Ch 22
Right HereA/N: Hi everyone, thank you for your support for this story. It's a little slow for now but I feel like certain things have to be this way. No matter what, I hope you will still enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you :D
It was five in the evening. After a full meal at the Park’s favourite Korean BBQ restaurant, the parents separated from their children to do a mini shopping spree around the neighbourhood. In a group of 4, Chaeyoung and the three guys went around to eat more street foods despite being full.
“Your sister can really eat.” Jooyoung told Jiyong. Jiyong shrugged as he watched Chaeyoung gobbled the last few pieces of the fish shaped pastry. “Maybe she had starved all these while in Singapore,” joked Jiyong.
Chaeyoung was never someone who could eat a lot but she unexpectedly finished all her food today. “I like girls who eat well,” said Jongin. Jiyong and Jooyoung looked at each other, confirming what they had just heard. “Don’t mind me. I don’t eat well. I’m just in a good mood, that’s all.” Chaeyoung said as she threw the packaging away.
“Good mood?” Jooyoung asked, “Do you really like out with us that much? What really happened earlier on?”
Chaeyoung’s heart almost exploded just by thinking of what happened earlier on. “Nothing,” she pulled a straight face. “Hey, do you guys want to go to the arcade? It’s been a while.” Chaeyoung walked away as if nothing had just happened. The guys shrugged their shoulders and followed her anyway.
In the comfort of her own room, Chaeyoung laid her back against the bed’s frame. She kept staring at the calendar. This coming Sunday marks Junghoon’s fourth death anniversary. Time flies. All of a sudden, four years had passed just like that. From being all joyful, her mood changed drastically. She had just visited late Junghoon not too long ago and she has to go again for a different reason this time.
“Why are you looking at the calendar like that?” Jooyoung asked, “I did knock but you seem to be lost in your own world.” Chaeyoung put down the calendar and sat properly. “This coming Sunday happens to be Junghoon oppa’s death anniversary. I was just thinking of him.” She said. Chaeyoung has no intention to keep this away from Jooyoung.
“Ah, that Hyung you used to like a lot. Are you going to visit him?” Jooyoung asked. Chaeyoung nodded, “I’ve missed his anniversary every single year because of school. I don’t want to miss it this time.” Chaeyoung got off her bed and showed Jooyoung some old photos of them together. “I am closer to him more than my actual brother. His passing was a great blow to me.”
“Can I come with you to visit this Sunday?” Jooyoung asked, expecting Chaeyoung to reject him right away. He knew how important late Junghoon was to Chaeyoung, according to Jiyong. However, Chaeyoung’s answer surprised him. “Why not? Jiyong oppa and Jongin will come too. You can come too.”
“Are you serious?” Jooyoung pulled a chair and sat, “Alright then. I’ll come.”
The weekend finally arrived in a blink of an eye. The weather was gloomy but it was not an excuse for Yerin to miss out on this important day. To avoid the heavy rain in the afternoon, she left home in the morning. She bought a bouquet of flowers and headed to the cemetery. Yerin pulled up her skirt a little to walk up the steep staircase.
She scanned each and every name to find the correct grave. “Kim Junghoon, I finally found you.” She put down the bouquet she had bought for him in front of his grave. She spotted another fresh looking bouquet being put nicely too. It’s the exact same flowers she had bought for him. Someone came earlier than Yerin.
“Jeon Jungkook.” Yerin uttered under her breath.
Only two people would buy Junghoon these flowers. One was Yerin, one was Jungkook. It was a pact between them. To buy those flowers for each other should any of them pass on first. She looked around to see if she could discover Jungkook anywhere nearby but there was only her and a random guy who seemed to be visiting another person’s grave. Yerin shrugged, “He must have left.”
Little did Yerin know, Jungkook hid himself when he saw Yerin from afar. He watched her pay her respects for Junghoon. There was no way he would stand right beside her in front of Junghoon. Especially not after what had happened that day.
“How have you been? I’m sorry it took long for me to meet you.” Yerin squatted down in front of his grave. Yerin reminisced about the times they were together as three. “If he had not been selfish, if he had not betrayed you, would things be better today?”
Yerin’s only motive entering the company was never to be on good terms with Jungkook. She just wanted answers why Jungkook did what he did. She wanted him to feel all the injustice she felt all these while. All because of him, everything went awry. He never bothered explaining himself nor did he show up at Junghoon's funeral.
“Who are you?” Chaeyoung asked. Yerin wiped away her tears before turning around. “You?!” exclaimed Chaeyoung and Yerin while pointing at each other. “What are you doing at Junghoon oppa’s grave? Who are you?” Chaeyoung asked.
Yerin looked at the other three guys who accompanied her, “Jongin?” Yerin stood up and wiped away the dirt on her back. “Yerin? You’re here too.” Jongin moved to the front of the gang and introduced her to the rest. “Yerin used to be one of my brother’s closest friends.” Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow.
Jooyoung and Jiyong nodded and introduced themselves to her. “I might have heard of you from Junghoon before. Were you a trainee too?” Jiyong asked. Chaeyoung was confused, “How come I’ve never heard of her before?”
“Aren’t you that manager that came over to Singapore the other day?” Jooyoung asked. Yerin nodded, “What a great memory you have there.”
“Maybe I was just an unimportant person in his life. Let’s just say Junghoon saved my life before so I am indebted to him.” Yerin extended her hand for a handshake with Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung reluctantly took her hand and shook, “Oh, really? Why hasn’t he told me before about that then?”
“Maybe he just never had the chance to.” Yerin picked her bag up, “I’m sorry, but I shall take my leave now. I shall not interrupt your time alone with Junghoon.” Chaeyoung watched her as she walks down the narrow staircase. The other three went ahead and paid their respects first.
As Chaeyoung was looking, she noticed a man walking down the staircase. Just a few metres away from Yerin. “J-junghoon?” She blurted his name. “He’s back?” Chaeyoung started to chase after the man. She was not sure if the person she just had just seen going down the staircase was none other than Jeon Junghoon.
Chaeyoung ran to catch up but failed. The man was nowhere to be seen. “Could it have just been my hallucination?” She wondered. She shook her head, “I chose to leave him when he was hurting. I shouldn’t be looking for him.” Chaeyoung went back to where the guys were and paid her respect to late Junghoon. “Where did you go?” Jooyoung asked, passing a packet of tissue papers to Chaeyoung. Chaeyoung wiped her perspiration off her forehead with the tissues, “I thought I saw someone I know. That’s all.”
Jungkook walked off after hiding behind a van for a couple of minutes. He noticed Chaeyoung following him from the back and knew he had to hide. There were so many things that ran through his mind. He could not figure out what Chaeyoung was doing here. He saw her talking to Yerin, he saw her standing right in front of late Junghoon’s grave. He had always known Kai and late Junghoon were brothers. However, he does not understand the relationship between late Junghoon and Chaeyoung.
Yerin waited all day at the next event for Jungkook to arrive. Jungkook came hours later in a freshly ironed outfit, ready for a broadcast. Yerin stood up from her seat and walked over and sat on Jungkook’s dressing table. “I thought you did not want to come.” Yerin said, rubbing the tip of her fingernails.
“Come here? Obviously I have to be here. I’d be penalised for missing a schedule.” Jungkook answered, playing with his phone. “Are you acting stupid with me? I saw the flowers you left for Junghoon. Why wouldn’t you wait for me? Guilty?” Asked Yerin. Jungkook scoffed, “Think whatever you want to. Unless I have superpowers, there is no way for me to be at two places at one time judging by my packed schedule today. So now, if you’d excuse me.” Jungkook pushed her away and called the hairstylist over to do his hair.
Jungkook smirked when he saw from the reflection that Yerin decided to leave. Earlier on, Jungkook had purposely told Hyosin to add a fake schedule for him so that Yerin would not suspect anything. Jungkook paced up and down in his room, wondering what he should wear. Today was equally important for him but he felt the need to hide from Yerin.
He dug his closet for more clothes but nothing seems to suit. “Should I?” He asked himself, looking at the box he hid under the table. He walked over and pulled the box out before opening it. “I know
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