HOLDING ON Part 12

They say, if you want to choose a life partner, you should choose the person who loves you more than you love them.

Going by this sentiment, HyeoYeon figured that her love life could finally settle down.

She wouldn't dare to compare the amount of love they had against each other, though. But it was enough to know the admirable effort JaeJoong had put through all these years to hold onto his only love. Being JaeJoong, love must've been a very difficult subject to deal with. Knowing that his life partner must be approved by his family, he hadn't that much freedom to let his heart fall for someone naturally. And with all the wealth piled up under his name as the sole heir, it hadn't been easy to distinguish simple honesty amongst the people he knew.

HyeoYeon witnessed these struggles first hand during the years of their friendship.

Only through such determination did HyeoYeon finally decide that her ex-fiance deserved another chance to prove how important this relationship was to him and to the both of them.

And besides, her feelings for him never changed, despite everything that has happened. No matter how many men she dated since they broke up, none of them could come close to Kim JaeJoong.

It has been a while since they reconciled. But she could still remember JaeJoong's reaction when she told him that she was willing to get back together.

It was priceless.

It was as if a thousand emotions ran through him all at once. He was crying, but smiling at the same time. He was laughing, but his eyes did not dare to meet hers. His hands were in fists, as if restraining himself from reaching out to her. It was complicated, but HyeoYeon understood it all.

And she had been the first to make the move. She had been the one to pull their faces close together. She was the one to initiate that kiss, a kiss they both longed for years.

And he took no time to reply with equal fervour, taking the lead after a few moment.

"I love you. I love you. I love you," he repeatedly assured her that day. 

HyeoYeon whispered another prayer deep in her heart. It was a little different than her previous prayer, the one she made when she first got engaged to JaeJoong. The content was pretty much the same, but this time, she put much more faith into it. She has learn to understand and to trust better. Thanks to JaeJoong's loyalty and faithfulness to his heart all these years, HyeoYeon figured that his words are much more precious than any other. If he tries to explain, HyeoYeon will make sure to listen to his reasons first before jumping to conclusion. All she needed to do was to try and understand, and she believed they can work things out together.

***

JaeJoong took no time to invite her to stay with him, considering that she will be staying in New York for a few more weeks. She insisted to decline, saying that she had already paid full for her room. JaeJoong laughed it off before requesting for details of the place.

"The agent told me they have already secured another tenant to replace you," JaeJoong grinningly informed her after a while of talking into the phone.

"What? Are you kidding me? Why did you do that?" HyeoYeon muttered in annoyance. "JaeJoong, don't force me to do things I don't want to do, please!"

JaeJoong bit his lips momentarily at her reaction. "Yeonnie, listen. New Yorkers are a little different from the people back home. Please understand me. Now that the tabloids have reported about you, I'm worried about your safety. Won't you just let me take care of you