Chapter 17

Jonghyun took the keys from her when they were saying goodbye to Yuri and Yeonhee. He knew that his bestfriend is not in her right self. Who wouldn’t? So he wasn’t surprised when she began tearing up on their way back home. She wasn’t saying anything, just looking out the window while sniffing. Good thing Saturday traffic wasn’t as bad so they got home in less than an hour.

“Come down first Joohyun” he requested

“I’m good, Yonghwa is already at home waiting for me, I promise him we’ll have dinner together”

“Please? Nana wanted to show you something” he pleaded. She looked at her bestfriends face and agreed. As she was removing her shoes, the front door open and out came Yoona with arms wide open.

“I’m sorry that my soon to be ex husband is such a jerk!”

Joohyun laughed but as soon as she felt Yoona’s arms around her, she lost it and bawled her eyes out. Jonghyun was rubbing her back as Yoona was hugging her. Nana came bouncing out excitedly but when she saw her parents and her immo all looking sad, she also went in to give a hug which made Joohyun cried harder

“Mianhe Hyunie” that was Jonghyun “I just thought this is something that you need to face. I don’t think Lee Yeon Hee will stop if you keep on declining her. That is the exact reason why she wanted you to come and see the house, she wanted to hurt you by showing you that and I’m sorry that I made you do it and got hurt in the process”

Joohyun just nodded but kept her head on Yoona’s shoulder.

“And by the way, you held yourself together back there, probably not what Lee Yeon Hee wanted to see”

“That’s true” Added Yoona, she looked down and saw her daughter looking up to them “Nana why don’t you continue making that special kimbap so that Hyunnie immo can take some home”

“Okay!” The girl agreed and hopped her way back in the house.

“Jonghyun is right though Hyunnie, by the looks of it and Lee Yeon Hee’s personality, I don’t think she’ll stop not unless she actually get’s what she wants. If you’ve declined her, who knows what else she might do. She was just trying to break you. She wanted you to crack. All it takes is one seed of doubt for misunderstandings to sprout”

“But- but why can’t she just leave us be?”

“Oh Joonhyun, you know that people can be mean, people will do a lot of things just to satisfy their own personally cravings. We all know she doesn’t love Yonghwa, she never had and probably never will, not unless she really do but the thing is, she lost and she knows it. She’s doing all these to redeem her last ounce of hope that out of the three of them, she’s not the one who’ll end up alone.”

Yoona then inserted “The woman is desperate, you know what would make her spit blood?”

Joohyun let go and wiped her face with her hands. Jonghyun took out his handkerchief and gave it to her. She took it but just held it and answered “No”

“Be happy, be happy with Yonghwa, be happy with each other, let her drown in misery and loneliness, that’s the only way you can beat her”

“Just know that she will do everything to steal your man but don’t let her win”

She closed her eyes as fat tears fell once more to her cheeks “But why do I feel that this will be a constant battle that I have to win? I’m so scared I might get tired”

“Why would you get tired? Will there be a difference between what you and Yonghwa had before she came into the picture?” Yoona asked “None right? Because you really have to do nothing, just keep on loving each other.”

It was Jonghyun now who spoke “Love is a feeling, it really is but it’s also a decision, and if you decide that you love someone, then everything will come naturally, everything will follow, it would all fall in place. You don’t even need to lift a finger.”

She blew her nose and wiped it clean and returned the hanky to her bestfriend “Gomawo”

He made an eekie face “Keep it”

“Aniyo, this is yours”

“Keep it Seo Joohyun”

“I swear after what you put me through the least you could do is wash this hanky” shoving it to his face

Jonghyun rolled his eyes and took hold of the very corner with this point finger and thumb “I won’t hear the end of this would I?”

The ladies both shook their heads

“Nana! Joohyun immo is leaving where’s the kimbap?”

“Here it is!” she skipped all the way to the adults while holding a big container. Joohyun took it and opened it

“Wow! You’re one great cook Chef Nana!”

The little girl giggled “But of course customernim, please come back for seconds”

“I sure will” when the little girl gave her a smooch and left she straightened “Are you guys sure this is kimbap and not bibimbap?”

“Mwolla, just know it’s edible” Yoona shrugged. She turned to Jonghyun who supplied “Atleast you won’t be eating that for the next 3 days unlike some other people”

She laughed “Arasseo, gomawo for this dinner, atleast oppa and I won’t have to cook, I should get going”

And going she did.

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Shock was an understatement when he saw Joohyuns message. It was a picture of the house with a caption

“Nice crib you have here”

The picture was of the front entrance, the living room, the corridor leading to the patio and lastly the bedroom. He panicked. He really did, especially when she wasn’t answering his call. He even called Yoona and asked if the bestfriend’s were already there but she said no. He knew for a fact that there were some pictures, it was a wedding gift after all, but not that much. Also, as far as he knows, they were all removed when they announced that they are calling it quits, his mom was the one who supervised the cleaning. He remembered her telling him that it was all clean. Only some furniture were left. So his mother was also shocked to see the house looking like that.

“I swear there was only the sofa that we left behind, I even had the men cover it with white linen so it won’t collect dust, nothing more, no TV’s no decorations and definitely no pictures!”

“But it’s there eomma, you saw the pictures that Joohyun sent!”

“I know, I know. I don’t know what’s gotten into Yeonhee’s head. That child really. Hold on I’ll call your Yok Ja immo”

“Mom don’t, you