Chapter 11

Yejin lost her focus. Her body was trembling hard until she fell on the floor. Nurse Yang who gave her the news kept her head low feeling bad for her. Yejin held his tears and tried to reach the room where her mother's body was laid. She woke up with the help of Nurse Yang who was standing beside her all the way. Nurse Yang helped her to walk into the room.

Far away from where she stood there he was, seeing her limply body fell on the floor helplessly. He wanted to reach her and gave her a reassuring hug. He couldn't do that, not this time. It would be too rush for her, who was shocked by the news. The news shocked him too. The times when he always visited Yejin's mother, kept reappearing on his head. Also, her blessing which made him stand in a very thin line. He didn't know what will happen when he appeared in front of her, after that long. Bravely, he took some steps hardly. His vibrating phone stopped his way. He took a big breath feeling that he shouldn't do that, not for this time.

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Yejin with her black hanbok gave a bow to everyone who was giving their last tribute to her mother. The big smiling photo of her mother was surrounded by crysants flower, thorn her heart. Her puffy red eyes couldn't be hidden for the whole ceremony. She nodded weakly to everyone who gave their tribute.

Small steps recklessly went closer with her black attire with a rabbit headband she knew. The headband she bought when she was dating her CEO. Yejin lips slowly turned into a weak smile and bent down to reach her level. The kid hugged her neck and tapped her shoulder almost like hitting and kept saying.

"Eomma don't cry! Nana is here.." she said cutely still didn't know what was happening. Yejin forced her smile and hugged her back tightly.

"Eomma is okay.." she whispered but choked her tears and she silently crying on her embrace.

Hyunbin who was giving the tribute to her mother that slowly got distracted, turned his head looking at the picture in front of him. He gave her a long deep bow before putting the flower in front of the picture. Hyunbin went closer to Nana and waited for Yejin, to release Nana from her hug. Hyunbin's hand wanted to tap her back giving reassurance but he held it, didn't know how to start.

"Nana-ya.. let's wait for Eomma outside. Eomma should meet the guests. Come to Appa..", Hyunbin slightly separated their hug and brought Nana on his hug. Yejin stood up slowly and gave a bow to Hyunbin, so did him.

"Thank you.., Daepyo-nim.., she mumbled.

The guests kept coming and preventing her to have a seat. Nurse Yang entered the room and gave the last tribute to her mother. Yejin couldn't hold her tears for someone who was always helping her through these times. The long time that they wished to be a happy one. Nurse Yang came closer to her and gave her a deep hug.

"You've worked hard this time. You did well," nurse Yang tapped her back lightly that made her crying out loud. Yejin sobbed hard on her hug. The one who was struggling with her, helping her that also deemed her as her daughter, burst her tears. They kept hugging for a while when suddenly Nurse Yang pulled her away slowly. She took an envelope from her handbag and hand it to Yejin.

"This is your mother's last message, keep it well..", she patted her shoulder and left her in the room. Yejin held her tears hard. She didn't want to open this time which would make her lost her sanity. The thought of it made her put the letter in her pocket. Yejin sat down to take a slight rest and her eyes were back in a daze.

"Eat this, miss.." an old woman voice took her back into reality. The woman that helped her for the whole ceremony and mostly managed for guest's foods. She handed her a kimbab with orange juice, her favorite since she was a kid.

"Who gives me this?" she asked her weakly. The woman pointed to the long table where Yoona and Lee Joon sat with her CEO and Nana in front of them. There were also several men in black attire sat at one long table with them. She smiled lightly, remembering that she was surrounded by kind people. The woman left her alone and Yejin dazed on her world again.

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"How about that Oppa? Is she giving up again on her dreams? She didn't even know that she could go to Jeju. She must be feeling depressed, right now." Yoona let out her small tears remembering Yejin's condition.

"I don't know. But, you know that Lee Munjeong also can't give her another chance. She also waited for her these times." Lee Joon said as he gulped a soju in front of him. Hyunbin sat in front of them listening to their whole conversation in silence.

"Oppa... just once, can't you ask her to give times ..." Hyunbin could feel what Yonna was feeling. He couldn't do anything too. He caressed Nana's hair lightly who was sleeping on his lap while his other hand poured the soju on his glass again and took a sip. He gulped glasses of soju, but strangely he wasn't drunk yet. He almost finished his third bottle. He took a glass again when a hand stopped him.

"Daepyo-nim... I am sorry, but Eonni wouldnt like you to take too much alcohol." Hyunbin turned his face to Yoona who was stopping him. Hyunbin gave up his bottle and silently listening to her. He smirked knowing his head started aching. It must be caused by alcohol. His messy mind couldn't even detect why must he even sadder this moment. 'Is it caused by alcohol?'.

His heart suddenly twitched to the silly reason he made. It wasn't the real reason though.

"What kind of things she had said to you?" he asked Yoona who was still crying over Yejin's loss.

"I am sorry Daepyo-nim, but Eonni will be sad seeing you drunk," Yoona said while wiping her mucous that drooled from her nose.

"Thank you for your concern," he said weakly and embraced sleeping Nana on his shoulder. "I should go home before I get drunk here." he smiled and bowed to Joon and Yoona before leaving them. He walked a bit staggering and phoned the called driver. He patted Nana's back lightly and his tears started to wet his face.

The conversation between Yoona and Joon impacted him much. He didn't know what to do. He just got closer to her, but the fact hit him hard again. 'When will he get a chance to yearn her heart? Just why time was being so hard to him." He sobbed in silence in case not to wake Nana up.

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Jaehyuk brought a bucket of flowers and entered the room with his big smile on his face. He came closer to Seonhwa who was sitting in silence with her head laid on her hands on the knees. Jaehyuk's heart thorns hard seeing the view. He realized that his appearance wouldn't help her though.

"Seonhwa- ya.." he slowly handed her the flower. Seonhwa turned her head up to Jaehyuk.

"What is it?" She threw the flower aside and put her head down again. Jaehyuk felt the anger aroused. He put much effort into being patient with her. She didn't even try to understand his place. He put her beyond everything, but he didn't get her welcome. Jaehyuk grabbed her hand hard to make her looked straight at him.

"Lee Seonhwa enough!!" He held his voice not to sound like he yelled at her. On other hand, his eyes told her differently. He was mad at her. Seonhwa looked straight at her.

"Told you, get her heart again and your daughter's," she said lazily.

"Lee Seonhwa!!" he let out his scream feeling frustrated the whole time they were together. Seonhwa gave him a death glare. Her eyes turned red and teary. She didn't know her feeling too. 'What side that makes her became this down’.

"You... Are you lowering your value? Are you a ? Are you.." he got a slap on his face. Her face reddened and her eyes gave him a death look.

"What do you mean?" Her firm voice aroused the heat between them. Jaehyuk touched his slapped cheek and grinned.

"Seonhwa-ya.. you didn't put any value on our touches since our marriage? You are still yearning for that Hyunbin man? So, you didn't even mind I had slept with you for every night we are together. So what thing that you are valuing for? You didn't mind sleep with men??" he got slapped twice harder. Seonhwa's tears started rolling down her face. Her reddened face told him that his way of lowering her successfully grow her anger.

"Shut up.," she said with her trembling lips. Jaehyuk felt his heart was torn into pieces. He didn't know what to say. He was overwhelmed with jealousy toward her. He burst those words to make her realized who was the one that would gladly stand for her.

"Seonhwa- ya.," Jaehyuk said slowly.

"Shut up.," she screamed while her hands covered her ears tightly and she screamed hard. Her head shook trying to avoid his hurtful words. Jaehyuk grabbed her hand tightly and kissed her lips hard.

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Lee Joon sat in front of her seriously. Lee Munjeong sipped her tea slowly, thinking how hard Yejin's life was. She put the cup on the table with her daze look.

"Just please writer-nim.," he begged to her. Lee Munjeong looked at him with a questionable look.

"Lee Joon, Won't you be happier if she weren't on our team? You will be the only one ace here?" she asked him casually.

"I would love too. However, it is not only about that, I like her style. It would be better if we could share our thoughts and it would be better for us to build the publishing center and writing class with various styles." he grabbed his hands nervously hoping that she would change her thought.

"I am feeling lucky that I have chosen you for one of my team. I will think about it. But, I can't wait any longer. The latest one I had waited for her that long." she winked her eye and sipped a tea with a smile on her face.

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Yejin started to stand upright for the last day. She touched the ash barrel filled with her mother ash for the last. She put their photo together with the barrel and closed the glass. She lost all of her tears through the times. She put on a smile not to make another sad moment for them.

"Eomma... Be happy.." she stuttered her last words with her forcefully smile. Her feet hardly left the ash storage area and slowly walked outside.

A small fresh flower stamped on glass called her to take a look which was not far from her mother's. It was written full of sorry words on the note that stick with the flowers. The sender was Jaehyuk, Nana's father. Yejin took a look and felt a familiar name was written on the barrel. Kim Hyunmi, the picture of a young woman with an innocent smile. Her face was resembling Nana so much. Yejin's lips turned into a smile and came closer to the glass. There were put some pictures that linked with Hyunmi. The picture of the newborn that was deemed as Nana, Nana on her 1st birthday with Hyunbin was holding her, and a picture of Hyunmi and Hyunbin on their teen. Yejin's heart twitched hard and her eyes started to well and wetting her face again, she felt confused with her heart. She didn't even know for who her heart was twitched to. She didn't know for who her heart was beating hard for.

Her phone vibrated along with a name showed on the screen. She picked up in no time still being shocked.

"Yoona-ya.." she greeted the one who called her with a forced smile.

"Eonni.... where are you? I will pick you up soon. So, wait.." she sounded full of worry toward her. Yejin wiped her silently tears away after hearing her worry.

"I am fine. I will go home by myself... Anyway, I ate the kimbab and orange juice you had given to me for these days. Thank you. It filled me up.." she said with her cracked voice caused by her tears.

"Eonni... I don't give you kimbab and orange juice to you. I think you will get something to eat at the funeral ceremony." Yoona replied innocently.

Yejin stopped her walk realizing something wrong.

The tears she held for a long time started to burst again. She covered in advance and held her sob hard. She hangs up the phone straight away. Yejin grabbed her chest tightly. She bit her lower lip hard and searched the wall to balance her.

After she got a lot calmer, she ran to the place for the funeral ceremony and searching for the woman who gave her the kimbab and orange juice for days when her mother was being a tribute. There she found her, putting all the garbage on a huge black plastic bag. She reached her with her slipped steps.

"Excuse me.." she held her hand with slight hope. She didn't know she wants her thought was true or false. She was confused too. She wanted to meet her Oppa badly. She wanted to know the truth when he left her even he had promised to come back to her. However, she also wasn't ready to face the fact. Kimbab and orange juice that just some of her closest friends know. The only Yoona and her Oppa that would bring those when she was upset. Her favorite and always be.

The woman turned her body on her worriedly.

"Agassi.. ".

"Excuse me, Can I ask you who gave me Kimbab and orange juice for me these days?" She asked carefully.

"A handsome man gave me the kimbab to hand it to you every afternoon. He said that you can't eat properly, but you might eat that even a bit.." the woman blunted her words without any further thinking.

"Can you describe the man?" Yejin anticipated her words worriedly. She won't miss the chance again. She should find him no matter what. The woman described the man by turning back her memories of when she was meeting him those days. She explained the words in detail and tried not to miss any small things. Yejin covered with her unexpected explanation. Her heart started aching and she almost lost her breath.

"Is the one who giving me, is him?" she handed her a photo with a trembling hand. The woman took the photo carefully and looked at the photo seriously with her furrowed brows, trying to match the photo and the man on her memory. She handed her the photo back to her.

"Yes, it is him... Agassi.." she answered casually, convincing her answer. Yejin held her chest tightly and held her tears as she put her back against the wall for her balance.

Yejin remembered the last thing her mother was said about her Oppa. She took the letter from her mother with an unbearable rising heartbeat, full of anticipation. She opened the letter and read line by line carefully. Each line added her weighted heart. She almost lost her way of breathing. She fell on her place weakly and grabbed her hair tightly, being speechless.

"Agassi.. are you okay?" The woman asked her full of worry.

" Oppa...I am sorry.. " she repeated her words on her sob.

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Seonhwa appearance became worse after days passed. Her mind was messier and she didn't know the reason. For the whole day, she was just lying on the bed and lost her appetite. The daughter was Jaehyuk's and it worsened her state. For once when she first saw Hyunbin with a daughter, she didn't feel that hurt.

She even thought that everything to Hyunbin, she would be always loving him. She even thought to separate him from his wife. The remorse she felt after her father told her to reject the engagement with Hyunbin hit her hard. She wasn't ready to have a life with Hyunbin who was struggling hard to keep his company. She put her logic over anything. The easy life she got since she was born turned her feeling from Hyunbin and chose Jaehyuk over anything. She would never struggle for the whole of her life.

Jaehyuk came closer to her and put dishes beside the bedside table. He sat beside her and hold her hand tightly. Seonhwa looked at his eyes deeply didn't know how to react if someone was loving you did that. Her mind was back to the days when she was tied with Hyunbin. He would never do that to her. But, she loved him.

"You should eat.," Jaehyuk said lightly. Seonhwa looked at him with a questionable look.

"I will eat it later.." she sighed with her pale lips. She didn't even get a good meal after the incidents which made her body thinner.

"Please eat! I will help you.." Jaehyuk said softly and reached for the plate, but Seonhwa stopped him.

"Please don't act like that, It burdens me much.." she sighed which aroused his temper.

"What should I do?" Jaehyuk gritted his teeth hard seeing her rejection. Ever since they married, he was used to her rejection. However, not for this time. He was tired of all of those rejections.

"Please, don't do anything.." Seonhwa said lightly. Jaehyuk's jaw tightened by her words.

"Let's divorce!" He stated firmly and walked away from the bed.

"Please don't!" She said almost shouted. She tried to wake up from the bed and walked to him.

"I am tired of these. I just can't live with you, to feel your rejections. It is enough. I don't mind our companies go bankrupt. I don't mind with those shareholders that would leave." Jaehyuk stated firmly.

"I had lost Hyunmi, who sincerely loved me even I did bad to her. Also, I lost the times I should spend with my daughter, but I just got your rejections too. I am not scared of anything now. I had lost everything though.." he added.

"Please don't.." Seonhwa hugged him from behind.

"You just love the money right?" Jaehyuk gritted his teeth redeeming his anger.

"I will try to love you. Please, don't do that!" Seonhwa said as her tears fell from her eyes.

 

 

-Epilogue-

Seonhwa turned her head to pale Hyunbin who was standing in front of her after Yejin and his daughter left them alone in his apartment. It was the time when Seonhwa visited him after the night when Jaehyuk and Hyunbin had a big quarrel in Hyunbin's office. She put the porridge in the kitchen cabinet and tried to prepare for him.

"Please, don't do anything here..!" Hyunbin said weakly feeling dizziness took over him. He turned his body against her.

"Oppa.. please.." she sighed after seeing his deed.

"You are married already. It just feels so wrong.." he peeked his eyes behind slightly.

"I am not loving him.." Seonhwa shouted in sudden.

"Married thing isn't something to be played about.." he took a step forward to his bedroom.

"But, you were almost my husband.." Seonhwa shouted again, stopping his steps.

"Almost be husband and Husband are a different thing and your husband would be damn mad about this.." he said.

"THEN WHY YOU ARE AGREEING TO THE ENGAGEMENT THEN. I LOVE YOU AND IT WOULD NEVER BE CHANGED.." Seonhwa screamed out her heart out and tears started welling out her face.

"I know, I am a coward back then. I am playing safe not to be in a dangerous position to keep the company. However, after I passed all of the dangers after my father's death, I ever thought 'why should I accept the engagement if it would put me in a difficult position, right now?' "He sighed slightly smile.

"You loved me right???" Her voice turned higher. Hyunbin's stare went dazed didn't know how to reply.

"I am sorry....." he sighed which aroused her temper high.

"Nana and that woman. Who are they?" Seonhwa burst out her feeling, not leaving anything behind. His words stabbed her hard. It put her heartbroken. She loved him for years even when they were engaged, but she just knew the truth that he didn't even love her.

"People I love and I want to keep for the rest of my life." He said with his hard breath. His tears were hold up until his eyes. The words that put him emotionally.

"Nana isn't yours, right?" Seonhwa stated gingerly. She was afraid of another truth she didn't know. The appearance of the little girl with him when they met for the first time after she left, growing up her curiousness. Seonhwa was his latest and he wasn't someone who would play with girls which made her damn in love with him.

"She is mine.." Hyunbin stated that growing up his pain. The hard conversation he had, put his head even dizzier.

"She is not Nana's mother right ??? She was just a front officer." Seonhwa asked him again with tears feeling betrayed and underestimated the woman who was leaving the apartment a while ago.

"She isn't. But I love her from the very start.." he sighed didn't know to answer more. His head was spinning hard and he chose to enter his bedroom avoiding her other questions. He closed the door tightly.

"I won't give up on you.." her voice echoed the apartment. He scrunched his face hard tightening his grab on his hair redeeming his ache.

 

-to be continued-

Author's note:

Thank you for reading and supporting ^^

Kindly check my other stories Through Their Lenses and The Luckiest ^^