A/N - So this is Part II of Park Tae Hyun, Park Ji Min and Go Ji Young's past. Uh...i guess it was yet another sad story...geez i really need to stop making it all depressing, but i promise this is the last backstory! After the next chapter, everything will progress into the future and the conclusion will come~ Stick with me till then! 

@ImaVIPbaby - yeah, now that you say so I realize that i've made everyone's lives pretty miserable... Ummm i just wanted them to be all equal buuut i guess its a lil unrealistic... I'll do better on my next work! Promise!

@womaninmblaq - heeeey, long time to hear but thanks for commenting!!! Haha and yeah, it turned out much darker than i first imagined. Therefore to balance it out i've been working on some other fluff, but in the end i guess i always return to angst :p Thanks anyway~

@cazz_96 - Thanks ^^ *another hug*

@wookielove - Yup, yup, you have free entry! Treat it like Alice in Wonderland's rabbit hole~ Aaah, i just hope your brother's not as bad as this classmate of mine who takes photos of every new car he sees. Like ten photos per shiny hood. *sweatdrop* 

Chapter 55 – With looking back, he decides to stand by no longer

Tae Hyun POV

At first everything was okay. Ji Min and I satisfied ourselves with sending letters back and forth to Ji Young. We would anticipate the moment his letter would drop into our mailboxes and rush forwards to grab them the minute the postman left. But then we would hold the letter with a sort of reverence, unbelieving that this was our best connection to our third mate.

Then slowly, impatiently, we would open the envelope and pull out the letter which was like gold dust and together we would read the words in the fading afternoon light. Then we would store the letter in an oakwood box and from time to time, when we were lonely or missing him, we would pull it out and press him letters firmly to a table and read his words and imagine he was right there besides us.

But as time went by, Ji Young became less and less important. That’s the price of not having his presence there. We no longer stared at the mailbox waiting for the arrival of a letter. We found ourselves letting the oakwood box gather dust. We no longer missed Ji Young as much.

And then, in the absence of my brother, Ji Min’s feelings shifted.  

Around forty five years ago, one year after Ji Young’s departure…

 “Tae Hyun.” Ji Min stood in front of Tae Hyun, her hands fiddling with the hem of her knitted sweater which hugged her figure and the pink material matching the blush streaked across her cheek perfectly. Tae Hyun in a deep breath. Her tone was serious and he was worried.

“Yes?” Gods, he thought, he sounded like he was in the army or something.

“I have something to tell you.” Ji Min said and her fiddling became more pronounced.

Tae Hyun had enough. He reached out with one hand to stop her moving hands and at the touch, Ji Min’s face flew up and she turned bright red at the contact.

“Ah!” Tae Hyun backpedalled. “Sorry, sorry!” he apologized, though it was something he shouldn’t have needed to apologize for. “Just, um, calm down okay?”

Ji Min nodded and her blush faded slightly. “Okay.”

“So what did you want to talk about?” Tae Hyun tried to fill the silence and looked down at his feet, shoes scuffing the ground. It was autumn again and the chilly air was just comfortable. He kicked the auburn colored leaves and remembered how over ten years ago, the three of them had been playing in leaves just likes these ones.

Ji Min gulped. “I love you.”

Tae Hyun nodded. “Okay, so you love me-“

He froze.

“You WHAT?!” his head shot up and he stared at her.

It made Ji Min laugh and suddenly she seemed relaxed. “I love you, babo. I love you.”

Tae Hyun’s mouth fell open. “Bu-bu-but…” he stammered, thoughts far too incoherent to come out as proper phrases.

“How many times do I need to tell you? I love you, and only you.” Ji Min leaned over and kissed him. Tae Hyun’s eyes grew wide and round as he felt her soft, sweet lips against his and then he was melting into the kiss, unable to help himself. He was fully intoxicated on her sweetness. Finally she pulled away and Tae Hyun pouted, not wanting it to end.

Ji Min laughed again. “I love you.” She said, as if to reassure him.

“Why me?”

Ji Min shrugged. “I just love everything about you: the way you always watch over me so I feel safe, the way you always lend me a jacket when I’m cold to show that you’re thinking about me. Your baboness as well!” she grinned.

Tae Hyun felt lighter than he had in months. “Me?”

“Yes you, babo.” Ji Min chortled and leaned over to lace hands with his. “So will you be my boyfriend?”

Tae Hyun grinned. In that instance, he had totally forgotten about Ji Young and that promise five years ago. “I will.” He declared and wrapped his fingers around hers.

In the distant, Ji Young watched them walk away and he fell back against the cold stone wall, letting himself crumple down to his knees and hugged himself. He was so lonely and tears stained his face. He had quit Seoul university, deciding that it was enough for him. He had enjoyed his time there, but he had missed his family, his brother and the girl he loved far too much. So he had wrapped up the term early and taken the first train home.

Only…to see his two best friends together.

And he was the third wheel – forgotten.

“Why, Ji Min.” he sobbed, uncaring of the way people stared at him. All he could see was the kiss and the auburn burn of leaves. “Why him?”

Present time…

“Without Ji Young there, Ji Min fell in love with me.” I explained, remembering the bittersweet moment when I had achieved happiness and Ji Young found despair. “Perhaps if Ji Young had never left for Seoul then everything would be different, but it happened and Ji Min chose me.”

“He didn’t leave it lying, did he?” Ji-eun spoke. She was right. She was too perceptive to imagine elsewise and I nodded.

“That’s correct.” I sighed. “Ji Young started harboring a deep grudge then. He was angry beyond belief. He had given up his university position and then realized he had lost the girl he loved as well. And I was at fault.”

Ji-eun’s warm eyes seemed to embrace me. I gave her a half-hearted smile. “And you know what the worse thing was?” Ji-eun shook her head. “It was that I knew Ji Young was in love with Ji Min, but I married her all the same.”

Around thirty years ago…

“A baby boy.” The nurse announced with a wide grin to Tae Hyun and he rushed into the room to see his wife holding the most beautiful baby boy in her arms.

“He's beautiful!” he gasped and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to first his wife and then his newborn son. “You’re beautiful! Gods.” He whispered and his son's face. Already he was smitted with his son's soft cheeks and naughty glint in his eyes that promised he would be a little prankster when he grew up. Already he had two girls - Sandara and Durami - and with the addition of his new son, he was sure everything would be just right.

“What are we going to name him?”

“Didn’t we decide already?” Ji Min , tired but far too happy.

“We did, but are you sure?”

“I am. It’s a beautiful name and Ji Young decided it for us. So it’s perfect.”

“Then,” Tae Hyun gathered his baby son in his arms and raised him up high. “Welcome to the world, little Sanghyun.”

And baby Sanghyun gurgled and smiled and in their little world, the Park family was happy.

But from outside of the hospital room, one man stared at their little bubble and his mouth turned down at the corner. He had long run out of tears, but even know his eyes prickled as if they threatened a downpour. Ji Young brushed away invisible tears and then walked in with a wide smile, ready to congratulate his two best friends on their marriage and parenthood that might have once been his but now never would be.

***

Four years later…

SMACK!

The resounding sound of a palm hitting skin filled the room and Ji Young rocked back on his heels, just managing to keep his balance.

“When are you going to do something?” Ji Young’s father spat and then took a long gulp of his beer. “Look at your two friends: married and with children, jobs. And then you: nothing.”

Ji Young gritted his teeth. Here he was, thirty two this year and unfortunately, everything his father was saying rang true. Ever since he had quit Seoul university, everything had gone downhill from there. Now you needed qualifications for jobs and even when he got them, his personality made things goes sour before they went peachy. He was like a chef whose every dish turned out looking fantastic, but in reality was burnt and bitter on the inside.  

But today was the day it ended.

“I’m leaving father.” Ji Young said shortly. "For good. You'll never see me again." 

“What-“ Ji Young’s father stared at him, his brain blurred by the excess of alcohol. “You’re what?”

But Ji Young was already out of the door and let it slam behind him. He didn’t care. That part of his life was over; the time when he would lie down and let everything he wanted be taken was over. He had started as but a lowly member of the Syndicate and now with the boss gone, he took over the position and he would take it to new heights. Now was his time and he was going to take, take and take some more.

“Boss?” one man bowed as he arrived, opening the car door and Ji Young slid in. “Your face?” the guy said shortly as she slid into the driver’s seat.

“It’s nothing.” Ji Young said and that ended the conversation. “Let’s go.”

“Where to, boss?”

“Who cares?” Ji Young took the keys to his father’s house, to that house which was no longer his and tossed them out the window. In the mirror he watched it fall to the floor and then disappear behind the dust and distance.

***

Days later…

“Ji Young!” Tae Hyun yelled down the corridor, the sound attracting attention which forced Ji Young to grind to a halt reluctantly and turn around. Tae Hyun stared at the man who was once his best friend, his brother. He no longer recognized this man.

Go Ji Young was dressed in expensive Armani, looking more like a cold business man than his best friend. Even his eyes were distant, impenetrable shields of black.

“Can I help you?” he asked, raising both eyebrows.

“Ji Young,” Tae Hyun said in a quieter voice, catching up to Ji Young now and grabbing him by the shoulders forcefully. “What are you doing?” he hissed.

JI Young just stared at him.

“Getting involved in a gang?!” Tae Hyun spat. “Leaving home, doing all these, these illegal acts! What do you think you’re doing?!?!”

Ji Young’s eyes suddenly glowed with an inner fire and he leaned forwards so that his lips were mere millimeters away from Tae Hyun’s.

“What am I doing?” he hissed, an angry spark coiled in his tone. It made Tae Hyun flinch. “I am taking control of my life! All this time I have lost, lost and lost.”

“What are you talking abou-“

“You’ve taken everything!” Ji Young snarled. “You took my chance at getting that business position, you took my chance at having a family. You took her!!!”

“I-I”

“You took Ji Min! I asked you to protect her, to watch over and what did you do when I was gone, you made her fall in love with you!” Ji Young’s voice was now filled with a wretched twist, his tone like that of a dying animal who had everything taken from him. 

“I forced Ji Min to love me?!” Now Tae Hyun was shouting. “She chose to love me! Don’t blame the fact you lost her because you chose to go to Seoul!”

Ji Young pushed Tae Hyun away roughly and stalked a few steps away. “I thought that you of all people I could trust. That you would be the one person I would never have to fear! Looks like I was wrong.”

“You thought?!” Tae Hyun’s voice turning mocking. “How dare you assume that I have no feelings of my own?!”

Ji Young’s turned, stung. “But you knew I loved her! I know you saw us that day at the park and so I thought as brothers you would understand, you would support me!”

 “I knew! Yes I knew. But for goodness sake we were fifteen back then! I thought it was a silly little puppy crush you had.” Tae Hyun snapped. “I knew you loved her okay, but I loved her as well! I loved her more than you ever did!”

Ji Young bared his teeth. “How dare you claim to love her more than I did? I let her go, I let you have her because I thought she would be happier that way.”

“Oh, you thought!” Tae Hyun roared. “You think too much, that’s what you do! If you thought you were better for her, then why didn’t you try to win her back? No, you just retreated like a beaten puppy with his tail tucked between his legs.”

“You dare call me a coward?” Ji Young said in a quiet yet threatening voice. “You dare accuse me, ME, of backing off?” He challenged Tae Hyun with his voice.

“I do.” Tae Hyun snarled back his defiance, he would rise to the challenge, he would.

That made Ji Young laugh. “Perhaps I did. Perhaps I pitied you, brother,-“ that was said with a mocking twist. “Perhaps if I had tried, Ji Min would be mine and you would be groveling at my feet.”

“Ji Min chose me.” Tae Hyun said slowly, barely controlling his anger. “She chose me, she married me and she decided to make a family with me. Recognize that you were not meant to be with her and stop this silly charade of running with your gang. Come home!”

Ji Young stopped and stared at him for the longest of times.

“I’m not going home.” He finally said and it ushered Tae Hyun into equal silence. “I’ve decided my own life and it’s going to be one where I never give up what I want – never again. Starting with Ji Min.”

Tae Hyun drew a sharp breath. “Are you going to try and steal Ji Min from me?”

“Maybe I am.” And a sly gaze came over Ji Young’s face. Tae Hyun’s eyes hardened.

“Don’t you dare!” He snarled and punched Ji Young, but Ji Young caught his fist and instead stared deep into his former brother’s eyes.

“I dare.” He hissed. “So just watch me.”

And then he pushed Tae Hyun away and strode off, still annoying prim and proper in his expensive Armani suit. 

A/N - So that leaves only one part of the 'past' story left: why the Park family moved to the Philippines and what happened between then and present time. Hope you enjoyed it! I'm quite fond of lil Ji Young now. He's just another victim, but then became the same instigator of sadness. So would you call that a sin or not?