Chapter 26

“I’m sorry; Why was that so hard to say back then? Now, no matter how much I yell; You can’t hear me – I Would”

“Mochi.”

That name made her stop in her tracks.

“I think our talk is long overdue.”

Momo reluctantly turned towards Young K, knowing he was right.

At the tilt of his head, she followed him quietly behind.

They were at the JYPE building for another round of practice that day.

It was break time with Sungjin and Wonpil out buying lunch, and Jae and Dowoon sleeping in the dressing room.

Young K took her up to the roof top and found a spot near the generator.

It was end November and the chill has set in Seoul, but the generator and the jackets Young K grabbed on their way out, kept them warm.

“How are Okasan and Otosan?” Young K opened a can of warm coffee for her. He knew he should address Momo’s parents by their names and salutations, but he has long regarded the sweet couple as his Okasan and Otosan too.

“I’m not sure,” Momo replied, nodding gratefully for the drink. It was a tiring morning for her as she helped Manager Choi with some paper work.

“You haven’t called them?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

At her silence, he suddenly realised something.

“Did you run away from home? They don’t know you’re here, do they?”

“I left a note.”

Now she was acting like a true kid.

A runaway teenager, no less.

And if he was not concerned with how worried sick the Aiharas must be at the moment, and that he was to be blamed for her being in Korea, he would have applauded her bravado.

“How long have you been here? I called you a few times two months back, but your number was not active.”

“You called me?” she finally looked up at Young K, surprised that he actually called her.

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? That’s all you have to say?”

She stayed silent again.

How could she tell him that she left home three days after graduation, taking all her savings with her to Tokyo before heading for Seoul.

Leaving her parents with a measely ‘not to worry’ note.

“By the way, I love your Korean. You learn really fast,” Young K smiled, oblivious to Momo’s inner thoughts.

Being with boys the past weeks has improved her Korean tenfold, and with her speaking in banmal now, made her speech more natural.

“Thank you.”

In fact, the two of them were speaking in Hangul instead of English, Young K suddenly realised.

He really felt like hugging her at that moment, he did not know why.

She looked so forlorn, like a sad lost puppy. And he knew it was his fault.

But again, despite the cold shoulder she has been giving him ever since they reunited, he was just so happy to have her with him again.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye back then. And I’m sorry I didn’t contact you sooner. But I had my reasons.”

At her continued silence, he asked again, “how did you end up at Dongguk?”

“I wanted to enrol for a course, but it was too expensive.”

“So, you got a job there, instead?”

She nodded again.

“You went there to find me, right?”

His question suddenly made her angry.

“Baka! Of course I went there to find you. Who else would I want to find in Dongguk? In the whole of Korea, for that matter.”

She did not tell him how she had to beg for the job at the bookshop.

With all her years of saving for college money spent on her one way ticket to Seoul, she did not have much left for a ticket home.

She did not tell him how the girls at the bookstore were worse than Yuki and Naoki combined. At least Yuki and Naoki just simply shirked off work. They did not find it their mission to make her feel small and unaccepted just because she was penniless and not a Korean.

She did not tell him how she got kicked out from her first hostel for not able to pay rent on time.

How she had to spend all her wages on her new lodgings, the cheapest she could find, and had to skimp on food, so she will have enough to save for her plane ticket home.

How she cried herself silly the past two months, missing her parents and regretting her rash behaviour in coming to find him.

How excited yet scared she was when she heard he was performing at the university.

How numb she felt when she saw him at the book store.

And how dazed she has been these past two weeks with them.

“Why didn’t you just find me here?”

“Don’t you think I tried,” she snapped at him. Do you think I’m stupid?

The latter she kep to herself.

Young K was taken aback by her anger.

But least Angry Momo is better than Silent Momo. Which was not Momo at all.

“So, what happened?”

“The security was so tight it was easier having an audience with my emperor.”

“Leave me a note or something.”

“I did. I came here 3 times to be exact. I stopped when I got pushed in the face by your company bouncers.”

“Nooo…”

Young K ran his hand over his face in frustration. He knew how bad the situation can be when a fan tried to gain entry into the agency. No reason was accepted at all.

“Mian.”

“That’s ok. happens.”

“Don’t talk like that! That’s not you.”

“People change. You did. So did I.”

“I haven’t changed.”

“That’s ok. It doesn’t really matter,” Momo got up, not wanting to continue the conversation any more. “I’ll only be here til I can afford a ticket home. Thanks to JYPE, I can go home sooner than I think.”

Momo fished her jacket pocket for a familiar silk pouch.

She has been carrying for days, waiting for the right moment to hand its content to its rightful owner.

“I only came here for one thing. To give this back to you,” Momo handed him the pouch. “Now that I have, I have no other reason to stay.”

Young K tried to reach out to Momo, but stoped when she flinched.

Nooo… he screamed in his head.

!

And for the umpteenth time that week, he helplessly watched her walk away.

This was exactly why he did not want her in his world.

Yet his selfish behaviour left a carrot for her to follow.

Which in turn caused her heartache and humiliation.

Foxi's Notes - 'I Would' has got to be my most favourite heartbreak song form Day6 (& trust me, they've got lots of those). Not only are the lyrics are sad and profound, the melody, harmonies & delivery are too die for as well. Most fans kept demanding "who hurt our Young K?!!' for the sad lyrics he kept writing (lols). I'm hoping that no one ever did, & that he's just a prolific writer, that's all :)

Check out their live version here - the first they've ever performed live & it was at an EBS showcase - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyExpV4C24o.That last part by Young K gets me every time :(