“I told you, didn’t I? I’m going to stay this way forever, so don’t come back to me again. What’s the point for all these? It’s not like things could go back to the way it was if we stay together.”

“Gohee, please.” Jaebum said softly, begging. “There’s so much more out there. If I promise not to see you again, can you promise me to be happy?”

It had been two days since her panic attack, and she took quite a while to completely recover. She didn’t do much work the past couple of days, not even with her sewing projects, but spent more time quietly doing some passive activities. Reading, lying on the bed, thinking. Jaebum’s words had been echoing in her head over and over again, but it wasn’t suffocating her. It was trying to pul something out of her. Was it courage or was it curiosity? But she had been feeling restless until she did something about it. She needed to know. She was scared, always been since the doctor told her that she hadn’t made any progress in her rehabilitation, but she wanted to know if Jae bum was saying the truth.

That there’s so much out there, that she can be happy again.

Gohee took a brief glance at the clock on her sidetable, 1.30 a.m. She balled her fingers into tight fists and decided to find her answer right now. She reached for her wheelchair, transferred herself onto it with much effort and difficulties, and set out on her own. It must had been the most compulsive she had ever been in her life.

It took her almost an hour to get there, just on her wheelchair. Her whole back had been drenched with sweat, the muscles of her hands began to ache from the long distance she had traveled but this was just starting. She was at the feet of the many steps heading towards the old temple uphill. It was an area frequently visited by the basketball team members for one of their common drills. They usually worked their way up the hill by jogging along the small road from the other side of the hill or going up and down these steps.

Gohee reached for the steel handrail which divided the steps into two lanes, and then pulled herself up from her wheelchair. She managed to stand up just fine, and then began to take her first, shaky step over the first step of the stairways. She winced in pain as she lifted her leg for the next step, and then another. At the fourth step, her sweaty palms slipped from the handrail and Gohee fell to the ground. From that position, it was usually too difficult and painful for her to stand on her two feet again, her legs weren’t strong enough to push herself up. Gohee looked back at the steps she had climbed behind her, and then at the many more steps she had to climb in order to reach the top. She wiped away beads of sweat on her forehead with the back of her palm, and continued to climb the steps, even if that meant she had to crawl on her knees, and literally dragged her two legs with her own hands.

-

It was 6.00 a.m., and the sun had begun to show itself. Jaebum had been up very early for his morning run. Sweat had drenched him all over since he began running the past hour, and he was thinking about going back home. Jaebum picked up the fresh milk and newspaper in front of the gate of his house before he stepped passed the gate.

Suddenly, his phone rang, so he paused his steps to look at the caller id.

Gohee. Why would she be calling this early?

Jaebum quickly answered the call.

“Gohee?”

“Jae,” she said into the phone, her voice was shaky and coarse, as if she was crying.

“Gohee, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Jae, can you come now?”

“Yeah. Are you okay? Are you home?” Jaebum dropped the newspaper and the milk at the step of the front door as he turned back and made his way back to the road outside.

“I’m at the old temple uphill.”

“I’ll be there soon.”

-

Jaebum climbed the hill through the small tarred road at the back of the hill since it was closer to his neighborhood. Already used to his training in the basketball team, he took less than fifteen minutes to reach the top when he sped up. Beads of sweat flew aside when he frantically looked to his left and right, looking for Gohee. It didn’t take him long to spot the lone figure sitting on the ground, right at the top of the steps across the small paved court in front of the main entrance of the temple. Jaebum rushed to her side without wasting another second.

“Jaebum,” Gohee looked up at him, watching him as he crouched in front of her. His hands immediately rested on both sides of her cheeks as he checked on her condition. He gently wiped away the hair that was stuck on her sticky forehead.

“Gohee, why are you here? Is everything alright?” He asked worriedly. Gohee ignored his question but s her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her. She began to cry, but it was because she was too happy. Jaebum was about to ask her again if there was anything wrong, but then saw her abandoned wheelchair at the feet of the hill.

“Wait...” Jaebum muttered, “What... Gohee, did you...?” Jaebum couldn’t even form a proper sentence right now, but he pretty much grasped the situation, no matter how hard it was to believe at the moment. There was only one explanation to this: Gohee climbed the steps on her own. He wasn’t sure how she did so, but she did, all on her own.

“I’m sorry,” Gohee said between her sobbings.

“Gohee?”

“I’m sorry for all the things I did to you. I was too scared, but you were right. You were right all along. I have no reasons to be scared. I still have everyone, and I have you,”

Jaebum pulled away from her hug and stared deep into her eyes. He couldn’t believe what he heard, he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or this was actually happening. Once again, Jaebum gently cupped her face as he gazed at the face he had missed so much, appreciating every little detail he had missed these past few months. The more he looked at her, the more he thought he couldn’t do without her.

“Jae, I’m sorry if I’m being selfish, but, will you take me back?” she asked softly. A smile automatically adorned Jaebum’s lips before he embraced Gohee with his whole being filled with gratefulness.

“Oh, God... Thank God...” Jaebum repeated over and over again.


-


Minsun had just finished breakfast with her grandmother when those men in black came, politely requesting for Minsun to follow them back to Jihee’s mansion. Minsun granted their request albeit leaving the old house with heavy steps. She was glad however to see that her grandmother was healthy. Her grandmother told her that she wasn’t feeling lonely at all. She till teached dancing at the local cultural center, and from time to time, whenever Taecyeon passed by the neighborhood, the young man would greet her and even helped her when the grass grew too high at the lawn. Minsun took a mental note to thank Taecyeon next time she saw him.

Minsun was quiet and grim throughout the whole journey to her home. She didn’t speak a word with her driver, whom she usually greeted out of respect, and she obediently followed the steps of those men in black suits, leading her towards her mother’s home office. One of them knocked on the door and then opened it for Minsun to enter. She was slightly nervous, but her facade and demeanor was nothing close to that. Well, she had been expecting this moment since she stepped on this land anyway.

Jihee was sitting behind her desk, glaring at Minsun until the young girl paused her steps right in front of her. Minsun could see Jihee’s jaw tightened as her mother’s eyes took in her details; to be exact, her boyishly short hair.

“Do you have any idea what you had done?” She asked, her voice low, threatening, but Minsun just grew calmer by the seconds. She wasn’t afraid of Jihee anymore.

“I do.” Minsun answered, honest and bold. Her face didn’t show any signs of regret ; just as Jihee had expected, which just fed her anger more.

“For heaven’s sake, Minsun! You are my daughter! Acting so childishly like that, I...” Jihee sighed in frustration, “I have no idea what to do with you.” Jihee shook her head and left her seat. She walked to the corner of the room, pausing a couple of steps away from the bookshelf built into the wall along the side of the room. She crossed her arms and pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking.

“I don’t mind going down the path you want me to, I just wish you would stop pushing me into… Those things. I feel like I’m being a tool for you to gain benefit for your business.” Minsun said, referring to her mother’s decision to make her star in the shampoo commercial, “I don’t like that feeling,” she added softly.

“Minsun, you’re too young to know what’s best for you. I’m not doing this just for my benefit, but yours! Yours, Minsun!” Jihee walked around her desk and stopped right in front of her daughter.

“I thought you’ve changed for the better ever since I sent you to UK. But you’ve gone worse. Look at you now. Uncontrollable.” Jihee shook her head.

Jihee’s words pierced her inside. Minsun had been trying her best to keep up with her demand and all. All she wanted was a little sincerity in her life. Minsun wished Jihee could see that but from the way things were right then, Jihee would never understand.

“How can you say that? I’m trying my best-”

“You aren’t even trying! Just, just look! The second I took my eyes off you, and you’re back again with those so-called friends of yours!”

So-called?

“They are my friends. They are sincere and loyal. What is so wrong with that?”

“You don’t know what’s wrong with them, but I do. I don’t get why you are so eager to hang around those tasteless people.”
“They are not tasteless.You will never get it, because they’re different than you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jihee snapped. Her tone gone low, which meant Minsun had pushed the wrong button. Jihee scoffed and then continued her lecture.

“Different? That’s right. Different as in I am successful, smart, hardworking, and they are everything I am not. And if you keep hanging out with them, you’ll never end up like me.”

Minsun broke their eye contact.

“This must be why father left you,” Minsun whispered. At that, Jihee reached her boiling point and slapped Minsun across her cheek. Her chest raised up and down heavily, barely containing her ever growing anger.

“Get out. Now.” Jihee ordered her daughter through gritted teeth.

Trying her best to swallow back her incoming tears, Minsun calmly walked out of the room, only to see her step father barely reached there. He eyed her red cheek, and looked all over her with distaste before he entered her mother’s office. Minsun stood there as she listened to her parents bickering, her step father blaming her mother on her attitude, or how the stocks were falling because of the tainted image their business partners had on the family, all because of Minsun. Minsun began to get sick listening to those things and decided that she had to get away from this house for a while.

Minsun walked downstairs, and was surprised to see Nichkhun running into the foyer. He seemed restless and anxious, but froze in his spot as soon as he saw her.

“Khun Oppa!” Minsun said. She was surprised herself, to see him there.

“Minsun, I heard you were here, so I...” he paused when Minsun ran to him and buried her face into his chest. Her slim arms wrapped around his body tightly.

“I miss you so much!” Minsun said, smiling widely into his clothes. She tried to fight back her tears, but they leaked against her will anyway, wetting Khun’s designer blazer.

Khun smiled and hugged her back.

“I missed you too,” he said and the pulled away from the hug, only to get shocked again at the obvious redness on her cheek.

“Minsun, did your mother...?”

“I’m fine,” Minsun lied as she pushed Nichkhun’s hand away from touching her cheek. To be honest, it hurt so much, the pain was burning still. It hurt more even at the slightest touch.

“C’mon, we need to put ice on that!” Nichkhun pulled her hand and headed towards the kitchen. On the way to the kitchen, a maid passed by, and Nichkhun quickly told her to prepare for an ice pack. She turned back to the kitchen in a rush as Khun dragged Minsun there. Khun carefully sat Minsun on one of the stool by the kitchen island and took the ice pack from the maid. He wrapped a piece of small towel around it and gently brought it to Minsun’s cheek.

“Ah!” Minsun winced as soon as the cold ice touched her skin. Khun retracted his hand for a second. Khun winced along when he saw Minsun’s face.

“Are you okay?” He asked worriedly.

Minsun put her hand over Khun’s and pulled hs hand towards her, motioning him to put the ice on her cheek. The sensitive skin hurt at first at the contact with the ice, but the burning pain immediately soothed by the coldness.

“I’m fine now.” Minsun said softly.

“Did your mom...?”

Minsun casted a dismissive smile, “I kind of saw it coming. It was nothing.” She shrugged. “So, how are you doing? How’s college?”

Nichkhun chuckled.

“Normal. Nothing much to say.”

“The girls are all over you and Taecyeon sunbae, I heard,” Minsun laughed.

“Well, I gotta say we still have that charm,”

Minsun laughed again. Khun looked at her with a sense of admiration, his lips unknowingly smiled along. Minsun raised her eyebrows questioningly at the way he looked at her.

“How can a girl still smile in this situation?” Khun added, an amused smile dancing on his lips.

“It’s because I have you guys,” she said simply, her bright smile still dangling on her thin lips.