Sohyun sat hugging her knees and looked up at the flight of stairs in the subway. It was early in the morning, even the Sun was hiding itself under the earth peeking through the horizon. So was she, partially under the earth in the subway, she looked up at the golden edge of the stairs. She just looked up waiting for one person. Every shadow, every footstep, every second gave her three things in return, fear, disappointment and the expectation for the next second, shadow and footsteps. Deja vu struck her at that moment as her heart beat quickened.

Sohyun’s soliloquy thus began:

I still remember the days that went by without your physical presence in my life after hearing your confession. ‘I’ll come into your life again’, you said. (After a pause and a moment of silence). I can’t believe I got swooned by the way you looked into my eyes and confessed, rather than your sweet words of confession itself. Personally, I don’t believe in the love at first sight but, I really hoped it is true in your case. Honestly, I don’t even know why I hoped that then. Because, I didn’t even fall for you… I admit that … You’re handsome, you talk freely and fearlessly, you seem to be open minded … But, I didn’t feel the emotions that you described through words when you professed your love.

On the night that followed your confession, I lost my sleep. I couldn’t close my eyes… you’ve stood fast in between my eyelids.

Days scrolled on; I was 16; graduated from middle school… And I concluded you were a passing cloud.

Second day of my high school, I read the news about the PIL filed by my dad against another big industry. My dad never discusses his work with us and mom never lets him do that too. So, my only means of knowing about my dad as a lawyer was through news and threats.

Jiwoo and I left for school. It was a fifteen minutes’ walk, that goes by quick when I’m with her. With the school at our sight, I took off my bag in a hurry; rummaged through it in a haste and realized I left my assignment at home. Jiwoo saw through my widened eyes and said, “Twenty minutes more…”

It’s not a math homework which can be copied easily, but history… about oneself. And I spent hours writing it… I was just the second day of high school and I don’t want to become one among the suspects of rule breakers at school

“Go ahead, I’ll be back”, uttering those words, I ran back to house in a hurry before she could stop me by reminding the time.

I took a shortcut because of the time constraint. Crossing a quiet intersection, I reached the silent alley. Though I stood under the broad day light, all I ever saw was a murky valley between the buildings which was decorated badly with the litter. With quickened pace and hesitation at heart, I took a step forward comforted by the sound of series of motorcycle silencers behind me. Thank God, there are still some people using this street… Before I could process those words in my mind, “Isn’t that the lawyer’s daughter?”, one of the them who sitting at the back of a bike commented. Others who were ahead of him, stopped their bike and shouted, “That’s her!!!” and made a U-turn. On hearing them and their sound of accelerating bikes, my volition told me to run. I took a run into the alley without turning back. On making a turn, I checked if they trailed behind and hid myself behind a garbage bin covering myself with cardboard litter. I slipped my hand through the bag and got the pen out of it as my weapon. As if I had caged it inside me against its will, my heart started beating against the rib cage. The more I wanted it to get quiet, the more it resisted!

I heard their footsteps instead of the bikes; the alley was too narrow to drive the bikes in. I heard one of the footsteps treading towards my direction. I gripped my hold on the pen while scooting down in fear.

In a moment, without a fuss, they fled the scene. After few seconds which felt like hours, I dragged myself out. I could feel my legs shivering. When I staggered losing my balance, my things fell from the opened bag and I knew I was my turn to fall. When I lost my balance, a shoulder to lean on and a hand to grip my shoulder made its entry. The very touch of that hand; the warmth of the shoulder told me, ‘You’re safe with me’.

I looked at the person who supported me; I looked at you in daze and I don’t know how many seconds or minutes relapsed until your question knocked sense into me,

“Are you ok?”, your knitted brows and worry filled words hit me. I looked at you blankly and you dusted the dirt off my sleeves saying, “I came in search of you! My friends told me that they saw you here, but why are you hiding?”. You said b with happiness. Your question answered my queries. I mistook your friends for the bad guys who were after my dad… No, they really looked like goons. I breathed out in relief. I was relieved, annoyed, angry and felt at loss. Without any words from my end, you tried to decipher my nuances. Unable to hold on to the patience, you asked me, “Don’t you remember me? To make you remember at once, I even wore the same tee and jeans…”. After giving you a stare, I picked up my things that fell from my bag. You helped me pick up my notes and handed it to me. The note you picked up was my assignment!!! I was in my bag!!! Only if I had checked thoroughly…

On receiving it, I bowed to thank you and went ahead. But, you walked along with me asking for my recollection, “Train? Confession?”.

How can you be so brazen? I couldn’t let out this sentence though.

“Surprised?”, you asked me showing a bright smile. “Afraid?”, he took a pause to read my expression and asked softly, “Angry?”.

Those unbelievable questions… On seeing me knitting my brows, you asked, “Am I overacting?”

I gave up and asked while making my way back to school, “Came in search of me? Where were you heading to?”

“To your house?”

“what?”

You whined, “You only gave me your dad’s name, not even yours… what do you expect me to do?” and looked at me smiling, “Now, I know your name... Kim… So… hyun!”, he said stressing every syllable of my name.

I liked it but, I ignored your last conversation, quickened my steps out of the alley asking, “To my house? What if my dad sees you? He doesn’t like this at all!”

“Isn’t it right? Dads have to be like that!”, my eyes widened when you took sides with my dad but, you also said with a sly smile, “But, I know that now he isn’t at home!”

When I looked at my watch anxiously, you ran and wheeled your bike that was parked around the corner of the alley towards me, “I’ll drop you!”, you said enthusiastically.

When I was about to look at my watch again, “Don’t look at it twice, I’ll drop you there safely!”

As I contemplated…

A familiar footstep interrupted Sohyun’s monologue, Seungho who was drenched in sweat ran down the flight of stairs and rushed towards Sohyun. Half way down, he noticed her eyes that laid steadily on him in fear of losing the sight of him. The sweat that ran on her face straightened her bangs and the tears hid itself well in the sweat. On climbing down the stairs, he knelt down hugging her. He could hear her heart throbbing against the rib cage. She gripped his sleeves tighter and buried her face in his chest.

His clothes are cold from the sweat and his body was burning up from the running. She closed her eyes on finding her solace. After a while,

“Are you ok?” he asked cautiously patting on her back.

“Mmm…”, her weak voice answered.

“Shall we stand up?”

“Mmm…”, she hummed again.

He put her hands around her shoulder and helped her up. On guiding her to the car, he opened the door for her. They took their seats. Seungho waited for Sohyun to put her seatbelt on. It wasn’t that she needed help, or he couldn’t help her to put it on but, he waited for Sohyun to speak up and tell him what she wants him to do.

He found the sweat that covered her face like dew drops. When he leaned in wiping her sweat with his hanky, “He said must stop you…”, Sohyun spoke staring through the windshield and he looked at her engraving her every word into his memory and she added “…or else, I’ll end up seeing myself as a widow”.

Seungho gripped his hold on the steering while clenching his teeth.

“Take a day off”, he said, “Let’s go home…”, after a pause for his thoughts he added, “No… I have to go somewhere. Mr and Mrs. Kang aren’t home, So… Stay with Jiwoo… I’ll call her”.

“You are in danger, not me!”, she vociferated.

He stretched out to reach her face and her cheek gently saying, “I don’t want you to worry”.

She stared into his eyes, not buying his comfort words.

He understood the meaning behind her look but, the words that left his lips are, “I’ll call…”

As tear trickled down her face, she held Seungho’s hand while her desperate voice sounded, “Why did he say that?”

He leaned in and embraced her in his arms tightly. “My recent project is very crucial and confidential. Though I can’t explain it in detail, many are in dire need of the information we collected for analysis. Those threats are empty words, don’t take it to heart”, he said patting her back.

She gripped the back of his shirt tightly before breaking the hug.

He called Jiwoo through phone and explained the situation. Jiwoo told that she’ll come and pick her up.

After Jiwoo’s car arrived, Sohyun took her seat inside. Before closing the door, he bent down to her level of sight, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything!”, he said cupping her face and planting a forehead kiss. Sohyun’s face turned sour at the word ‘Don’t worry’. To her ‘don’t worry’ resounded like ‘Sorry, but I’ve to keep you in dark’. When Jiwoo’s car took off, Seungho had his eyes on Sohyun who just sat with downcast eyes.

While the car took the turn at the end of the street, Sohyun asked with weary face, “We can’t go to dad’s house or your parents’ house and I can’t spend the day at your workplace so, where are we going?”

Jiwoo slowed down the car at her question without a reply.

“Drop me off at the hospital!”, Sohyun said with exhausted voice.

“No way…”, Jiwoo refuted. “He is in danger not me”, Sohyun said curtly, “I can work today. If I’m not feeling good, I can take my rest there too”.

Jiwoo knows how obstinate Sohyun is, she tried her best to convince her but in vain. After dropping her off, Jiwoo immediately called Jaeha to notify about her plight.

Jaeha immediately rushed to Sohyun’s floor and found her coming out of the changing room in her intern uniform. When she turned after closing the door, she found Jaeha smiling at her. Being accustomed to his sudden appearance out of nowhere, she greeted him with a quick bow.

“Jiwoo called me…”, he told her implying about his knowledge on today’s incident.

She nodded humming, “Mmm hmm…”

“Are you ready to… hear something… that may anger you?”, he asked hesitantly.

“I don’t have the energy to pour my anger…”, she said in weary tone

“That’s why… I asked your department head for a leave… a leave for you”, he spelled every word prefixed with a pause of hesitance.

She gave him a weak smile and said, “Thank you. But, I would like to decide my leave on my own next time”. He breathed out in relief on knowing she isn’t mad. She let out a long sigh saying, “So, now I have all day for reminiscing about the incident…”.

Trying to change the subject, Jaeha asked, “Shall we get some breakfast? I’m hungry. To have a day off, I stayed up all night to finish a task in my research…”

“It’s early in the morning and I’m witnessing two love birds who are working hard to spend some time on each other… You two are ruining my single life!”, a remark from one of the doctors who passed by interrupted their conversation.

“You can just ignore us then…”, Jaeha told him off throwing a message ‘don’t you have anything better to do’, through his stare.

Sohyun tried to explain, “We … “, she was cut in by a familiar voice, “Sohyun-ah, didn’t I tell you to take a day off?” It was Seungho. As Sohyun’s eyes widened, he walked closing in and stood beside her throwing his arm around her waist while gazing into her eyes lovingly. When her eyes darted between Seungho and the doctor, Seungho turned towards the doctor introduced himself with polite bow and words, “Hello! I’m Yoo Seungho, Sohyun’s husband. Thank you for taking care of her.”

“H… husband?”, the doctor stuttered as his eyes shifted between Seungho and Jaeha.

When the doctor left, Sohyun asked, “Why are you here?”

“I didn’t feel settled after sending you away like that!”

“What’s this?”, Sohyun asked worried looking at the bruises in his fist and arms.

“On the way here, I got into…”

“An accident”, Sohyun completed his sentence which seems to be his regular excuse. He nodded giving her a cheeky smile. “You always give that useless excuse whenever you got into a fight”, she complained. She brought him to the intern room and asked him to wait there. She left Seungho and Jaeha there and went to fetch the first aid complaining, “How many times had he came to meet me with bruises, I lost track of the count!”

After Sohyun left the room, Seungho threw himself on her bed to which Jaeha who was leaning on the desk smirked. Seungho noticed his smirk but decided to ignore it. Awkward silence prevailed.

“Just now…”, Seungho broke the silence, but his voice seemed stern, “… I heard the rumours about the marriage”. Jaeha who didn’t pay any attention turned towards him at the very mention of ‘rumours’. Seungho’s face didn’t seem to be displeased but agitated.

Holding a snigger, Jaeha pulled the chair under the desk, sat facing Seungho and replied, “I understand your concern, but I didn’t spread those rumours. It was all a misunderstanding”. On seeing Seungho’s agitation dissolve, Jaeha poured the oil, “I know, it might be difficult to believe my words, since I gave a marriage proposal to Sohyun once”. Seungho never knew about that. He sat up straight and knitted his brows observing his every word while clenching is jaws and holding his fist.

Jaeha gave an innocent smile at Seungho who was burning him with his intent look.

“Your jealous acts are cliché”, Jaeha commented putting on a smile, “Standing beside her close enough to not let even the air in between, holding her waist like she is yours, telling people that you’re her husband…”

“You seem to be around her every time she is feeling down… Thank you for that”, Seungho said sarcastically cutting in. He didn’t want to hear anymore from him.

“Sorry for the wait!”, Sohyun’s voice made them to regain their composure. After having his wounds attended, “Let’s leave”, Seungho said. After nodding, she turned towards Jaeha asking, “You said you’re hungry, why don’t you have the breakfast with us?”

“No, I’m fine. I just told you that to change the depressing topic about today’s…”, Jaeha answered.

Sohyun gave him a warm smile while Seungho said, “Thanks again!” and took their leave.

When Jaeha saw them leaving hand in hand, he murmured to himself, “Don’t thank me yet. I’m around every time she is broken, coz how else through a broken heart am I supposed to enter!”

AUTHOR'S BLABBER:

Hello Readers! Hello Subscribers! Thank you for reading :)

Please bear with the cliches in the story!! Thank You ;)

Have a fantastic weekend Chingus!!!

Chapter Cover: Random shots from the press conference. Credits to its rightful owners:)