15.

The doorbell rang, and Hyesu ran. “Coming!” she shouted.

When she opened the door, it revealed Kai. She immediately frowned and slammed the door, but Kai’s foot was between the door and he let out a loud yell. He grabbed his foot, hopping around the corridor as he gasped for air. Too painful to deal with.

“What do you want from me?” she asked in an impolite and impatient tone, which made Kai stop. The pain in his heart was more than the pain he felt in his toe. “Eunhye-“

“There’s no such person in this world, there’s only Hyesu,” she interrupted.

He took in a deep breath and nodded his head. “Hyesu, I just want to know what happened seven years ago,” he said, slowly stepping into her house. She turned her back on him and folded her arms. “Hurry.”

“What happened seven years ago? Why did you disappear after my birthday? The call before my birthday was the last time I saw you. Where the hell did you go and why are you not acknowledging me if you know I’m Kim Jongin?” he asked. Bombarding one question after another.

Hyesu clenched her fists tightly and turned to face him, looking straight in the eye. “You’re asking me all these questions when actually you yourself should already know the answer because you are the one who actually made me to vanish from your sight. And what do you expect me to acknowledge you as? My boyfriend? Or.. a friend?” she asked harshly.

Even though it was really harsh, filled with anger, Kai could feel her pain.

She looked away, squeezing her eyes shut while Kai reached for her hand, but she abruptly shook his hand away. “Don’t. Touch me,” she warned.

“Hyesu. Please just tell me where you are for these past seven years alright?” he said, his brows raised, and his eyes filled with pain and misery.

“You really want me to tell you everything?” Hyesu asked, glaring at him. “Fine. Well I just want to tell you, why I left and disappeared for seven years because of you. When it was your birthday, I went to your house at ten in the morning sharp, and I was being chased by your father just like other times,” she said.

“You could have just stayed,” he said.

She ignored him and sat down. “When I was being chased my your father, he said all those harsh words to me, but I didn’t mind, and I don’t believe what he said about us. About you not admitting to our relationship, until I heard it from you, I then gave up,” her voice trailed off, and she took in a deep breath shakily before continuing.

“I called you, but you didn’t pick up. But half a minute later your dad called and you immediately picked up. At first I thought you were away when I was calling you, but what you said, made me totally give up on you, made me realize what a good liar you are to lie to your father and me at the same time. And what hurt me the most, was the next sentence of yours. You told you dad that you never admitted to our relationship, and even said that we didn’t even start.”

She looked up at Kai, who was confused. Confused because of what? Because he had never said it before, or confused when she heard it. “Kim Jongin. I don’t blame you for not admitting to our relationship, but I blame you for telling lies and stalling time. Because you know once you said that lie you can never turn back the time, because once you said we never started, you knew in your heart it was hard for us to be together, and maybe impossible for us to even be together.”

“Hyesu I..”

“Enough. At that time, I was reckless and impulsive, and maybe we shouldn’t even have started, so instead I actually stopped blaming you and blamed myself instead. Blaming myself for being born in a lower class than you, blaming myself for not being brave enough to overcome this obstacle together, blaming all sorts of things to myself. I thought I could forget about you, that’s why I changed my number and threw everything that was related to you. I literally shut my entire mind, and because of this, I actually made that person worried,” she said. She looked up at Kai and shook her head. “It wasn’t you. It was Hani.”

“Ha-hani?” Kai repeated.

“Why? Did it ring a bell? She was the one you dated before in the SM Academy. One out of thousands of girls. Maybe she isn’t so important to you, but well you are important to her, and she is important to me!” she shouted.

“Hani wasn’t my sister. Dongkook wasn’t my biological father. But both the father and daughter treated me well. They treated me like their own family member, especially Hani. She was like a big sister to me..” Then, Hyesu smiled. The thought of Hani actually could make her smile.

“Because she treated me like a younger sister, she cared for me. And when I was crying because of you every night, she was crying with me. Since then I felt the closest one was her, and I placed her as my top priority. But we soon got separated because she had to go to SM Academy, the same year as you, leaving me all alone when Dongkook moved in with her. Unknowingly, she actually met you, and you just toyed with her feelings, then jumped onto another girl. You know, because of you and your lovey dovey actions towards her, she really fell in love with you. She actually thought of planning to avenge for me, by toying with your feelings, but she ended up getting her feelings toyed,” Hyesu said, and she scowled.

“When you broke up with her, she felt worse than me. The bubbly her was gone. She committed suicide. She failed, she would try again. Her state was worse than mine. Seeing her being so hurt like this, do you have any idea how much pain I went through? You don’t understand Kai. Seeing your loved ones in pain and misery, and yet you can do a single thing about it, you would feel so helpless and worthless, you really wanted to avenge for her.”

Kai bit his lip. He didn’t know he actually made Hani feel so depressed, he felt guilty even though right from the start he didn’t even plan to toy with her feelings. “Hyesu I-“

“And because of you she ended up in the hospital!” she shouted. “Remember the other day when you came into the hospital, you saw a girl lying unconscious on the bed, that’s her. That’s Hani. And that’s when I realized that when you want to repay someone’s gratitude and grace, you somehow resort to means such as vengeance,” she said, taking in a deep breath and glanced at Kai, whose face looked so guilty, but she had no feelings towards this person anymore.

“Once you lay a finger on my sister, you know then I will hate you more than anyone else. My late father named me Eunhye, to remind me to repay one’s gratitude and grace, but I changed it to Hyesu, which means grudges, vengeance,” she said.

“Hyesu just listen to me. What you are doing now is the same as what you are following in Dongkook’s footsteps five years ago-“

“Wrong! Dongkook did it because of money, his excuse was Hani, but his reason was due to greed. He would kill the innocent just for the sake of money, but I’m different. I know Dongkook did was wrong, and I clearly know what I’m doing. I’m doing this not for money, but for Hani. Hani was such a nice girl but you landed her in the hospital, and now her life is at stake if she doesn’t get a liver transplant. You’re the one who is wrong Kim Jongin. You shouldn’t tell lies in the first place, you shouldn’t resort to lies just to get both your father and I. That is called greed Kim Jongin. That’s called wanting to have the best of both worlds which is impossible!” she shouted in agony. Her fists were clenched tightly and she was breathing heavily, while Kai stood on his feet firmly, ready to receive any lectures that Hyesu wants.

“Hyesu, I’m sorry..” Kai apologized sincerely while Hyesu scoffed and shook her head. “You think just a sorry can get me back my family? You’re wrong then, Kai.”

“Hyesu I just want to explain everything to you. I didn’t date Hani, and what you heard from my father it-“

“It wasn’t true, that’s what you are going to say again right?” she asked, scoffed. “Another lie,” she muttered. She opened the door, and looked away. “I’ve explained everything to you already where I was for the past seven years.  I changed my name and went overseas to study when everyone left me, one by one, that’s why you couldn’t find me,” she finished, waiting for Kai to leave her house.

He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, nodding. He slowly walked out of the house, and turned to face Hyesu but she just slammed the door shut right in his face. “Sorry, Hyesu,” he whispered to the door. “I’m going to explain everything to you, somehow,” he said, touching the door then slowly walked away.

Hyesu sighed and she walked over to the sofa, sitting down. She didn't feel like crying. She didn't have the energy to cry. She was broken. Inside and out.

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