xxi. the renaissance (II)

[ les fin’amoureuses - alta es la luna ]

JENNIE.

Aggravating.

It was an aggravating arrival to say the least. We booked a whole concord plane to New York since everyone was expecting our quick landing. Chaeyoung here decided to be impulsive and took the whole flight for ourselves.

Apparently, she just wanted this get over with so we could go back to Deauville again and pretend we never knew New York.

"Babe. I was thinking. Can we give Ella a quick tour of the city? Or take her on a walk to Central Park?" I prompted out in mid air as Chaeyoung was busy figuring out the agreement paper that her secretary prepared for us.

We were now in the hotel that my family owned. I had to kick out the tenant of the largest suite in the place last minute because we were coming. Just a few hours and the conference will begin at the city hall. We'll be meeting our parents again, some bunch of city officials and the rest of the business tycoons who wants to save their company investment.

And now about the invitation that I spoke to her, she paused in the middle of her meddling and just stared at me with an unreadable expression. "We don't need to have memories of coming here, Jennie. Ella doesn't need that." Her words bit me.

"It's no big deal, i mean, she's five. Kids can easily forget." I shrugged my shoulders in reason.

"Do you see her reactions when we mention New York? She thinks this is ing Disneyland." I saw her wincing out of grave disapproval. 

"Bu-" My rebuttal was interrupted when a loud budge in the door caught our attention. 

It was Jisoo. My best friend. Barging in with nonchalance. "Oh thank god, you're here!" She raised her palms up in the air, as if thanking the heavens for receiving salvation.

"Jisoo!" Seeing her face made my heart smile, I then approached to embrace her. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, housewife." Jisoo managed to tease.

After saying our greetings and brief small talks, we had to settle in and discuss what we should do during the meeting.

Apparently Jisoo found the reason why New York was in this fiscal mess at the first place, she had undergone an investigation hoping they could find alternative resolutions for the problem, so she spoke. "Five years ago some of the business tycoons have decided to manipulate their city tax obligation and have rendered documents that stated they have fully pay their dues every year when the reality was they've never given a cent to the city ever since. When the time came that the public service demand escalated, the local government surprised themselves of the lack of funds that they had. So they had to lend money from banks, but It just gotten worse and worse, the deficit has on its widest gap that it even affected those fraudulent tycoons that caused this in the first place."

"And who are these s?" I asked with eyebrows pointing at each other.

"I believe Park Chanyeol has been leading this illicited action. Ever since he got his heir rights to their sports company, he had been so duplicitous with his business endeavors, even the elite society can't touch him." Jisoo raveled.

"Oh god, when will that man die." I heard Chaeyoung curse as she placed her palm on her head, in frustration.

"Girl, I've been waiting too." Jisoo doubled the biting sarcasm on her tone.

Knowing this ignited my hatred towards the man who didn't had the slightest shame on his body. I had to do something to stop him. At least I could avenge Lisa.

...

It was time. My wife and I have just arrived at the city hall, we were welcomed by the doorman and led us to the concierge area.

I took a peek at Chaeyoung and saw her agitated face, which worried me more. I slid my hands through her wrist and reached down for her fingers and instantly intertwined it with mine. She flinched when she noticed my sudden contact, our eyes met, "Hey, everything will be alright. I'm here." I plastered a calming smile.

Then she reciprocated the same warmth as she held my hand tighter and mouthed a smooth "I love you" under her breath. My inhibitions shattered all at once as I was reminded of the unending love that I have for this woman. I responded an "I love you" back when we were already approaching the elevator.

But then a sudden tall figure taunted my eyes to swivel at the other direction.

I wasn't mistaken. It was him.

Chanyeol.

It was Park Chanyeol. 

He wasn't the nineteen year old naive looking guy anymore who only had his heart for Park Chaeyoung and Fencing, now he's bigger than that. His shoulders were more broad as if he was literally carrying all the riches of his reign, his stance seemed like a impenetrable fortress, and his eyes were meaner than the last time I saw it. But there was still Park Chaeyoung, in his eyes was an immovable dribble of memory. She was still his source of power, but just in a darker and resented form now.

He was walking towards us, gladly Chaeng didn't notice him yet.

It was my time to reprimand him before the meeting. It's the right time to confront him after so many years of avoiding the fear of seeing him face to face. Now the wounds have turned into scars, although the depth of the pain still remained I can handle the intensity now.

When the elevator opened. I rushed my wife to go in, "Uh, you should go ahead. I forgot some of my files in the car. I'll be with you in a sec." I pushed her slightly from her back as her stilettos camped inside the elevator.

"W-what?" Chaeng of course was confused and surprised that she did not had the time to recollect what I've said. "But babe I-" The elevator already closed before my wife could say anything more.

An instant anger cradled my bones, conforming a dark cloud up in my head when I saw Chanyeol walking down the hallway, and has already seen me. The exasperating tap of his shoes against the glossy marble floor has sparked an irate flame at the back of my stomach. Seeing him infuriates me. 

He's dressed so well, face reflecting an impenitent smile, and eyes full of no guilt. After all these years, he never suffered or received any consequences of the death that he had done to Lisa.

I want to peel his skin, gnash his bones, break his ribs, and run over him a thousand times just so he could feel a pinch of the mortifying pain we've been through. Yet he's standing in front of me, unscathed and boastfully looking down on me. I despise his presence a lot.

"Long time, Jen." His voice disgusted my guts. I tried to compose my irritation.

"Yeah, it's been so long that I thought you were dead. But that's just me." I slyly implicated.

He scoffed as a mockery, "You wished ill of me? Now that's just not good."

"Wishing doesn't seem to work for you. You're not in bars now as what I can see." In a click, the ambiance intensified. Long years of remorse, hatred and unsaid contrition had vigor us to this moment. The bitter taste of confrontations.

"Oh, come on!" He scoffed a grunt, his arrogance is intoxicating my skin. "You're still that bitter about a decade old accident. We've moved on, Jen." Chanyeol continued with eyes so stealthy.

"You killed the person I loved." I bit.

"You took my fiancè away from me." Chanyeol almost gritted his teeth as I saw his eyes piercing me with so much aversion.

"She chose me, you didn't accept that. You made Lisa pay the price of what should've been your death." I reminded him of his sin.

"You think I didn't mourn for her? Lisa and I have gone so much together before you." He suddenly appalled. "But I had to overpass that feeling, I had better things to do."

"That doesn't give you an excuse to deny your responsibility of her death. You didn't even dare to. Not once." I rebutted.

"I guess, I had enough luck in this lifetime. Lisa didn't." He coughed a loud brag. I rolled my eyes.

"Not for long." I took a step for