Entry :: {32}

He saw the fear in his girl’s eyes as she mouthed for his help. He took his eyes off her fervently and stomped up to the woman who held onto the important document in her hand. Without any hesitation, he snatched it away from her swiftly before any damage could be done to it.

“ENOUGH! Whatever you’re forcing us into, it’s all enough!” He yelled right in front of her.

He picked the kneeling girl up and embraced her in his arms.

It angered the woman even more when he dared to show some affection towards the girl that she disliked.

“Enough? I gave you so many chances to break away from this girl and what did you do? Spend a night at their house just because it’s her birthday?” Mrs Jung flared as her face turned slightly red from the anger that was raging in her.

Daehyun’s ears perked up at the mention of it. He was being so careful that day to not let anyone know about their meeting but it seemed like his mother managed to find out somehow. It wasn’t even a surprise that she managed to do so. His voice was interrupted by the trembling girl that stayed safe in his arms.

“I forced him to stay… It isn’t his fault, so please, don’t blame it on him.” Sora squeaked.

Mrs Jung broadened her eyes which let Sora to see the tempered side of her. The older woman wasn’t expecting a response from Sora and she deemed it rude for her to speak up when she was addressing her son.

“You’re one desperate lady who don’t seem to understand simple statements. Did you forget whatever we discussed years ago? I remember saying that I have someone in mind to marry Daehyun to. Do you forget important things that easily?” She mocked.

As Daehyun was right next to her, she felt secured once again. Sora took the audacity to correct the powerful woman. “No, I didn’t forget a thing you said. But yes, maybe I’m a bit too desperate for him. Everything was fine until you brought him to the States... Why can’t we be together? What does it take for you to accept me and my family?” Sora’s voice croaked a little when she spat out those words.

Mrs Jung rolled her eyes on her while Daehyun held her wrist gently. He felt ashamed that Sora was doing this instead of him. But it was because she didn’t know the devil side of the woman and that was why she dared to talk against her. Daehyun on the other hand knew his mother too well already that she would dare sign that paper that could stop Welix Enterprise from running.

Daehyun pulled her away with him and attempted to make her leave the room before his mother could have a say. But Mrs Jung raised her voice before they could pass through the doors.

“See each other again and I’ll make you regret, Kim Sora. Don’t be a wretch like your mother is! If I had known all of these, I’d have sent you further away from Daehyun!” Her chest heaved heavily as she gave her last words but Daehyun, who was leading Sora, turned back at her.

“Sent? What are you talking about?” He loosened his grip around Sora’s wrist. Sora was bewildered that she chose to call her by her past’s name and why was her mother also being dragged into this matter? She wondered in just that few seconds and then she noticed the panicked movements of the woman’s eyes.

Mrs Jung sealed close right when she said those. She felt threatened the moment Daehyun let go of Sora and took small steps towards her, demanding an explanation from her. She then straightened her composure and cleared her voice.

“You’re not going to stand a single chance, Daehyun. Don’t think you have won this time round. That document is a fraud. Another wrong move from either one of you, it’s the end of everything.” She smirked as her lips trembled. Daehyun looked at the paper in his hands and it seemed like what she had said – a fraud. He tore it apart aggressively and threw it on the ground.

“You’re really despicable.” He hissed.

He left the place with Sora once again and slammed the doors of the study room. Mrs Jung leaned against the wall as she felt drained. But she was a little relieved on the other hand that didn’t give away her secret – a secret that had been living for years.

-

Taehyung heated some food that had gotten cold due to the long wait. He was always checking on his phone in case Sora returns him a call. It was already 10pm and the girl wasn’t homed. He sat at the dining table and sighed greatly as the house was entirely empty. Hyeri wasn’t around as she had taken her leave already that morning. She gave an excuse that her cousin was already back from overseas and she could beg for a stay there.

Before he could retrieve the heated dish, the front door clicked and he jogged his way to welcome her.

“Hey-”

She didn’t even acknowledge his presence as she trudged into the apartment. Taehyung was baffled by the way she treated him. He had yet to apologise for what happened on her birthday so he thought that maybe she was still holding on to that night. “Sohee… Are you okay?”

The girl nodded half-heartedly and plopped herself on the couch. Taehyung took the dish that he heated to the living room and set the table for her. It was supposed to be his meal but he looked at how skimpy Sora had become and it worried him. He didn’t mind cooking some instant noodles for himself later on so he invited her to dig in and paid attention to her mood so that he could apologise at the right time.

Sora picked the bowl and slurped on the noodles greedily. Taehyung wasn’t expecting her to eat that much but it seemed like she was going to the bowl clean after everything was finished.

“Have you eaten?” Sora asked after she finished her meal, leaving the clean bowl on the coffee table. Taehyung shyly shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me?!” She hit his arm and Taehyung chuckled. He wasn’t really that hungry anyway and he found that the way she ate was really entertaining. He felt content just by looking at her eat away those dishes.

“It’s okay, I feel full just by looking at you eat.” He picked the bowls and plates that he served her and placed them in the sink. Without him knowing, Sora followed him from behind and opened the cabinet as she scanned for something that she was looking for. “Is there any soju in here?” She took out a few containers that was blocking her view. Taehyung was questioning himself why would she search for that heavy drink.

Taehyung remembered that he had bought some bottles the previous week and he kept them right behind those empty containers in the lower cabinet. Before Sora could rummage the entire space, Taehyung told her that there wasn’t any and pushed her slightly to the right before squatting next to her. He put those containers back in their place before she could notice the hard green glasses that stood at the back of the cabinet.

“Ayy… It’s right there… Let’s bring those out.” She pulled his hands away and reached for the long neck of the bottle that stood right deep inside the cabinet. Taehyung was growing wary over her discovery. He gripped her arm and looked at her with his tender eyes and furrowed brows. “Why do you need them? You’re not feeling okay, aren’t you?”

Sora huffed a short laughter. “Come on brother, let’s have some fun tonight. Besides, I haven’t really had a drink with you before you left me.” She grinned but Taehyung knew that it was a motive for him to feel hurt over her words. The word ‘left’ implied how irresponsible and selfish he was. He thought that Sora was still holding onto the past.

“Just a few cups, Sohee.” He granted her a permission and she skipped off to the living room with two bottles in her hands. Taehyung picked a small glass for the both of them and sat on the floor with her. Sora cheerfully uncapped the bottle and served Taehyung a drink before she could pour a small glass for herself.

Taehyung waited until she raised her glass and clinked hers with Taehyung’s. “Happy reunion!” She cheered. But Taehyung wasn’t in a festive mood like she was in. He could sense that her smile and excuse for drinking were just a cover up. She was just trying to run away from her problems and hoped that drinking will help them fade away by tomorrow.

“Why aren’t you drinking? Come on, you used to love drinking as well!” She guided his hand that was holding a glass of soju to his lips and Taehyung drank it half-heartedly as he hooked his eyes on hers.

“Refreshing, isn’t it?” She laughed away.

Taehyung placed his glass on the coffee table and pondered for a while. He then straightened his back and lifted the opened bottle to serve her more of the drink. Sora accepted his offer gratefully and downed on the bitter liquid endlessly. Taehyung wasn’t intending any harm to her but he wanted to know her misery and he was just waiting for her to lose it all before spilling out the truth to him. After all, since the day they had been reunited and lived together in this house, things weren’t going her way when Hyeri came in between the both of them and that only pulled them apart. Taehyung hadn’t had to chance to get to know her better and now was the only chance for him to help her out.

Sora’s head was already leaning against the coffee table and Taehyung gently shook her shoulder to know whether she was okay.

“V… Is that you?” She poked his cheek as she giggled. Taehyung’s brows furrowed, not knowing if she could still tell him everything at the state she was in.

“Sohee, is there anything that’s bothering you today?”

Sora pushed herself away from the table and straightened her back. She was on a parallel eye contact with him as she smiled away. Of all sudden, Sora pouted and creased her brows. “I had a very bad day… Do you think you can help me out?” She leaned forward and trapped his hands in hers. Taehyung flinched a little backwards when her face inched towards him. “What is it?” He asked softly, out of pity.

“I just met with the Royal Duo’s great leader… She told me to never see her son again…” Sora was laughing again and it took her nothing to pull herself back from her thoughts. She stood up on her feet and put her hands on her hips. Taehyung looked on as she tried to imitate the scenario that took place earlier on.

“Welix Enterprise will be at stake if you ever meet him again! She said that to me…” She turned around aimlessly to stabilize herself first before dropping herself onto the floor. She faced opposite from Taehyung and the latter turned her by her crossed legs towards him.

“Sohee…” He comforted her but Sora threw his hand away and broke into a smile like before. “So, can you help me? Help me bring back the guy I love… and ah! I just lost a brother recently too. He claimed that he’s back but he lied to everyone… he doesn’t even know who I am... My sister too… she left me years ago and hasn’t come back… can you bring her back to me? Bring them back to me…”

Her voice faltered as soon as she laid her head on the seat of the couch. Taehyung didn’t know why but he was swamped by an overwhelming emotion which drove his tears to the corner of his eyes. He held her hand weakly and lifted it up to her quivering lips. He gave her a light peck on her back of her hand and lowered his head since he couldn’t find the courage to give her his support. There was no solution to her problems and he thought that it was stupid of him to offer her his everything when he couldn’t even remember her.

“Hey… why are you crying? You’re supposed to help me! I’m the one that’s supposed to be breaking down!” She tilted her head to have a look at his face.

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry for leaving you. Sohee, you’re really strong to carry all of these burden on your own. I can’t apologise enough for making you go through everything alone.” He sobbed with a few hiccups forcing on his chest. Sora simply patted his back and his hair. “It’s okay, you never left me. Kim Taehyung did.”

It was enough for him to feel guilty over his vague past but then her words stabbed him greatly in the heart when she shamed him.

“Mr V… you remind me a lot of my brother. Just that you don’t serve me breakfast anymore, you don’t wake me up for school anymore and you don’t know that eat cheeseburgers without pickles anymore. You and I, we’re complete strangers, aren’t we? You’re that cute temporary director in campus and how lucky am I to be staying with you…”

Taehyung looked up at the girl who was then in denial. She wasn’t addressing him as her brother anymore… was she giving up on making him remember her already? But why? Taehyung was already picking up a few memories and hearing what she had to say only made him hopeless.

Sora laid her head against the couch again and made herself comfortable as she closed her eyes. “I was really foolish to make you remember things that you can never reminisce. I’m sorry that I mistook you for my brother, V. We can go back to how we were during our first meeting… I won’t stop you from your own feelings.” She spoke in her strained voice. Taehyung sat in front of her feeling rather dumbfounded. So he was right after all, she was giving up on him. Sora seemed to be so tired from all of the problems that she was facing and she decided to let him go.

“Sohee.” Taehyung called with a bitter voice and the girl actually lifted her head as she heard him. Her eyes drooped and travelled towards him heavily. “Are you trying to make use of me? You’re saying this not because you’re tired of making me remember who you are but because you need someone in place of Daehyun. By saying that we can go back to how we were like before, you’re just trying to make me be comfortable into liking you again so that you can forget Daehyun. Am I right?”

Sora’s eyes widened a little and soon, her lips curved into a meek smile. She propped up her knees and rested her palms on them. “You’re really smart, V. You make a reaaaallly wise director…” She gave him a thumbs up. She was slowly losing her balance as her head spun badly, not getting used to the great amount of drink that she had.

“But saying that I’m making use of you makes me look like a bad person, V… Let’s just say that our relationship can’t be helped. You won’t remember me anyway, so what’s the point of struggling with that lost memory of yours? We can go back to where we started if you still remember how you felt for me. I can’t deny that I once tried to have my way with you when things between Daehyun and I were failing in Jeju,”

“I liked you too, V… But then you happen to be my brother. I couldn’t accept my fate before but now… I have resigned. Even though I brought you here in hope that you’ll remember me soon, I actually wanted to clarify my feelings with you. The day before I went over to your residence, Daehyun sent me a letter that he had to end things with me. Everyone thought I was okay but I foolishly went over to you and asked if you wanted to stay with me. I was really confused, V. I can’t set my goals right and i’ve already come this far to learn that you can never be like the brother you were before.”

Sora buried her face in her arms, saying out the things that she had kept deeply in her heart. Those were the words that she couldn’t even speak up to Himchan.

The confession only made Taehyung flustered. He didn’t know whether to feel happy that Sora was finally returning his feelings or they didn’t have to be forced to look at each other as siblings any longer. But it upset him a little that she still loved Daehyun and if she was given an option to pick one of them, she’d definitely chose Daehyun over him. He was certain.

“You drank too much Sohee, let’s get you to bed.” He pulled her up and she leaned on him as she stood on her feet. Taehyung dragged the distressed girl into her room and finally settled her in bed. Sora wore a thick jacket that could make her perspire throughout the humid night so he helped her out of them before pulling the thin sheet over her shoulders. Taehyung was about to switch off the lights and turn away from her when she grabbed his hand weakly.

“V…”

He didn’t know whether she was still conscious over the gibberish talk she went through a few minutes ago. But he saw the sparkle she had in her eyes. It told him that she was being sincere about everything. He came to realise that maybe Sora wasn’t lying when she mentioned she liked him before learning that he was her brother. But people’s expectation for her to look at him as a brother only pressured her even more and Daehyun’s sudden appearance would always leave her flustered.

Taehyung wanted to let her lean on him this time as she needed someone to pull her through the months when Daehyun would get married to the Mollin Tolls’ daughter. Maybe things could work out between them too if only they were both in sync to let go of the past. But Taehyung didn’t want to expect much from their relationship. He just wanted to love her again like before without worrying about how she’d feel for him in return. He thought that he’d be fine even if she’d turn to Daehyun at certain point of time. After all, she loved Daehyun more than she loved him. Their love doesn’t compare.

She pulled him a little towards her and he took the initiative to sit down on the edge of her bed.

“Is it okay to feel this way? To like two people at the same time? Is it foolish of me?”

Taehyung took a while to comprehend her words. He then shook his head as he laid his eyes on her solemn eyes.

“You’re just confused Sohee. Daehyun confused you a lot… He gave you false hope despite knowing that he’ll still be marrying Eunkyung by the end of the year. It’s not your fault, Sohee. Don’t feel sorry towards anything.” He recalled the truth that Eunkyung had told him during their coincidental meeting at the convenience store and that time when Daehyun’s car appeared at where their balcony view stood. He could infer a few things from there and he actually knew about Daehyun being reluctant to let her go but he never knew her side of the story that summed things up to be pretty bad.

Sora had a glint of thankfulness reflected in her eyes as he was understanding to come to this point as she hadn’t thought that he knew a side of this story. In a few, Taehyung’s phone vibrated and he scanned who the caller was.

Hyeri

Taehyung almost swiped his finger across the green button until Sora snatched it away from him. She swiftly rejected her call and returned him his phone. She hugged her knees and had a sulky face on which made Taehyung notice how much she detested Hyeri ever since her stay at their apartment.

“Sohee, why did you-”

“I don’t like her. And I don’t like you being around her. She only knows how to take my time away from you…” She frowned. Taehyung felt sorry for this girl who fear of losing another important person in her life.

He bent over towards her and laid his hands on both sides of her legs. “You know that I won’t leave you, right?” He slowly laid his chin on her propped knees and stared into her eyes that were just an inch apart from his.

She nervously nodded when she noticed that his eyes travelled down to her nose and lips.

“M-maybe you should go to bed too, V. It’s getting pretty late.” She tried to find an excuse as she felt her stomach churn at their closeness. Taehyung took notice of the time and agreed it was pretty late as well.

“Goodnight, Sohee.” He pulled himself away from her and eventually got on his feet. He patted her on her head and switched on the night lamp before heading out.

Meanwhile, Sora nestled in her bed with a lot of thoughts. With Daehyun’s last words pacing across her mind, she was in a chaotic mess. The drink didn’t help her to be any better than she thought it would as she only felt distressed that she accidentally confessed something that she intended to keep to herself. She had always wanted to save her relationship with Taehyung but it seemed like it had all gone wrong just because she had a little bit too much for that night.

This confession only gave Taehyung the chance to win over her heart once again.