Chapter 45

Tiffany was half-, struggling with her captors, trying her best to get them off of her. Tears streamed down her face & then to the cold unforgiving floor, “Go away! Get off of me!” She cried out. She was finally able to get a hand free & with all her might, she slapped the nearest person she found & scraped his right cheek, causing it to bleed. She had done that to his left cheek the last time they encountered. His eyes blazed as he felt the pain. He lifted his fist up, prepared to teach her a lesson. Tiffany flinched, sensing his furious-ness, “Miyoung!” Someone cried, out loud in anguish from the opening of the door to the boiler room. Tiffany gasped as she recognized that voice. She shook her head, “No, I must be dreaming.” She said, thinking that it was just this beautiful dream that people had at the worst moments in their life but it wasn’t a dream. Jejung ran into the room like a raging bull & quickly grabbed the men away from her. With all the strength he had, he started pummeling the guy. The other two guys who had held her got up & went to have a go at him as well but every time they tried to get close, Jejung shoved them away with his surprising new strength due to the sudden spurt of energy he got from his rage.

Tiffany continued to cry on the floor, huddled in the corner, not sure what was going on exactly. Jejung had come for her, she kept on thinking over again, wishing that she could see him right now but all she could feel was his presences. Still emotionally distressed over what had happened, she just hoped the connection of fist to flesh wasn’t the attackers beating Jejung. Tiffany looked up as she felt some more people coming into the room where she was. Sunny & Sooyoung had come to her side & laid a light grey ruffle hem blazer over her shoulders, “Tiffany.” They said, over & over again, their tears mingling with hers.

“I should have never left you alone. I’m so sorry.” Sunny said. Tiffany just threw her arms around her & sobbed against her shoulder, meanwhile holding Sooyoung’s hand in hers & squeezing it tightly, “Thank you for coming.” She said to them. Sooyoung Tiffany’s hair & wiped away the tears on her face, “Tiffany, I’m so sorry that this had to happen to you again, but it’s okay, we are all here now.” Tiffany managed a weak smile & then fainted. Sunny & Sooyoung cried out in alarm, “Tiffany!” Jejung, who was still beating the one guy to a bloody mess, was alerted at the cry & instantly turned his head around. His heart stopped & he dropped the guy he was pummeling & ran towards Tiffany, taking her into his arms, tears falling down on her face as he her cheek tenderly. He pressed a kiss on her forehead, “Miyoung, please forgive me? Please forgive me? I’m so sorry.” He picked her up in his arms & gently cradled her to him.

Jejung signaled Siwon & Keunsuk to stop the fighting with the other two attackers, “I need to get her to a hospital now.” Keunsuk tied the three unconscious, well beaten up men & pushed them to a corner. He took his wife’s hand in his as soon as he finished & they ran after Jejung, as did Siwon & Sunny. Not a dry eye was in sight as they ran down the hall, through the shocked student population & professors. Seohyun, Boa & a crowd of other girls looked at them with anger & shock in their eyes. It seemed as if Jejung would be lost to them forever. However, after thinking about it a bit more, most of them did cry as well, feeling sorry for Tiffany, “Such a romantic story but so sad.” One of them said tearfully, to another friend. Her friend nodded & soon, everyone started sending prayers to heaven, praying that Tiffany will be okay.

The professor who had been in the room with Jejung when he started talking to himself, wiped away the tears that came to his eyes at the sight of such young & beautiful love, “They came through after all that happened.” He also closed his eyes & sent a prayer to allow Tiffany to be alright. The reporters who were at Jejung’s graduation, started snapping about a hundred pictures & writing down everything they saw. It was a graduation that had everything, love, hate, laughter, tears & faith. Yunho, who was among the people in the crowds, still standing there in shock at the sight of Jejung gingerly placing Tiffany inside his car & then speeding away with Siwon, Sunny, Keunsuk & Sooyoung following, received a frantic phone call from Keunsuk not a minute after they speed away, “Hello?” Yunho said dazedly.

“Yunho!” Keunsuk practically shouted into the phone, “The three men who attacked Tiffany are in the boiler room of the school! I tied them up so now it’s up to you to get the police there & apprehend them!” Yunho woke up after that, “Poor Tiffany.” He said sadly, “I will get right on it. Bye.” He said, & hung up. He ran to the parking lot & spotted the police cars that were there to guard the graduation ceremony, “Hey!” He shouted out, to the police, “I need your help!” Yunho notified them of what happened & they started running towards the boiler room where they found the three men & cuffed them.

Jejung gently Tiffany’s face, willing himself to not cry anymore, “Miyoung, please wake up, dear?” He took their rose pouches from his side & took her hand in his, their fingers entwining the ties of the pouches, “Remember our rose pouches, Miyoung? Remember our promise?” Still, Tiffany didn’t even flutter an eyelash, “We promised each other that these rose pouches will always be at our side even when we aren’t together. Remember our roses of yesterday?” He kissed the back of her hand, “You need to wake up, Miyoung. I love you so much. I can’t live without you. Don’t leave me again.” He nuzzled her hand & opened their rose pouches to let the scent of roses fill the room.

A knock sounded on the door as Mr & Mrs. Kim, Siwon, Sunny, Keunsuk & Sooyoung, Mr & Mrs. Choi, Mr & Mrs. Lee, Mr & Mrs. Jang & Yunho all filed in. They smiled warmly at a shocked speechless Jejung but he smiled gratefully back at them. All of them carried eight dozen of pink roses. They were all in vases & placed around the room, enhancing the rosy scent. Before they walked out, they all patted Jejung’s shoulder or gave him a hug. Once they were all out, more people came in, fans of Jejung & some of their schoolmates & teacher. Even their dean came. Each person came in & out, carrying eight dozen of pink roses. Jejung couldn’t believe his eyes at the sight that beheld him but he was really thankful.

As the last person walked out of the room, Jejung smiled down at his beloved, “Do you smell all the roses? Can you picture them in your mind? Everyone cares & loves you. I love & care for you. So please, open your beautiful eyes & let me know that you are alright?” He bent over & kissed her gently on the lips. As he lifted his head, he felt moisture on his cheek & realized that it came from Tiffany who was crying at his beautiful words. Her eyes fluttered opened & Jejung caught his breath in anticipation. Her eyes slowly opened to reveal their loveliness, although his heart tightened as he noticed the hollowness where they were once full of life. Tiffany reached her hand out, trying to find his face. He leaned in & took her hand to press against his cheek. She smiled as she felt it, tears of joy appeared in her eyes.

“I never thought that I could touch & feel you beside me again. You are real, right?” Jejung chuckled lightly & tweaked her nose, “Of course, I’m real. What else would I be?” He kissed her on the temple. After he had done that, she grinned widely & touched the spot, “I can feel your kiss.” Jejung didn’’t know what to say as he heard those words. It hurts him so much that she could no longer see him or anything else for that matter. Tiffany sensed the change of emotions in him & reached out to touch his face again, feeling the faint lines on his forehead & the slight a-shaped form of his mouth, “You are frowning.” She said sadly. She touched the corner of his eye & felt the wetness there. He took her hand & kissed the palm.

“I can’t help it. I let this happen to you. I feel so responsible for it. How could I have left you like this & believed that stupid tape & Seohyun?!” He used her hand & curled it into a fists & then with his help, used it to punch him in the chest. Tiffany gasped & quickly took her hand away, “Don’t do that, Jaejoong Oppa.” She felt for his face again, & brought it close to her so that she could press a kiss on his cheek & whisper in his ear, “You saved me & didn’t leave me in the end, even when I already left you.” She inched her body away from him as she remembered why she left him, “Oppa, it’s probably best if you just leave me be. I will be a big thorn in your career, a big burden for you to carry on your shoulders all the time. I will limit everything you do. Just leave me to myself. I will be fine. I want you to find a woman that has her sight & loves you the way you are meant to be loved. Someone that can see you when you touch her & kiss her.”

Jejung grabbed her & pressed her body to his, embracing her tightly, “Don’t ever say that again. I don’t want any other woman. I only want you. It has always been that way & it will forever only be that way.” He leaned back to look at her & saw her eyes fill with tears. He smiled at her, “You are always so emotional. So sweet & that’s just one of the many things that I find most endearing about you.” He got serious again, & put a hand to her cheek, feeling its silky smoothness, “Promise me that you won’t leave me ever again? Let me be your eyes for you & guide you through the rest of your life?” Tiffany wiped away the tears in her eyes & smiled. She said, against his shoulder, “I promise to never leave you again, & I will never ever stop loving you, no matter what.” Jejung smiled & took her rose pouch to tie it against her black cargo capri. She tilted her head down as if she could actually see it & smiled happily, “& don’t you dare leave this behind purposefully again.” He said smiling. He knew that she could see every move he did in her mind & that warmed his heart. When Tiffany reached out for him again, he captured her lips with his & they clung to each other for support as if their life depended on it. The scent from the thousands of roses in the room only added to the romantic bliss they shared from being able to love each other again.