Title : Sharp Turns (A Continuation of Crossroads)
Pairing : Yongseo
Genre : Angst
Rating : G
Summary : Because happy endings are not as easy as turning your hands.
Warning : People said this make them cry. So yes, be careful.






“FNC gave me a holiday. It’s for a week”

Seo Hyeon had mumbled something that showed she was listening.

“I hope that I could—I mean if you don’t mind, could I stay here with you?”

Seo Hyeon looked up from her laptop. She wanted to say no. Really, she meant to. To teach him a lesson. To make him feel her feelings of being left out. But she didn’t really have the heart to do that.

“Alright” she had answered.

***********************************

He wanted to look around, so he walked her to her campus the next morning. It looked as grand as all the pictures he ever saw about it. Seo Hyeon looked like she belonged there, blending in well with everybody.

But her popularity surprised him. A lot of people greeted her. Guys, even more so. She smiled easily to each and everyone of them. A good looking auburn hair somebody offered her free breakfast, in one of the little coffee shops. She declined with perfect English, saying she never left home without a full stomach.

“Lunch, maybe?” she suggested.

“Great. My treat” the guy had promised.

“Okay”.

And she turned around, saying, “I’ll see you this evening?”

He had nodded, striving to look fine.

************************************

He never really let his mind thought about her much through the years. But it was far from easy. After all, Seo Hyeon was around in music videos, CMs, dramas, album or single covers, or just simply, in the name of Girls' Generations.

It occurred to him that she might have really moved on. It was more than possible that he was nothing except first love for her. Sweet, bitter, memorable. But that’s all. Was it? He knew about Jung Mo. And then Jin Woon. And the rumors that said a lot of guys had tried to win her heart since We Got Married ended.

Something painful tugged inside, and that suspicious voice that asked, “Which of the rumors were true? Did any of them ever been with her after Jung Mo and Jin Woon?”. 

What about now? What about that guy that she will have lunch with? Does she like him? Are they together?

He wandered around that day, and ended up buying an acoustic guitar. He forgot his in Seoul and didn’t bring it to England. Well. One more would never hurt anybody.

When Seo Hyeon came home, she heard him playing halfway through the stairs.

******************************************

“What do you want for dinner Oppa?”

He had thought about it but then just shrugged. “I don’t know. Anything would be fine. Do you have a favorite restaurant nearby?”.

“Several. Want to try one?”

“Definitely”

He wore his coat and together, they walked outside.

During dinner, he told her about his time in the army. Playing cards during breaks, singing his bands old songs in his room for friends, sharing somebody’s home made food, the technical briefings of the situation between them and the north, and the strange happiness he felt in wearing and doing the same things like everybody else.

She told him about acting. About writing keywords for her character keywords on post its on the walls of her room. Of having to dig deeper to be able to cry on screen, of holding the award as “Best New Comer” for the first time. Of the tests she took to gain her scholarship. Of the freedom of being alone there, rediscovering her favorite literature in a new way of light at school. Of playing songs with her piano during Sunday afternoons.

They absorbed information about each other like a thirst finally fulfilled, listening as much as they could, filling in the blanks, glad to have the chance.

As casually as possible, he asked, “How was lunch?”.

Seo Hyeon sensed the hidden concern behind it, but she had too much pride to ask why.

“Lunch was nice”.

That was that, and so they walked back home.

*************************************

A song, or a part of it, occupied his mind for the last hour. He needed a pen, so he rummaged a drawer in her small sitting room to find it. He found it. And something else. A picture of her and Jung Mo. They were sitting close, his hand around her waist, her hand around his shoulder, both were smiling to the camera.

She looked…..happy. Undeniably happy.

He stood staring at the picture for a long time, before he crumpled the picture, and threw it to the bin. And he continued to write his song.

It was just his luck that Seo Hyeon found it when she came home and took the garbage to be put outside.

“Oppa!” she called, voice obviously angry. “Did you do this? Why did you do this?”

He thought he could say nothing that could take her anger.

“You shouldn’t do this! This is mine! This is important!”

His anger rose too, seeing her attempt to smooth the crumpled picture.

“So he is that important for you?” he asked, malice in his voice.

“He is! You—what?” her eyes narrowed, “Are you jealous?”

He could turn this into something else. Let them both still have a good night. But his emotion got the better of him.

“I am. It’s stupid. But I am”

“You, Oppa? You have no right to be jealous! Jung Mo Oppa was kind to me. Jung Mo Oppa loved me! He was there for me when you were not!”

He sighed. Knowing that he indeed had no right. But it’s not like he could stop the feeling anyway.

“I don’t really want you to say it. The picture explained enough. You looked happy”

“So what if I was? You, Oppa,” she pointed her finger accusingly, “Have been with someone else too. Why shouldn’t I? What do you want from me? To wait for you until my hair grows white?”.

“I wish you’ve never been with anybody else” he spat out. Just saying it, without filtering his thoughts.

She stood speechless for a while, before she laughed bitterly as tears started to come, having to sit on her chair. “How selfish” she cried, “How selfish of you, Oppa. Well then, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be with anybody else. Do you prefer me lonely and miserable? Because if you do, I don’t think I want to see your face ever again”

She then looked down, wiping tears after tears, feeling suffocated.

He walked to her, and for some time, he said nothing as he saw her weeping in front of him. And then he reached her face, cupping her cheeks gently.

“Hyeon….I’m sorry……” it seemed to be something he would be saying a lot, but it’s a cheap price to gain her back. He’d do it over and over again, and more. “Ignore my selfishness. I do wish that I’m the only one for you. But I guess……that is so unfair. I want you to know though, that I’m the happiest when I’m with you”

She was still crying, looking up at him with so much hurt in her eyes.

“Teach me how to make it up to you, Hyeon. After all, that is why I’m here. And then maybe slowly, you could forgive me” he said, caressing her hair.

She clutched his shirt so he finally pulled her close.

“But are you…..seeing someone right now?”

“No” she inhaled heavily, her sobs catching her breath, “Of course I’m not”.

The instant lighter feeling was immediate, when Yong Hwa heard that.

He dried her tears. “Take a shower, Hyeon. And I’ll make you dinner”.

***************************************

He’s good in cooking, she had eaten gratefully. She did her homework and ironed her clothes while he was in the shower. And then they sat together, shoulder to shoulder, watching Korean TV while sharing snippets of what they did that day.

As her eyes drooped, she thought, I

I could get used to a life like this.

***************************************
It was Saturday and she wanted to do some shopping. Bookstore was a must, she declared, and they went, ending up with him carrying a heavy bag full of novels and self improvement books. Clothes next. His and hers.

They passed a travel agency and the promotion poster said, Duomo, promotion price!

“Oh! That place! We wanted to go there, right? It’s on our list!”

“Hm? What? Duomo?” she asked, eyes scanning the picture.

“Yeah”

“But I went there already!”

“What? You did?”

“De! With Soo Young and Hyo unnie. It was beautiful!”

“You never told me that”

“I didn’t tell you a lot of things. And so did you”

“I still tell you about me from time to time”

“Yes” she affirmed, voice going colder, “Through texts. Not calls. How much could someone say in a text, do you think?”

“A lot. If you really mean it”

Seo Hyeon was outraged. “Why is it, that I feel you’re shifting the blame on me? It’s you who act like I mean nothing to you!”

“You didn’t really say anything, you know” Yong Hwa responded. “You also didn’t reach out to me”

“What? What did you expect me to do? Beg for you?”

“If only you show me what you really think during the time after WGM, I might have acted differently”.

She stood there in the middle of the busy street, shell shocked of what he said. And then she walked away. Away from him.

He regretted everything he said the moment he saw her retreating back.

“Seo Hyeon! Seo Hyeon! Wait!” and he ran for her, fearing and knowing, that he had sent her to tears yet again.

*************************************

Author's Note :

10 August 2011

Because you asked for a continuation. Mostly because Anna asked, LOL. Hmmm, why I turned the story into angst, because I do think, happy endings are not as easy as turning your hands. In this story, there are answers that must be told. Feelings that must be shown. Efforts to show how sincere you are, and complete forgiveness to be given. Then, you can start to think of a happy end.

I didn't mean to prolong the story. I just have no time to finish this in one go. I think this habit of morning writing is fun. But naturally, I'll have to work when 8AM comes.