Saturday, April 11th 2015

I woke up and sneezed repeatedly.

‘Aigoo, this flu has been too hard on me!’

I got up from my bed and walked to the kitchen lazily, then made a cup of hot citron tea. While holding the cup with both hands, I carefully blew the hot tea and sat myself on the living room. Then my mind started flying to the event on last thursday night.

That night I saw him push Jinwoon away from me and claim to be my boyfriend. Yes, that man was none other than Jung Yonghwa, my new subordinate for the last 3 months. He looked perplexed when I dragged him out of the office and shouted at him.

I was really angry back then. I even tried to do yoga in the middle of the night to calm my raging heart, but to no avail. That was why I had this terrible flu and took a leave from the office on the previous day.

I knew I was being overdramatic. I was fully aware that he was just trying to help me. I didn’t hate him for doing so. It was just I hated lies, scratch that, I loathed it.

‘Lies will bring nothing but pain’

***

I spent my day curling up on my bed, tried to recover from my flu. It was a little past noon when my phone rang.

‘Jung Yonghwa? Why is he calling me now?’

“Yoboseyo?” I answered the call with my hoarse voice, blame it on the flu.

“Yoboseyo, Hyun-ah. Are you okay now? Are you still have a fever?” he spoked groggily.

“De?! Did you just call me ‘Hyun’?” I nearly shouted at him again.

“Oh, you’re still have a fever. Actually, right now I’m meeting my sister at ‘Y’ Restaurant and accidentally meet your stalker, Jinwoon, here. And he is disturbing us by saying that I’m not your boyfriend. He wants to meet you personally to confirm it. And my sister also wants to get to know you if you don’t mind. But if you are still sick, just take a proper rest at home. I’ll try to talk to them about your condition. Take care and get well soon, Hyun-ah.”

I almost laugh out loud when I finally grasped the whole situation, as he explained it in a flash. It served him right after his little stunts last time.

He was about to end the call because my long pause, when I interrupted him, “Wait a minute! Aigoo, look what you’ve got if you tried to act like a hero, young man. Just wait for me, I’ll be there in about 10 minutes.”

“Really? Thank you so much, Hyun-ah. I’m really sorry for troubling you. Take your time, I’ll wait for you even if it takes forever.”

“Yuck, that’s so cheesy, Yonghwa-ssi. Ahh, about the ‘Hyun’ thing, we will talk seriously about that later, okay?” I warned him before I ended the call and got myself ready to go to the restaurant.

.

Ten minutes later..

I was there, standing still across the street of the ‘Y’ Restaurant. I had got there a few minutes before but I couldn’t bring myself in – frozen from what I was seeing.

I saw him inside the restaurant chatting happily with a very beautiful young woman while looking out the window occasionally. No, I was not jealous. It was just I knew that woman very well and I was not happy to meet her.

‘Is she really his sister? His twin?’

***

Friday, June 23th 2000 – Fifteen years ago

I ran hurriedly to the front gate when I heard that Aunt Jung had arrived at my orphanage. Yes, you heard me right, orphanage. I was not an orphan to be exact, I had a mother but she send me here since I was three.

“Jung Imo!” I screamed happily as I hugged the latter’s waist tightly.

She was one of the benefactors of this place. She visited the orphanage regularly and brought us many things, like foods or clothes or toys. She was a really warm person. I loved her so much, so does she. She was like a mother to me. Even though she had twins, she said that she would like to adopt me as soon as her husband agreed.

“Aigoo, my Joohyun has been this tall now. It’s been a while, how are you, dear?”

“I’m fine, Imo. How about you? And what is that?” I pointed to a big paper box that she was holding.

“Ahh, this is a delicious cake for you, but you must share it with the others, okay?”

“Yeay. Thank you, Imo. But why do you bring me a cake? Today is not my birthday.”

“I know. Yesterday was my twins’ birthday and I didn’t invited you in return I brought you the cake.”

“Hmm..,” I pouted my lips – jealous.

“Joohyun-ah~, are you angry with me?”

“Aniyo, just..”

“Don’t angry with me, please~!” she put the cake on the table and held both of my hands, “How about we celebrate your birthday at my house next week and meet your future sister and brother?”

“Really?” my eyes shone with full expectation when she nodded her head.

“Yeaaa~yyy. Thank you so much!” I kissed her cheek repeatedly.

‘I love you, Jung Imo’

***

Late in the afternoon, we found ourselves sitting on a bench in the park around the orphanage. I was telling her stories about my school when I noticed her long face.

“Imo, are you listening to me?” I whined and pouted my lips.

“Ahh, mianhe, Joohyun-ah, I was spacing out a little. Would you tell me about your best friend once more?”

“Is there anything wrong, Imo? Are you sick?” I asked her worriedly.

“Aniyo,” she my hair lovingly before she continued, “Joohyun-ah, I heard that you—“

“Joohyun-ah! Where are you? It’s time for your injection,” Teacher Park called me.

“I’m here, Park Seonsaengnim. Wait a minute, I’ll be right there,” then I turned to Aunt Jung and asked her to accompany me to the infimary.

Three months ago, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Teacher Park said that my body didn’t produce the insulin, the substance to digest sugar. So that I need to be injected with the insulin twice per day. It was so hurt, but lately I got used to it. I always reminded myself that I must be brave and stay healthy, so that Jung Imo would always love me.

Teacher park held me firmly on her lap and injected me while Jung Imo was looking at me with her arms crossed near the infimary door. I could not understand her expression. She looked so tense or maybe she was afraid to see the injection. I probably needed to cheer her up later.

“Jung Imo, are you okay? You look pale,” I grabbed her hand after the injection session.

“I’m okay. How about you? Is that hurt?”

“Just a little, I get used to it now. The first time I got a shot, I cried so hard. But Teacher Park reminded me that I must endured it so I would not get sick and coud play with you again. Are you afraid, Imo?” I sensed her trembling hand slightly.

She just shook her head and my hair nervously, “I think I should go home now. My twins are waiting for me.”

“Oh alright. I can not wait for meeting them next week. When will you pick me up, Imo? Will I sleep over at your house?” I chirped happily.

“I will call you later about that, okay?”

“Okay, Imo. See you later, bye-bye~” I waved at her with my biggest smile plastered on my face.

Then she drove away... and disappeared.

‘She never come back to me, not in a million years’

***

Saturday, January 3rd 2015 – Three months ago

“One fruit salad and mineral water, please,” I ordered my food as I took a seat in one simple restaurant near the bookstore.

Since it was the beginning of the month, I loved to spend my weekend in the bookstore to buy several new books for my spare time.

I was eating my fruit salad when I saw one middle-age woman with one young woman entered the restaurant. The young woman was very beautiful but I couldn’t see the older woman’s face. They chatted happily to each other, maybe they were discussing about the food they would order or the clothes they just bought or the beautiful weather that day, I didn’t know. Yet there was something about them that made me keep looking at them.

“Omma, you can sit there while I order our food,” the young woman, that was actually the daughter of the older woman, asked her mother to take a seat and wait on the table next to mine.

“Arraseo. Thank you, Sica-yah.”

The moment that middle-age woman turned her face to my direction, I was dumbstruck.

The warmest woman turned to be the heartless woman of my life, was walking calmly in front of me. My long lost aunt, my Jung Imo. I finally found her. It had been fifteen years, but she still looked the same with her warm smile. Little did I know, the tears started trickling down on my face. I wiped my tears and left the restaurant hurriedly.

‘Why does my heart still yearn for her?’

***

Saturday, April 11th 2015

After 20 minutes crying so hard over those painful memories at home, I went back to the ‘Y’ Restaurant. I never imagined that I would meet the twins, but it seemed fate brought me to finally meet them. I braced myself and entered the restaurant confidently, since I had prepared for this fifteen years ago.

‘My first introduction to my ex-future sister and brother’

Author's note:

A little white lie which someone told to avoid hurting the little girl’s feeling, turned to be the biggest painful lie that she ever heard in her life. Don’t you think it’s ironic?

Well, I used Seohyun’s point of view in this chapter to convey her feeling completely. I’m sorry if it confused you, especially the flashback part.

Let’s move on to the last mystery of this story - did Seohyun love Yonghwa? Keep guessing everyone! *evil smirk*

Thank you so much for all comments, subscribers, and readers. It mean a lot for me.

Please enjoy the story and see you on the next update :)

- minikittybdg -