004

Muffles were all he could hear from her. For the nth time since yesterday, she’s crying again. He tried ignoring it at first but it’s been forty five minutes ─ thanks for the traffic ─ for crying out loud! He wanted to talk to her but he soon realized that there’s nothing to talk about.

He doesn’t know her, not even her story. That is why he has no right to judge her. He knows she’s hurt and he knows it’s painful. He thought that maybe this is her first heartbreak, that her boyfriend is her first boyfriend.

Donghae sighed. “I know how it feels. It hurts, I know. It’s going to hurt because he matters to you. I know how hell it feels like to be betrayed by someone you love and care about. But the least thing you could is to accept the reality.”

That was the first time he tried to talk to her since he hadn’t hear anything from her the moment she got inside his car. All that he could hear from her was her cries and sniffs. If he’s broken, she’s way more broken. By then he realized that his mother was right about hurting is part of loving. He looked at the weeping lady on the passenger seat. By just looking at her face he remembered that she had told him that her ex-boyfriend was indeed her first boyfriend and it hurts her that he chose to lie and betray her just like that.

Pretending isn’t her calling but she managed to do so. She couldn’t believe herself that she could do such thing despite of the pain inside her. But then, it doubles ─ no, triples ─ the pain she’s feeling. Everything felt so surreal and everything felt like a bad dream that she wanted to wake up to. She felt like she’s being trapped in a nightmare that she wished it never happened.

“My mom once told me that hurting is part of loving,” he spoke again. “That f cker’s so damn lucky.”

Donghae shook his head. “You know what? The best thing to do is to move on. I guess it won’t take you long enough to find another.”

Sooyeon faced and glared at him. “Of course, it’s easy for you to say that! You don’t know what I am going through and you don’t know anything except from the fact that my boyfriend cheated on me!” she sounded so mad and she doesn’t know why. Today was the second day and it feels like hell. Yesterday’s pain was triple ─ more like quadrupled.

Donghae’s expression changed when she heard her shout at him like that when he’s just saying things. He was just saying and suggesting but he isn’t forcing her to do so. His jaw clenched and his brown eyes went darker.

Thank goodness the traffic has faded and that’s when he sped his car off fast enough. He couldn’t really stand another minute inside the car.

Soon enough, they reached the parking lot of the condominium building he’s living in. He parked the car and immediately went out of the car, closing the door with such force that made Sooyeon flinch.

She noticed the sudden change of the guy he’s with. She saw how his fists and jaw clenched and how his eyes grew darker than its original shade. Suddenly she felt something was wrong and she knew that it was about what she had said to him earlier.

Donghae went to get her stuffs and when he did, he headed towards where his unit is. He went inside without waiting for her and when he got in the elevator, he knew she was trailing behind her so he ended up waiting for her still.

He doesn’t know what to feel but there’s one thing he’s sure about: he’s upset. On the other hand, Sooyeon felt guilty for shouting at him. She realized that what she told him was a mistake and she also realized that he’s going through something as well. He was giving her a silent treatment, trying to be cold towards her. He could see the guilt written all over her face but he didn’t mind her.

They’ve reached his unit and the only thing she heard from whoever you are is to make herself feel comfortable and at home. He placed his car keys in the counter and went inside his room. Sooyeon was way too silent and just kept her eyes roam around the place. The place really looks so manly and most of the stuffs inside were black and white. His unit was clean and it’s pretty unusual for guys to have a clean and organized place. She came to a point where she thought that Donghae was different. Unlike him, her ex-boyfriend was messy when it comes to his stuffs. His clothes were always scattered all over the place and sometimes, it feels like it is her obligation and responsibility to clean the mess he has made in his apartment.

Minho is messy just like his life.

Donghae and Sooyeon were both watching a baseball game, both seated at both ends of the sofa like there’s a storm raging on between the two of them. Sooyeon was still contemplating whether she’ll say sorry or she’ll say sorry. Apparently, she’s left with no other choice but to apologize. After all, it’s still her fault and she admits that she had gone wrong.

“I apologize for what I’ve said earlier,” she spoke, feeling like the ground’s eating her up. “I know I have no right to say those words to you so I’m sorry.”

He nodded at her and took a deep sigh.

Just then, his phone rang. He groaned as he unwillingly picked up the phone and answered.

It was his mother, asking him where on Earth he is and why didn’t he show up yesterday at his brother’s wedding. He was the best man and yet he didn’t show up. It isn’t big of a deal for Donghae because his brother could’ve picked someone else. In fact, he told his brother not to expect him to show up so he knows that he’s going to have a Plan B.

“I told you I’m not going, didn’t I? You shouldn’t have expected me to be there.” He answered in an irritated tone.

He heard his mother sigh. “Can you at least show yourself to us for tonight’s dinner before your brother and his wife leave for their honeymoon tomorrow?”

His wife. His brother’s wife.

What the hell.

He glanced at the girl he’s with and recalled the deal. After all, it seems like they’re all in this together. Cheers for the brokenhearted people.

Donghae found himself saying yes and telling his mother that he has someone with him.

“Dress up. Where going somewhere,” Donghae simply stated to her before leaving her alone and headed to his room to get ready. “Family dinner.”

Sooyeon sighed as she lazily stood up to get dressed. She soon realized how awkward it is going to be. It is a family dinner for crying out loud! He doesn’t even know the guy he’s with and now he’s telling her that they’re going to his family’s dinner? How cool is that ─ sarcastically speaking.

She wore a lacey pastel pink knee-length dress and pulled her hair in a ponytail. She put on a light makeup and paired her outfit with pink flats. She likes it when looked simple but undeniably gorgeous. Sooyeon put her phone inside the clutch she’s bringing with her and by the time she went out of the room where whoever you are told that’s going to be her room ─ she saw him there standing right at his doorstep, waiting for her.

He looked so casually cool with his get-up. He was wearing a sweatshirt a khaki pants. He looked so… cute. She mentally giggled to herself. He looked towards her direction and gave her small smile when he saw her.

“Let’s go?” he asked and offered her his hand.

She nodded and took his hand.

The Lees were gathered in the mansion. It was their mother’s request to have a family dinner before her son, Dongwoo and his wife, Jaekyung fly to Paris for their honeymoon. Donghae’s elder sister, Jooyeon, was there as well together with her family.

“Is Donghae gonna be here?” Jooyeon asked her parents.

Mr. Lee fell silent while Mrs. Lee can’t hide the happiness she had with her. She smiled at her children and told them good news. “Yes, he’ll be here with someone!”

“With someone?” Jaekyung asked her mother-in-law.

Mrs. Lee nodded happily. She was feeling way too happy because after a million of rejections to ever family dinner they had set, Donghae finally didn’t refuse and agreed to go. That will be the first time he’ll go and eat with his family after he left the mansion.

Before anyone could speak, the maid told them that the two had arrived. Mrs. Lee clapped her hands in glee before walking towards the front door to welcome her son and whoever he is with. A little while later, she saw the face of her son and she couldn’t take the happiness to see him again. She welcomed him with a hug.

“Mom, please,” Donghae told her. “I’m with someone.”

Mrs. Lee almost forgot that he’s with someone and when she looked at who is he with, she was surprised to see a very beautiful young lady behind him. She saw her son’s hand was clasped onto the lady’s hand and from what she could see, her son got himself a girlfriend.

“Is she your girlfriend?” Mrs. Lee excitedly asked her son.

The lady’s face suddenly turned surprised but Donghae was there to defend for her. “No, mom, please. She’s just a friend and I decided to take her with me.”

His mother gave the both of them a teasing look while nodding her head. She was smiling meaningfully like she’s thinking the other way around. Sooyeon somehow got nervous and tried to hide with a smile. She honestly felt nervous on how will he introduce her. Maybe she has seen a lot of movies lately that she actually expected him to introduce her as his girlfriend because most of the guys in the movies she had seen were like that in these kinds of situations. But maybe she’s just too assuming to assume such cliché stuffs.

This is the reality and whoever you are is a straight-forward person aside from being honest.

“You guys come in so we could eat! I can’t wait to introduce your friend to our family. Come, come!” Mrs. Lee sounded so excited while welcoming the both of them in their welcoming house. The mansion was just too big and spacious. The stuffs inside were luxurious and that made Sooyeon think that his family is literally rich.

She started wondering what his family does for a living. What kind of job does whoever you are has? Curiosity grew inside of her but she has no rights to ask them just like that. When the three of them reached the dining room, she saw his family. His father was there, his brother ─ if she wasn’t mistaken because he kind of looked like him ─ was there together with his wife and also his sister with her husband.

Sooyeon’s eyes went back to whoever you are’s brother’s wife. She saw how exceptional her beauty was and with no questions asked, she knew why he had fallen in love with her. She seems nice and she actually didn’t feel any intimidations towards her. She just felt… nice.

“And what is the name of this beautiful young lady?” Mrs. Lee asked as she stared adoringly at her son and his friend. Mrs. Lee actually didn’t think the two were just friends when they really were. She isn’t just buying what his son had told her when he introduced the girl to her. Or maybe she just wanted her son to have girlfriend since it’s been a while since he got one?

Sooyeon awkwardly smiled and introduced herself. “My name’s Sooyeon Jung, ma’am.” She tried to sound polite towards the guy’s mother. Now, he knows her name. No more calling her beautiful stranger and she knew that sooner or later, she’ll hear his name as well.

“Quit calling me ma’am, Sooyeon. Call me aunt instead,” Mrs. Lee told her with a smile. Heaven knows how much she wanted to tell her to just call her mom but she thought Donghae might feel embarrassed or make him feel like she’s pushing him.

Donghae chuckled. From time to time, he has been stealing glances of the love of his life and when he said the love of his life, of course, it’s Jaekyung. He recalled what he saw earlier that day at the parking lot and looking at them right at that moment, he knew he never really had a chance on her.

He lost the battle even if it hasn’t started yet.

He told himself to try accepting that fact. He knew it will take time to recover but he remembered the deal had with Sooyeon. Maybe there’s more than that. He actually doesn’t know what he wanted when he agreed to the deal. He just found himself agreeing since it kind of looked like a great idea.

At some point, he could see what Sooyeon was really planning. The girl isn’t hard to read for her eyes were such traitors to tell her what’s going in her mind. Her body language and her obvious hints were indeed obvious that she wanted to get even. He’s not stupid for crying out loud.

“What’s up brother?” Jooyeon asked out of a sudden. “Yeah, before I forgot Donghae, what are you up to these past few weeks?”

So that was his name, she thought to herself. Donghae.

Before Donghae could answer his sister’s question, his father cut him off. “Probably getting wasted every night of his damned and messed up life.”

Donghae’s jaw clenched and Sooyeon suddenly felt the tension. She knew about his issue with his family ─ especially with his dad and now she’s seeing it in an actual situation. She saw how his mother held his father’s hand, eyeing him trying to say stop for a while there. Sooyeon didn’t know why but she found herself reaching for his hand and when she held onto it, she squeezed his hand, trying to calm his nerves down.

“If you asked me to go here to have a dinner, then why don’t we just eat? I didn’t go here to hear you upbraid me with all of the things I’ve done in my life. I came here to eat not to listen to all of these nonsense stuffs.” He straight-forwardly stated. Somehow, he felt offended. He didn’t know what is his sister’s motive in asking that question and his father did a wrong move.

Was being a black sheep in the family is all they could ever think of him? Was him choosing to take medicine instead of business was the reason why is his father considering him a failure? He failed his father just because he chose to take architecture instead of business? How petty is that reason for his father to hate him so much?

On top of that, they never really knew why he has been missing in action for two weeks. They never knew what he’d been through because they never give a single damn about him ever since. That is why no matter how hard his mother tries to get close to him after all this time, he never really let her. He noticed it, yes. But he just couldn’t see the point. Why would she do that now when she could’ve done it back then? She was twenty four years late to care. Not when he had isolated himself away from them.

He admitted that he was never close to his family because of the way they see him. His father sees him in a different way as his brother. He came to a family were business is a really big deal. His father had high expectations on him and his brother. His brother met those high expectations while he didn’t because he never really liked involving in business. That’s when he failed his father.

“I don’t really see the point why am I even here. We should probably get going,” Donghae told and stood up.

Sooyeon couldn’t really say anything after seeing such situation. She realized that it was something serious. It can be fixed but she doesn’t know in what way. She stood up and apologized in behalf of Donghae and followed him out of the house.

“Donghae-ah!” she heard his mom called out for him but it was too late.

She thought it’s going to be a goodnight but thanks to the irony of life, it was completely ruined.

“You don’t have to leave, you know,” Sooyeon spoke. She couldn’t take the silence that has been filling in the air. She looked at him to see an expressionless Donghae. Or was he expressionless? All she could see was anger. His eyes were fiery and if looks could kill, the person he’s looking at could be dead by now. Donghae’s jaw and fists were clenched and no matter how intimidating he looked, she didn’t care. “You could’ve just ignored what your father said.”

She got no response from him but Sooyeon shrugged it off.

“You kinda look like your father. And you know what? I think the both of you possess the same attitude. He look like he’s hot-tempered and same goes for you. But you know what? Even though he’s like that towards you, I can tell that he cares for you. It’s just that he doesn’t know how to express it that’s why you can’t feel it. I saw the look on his face when he saw you when we arrived and I can tell that his glad you went over.”

“Can we just please stop talking about him?” he emphasized every word to make her understand that there’s no way he’s going to like it when it’s about his father.

Sooyeon shrugged. “Fine, I’m just saying.”

She shook her head and went to look over the window. She doesn’t know where they are heading to but there’s one thing she’s sure about. She’s hungry.

“Uhm, can we like… go somewhere and grab something to eat? I-I’m kinda hungry.” She embarrassedly told him.

Donghae nodded and drove to the mall. He can’t help himself but to listen to every word she had told him just a while go. Does his father really care for him? Was he really not that good in expressing his feelings towards his children? Or was he really very distant to his family to feel the love and attention he has been seeking from them?

Maybe it was partly his fault but they couldn’t blame him for feeling that way. Again, he shrugged those thoughts away from his system and just focused in driving.

He found himself being dragged by Sooyeon while searching for a place to eat. It made him think for a while and questioned himself why did he let her pick a place to eat? She wants pasta and lasagna and she’s looking for an Italian restaurant around the mall. He saw how excited she looked when she finally found a restaurant.

“This is going to be your treat, alright?” Sooyeon playfully smirked at him that made his eyebrows crease.

“What do you mean this is going to be my treat? I don’t have enough generosity in my system, miss.” He protested.

Sooyeon crossed her arms and pouted. “We’re going to eat her and it’ll be your treat or I’ll drag you back to where we came from?”

Was she making him choose? He found her unbelievable. How could she? This girl surely knows how to blackmail him and now he basically has no choice but to agree to eat in that place and it’s going to be his treat.

He sighed. “Fine,”

Sooyeon cheered like a five-year old girl who got his first Barbie doll. She excitedly dragged Donghae inside the place and just when she found some vacant seats for them, she saw him with her. She stopped right there and that made Donghae stop too. He saw how her expression changed out of a sudden and suddenly seemed like a lost girl in the middle of the crowd.

He noticed her looking at somewhere and when he looked at where that somewhere is. Was that her ex-boyfriend? Was that the Minho she’s talking about? And maybe the girl he’s with was her bestfriend who lied to her.

“Minho,” he heard her whisper.

Sooyeon snapped out of it and immediately turned around to get out of the place. Suddenly, she doesn’t feel like eating pasta and lasagna that night. She doesn’t feel like hungry anymore. All that she wanted was to get out of that place and go away. Away to somewhere she wouldn’t see those liars. It is indeed a small world.

She grabbed Donghae’s arm and tried dragging him with her away to that place but he was so strong that he stayed in that place where he’s standing. “I thought you’re hungry? Why are you walking away?”

She shook her head and felt her eyes becoming hot. “I-I just don’t feel like eating lasagna and pasta anymore,” she tried so hard to prevent her voice from cracking because anytime soon, her tears might fall.

She tried pulling him but he won’t budge. “We’re going to eat here, I suddenly felt like eating pasta,” he stated.

Sooyeon faced him with a pained expression plastered on her face. How insensitive could this guy get? Can’t he understand that she doesn’t want to see those two liars? But then again, how would he know? He doesn’t know what those traitors looked like.

She prevented her tears from falling and swallowed hard. “In there, there’s my boyfriend and my bestfriend having a date behind my back. So please, try to understand. I want to get out of here. Let’s just eat somewhere else. This is not the only Italian restaurant in here!” she felt frustrated. Why is he being stubborn? Why can’t he just agree to her?

She almost felt like crying. He stared at her deeply into her eyes and asked, “Do you want to move on?”

Does she? Of course, she wanted to. But not now, not when she still loves the guy. The wounds are still fresh and she knows it’ll take time to heal. She couldn’t just forget the guy knowing he’s her first love and she believes that first love never dies. But she wanted to move on and to forget all the pain he had caused her.

Sooyeon found herself nodding.

He cupped her face and wiped the tears forming in the corner of her eye. “Then we’re going to eat here. Pretend to know nothing. Bear the pain even though it hurts a lot. We’re just going to eat and by the time he sees us, leave everything to me. You got me?” he asked.

She nodded and took a deep breath.

This is what Minho wanted. He chose Jisook over her and that’s where he ended everything between him and her. He drove them off the road and there’s no way she’s going back to him.

Sooyeon can’t help but to feel uneasy while being in the same place as Minho and Jisook. Her eyes never left the two since she and Donghae settled on a table quite away from them. She can’t help herself but to feel hurt. After all this time, even if she just wanted to take it as a lie, here in front of her, he’s really cheating on her with her bestfriend. And she can’t understand why it has to be Jisook. There are so many girls out there to cheat on with, why does it have to be her bestfriend?

On the other hand, Donghae was aware of the uneasiness the girl is feeling and it somehow made him feel guilty for pushing her to eat in that place. Now she can’t eat that properly. But somehow, he could see his point on doing this. She wanted to move on and he just wanted to help her. Basically, seeing their exes in just one day was extremely unbelievable. It hurt the both of them and maybe Sooyeon was mostly hurt in this situation.

“I’m sorry if I let us stay here,” he apologized because the guilt was killing him. It’s like he couldn’t stand another minute without saying sorry to her. He could see the pain in her eyes. She just remained quiet ever since they got there and saw the two.

Sooyeon nodded and forced a smile. “Don’t smile if you really don’t want to. I’m not forcing you to do so,”

She shrugged and continued eating her food. To be honest, she’s half-eating and half-playing with her food. She just couldn’t think straight knowing that the people who lied to her were in the same place as her and just tables away from her. She just can’t figure out when they will decide to tell her the truth. Or they’ll just keep it away from her?

But there’s no need of telling her the truth. She knows it and she caught them. Telling the truth seemed pointless but she wanted them to tell her the truth. She knows the both of them will never work out because a relationship that started with a lie would end with a lie. What comes around comes back around and it is as simple as that.

“Should I cry, instead?” she asked, making a funny crying face. She was trying to ease the uneasiness that she’s feeling and tried to take the guilt away from Donghae.

Donghae made a funny yet disagreeing face. He was finished eating and he’s just waiting for her to finish her food. It was weird that up until now, the two aren’t noticing their presence yet but who cares? Maybe the both of them are enjoying each other’s company so much that they felt like the both of them were the only thing that mattered to the two of them.

“You have a nice name,” Donghae remarked with a shy smile. “I was right when I called you beautiful stranger. Aside from having a beautiful face, you have a very beautiful name.”

Sooyeon chuckled and blushed a bit. “Why do guys always have a way with words? You pretty seemed to know how to play with words, huh?” she sounded like she was amazed by that fact.

“I am a very honest and a straightforward person, I say what I think is true.” Donghae proudly stated.

Sooyeon nodded. “Should I thank you for your compliment, Donghae?” she playfully asked, finally saying his name.

“We never really had a proper introduction, do we?” Donghae retorted. “I’m Lee Donghae, architect, y, free and single.” He introduced himself in playful and teasing way.

Sooyeon frown and made a disgusted face. “You probably heard my name earlier but I’m going to repeat it for you, Jung Sooyeon, Jessica Jung, whichever you prefer.”

“You have an English name?” Donghae asked her, she nodded. She heard him mumble the word cool.

“Don’t you have one?” she asked him.

“I have,” he simply answered.

“Then what is it?”

“Aide─” he was cut off by some unfamiliar voice but for Sooyeon, it was the voice she could never forget.