to her when he confessed, asking her to become his girlfriend. And 5 years later, even though he screwed around with other women, mother never left. That’s why he decided to marry her. So why?... why is it that after all the time they were together, it could not change him? He had a loving wife and he had me, who was just 7 years old at the time. But still he managed to do something so dumb on his business trip (-_-)… you know what he did Noona? He freakin’ got another woman pregnant! That’s right! And the business trip was only for 3 weeks! Time shared with that woman was incomparable to the time shared with mom! So… how come?... How could dad do that and break my mother’s heart? She was always there… and she never left even though she knew it was going to be tough being with him… because she loved him. This time, I guess she just had enough of it. She asked dad to leave, but not in an angry or in a sad manner… she asked him to leave with a smile on her face, in the nicest way possible. She said that she just can’t handle it anymore… that even when they’re married, he could do something like that… dad apologized a lot, of course. And for sure, there was sincerity—after all, I was sure that he loved mother. But even though it was sincere, this time it was more difficult to forgive. Actually when they got married, my dad wasn’t as playboy-ish as he used to be back when they were teens. But I guess he must’ve been seduced or something and he gave into the temptation. Maybe thinking that since mom had always forgiven him before, history would repeat itself anyway. But not this time. Even though mom forgave him, she said that it’s going to take time for things to be back to normal and that she doesn't want to see him, so she asked him to leave the house. Months later, we found out through a letter from dad that he intended to marry the woman he got pregnant, and was asking if they could get a divorce. He apologized for causing mom so much trouble ever since they started dating, up to the time they got married. He didn’t want to be a burden anymore. Also, he had to take responsibility for the woman he got pregnant. So he thought that leaving us for good would be the best option. After reading the letter, all the weight of the world fell on mom’s shoulders that day. She cried so much her eyes were sore. In the end, she agreed to the divorce. I asked her why... because I knew she still loved him, she just needed more time to forgive him completely. And I also knew that if she wanted dad to stay, he would really stay; he loved her too, he just needed to start controlling his desires. But mom said that it was ok, it was time to let go of dad. The divorce was decided, and my parents had split. And you know what Noona? They became good friends after that… the love for each other was still there… but if they ever got together, they just wouldn’t be able to handle it. It’s so difficult for 2 people in love to not be together. Sometimes my mom cried at night, and sometimes dad would just suddenly call up to ask how we’re doing. They’re such a sad couple. My mom saw as I grew, that I looked like dad and also inherited some of his smarts: my best subject was always science. Not only that, but I got something from her as well: my love for dancing. So she told me that I should always be a good boy and know how to consider others’ feelings. And when I choose someone to love, I should choose wisely so that what happened between her and dad doesn’t happen again.

Growing up in that kind of situation, I too suppressed my feelings. I often pretended I didn’t know what was going on between my parents, and just smiled in front of them as though I was unaffected. But deep down, I was confused and lonely and pitied my mom. I didn’t know if it was right to be angry with dad, but I surely wasn’t happy with him. After all, it’s not like I knew what the word “pregnant” meant at the time (^_^). Upon their divorce, I appeared totally calm. But as soon as I got inside my room, I cried to God so much I thought my eyes would never see the light of day again. After that, I promised to take care of my mom and make her proud. Also, to never ever be a playboy; to love only one girl. So yeah… that’s why I too am not exactly sociable, but I do get along well with everybody. As for girls, I treat them nicely because I remember my mom. But I don’t like the fact that they call me “lady killer” (-_-); I refuse to fall into a playboy image. Anyways… I was pretty quiet too in elementary, until I met my other half: D.O. (^_^)

J: “D.O.? You mean our D.O.?”

K: “Yup, that’s right (^_^). My only outlet from all the stress regarding my parents was dancing. I prayed to God too while dancing… praying he would stop the madness, that he would make things alright… that he would give me someone to talk to about these things. Then one day as I danced to Super Junior’s Sorry Sorry at the back of the school, I heard a voice cry out: ‘hey, that’s currently my favorite song!’ That was the day I met Do Kyung Soo; otherwise known as D.O. He was really nice and squishy (^_^); yup, he was a bit chubby back then. He watched me dance and was my very first audience, well, aside from mom. Later that day I shared my story with him, and he did too with me; I found out he was like my other half (^_^). He then introduced me to the other guys, and we all traded stories, it was so nice; a complete answer to my prayers. God didn’t just give me one friend, he gave me 5. Being with them brought me peace and brought me closer to God. Every day, I brought home the positive energy I got from them, and told my mom that we should pray for each other every night before sleeping. Pretty soon, she became peaceful too and is happy right now (^_^) Doing her best in work and taking care of me. Then later on in elementary, we met you through Chan Yeol hyung. (^_^) So yeah, that’s pretty much my story.”

Ji yeon stops and hugs Kai

Kai blushes

K: “(shocked) Noona? What’s wrong?”

J: “Nothing… I just felt that you needed one (^_^) Your story was so sad… but I never would have known if you didn’t tell me. So thank you for being open with me. And what do you mean by ‘other half’ anyway? How is D.O. Oppa your other half?”

K: “Hahaha (^_^) Find out on your own Noona; we all have backstories you’d never believe we had.”