Capsule 5: The place no one reached

[Flashback]

“You don’t want to eat, huh? How’s about playing piano. I heard you can play piano”

“I don’t want to play piano, Nurse Kim”

“Then what’s about listen to me playing piano”

“I don’t feel like doing anything…

…or thinking anything

…or feeling anything”

“Juhyun, you can’t live like that”

“I don’t feel like living..I’m dying slowly”

“No, you are not”

“I’m dying with this so much sadness in me…

…and it won’t stop anytime soon

..I’m so dead”

[Present]

There was a time again Yonghwa couldn’t make himself visit on her; he was too busy with his crazy schedule, endless paperwork and unmerciful business people as always.

Besides that, the hospital was not that close, not at all, it located in a far lost place in Yangpyeong with many trees surrounded until it seemed to disappear in jungle that sometimes he thought the Google map couldn’t tell the route, even every satellite couldn’t fine it, only few people knew about that place.

That was how the world forgot those so-called insane people.

Until one fine day, he could make it happened. It was good to him, too, to relax from stressful work by going on trip….or taking a girl on trip to be correct.

Because somehow he still felt like his duty to do so.

Anyway, Yonghwa was cool with this – parenting a girl.

“This time is the zoo, right, samchoen?” Juhyun called out excitedly while rushed to him immediately after the nurse informed her on Yonghwa’s visiting.

Yonghwa who was discussing the matter with the dr. turned to look on her way and smiled “Oh..Okay the zoo” He couldn’t help but agreed.

And then Juhyun would be so happy and excitedly.

“You like it so much, huh, Juhyun?” Dr. Park said to the girl.

Juhyun nodded and smiled.

After Juhyun got ready in new dress which Yonghwa brought for her last time, the old dr. accompanied Juhyun and Yonghwa to the front of building. And then Juhyun turned to look at dr.Park while Yonghwa walked further to his car already.

“Something bothers, huh?” The dr. could easily notice his patient.

Juhyun kept thinking and seemed to get lost in her thought.

Then seemed like she got a conclusion

Juhyun looked up to the dr. and said in determined tone “Sonsaeng-nim, I decided to go…to leave the island of the Blue dolphins…”

Dr. kept listening calmly.

“..I will leave my beloved island but I will leave for nothing just like when I came for nothing”

The dr. smiled to her “Good, child, you need to go, to go and see the wide world. Perhaps locking in one place for so long made you suffer, even you drowned in this habitude and you didn’t see how suffer you do.”

“Neh and wherever that person takes me to, it doesn’t matter anymore”

“Have fun on trip, Juhyun” The dr. blessed her.

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The zoo

Yonghwa never thought he would spend his free time at zoo, not in this age and not in social reputation and work position like he had.

But here he were

Being pulled by the girl to this and that direction, and yeah he never did thing half-heartedly, so he took care of his duty very well by following her any place she wanted.

The girl, the SeoJuhyun girl who was excited like a little kid, now she was in her 20 though, not 10 anymore. But for her case, it could be understandable, so he would just let her be. This was what Yonghwa thought.

“Won-a-nee! That is Won-a-nee, samchoen” Juhyun run to the exhibit of next animal and shouted excitedly.

Yonghwa followed her gaze to the little animals with their funny adorable faces, look like a little bear, but with a large head and blunt snout that is connected to the body by a short, stocky neck and short limbs, sure he knew them – the sea otters.

But Won-a-nee? How comes this name?

Juhyun looked over happy to meet these animals; she jumped on her feet and crabbed her hands while called it with that weird name.

“They are my Won-a-nee, and some would be Mon-a-nee. Samchoen, can you remember Won-a-nee and her babies?” Asked, Juhyun

Yonghwa could only raise his eyebrows, remember? Why Do I need to remember sea otters by weird name? Do I ever know that Won-a-nee thing? No I don’t.

“You don’t remember it, right? They came around the island of the Blue dolphins, I met them there”

Yonghwa took a while to realize where that island existed on earth.

And then he got it, it was a book she picked it for him last time, and so won-a-nee thing was in there, huh?

“But...that book, I didn’t find a time to read it yet” He confessed.

Juhyun came to realized, she stopped jumping and looked at Yonghwa’s face calmly

“It’s that so….that’s alright, you could read it when you have time” She smiled to him at the end like it didn’t matter.

Yonghwa felt sorry…but it was just that, nothing changed.

Next, they walked to another exhibit “That is Bambi” Juhyun said when looked at the baby deer.

This time was bambi, huh?

“Is it from that book again?” Yonghwa would ask her something.

 “No, Bambi is from Walt Disney cartoon.” She would tell him like that.

One after one, SeoJuhyun would have her way to call most of animal by the names from movies, cartoons, and most were from the books. She knew a bunch of them, Yonghwa betted she might read a lot.

Besides the books, who else will be friends with her in that place? And for 2 years long since she came to stable condition, that meant she spent every day reading books, no place to go, no friend to talk, even the nurse and dr. could be her company sometimes but they would follow their duties first and leave her at the end of the day, while other patients didn’t seem to be a good company. So it happened just like that.

After walked around the zoo, they stop for having lunch at a small shop, bought snacks and some drinks before continue on their trip to anywhere.

“What is that thing, samchoen?” Juhyun asked curiously while looked at the pond in front of her.

Yonghwa follow her gaze, a little surprised she didn’t know that thing “Watercycle, aren’t you know it?”

“But it’s duck” Juhyun argued and yeah, she means it was in duck shape.

Because it made for kids, and kids seemed to love duck, Yonghwa answered in his mind but didn’t dare to say anything. It might end up like last time he mentioned the zoo.

“It can float like the boat. Is it the same thing with canoe? I want to try canoe” Juhyun looked the most innocent any girl could be.

“No, it is not the same. This thing we need to pedal but for canoe, we paddle it” Yonghwa said in a matter of fact.

“I’m not sure I can pedal that thing, can I, samchoen?” Asked, Juhyun innocently

Yoghwa needed to facepalm and smack his head, he shouldn’t mention ‘to pedal’. See, what he got now.

But it wasn’t his entire fault; remember SeoJuhyun had her way to get what she wanted.

And what should he tell her?

‘Yes, go ahead, you can.’

Or…’No, you cannot! forget it!’

And she might ask ‘Why can’t I?’

‘Because I couldn’t force myself to accompany you in there, I’m the great JungYonghwa the president of J-group Corporation, not a kid or teenager anymore’

Crap! Yonghwa swore silently to himself.

By looked at those two round eyes, how can he say ‘no’

“Okay, let’s try it, it’s not difficult at all” Yonghwa grabbed Juhyun’s wrist and lead to that way.

“I didn’t say I want to try, but it seems like a good exercise” Juhyun said “…so trying won’t hurt. Neh samchoen” Juhyun smiled to her heart content

Great! SeoJuhyun…very great exercise from you, Yonghwa groaned in his mind.

He didn’t really know how to handle this girl anymore, She knew what she did, it made he feel like he was used and then she still looked innocent. How could you blame her by that?

But for these things he won’t die just to let it be, so fine by me, SeoJuhyun.

Yonghwa rented one of the duck watercycle thingies, he helped Juhyun wear the lifebuoy shirt and she insisted he to wear it too, before he help her get inside that thing and he followed behind.

The duck watercycle rippled on the water by the weight of two people inside.

“Is it going to sink, samchoen?” Juhyun asked curiously while looked around the inside

“No, if you won’t try anything funny”

“No, I won’t. I won’t, samchoen” She replied determinedly and poked her face out a little to look at the small waves aside, she was half curious half afraid.

It was something adorable, like parenting a little girl who was mischievous and curious with everything but she tried to behave for her parent’s sake.

Some said the curious kids were smart kids and that is kinda true for this Juhyun kid.

“What do I have to do, samchoen” She pulled her head back and turned her face to Yonghwa.

Yonghwa who already stared at her, snapped from spacing “Oh.. okay, well…you need to put your feet on these and then pedal it, easy, huh?” He demonstrated it.

“Wow…it move on, wow we are on the voyage” Juhyun smiled excitedly.

“Uhuh…and now which way you want to go just turn the wheel like this”

“Whichever way, just keep moving forward…and become a strong person no matter where we go” She cheerfully said “Out of the island, out of here, out of fear, yeah let’s go!”

“Okay then let’s go” Yonghwa said nonchalantly.

He couldn’t care much about what she said.

She had a ton of random words, had she?

Or it wasn’t! Not any random words, she meant it all.

Anyway, here they were, after a while, stuck at the middle of the pond.

“Yonghwa samchoen, I think we turned round and round at the same place for 15 minutes already” Juhyun said doubtfully.

“Because you didn’t help me at all” Yonghwa argued.

He never thought this duck watercycle thing would be this difficult to handle! Because he always got used to drive luxury car smoothly on comfortable road, never before in his life had to pedal kid stuff on water with 360 angles way to go and the waves always made it worst! That why it went round and round and headed to nowhere.

Yes, it !

It already got to his nerves because 15 minutes passed and he still struggled on this crap!

“Tsk, I’m the only one pedaling that why it turned this worst” He pouted, he didn’t mad at her but the duck watercycle thing and water.

Juhyun filled the air with her sweet laughter “Because I let you act as a Blue dolphin. Don’t be mad, samchoen.” She told him happily as always.

“But blue dolphin doesn’t have to pedal this crap! Not in a million years” Yonghwa felt like he should be mad at her by now if she didn’t shop her prank.

“Ahra ahra…I’m going to help you now” She said and started pedal it.

It must be funny if Yonghwa thought about this later; he would just laugh and smile and shrugged and somehow what to squeeze Juhyun’s cheeks till it popped out in revenge.

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Jung residence, Seoul, South Korea

He was just stepped inside his house at the end of the day.

“Where have you been?” Asked, the voice from the old lady in wheelchair who looked elegant from head to toe and looked conceited to death

“Imo (Aunt), did you have dinner already?” Yonghwa asked as a matter of courtesy but he was sincere and deeply cared for his aunt, no one could doubt that.

“Yes” The old lady answered nonchalantly.

“I just picked Juhyun up from hospital and took her to the zoo” Yonghwa answer the early question.

“Keurae.. that insane girl you told me, huh? I see it’s good to raise some little crazy cuckoo, we are rich and we’re bored easily, that why we should have some pet.” The old lady said in full of sarcasm.

“Imo, don’t say like that. She isn’t a pet; she will live with us here and be as my niece”

“But not as my relative! Don’t make any insane girl count me as one‼” The old lady raised her voice high and said in warning tone before she turned her wheelchair around, back to her way.

Yonghwa could only sigh off his aunt’s attitude. She was always like that, and nothing he could do.

“Well…and one more thing” The sharp voice came once again while she paused

But she still turned her back to face Yonghwa

“I won’t complaint if you want to raise anyone or any pet here because you can do whatever you want, this is your rightful house nevertheless. But for my sake, don’t ever let any shameful thing happen in this place more than it already did, will you?!” She crashed her voice at the end.

Yonghwa was about to say something but the old lady’s voice cut in.

“Or if you will do anything shameful… just wait after my funeral will be fine. Or if you’re afraid it will take long, just find you way to get rid of me first because I know I bother your life pretty much”

“Imo! You are the only one I have left, how can I do anything like that?” Yonghwa said tiredly. He just wished she could know he meant it.

“Keurae?....good, you keep that in mind and remember I’m the one who raise you since the day that bitc-“

“Imo‼” Yonghwa cut in the line “I’m tired, excuse me” Yonghwa bowed before walked to gland stairs.

The old lady could only move her gaze following behind her nephew, whom she raised so preciously.

But she could raise only his body…

..His inside though,

Yonghwa never let anyone in.

There was a place no one reached.

A/N

Did I tell you yet that my story kinda be angst but...not really

I mean it's the story after angst...

IDK just take my cue and see by yourself HAHAHA