Chapter Five: When One Comes, Another Comes Along

Am I hallucinating again? This can’t be true. You look just like him.

There he was, just standing there waiting to be seated. This proved to be extremely shocking as she couldn’t even respond to his simple question. Her right hand rose slowly, reaching for his face. At the same time, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. As her hand laid a gentle touch on his fair skin, she felt like she was touching him again, after two grief-filled years. Tears pricked her eyes as mixed feelings of relief and melancholy overwhelmed her.

“Hyunwoo, is it you?”

He smiled, “It’s me.”

Gyuri’s tears fell as a sign of ease, and her lips gradually shaped into a smile. A smile she hadn’t shown for such a long time. She rose to her feet, and slowly her legs started to move towards where he stood. The two of them were still smiling so sweetly at each other, like two lovebirds in paradise. Now, the gap between them was barely an inch apart. She looked up at him, and her feet tiptoed. Her eyes closed, and gently her lips touched his. It felt so tender and real.

“You’re Gyuri, right?” His question brought Gyuri back to real life.

“You’re his twin brother,” she stuttered, evidently disappointed that the few seconds she thought she had with her late fiancé were actually her own imaginations.

Twin brother? She couldn’t get her eyes off Hyunjoong. Hyunwoo never told Gyuri he had a family, let alone a twin brother who looked so much like him. Secrets unravel themselves, don’t they? Gyuri chortled at that fact. Hyunjoong became worried seeing his dead brother’s fiancée acting like this.

“Are you alright?” Hyunjoong questioned.

“I’m not,” she said truthfully, hiding her teary eyes behind her hands.

“I’m sorry to have startled you with this.”

Hyunjoong helped himself to the purple chair next to Gyuri, who was too depressed to notice. He eyed her, trying to understanding what made his estranged brother fall in love with such an emotional and defenseless lady. He placed his hand on her shoulder, comforting her as his brother would.

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“He never told me he had a brother,” said Gyuri, feeling a little bit better after shedding some necessary tears.

“We weren’t close, I guess that’s why he never mentioned me. We were too estranged,” said Hyunjoong as he placed his cup of iced coffee on the table, pulling the chair opposite to Gyuri to sit down.

“You even have the same taste in coffee as your brother,” said Gyuri, unsure whether to laugh or cry at that fact.

“Is he allergic to milk too?”

“He is – was.”

Gyuri stopped again, finding it hard to continue the conversation without having that indescribable pain in her heart. Hyunjoong quickly noticed this, and so he tried to change the subject.

“I was in the States for months, and I came back only yesterday.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” said Gyuri, trying her best to show sympathy.

“I think his death affected you more than it affected me. How did you manage it?”

Gyuri smiled, but behind her curved lips displayed pure sadness. She looked down low, her hair covering her face. She twisted her engagement ring she was wearing on her right ring finger, and slowly she began to tell Hyunjoong her story.

“We were about to get married. On the night he died, I found out he had a family he never mentioned before. We argued because he didn’t trust me enough to let me know that his parents and even you existed. And it happened,” tears fell as the trauma triggered.

“If I hadn’t pushed him away, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Guilt and pain started to circulate her, draining her mentally and psychologically. Her sobs were increasing in volume as she herself couldn’t control her emotions. Hyunjoong quickly grabbed some tissues from the nearest self-service counter, and handed them to her. Grabbing the vacant chair next to her, he sat down and patted her shoulders. Gyuri took this as an offer of a comfort hug, thus she leaned on his buffed shoulder, eyes as red as red roses.

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“Why did you say that?” He asked as he stood in front the counter.

“What?” Nicole said without looking at him, and carried on drying the glasses.

“Why did you say you stole the money when you clearly didn’t?”

Nicole stopped. It wasn’t her being rude, but it was because she herself didn’t know why.

“I’m just trying to make things less complicated than they need to be,” said Nicole, as it was the closest to what she had in mind.

“And let those we’ve-got-nothing-else-to-do people write bad stuff about you online?”

“Look, I don’t know why you care so much about this matter, but it’s my business. I have the full right to handle it in my own ways,” said Nicole aggressively, her eyes straight into his, giving a death stare.

Lay was speechless. He wanted to argue back, but obviously he had already lost the debate. Letting out a sigh, he kept mum and looked down at his shoes. Nicole noticed his vague disappointment, causing guilt to surround her faster than the speed of light.

“I’m sorry I shouted at you,” she apologized.

“No, it’s my fault. You’re right. Who am I to in when it doesn’t concern me? I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. How about this, I’ll give you a treat as an apology. What drink would you like off the menu?” Nicole levitated her index finger, pointing at the big board behind her which listed the beverages available in her cafe.

Lay chuckled at her bright personality, finding it cute somehow. “Am I allowed to choose the most expensive one?”

“Of course,” Nicole played along with his joke.

“I’ll get the hot chocolate. Regular size please,” he smiled at her.

“I thought you were going for the expensive mocha or something,” said Nicole as she turned around to prepare his request.

“I stopped drinking coffee.”

“Why?”

“My sister,” his voice was quiet, edged with a wisp of fear and anger.

When Nicole was just about to say ‘Your drink is ready, please enjoy.’, she found herself looking at a different person. The persistent guy she was seeing a few seconds ago turned into a fearful and frightened human being. She placed his drink on the counter, and pushed it towards him with little force just so it wouldn’t startle him.

“Are you alright?”

Lay, who was staring blankly in the air, immediately appeared to be himself again. “Yeah, I am. Thanks for the hot chocolate. I think I should leave.”

Nicole was doubtful of his words, although she pretended she didn’t see through his thoughts. He strode towards the entrance, sipping on his cup of hot chocolate. Suddenly, he stopped and turned around.

“Oh yeah. Here’s my number. Just in case. Call me when you need me.”

He handed her a piece of sticky note with his personal digits on it. She observed it curiously like a child, still learning what numbers were and how they looked like. His back was now facing her, and slowly his figure disappeared into the crowd of people around the city of Seoul.

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It was dark in the room, and the darkness was only driven out by an old-fashioned lantern which was given to her by her mom. Jiyoung stared at it as if it was a bright star, showing off its ability to shine. Her mind was empty, but unclear words passed through the space in her mind.

“Are you alright there, darling?” Said a weak yet concerned voice.

Jiyoung got up from her sleeping position to find her grandmother in a wheelchair, smiling weakly at her beloved granddaughter. Jiyoung didn’t even realize her bedroom door was left ajar, which worried the elderly.

“Why are you still awake, Grandma?” Said the younger in a completely polite way.

“Your door wasn’t shut, so I got worried. You skipped dinner too. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing really. Don’t worry, I’m just exhausted from school.”

Grandma could see through her, because Jiyoung was the worst when it came to telling lies. She moved herself closer to Jiyoung’s bed, and tilted her head to see what Jiyoung was staring at for minutes. This made her smile.

“Missing your mother?”

“Kind of. I can never hide anything from you, huh?” Said Jiyoung with a laugh.

“Oh honey, I know how you feel. She left too soon.”

“On the bright side, I have the loveliest grandmother in the whole universe, and that’s enough,” smiled Jiyoung.

The two chatted for a little while before the elderly had to turn in for the day. Jiyoung stood up and gave her grandmother the biggest hug she had ever given to anyone. A thought crossed her mind as she pulled herself away from her loved one.

“Oh. I know this is strange, but I have been having dreams about a boy recently. He called out my name many times, but his face was blurry and as I tried to reach him, he just disappeared. I feel like I’ve seen him before, but I just can’t remember where and when. Weird, isn’t it?” Jiyoung ended with a smile.

Her grandmother’s face expression changed. She was surprised, but she was good at hiding her emotions from Jiyoung. She rested her wrinkly hand on Jiyoung’s shoulder, “Sleep well, dear.”

And there she was again, alone in the room. This time, she was thinking about the conversation she and Kyungsoo had at break.

(Earlier today)

“Why couldn’t you tell me there?” said Jiyoung, still munching on her cookie.

“It’s about MTO Note.”

“What about it? Don’t tell me you’ve decided to recruit Hyeongkon,” Jiyoung raised her eyebrows and had her index finger right in front of Kyungsoo’s face.

“Of course not,” Kyungsoo chuckled in a subtle way.

“Then what is it?”

Kyungsoo let out a deep sigh, lowering his head, showing signs of frustrations. Jiyoung began to feel worried seeing Kyungsoo acting this way, because never in the years they knew each other had he ever shown a sign of negative thoughts or attitude. Wiping every inch of her lips to clean of bits of the cookie, she asked carefully, “What happened?”

He lifted his head up, and glanced at the big blue sky before he let himself face her. It was a huge blow to him, so he saw it as a chaos to her.

“I can’t carry on with MTO Note anymore. I’m sorry. I sorted out my priorities, and MTO Note came last, because I no longer enjoy it as much as I used to.”

Jiyoung’s eyes opened. She couldn’t believe the words which came out of her best friend’s mouth. What am I hearing, she thought to herself.

“What do you mean you can’t carry on with MTO Note? Kyungsoo, we’ve been doing this for so long because we have a dream we have to achieve. It’s our dream,” she tried to persuade him to change his mind.

“No, it’s YOUR dream. I only did it because you wanted to. To be really honest with you, I’ve never enjoyed my time in MTO Note.”

“What are you saying? I don’t understand,” she felt tears pricking her eyes.

 Kyungsoo maintained his frustration look, and said, “I’m backing out. I can’t do this anymore. I want to do what I love.”

“What do you love?” Said Jiyoung angrily.

“When we first formed this band, we both knew this was what we wanted to do. So why are you telling me you don’t want to do it anymore?”

“You’re right. MTO Note was my everything, but I’ve come to realize that life is more than just music. I want to explore more of life in a realistic way, rather than just in a musical way.”

Her eyes felt sore now, even though they were moistened by her tears. Kyungsoo was upset too, but he was far from letting it show on his face. My hands can do me no good. I’m no longer the pianist you knew. I’ve lost a part of me. With that thought in his mind, he left her there without looking back.

“Take one more step and it’s over,” said Jiyoung in a stern voice she had never used.

“I’m sorry,” said Kyungsoo as he shut his eyes to show, clearly regretting his decision.

Without looking back, he left Jiyoung alone, who was beyond shocked to see his peculiar actions. Her mind was blank, and she felt her face burning but was unsure whether it was anger or worry that was heating every single ounce of her blood. Why?

(Present)

Jiyoung snapped herself out of her thoughts. On her side desk laid her phone quietly, with no beeping or vibrations. Should I text him and ask what was wrong? Slowly she reached for her phone, at the same time contemplating whether or not to let it all slide or to pursue this matter.

Kang Jiyoung, be brave and make a call!

The keypad started to make clicking sounds as Jiyoung typed in Kyungsoo’s number on her iPhone. She then paused and took a deep breath before tapping “call”.

“Hello, you’ve reached Kyungsoo’s voicemail. Please leave a message after the beep. (BEEP)”

“Hey, it’s me. I know you are probably still mad at me, but I’m worried. Please call me back after you’ve heard this.”

What exactly happened to him?

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It was another fine morning in the city, with clouds unfolding and the sun shining as bright as Seungyeon’s smile. She felt unusually happy, not because she had won a lottery, but because she finally knew the actual reason behind her crush’s frown. She was because she knew another part of Jonghyun that he’d never told anyone else.

“Coffee?” A cup of the beverage appeared right in front of her, held by a relatively large hand, too large for a female’s.

Seungyeon lifted her head from the magazine she was reading, and smiled as she found Jonghyun standing a metre away from her. They both exchanged sweet looks, causing Seungyeon to blush slightly.

“Good morning,” said Seungyeon as she accepted his offer of a cup of coffee.

“Good sleep last night?”

“Surprisingly the best so far, you?”

“Not too bad. Are you free tonight for dinner?”

“Are you asking me out?”

Jonghyun chuckled, “That depends on you really.”

Seungyeon felt like she was on top of the world, conquering the universe. Love overwhelmed her so much she couldn’t even remember the name of her first crush in primary school.

“A date it is then!” Exclaimed Seungyeon.

Jonghyun walked away, smiling. Seungyeon felt the urge to text Hara and tell her everything had just happened. Then, she remembered, the last encounter they had wasn’t exactly great. However, she didn’t have to initiate as her phone was ringing, and Hara was on the line.

“Hara?”

“Hey, how are you?”

“I’m good. You?”

“Same. Look, I just want to apologize for any misunderstandings, and I hope Jonghyun explained everything clearly.”

“Don’t worry about it. I was at fault too. I shouldn’t have just jumped into conclusions and said you guys were a thing. I’m sorry.”

“In that case, are you free for lunch today? It’s on me,” Hara said excitedly.

“I am actually, and thanks for trying to explain everything.”

A minute later, the conversation ended. The day was just getting better and better for Seungyeon.

---------------------------------------------------

Seungyeon’s boss was surprisingly in a good mood today, giving all of them a two-hour lunch break. The first thing she did when the clock hit lunch break was looking for Jonghyun. However, he wasn’t in the office, which slightly disappointed Seungyeon. She also tried calling his cell, but to no avail. Realizing she was almost late for her lunch appointment, she rushed out of the building to a famous restaurant nearby.

Just outside the restaurant, she saw Jonghyun on the other end of the road. She waved at him, but he was too busy on his phone to notice his surroundings. She noticed the look on his face, even from afar, was unusual. His eyebrows narrowed, almost touching, showing he was unease. The thought of approaching him crossed Seungyeon’s mind, but it shattered as soon as her phone rang. Hara called.

“Seungyeon, where are you?”

“I’m just outside. See you in a bit.”

She stood there for another five seconds, staring at him and at the same time trying to figure out why he seemed so stressed out. Maybe it’s just work. I’ll call and ask him later. With one hand she pushed the entrance door open and welcomed herself into a restaurant she had never visited before.

“Seungyeon, over here!” A voice exclaimed loudly, obviously unafraid of embarrassment.

Seungyeon was still drowning in her Jonghyun thoughts, failing to realize Hara’s call. Hara quickly noticed her daydream, so she stood up and walked towards her best friend to bring her back to reality.

“Seungyeon, are you alright?” Asked Hara as she reached Seungyeon’s shoulder with one hand.

“I… I’m okay. I didn’t see you there,” Seungyeon jumped a little, and forced a smile on her lips.

“I realized,” she looked at Seungyeon in a rather curious way, hoping to hear what happened beforehand.

“I saw Jonghyun outside. He seemed very stressed out, but I doubt it’s work-related.”

Hara’s face expression changed. Does she know?