4

Past

It's ended when you said goodbye

"Jai..son Op..pa. Why is he..here? And, unnie..why are the both of them..looking at each other like that?". Lot and lots of queries popping out from Mina's mind. Like last time too, with Shairon sunbae-nim, the expressions on Kayleen's face was more or less similar with today's. Was that a mere coincidence? Her instincts told her otherwise..she bites her lips and glance downcastly.

Shairon was dumbfounded. He had no idea how Jaison would know how to come to this school. This morning, he remembered telling him not going to his school because he'd busy for the whole day. And foremost, he had made a promise..to Kayleen. He stared at the both of them and heaved a deep sigh.

"It's..fate", he mumbled and rubs the back of his neck. Mina tilted her head to him and was staring vacantly at him.

"Sunbae-nim..", she called upon him. Shairon turned to Mina, "Yeah..", he replied. "Does..the two of them..I mean, Jai..son..", she stuttered at the mention of his name. Her heart skipped a beat, and unknowingly she recalled their previous encountered the other day. She remembered them vividly.

His one brow furrowed. "Ho..how..do you..know..Jai..Jai..", it's not even the right time but, a tinged of jealousy knocked him down. Mina frowned at his replies. "So..you guys..did know each other..after all," her tone's changed. She stared at the both of them and her heart quickened. "Kayleen-unnie..Jaison-oppa..", she muttered. Suddenly, she's overwhelmed with dejected feelings and such.

Shairon angled his way to Mina and approaches her. When he's near, he grabbed her wrist, "Let's go..I will you home..today." he told her, firmly. "Sunbae-nim..there's no need for you..to do that. I'm used to go back alone..anyway.", he saw her watery eyes and immediately tightened his grips on her, not wiling to let her go.

Mina was bewildered by his actions, "Sunbae..that's hurt..", she whimpered in pain. Shairon couldn't take his eyes off her, his heart palpitates and it feels like it's going to explode soon..in front of this girl, her crush.

"Wh..who..taught you to stare wholeheartedly at everyone li..like..that? I me..mean, from..a..nor..nor..normal person point of view, it's like..you're..you're..li..king..th..them..". Shairon felt abashed at his miserable attempts.

"What's wrong with looking at a person as much as I want?", her voice quivered.

"In sunbae's eyes, do I don't have the rights? I'm..", she paused and looking away from Shairon's.

Shairon loosened his grips and eventually let her go. He doesn't know what's right and what's wrong anymore. It's seems like everything he attempts had always caused others' miseries.

"I'll wait for unnie..", she exclaimed.

"Don't do that!".  Mina's eyes widened. "Those..two..they need to talk things out. We shouldn't be a hindrance to..them. Ahh, I mean..not hindrance..what I truly meant is..just..that-that..". His slip of tongue always messed things up at every crucial moments with Mina.

Mina's nose flared and her jaw tensed, "Mwo--? I really couldn't believe this..arassso! I'll just go back by my own then!" she stomped her feets and walked away. Nevertheless, Shairon followed her.

Before leaving the hall, Mina glanced at Kayleen and to..Jaison.

*

"Op..pa..have you..been..well?", Kayleen was the first to broke the silence between them. She pulled her hands and cleared while deviating her eyes from him.

Jaison furrowed his brow, gaping at her. He doesn't know what feeling he's having right now but, he just couldn't take his eyes off her. Even for a moment.

"Opp.a..I..I..", out of the sudden, she smiles awkwardly at him.

"Where..have you been? Do you even..care..if I'm still alive..or not?", his eyes widened. Kayleen turned into a mute. She's so..blank. Everything happened so fast..and, so sudden and..she's totally dumbfounded.

Jaison continued to inspect at her, every inch of her. In the past, he used to resent her face so much that every time she appears, he would felt nauseated and such, but..now, but now when she's clearly standing in front of him..he gets this feeling, a distant feel. And, he's not used to it.

There were a moment of silence between them.

*

Mina reaches out for her phone and dialled a number.

"Op..pa! Chen-oppa..", she greeted as the other person accepted her call.

"Whe..where are you, oppa?". She bites her fingernails and continued, " Can you come..to our school right now? Uh? Aniyo..it's just that I'll be having..some practices until late evening and..and..Kayleen-unnie, she's afraid to walk alone..can you come..for her, oppa?", she gritted her teeth.

"You know the place! We're inside..the hall. Yeah..auditorium hall..gumowo oppa.".

Her limbs just sagging down. There was a sudden gleam in her eyes..

*

Enn just couldn't focus on every single thing she attempted since this morning. Everything..just everything seems to remind her of the incident this morning..and foremost, the kiss.

Her fingers touches the surface of her lips and a strange feelings overwhelming inside of her. That's scare the hell out of her. But, no matter how much she wanted to shake those feelings out from her, it's just won't vanished. She felt like crying, she felt like..a little girl, whining about a kiss.

"Enn-ssi..", luckily, someone called her. She's so grateful that eventually someone talked to her. It's been a boring day at school.

"Yes?", she turned to look at that person. Her eyes widened.

"Enrika Nataly-ssi..we're hired by your parents to come and fetch you home." A few tall man in their 30 with a black suits surrounds her.

"Wha..what is this? How do they..". She closed her eyes and contemplates. "Once I'm back..they're going to lock me up again....", she cringed with all those thoughts sneaked into her.

"I would..personally her..home.". Suddenly, she heard a voice..a familiar ones. Slowly, she turned her head to that voice. Her jaw dropped.

"It's all right. I'm Leon..I'm his fianncee.", while talking to those guys hired by Enn's parents, he took a glimpse at Enn, and continued, "If she's not home by tonight..her parents know my address." he smiled wryly at her.

Enn's fidgeting. Her heart thumping so fast that she couldn't even heard what he's saying next. She clenced her fists and a sudden sparks of rage formed within her.

"Bas..tard.." she uttered through gritted teeth. Leon sneered at her contempts.

"'ll take full responsibility..after all, we're going to get married soon." he said, coyly.

*

"Why..is your face looking so thin? And you..you have lost weight!", his voice echoed within the spacious hall. There were only the both of them remaining.

20 minutes had passed, but all she heard was whining here and there by Jaison. It's resembles her alot in the past. When she was the one treating him that way, and now, when he's the one acting that way towards her..she felt very uncomfortable.

"Opp..a, I'm rea..lly tired. Let's just..",

"For god sake, Kayleen! You didn't even answers any of my questions!", his bellowing filled up the whole spaces. She's got fidgets at it.

"But..you-see..I'm..", she just wanted to get away from him. She just wanted..some peace. It's more than enough for her..as for now. She's comfortable with just being with herself, with..herself, and her alone. Just when she thought she's finally starting to forget..

"I haven't seen you after the surgery..you didn't even appear once in that hospital to visit me! And, your number couldn't be reach..you address is no longer valid and..",

"Stop!". She gestured her hands in front of him, begging him to stop talking. She had enough of this! It's not 1 year or 2..but 7 years! She's been swallowing the false belief for 7 years! All those years, he was her e..ve..ry..thing! And she thought, he'd inevitably felt the same way..but, she's wrong! N..O! Wrong! From the beginning..it wasn't love. Now, she's starting to accept it. Even if it's only her, even if she's the only one in love. But at least, her feelings at those times were real..it was real. Too real that she'd have to swallow the guilt for a lifetime!

Jaison was bewildered at her reactions towards him. She's not the old Kayleen he knows! But, but..isn't this what he always wanted in the past? And, now that it really happened that way, why does it feels so wrong? What was wrong..with him? The moments he saw her, it felt like he's been revived. Hence, if these isn't love? What was it? Caring?

Kayleen puts both of her hands over her ears, covering it. Even his voice..she began to detest it..even his breathe..even his gaze..everything about him seems to deliver an insulting vibes to her!

"Alice yah..". Kayleen's heart skipped a beat when he called her that way. The usual way he would addressed her in the past. In the past..in the past!

She felt that her knees were about to give up on her. A second after, she's stumbling. Jaison was fast to catch on her but she hastily moved away from him. She got a headache and it's killing her! Jaison didn't bother about her unfavourable gestures towards him, he keeps on moving foward and closer to her, and at same time, Kayleen keeps on retreat backward, away from him. And eventually, her back had reached the concrete wall behind her, thus she got nowhere to run nor to hide. Jaison was already in front of her..closer and closer.

"Alice-ssi..do you even remember who..am I?", he questioned her.

"Op..pa..", she said, calmly.

Jaison felt his heart racing at the sight of her.

"It's..all..in the past..like what oppa told me long ago..when oppa told me to get out from oppa's live..and that, I'm the reason that oppa couldn't live a normal life..that.." she blubbered while covering both of her eyes.

"Kayleen-ssi." suddenly, another voice echoed within the hall,.

"Who..are you?". Both Chen and Jaison uttered the same questions to one another..

When Kayleen's eyes caught a glimpse of Chen, unknowingly, her lips curled up for a smile.