Chapter 7

Yuri’s POV

I took a bus to get to where I need to be. I got off on my stop and started walking. There was so much going on right now and I need some questions answered. My shrink has always been my go-to for answers. I find his opinion about certain things important enough for me to consider. I’ve been seeing Dr. Kim for many years now but in all those years, I was only an official patient for 1 year.

The reason why I decided to see him again was because I wanted to remember a part of my life that I’m not able to recall at all. I’ve come to realize that it’s peculiar that I don’t remember much about my childhood. It’s a blur, really. I didn’t question anything about my life until I visited our old house last summer.

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FLASHBACK (AUTHOR’S POV) (SUMMER BEFORE CLASSES OPENED)

It took Yuri awhile to remember his former neighborhood but when he did recall it, he called a taxi to take him there. It became apparent to him that he had difficulties remembering anything about his childhood. The other memories from when he started seeing Dr. Kim came out pretty clear to him but anything beyond that point was blurry. He started asking himself these things when he found the need to go back to his old house to get some of his father’s old books to get ahead in his studies.

The taxi ride lasted for one and a half hour. They stopped right in front of Yuri’s old house. He got out and started walking to the gate. He rang the doorbell and a voice from the intercom spoke.

“Might I ask who’s there?” a woman’s voice came through the speaker

“Ahjumma. It’s me, Yuri.”

“Oh. Mr. Kwon! I’ll be out in a second!”

A few seconds passed and a woman in her late 40s approached the gate and opened it.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Kwon. You’ve grown up so well!”

Yuri bowed to the woman in front of him. She was one of the persons, Yuri grew up seeing all the time.

“I came here to get some of my books in my father’s library.”

The two entered the house. Yuri went straight to his father’s library and as he opened the door, a great hallway of shelves greeted him. This was the biggest room in their house and Yuri’s father took pride in that. Collecting books was something the boy’s father was fond of.

Yuri looked through some of the shelves and picked out books here and there. He stopped at the one shelf that wasn’t filled books. It was rather filled with vinyl records. These records belonged to his mother. Yuri then set down the books he has picked so far and decided to look at some of the records of his mother. There were a lot to choose from, it wasn’t just one genre. It was a collection of all kinds of genres. He scanned the whole shelf until his eye caught something odd. There was an empty space at the middle section of the shelf.

Thinking that the record was somewhere in the library, Yuri began to snoop around till he stumbled upon the vinyl player. There was already record on the player and it was the missing one on the shelf. Yuri looked over to his right to see the cover of the said record on a table. It was a Chinese song. 情人的眼淚 by 秀瓊

Yuri then played the record and listened to it. The song started with a familiar intro but Yuri couldn’t remember where he has heard it. The song naturally progressed and Yuri found himself singing along. Towards the middle of the song, Yuri felt a sudden attack of pain in his head.

He closed his eyes in an attempt to contain the pain. Images started to flicker through his mind and the boy couldn’t keep up. The pain got so intense that he dropped down on his knees and grabbed his head with his two hands. Seconds after he finally fell down on his back.

This is my favorite song--

I often played this for----

I love you---

Don’t worry, we’ll see each----

I’m going to meet your----

Goodbye, Yuri.

Yuri wanted to shout but he couldn’t, it was as if he lost his voice. When the song ended, the pain in his head faded too. He was now lying on his back on the floor. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up. Yuri didn’t understand what the images in his head were showing him, also the voices he heard where all distorted.

Yuri felt something trickle down his lips. His nose was bleeding and it seemed like it wasn’t gonna stop any time soon. He used the back of his hand to wipe the blood on his philtrum. Yuri slowly got up and when he did, he grabbed the record and its cover.  He made his exit, leaving the books he picked out earlier, behind.

END OF FLASHBACK

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Yuri’s POV

I entered the eerie looking building and made my way up on its stairs. A woman in her late 30s greeted me with a smile. She was Dr. Kim’s secretary.

“Good evening. Dr. Kim’s waiting for you in his office.” She said then went back to whatever it was that she was doing.

I opened the door and there I saw Dr. Kim already sitting on his chair.

“Yuri. Please do take a seat.” He pointed at the seat in front of him.

I set my bag down on the side and sat myself down. I heaved a sigh and closed my eyes.

“I take it that something happened to you today? Did you remember anything new?” Dr. Kim asked.

“Not really.“

I told Dr. Kim every single detail of all the events that had transpired three days ago. Of course Dr. Kim was surprised by everything I’ve revealed to him. He knew how I was and whatever I’ve been doing over the past 3 days is far from the Yuri he knows would do.

“I must say, Yuri. This is… a surprise. A pleasant one at that.” He let out a short laugh at the end of his sentence.

I couldn’t say anything back. I was stuck reliving the recent events in my head.

“… This might be good for you though. This Jessica girl might lead you into rediscovering yourself.” My shrink continued.

Good for me…?

“I really want to know what makes her so special. I don’t know why I feel so comfortable around her. Like she’s the only person, I actually want to associate myself with.”

Dr. Kim was writing down notes while he talked.

“There are things in our life that don’t have to be explained. We just take them as they are and we make something out of it.” 

“What do I make out of her then?”

..

..

..

“You make her an opportunity and a very rare one at that”

Jessica’s impact on me is bigger than I thought. I knew she had one on me but now that I’m here in my shrink’s office and on a day that I shouldn’t be, makes me wonder how far can she really push me.

“…You said that she’s bringing out something in you that you thought was never there. Now, think about that for a second. What if that’s the Yuri you’ve been struggling to find all summer?”

The idea that she might be able to help seems plausible but why her? What is it with this girl?

“Like all opportunities, this one also comes with risks.” I countered

I was talking about the fact that she may or may not be using me. I’m not judging her because of her past but rather I’m being realistic. Everyone is capable of such things and that includes Jessica, no matter how good of a person she is.

“It’s a matter of perspective, Yuri. Gauge yourself. Will you really lose a lot if you let her in your life?” Dr. Kim countered.

“I won’t lose anything. In fact, she’s the one who’ll be losing a lot if things turn out for the worst.”

“How so?”

I stood up and poured myself a glass of water that was on his desk.

“This person might be just using me.” I took the glass of water with me back to my seat and set it down on the table near my chair.

“Then everything depends upon your judgment. Like what you have just said, all opportunities come with risks trailing behind them. If you decide to take it upon yourself to commit to this opportunity then it is your responsibility to take everything that it has to offer. Are you following my logic, Yuri?”

“She can either make or break me. Is that what you’re trying to say?”

Dr. Kim smiled and shook his head in disagreement.

“Not quite. Regardless of the fact that she might be just using you, this person’s mere existence has a direct consequence on yours.”

I remained silent while Dr. Kim continued to speak.

“No matter what her intentions are, she will end up destroying everything you’ve believed yourself to be. The effect on you, however, is a different story. She’ll either free you from the dark place you’ve been living in or she’ll let you out to just put you somewhere deeper and of course darker.”

I was processing the doctor’s words. Jessica Jung, what an interesting person indeed. Who knew that a simple girl would have this great control over me?

“The remaining question is, will you let her destroy you?”

After his session with Dr. Kim, Yuri went home. His mind that was full of questions earlier has calmed down. Although, he didn’t get all of the answers he needed, he was satisfied with what he knows now. The emptiness he has inside him, lived in silence for many years. He only noticed it when Jessica came in his life. The life he led aimlessly has now been graced with the presence of a tiny hint of light. There’s nowhere else he can go except towards that light. What’s beyond it was unknown to Yuri but nevertheless he was familiar with the feeling of uncertainty anyway. Yuri has often questioned his existence and so he believes that whatever it is that’s waiting for him beyond that hint of light couldn’t be any worse than what he has not felt and not known in his time.

He got home pretty late and felt the fatigue take over his body. Yuri took a quick shower and settled himself on his bed.

Jessica Jung

That one name that has effortlessly distorted his tranquil life. A lot was going on Yuri’s mind and all of them were about the carrier of that name. There was nothing else that filled his mind except that one person. Although, the boy wasn’t complaining. It was better than having his usual miserable thoughts. Those thoughts that no one knew, not even his shrink. This was his darkest secret.

Jessica was able to stop these “thoughts” because she gave Yuri something else to ponder upon. This was another reason why he wants to keep on pursuing the former. To Yuri, Jessica was the closest thing to hope and he wasn’t about to let that go.

Yuri was tired, well his body was but not his mind. He gave in to his thoughts and stood up to get his phone. Once he got it, he went back to his bed and started texting.

To: Uncoordinated Jung

Hello

..

..

..

From: Uncoordinated Jung

Hi~ Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping? It’s pretty late, Mr. Kwon.

Jessica’s reply made the boy smile for a bit.

To: Uncoordinated Jung

Right back at you, Ms. Jung. I can’t seem to sleep.

..

..

..

From: Uncoordinated Jung

That makes two of us then. By the way, you still owe me! I’ve come up with a couple of questions that I want you to answer!

..

..

..

To: Uncoordinated Jung

Ask me tomorrow then. Oh and I want to remind you that I don’t care about what other people say about you or me. That is all. Well, I don’t want to keep you up any longer. Good night.

Yuri kept his phone and drifted off to sleep. He had something prepared for tomorrow and that’s why he told Jessica that. He knew for sure that his plan will stir up more rumors and it will definitely make people talk more about them.

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NEXT DAY (AUTHOR’S POV)

Yuri did his morning routine but before leaving his apartment, he grabbed a rather big envelope that was placed on of top his coffee table in his living room. He walked along the streets till he reached Whimoon. Yuri went to his first class and waited for everyone else, like how he always does.

A few minutes after he arrived, he was surprised to see Taeyeon enter their classroom.

“Heya!” Taeyeon greeted Yuri excitedly.

The latter responded with just a swift nod and stayed quiet.

“You were expecting somebody else to come through that door, huh? Someone like Jessica?” Taeyeon teased and laughed right after.

Yuri knew that this was gonna be a daily thing now. He didn’t really mind all the teasing, he didn’t care after all.

“Maybe” Yuri replied

Taeyeon then bombarded the latter with different questions regarding Jessica. To her dismay, Yuri wasn’t able to answer any of them.

“Ask her on a date or something! You guys need to get to know each other better.”

“Which reminds me…” Yuri took out an envelope from his bag and then opened it. From the envelope, he took out a neatly folded paper. It wasn’t an ordinary paper, it had the Kwon insignia on top of it.

“What’s this?” Taeyeon asked as Yuri handed it to her.

“It’s an invitation for a party my family will be having on Saturday. The details are inside. If you need someone to take you there, there’s also a number of one of my father’s chauffeurs on it. You can bring you friends too, if you want.” Yuri explained.

The Kwon family often held social gatherings but this particular one was to celebrate the founding day of their corporation.

“Are you inviting me because you don’t want it to be awkward when you ask Jessica to go?”

Yuri snickered.

“No. My father told me to bring friends.”

“If you hadn’t met Jessica, I’d probably be the only you’ll invite, huh?” Taeyeon teased again.

“I’m gonna invite others and you should too. I don’t want them to make a big deal out of Jessica.” 

Yuri knew that if he only brought Jessica, his family would make a big deal out of it just like how the people in his school are. 
Taeyeon looked like she was hesitating to go so Yuri had to poke her curiosity.

“Everyone in my clan will be there, alongside with our family’s friends. Meaning, there will be a lot of girls there.”

Right then and there, Taeyeon said yes and she happily kept her invitation in her bag.

“Don’t forget to ask your friends to go, I won't be with you all night.”

“Basically, you're inviting other people so your family wouldn't crowd over you and Jessica which in return will ensure that you'll have some alone time with her. Well played, Yuri. Well played.  .” The girl clapped her hands slowly as if mocking Yuri.

Yuri shook his head. It was true that he planned to take Jessica to the party and it was also true that he wanted get another chance to be alone with the girl. He knew that the people in Whimoon would over complicate things if they were to prance around school together. Yuri has yet to make sure that Jessica won’t get affected by the people around them.

“I don’t know how she feels about people talking about us so I have to be careful, just like what you said.”

“Right, you are. So how are you going to ask her?”

Yuri opted not to answer Taeyeon’s question. In all honesty, Yuri had no idea how he will approach Jessica but he thought that it’ll come naturally to him when he sees Jessica today.

----

People started coming into class and of course Jessica and Kris arrived together. The two of them greeted Yuri and Taeyeon. While the latter greeted the two back, Yuri simply gave them a nod and proceeded to stare out the window.

Immediately, noticing what her friend just did, Taeyeon slapped Yuri’s arm lightly when Jessica and Kris sat down in front of them.

“What the heck? You’re supposed to at least smile at Jessica or something.” Taeyeon whispered.

Taeyeon realized how inexperienced Yuri was when it came to things like these. She didn’t have much experience herself but she knew enough to tell the boy beside him that, that’s not the way you get close to someone you like.

Yuri sighed. He didn’t understand why he had to do it but since Taeyeon seemed like she wasn’t gonna let it go, he had to do what his friend says.

Yuri tapped Jessica’s shoulder and the latter looked back at him.

“Good Morning.” Yuri said in a monotonous way but he let out a small smile.

Jessica smiled and slightly bowed her head then laughed it off as she turned to face up front.

“Satisfied?” Yuri turned to Taeyeon

The latter showed her friend, two thumbs up then laughed for a bit.

Ms. Hwang, their homeroom teacher, noticed that Kris and Jessica were no longer seated up front but rather they were at the back with Taeyeon and Yuri. She felt relieved when she saw this because it reassured her that Jessica was adjusting well.

Their classes started to drag on and when it was time for their break Taeyeon suddenly called out to Jessica and told her that Yuri wanted to talk to her. Her plan was to drag Kris out of the way to give Yuri a chance to ask Jessica to the party.

“We’ll see you guys later then!” Taeyeon excitedly said as she dragged Kris out of the classroom.

--

Yuri’s POV

Great. Just great.

Taeyeon didn’t have to do this, I was gonna invite Kris too anyway. I guess I can just make Jessica bring Kris then. Might as well take this chance since we’re the only ones left inside the classroom.

“Taeyeon said you wanted to talk to me?” Jessica said with a smile.

“Well, I wanted to talk to Kris too.”

“Huh?”

I then told her about the party my family will be having on Saturday. I was hesitating to invite her since she has told me before that my second cousin was her best friend. I was half expecting that Tiffany had already invited her since the invitations for this were given last week.

“Did Tiffany tell you about our family’s party?” I asked

“Nope but I kinda know about it.”

Kinda?

“What do you mean?” I asked

“Last year when I was still at Daewon, Tiffany approached me and invited me to the same party. She barely knew me and classes had just begun. Unfortunately, I had plans during that weekend so I couldn’t go but ever since that day, me and Tiffany started talking more.”

I nodded in response. I tried to imagine how things would be if I met her last year at that party… Would things change?

“Well anyways, here’s an invitation for you and Kris.” I handed her one of the invitations I had brought.

“…I hope you can attend this time around.” I added

The party itself would be more interesting for me if she did. I only go to these things because I feel obliged to. I am part of the main family, after all and so people expect me to show up.

“I’ll go. With one condition.” Jessica said with a mischievous smile

I raised my eyebrow and tried to think of what she would ask for.

“…You have to help me pick what to wear!” she added

I didn’t understand what she meant by helping her so I asked her again. And her answer was something I’ve never ever heard someone ask me to do.

“You have to go shopping with me! Friday, after school, sounds good to me! It’s that or you’ll have to be stuck with Kris on Saturday.”

I snickered and smiled at her. This girl is truly amazing. She always keeps me on my toes with her witty answers.

“Alright then. Friday, after school.” I responded

Jessica smiled widely at me and then she ended up laughing. I guess the thought of me, a total opposite of an outgoing person, go shopping amuses her. It didn’t really matter what she was gonna ask me to do, I just want to constantly be around her and if I have to walk around the mall, all day long then I would. Being with Jessica makes me feel alive, almost as if I haven’t been alive all those years that I didn’t know her. She is one truly amusing and interesting person. 

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Author's Notes

1. Here's the link to the song that made Yuri collapse in this chapter! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qi3HBE5DyM
2. That song is from the movie Secret by Jay Chou <-- Awesome movie btw
3. Sorry if I haven't been updating daily. I've been busy with school and what not haha
4. 52 subscribers!! YAY
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7. THANK YOU EVERYONE!! 

Peace! -ymllama