~ Chapter 5 ~ Ray of Hope, Wenga ~

“You’ve called me for the nth time, what do you want?” she smiled at the familiar voice as she checked on the crystal wine glass one last time.

“But you sounded happy,” the caller teased. “Just calling to make sure you have eaten your lunch, have you?”

She bit on her lower lip before placing the glass into the box and gave the manager an ‘okay’ sign.

“Silence means you’re guilty, I can imagine how upset eomma will be if she finds out you sacrificed lunch for her present.”

“Yah!!! Why are you keep picking on me? Don’t you have a busy schedule?” she asked.

“Only a 5 minutes break…”

“Sir, the conference call is ready”

She heard a soft voice calling for the caller from behind.

“Looks like you have to end this call, little nagger” she beamed.

“You better come home early tonight, eomma had been complaining that you’re turning into a workaholic.”

“Yes sir, see you tonight.”

Just when she ended the call, she heard chatter of voices from the shop’s staff and their conversation drew her attention. As she took out her card to make the payment, she asked what happened.

“It seems someone attempted to commit suicide at the rooftop of the building, a young man.”

“It’s attempting,” the lady who was watching a live news from her phone stated. “Oh dear, he looks so young and fine looking. Just what went wrong.”

“Keep the gift for me first, I’ll come back in a while,” she said to the shopkeeper before dashing out the premium gifts shop.

-

“Young man, listen here…anything can be resolved, don’t opt the silliest way…” the police tried to reason with the man who attempting to jump from the building.

“You think killing myself is silly?” the man asked in a low dejected voice.

The policeman gulped, “I meant, no matter how terrible the situation is, there should be some way to resolve it instead of ending your life. You’re too young and still have a great future ahead of you.”

“How sure you are that my future is great? I can’t even see a thing before me, future? Do I really have one?”

He tried to make a step forward, a step closer to the man as he kept the conversation going but the young man noticed.

“Don’t come any nearer, I’m just a step away from ending all this s*it,” he uttered.

The police immediately stepped back.

“Young lady, you shouldn’t be here,” one of the security guards stopped her.

“I’m a psychologist, I may be of help,” she gave her name card to the guard.

“Dr. Son,” the guard bowed, “he’d been sitting there for almost half an hour based on CCTV footage.”

She nodded her head.

“Oh Dr. Son Seungwan, you’re here,” the policeman heaved a sigh of relief. “How did you get up here?”

“I was getting a present for my mum. Small talks aside, how are he?” Seungwan asked as she stared at the fair man who seemingly in his mid-twenties.

“For a person who wants to die, he’s pretty calm and I can guarantee his state of mind is perfectly fine. His reasoning skills are great,” he crossed his arms over his chest before shaking his head. “I’ll hand this over to you, expert.”

Seungwan walked up to him but halted her steps when he suddenly turned to her with a spine-chilling hard stare.

“I’m just here to talk to you, to listen to your story,” Seungwan tried to speak calmly. He turned away and continue gazing down on the busy street. “My name is Son Seungwan, what’s yours?”

“I don’t need a psychologist, I’m perfectly fine. You don’t have to try persuading me,” he said.

Seungwan turned to the policeman who was giving him a knowing smile. She somehow got what he meant earlier. This man before him most probably is the calmest suicidal person she’s ever met.

“So, you know I’m a psychologist,” she continued her attempt to speak to him.

“You were pretty loud back there just now,” he remarked.

“Let’s have a relaxing chat before we go separate way,” she leaped and seated on the ledge next to the man.

He was surprised how close she came, “separate way?” he looked at her over his shoulder.

“I meant, once you’re dead, we would be in a different world. So, separate way…”

He sniggered at her comment, “how sure you are that we would be in a different world once we are dead? When you die, everything will end…”

“How can you guarantee that?” Seungwan queried. “Well, but you’ll find out real soon since you will be jumping down, right.”

He turned to her with a glare, “just get lost and stop bothering me.”

“This building doesn’t belong to you. Come on, I’m a newbie psychologist and since you’re dying. Can’t you just do something kind before you leave this world? Talk to me, let me gain a little experience,” she said.

“Min Yoongi…”

A thin smile crept on her face upon hearing his name. “Yoongi-ssi, so what drives you to this point? You know, not everyone has the courage to die. From the way you are behaving, I can tell you are not suffering with severe depression. Just needed something or someone, which I can’t tell what’s that yet”

“I’m not sick, mentally,” Yoongi answered, “but I’m sick with my life, my fate, the destiny I’m given with.” He looked up to the dusty sky. “My father gambles a lot, he gambled his whole family and my mother is even more interesting, she became a e to make a living. Sounded like she’s a great heart right, but that’s because she needed more money to get hold of her drugs.”

Seungwan noticed how his brow furrowed at the mention of his parents.

“My sister, she had a bright future. I thought if I try and work harder, I could save her from this mess but she couldn’t resist the temptation my mother showed her.” His fists tightened, “how can someone enjoy such life.”

“What about yourself?”

“I love music, after leaving them and the mess they were in, I thought I can try having a dream for once. I wanted to try stop living because I can’t die.” He laughed, painfully “but my music is just thrash to everyone’s ears. The monsters in my family were right, passion is nothing. It can’t bring me far; it won’t feed me well. I won’t get anything out of it except for humiliations and I wasted so many years on it.”

Yoongi turned to Seungwan when he felt her warm hand on his. She looked into his hopeless eyes “you weren’t wrong, everyone should have passion, they need it to keep doing it.” she rummaged her bag and took out a harmonica, “I’m pretty good with music and surrounded by musicians. Play it and I’ll tell you if your music is really a thrash or we can find gold in it.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes, “you’re wasting my time, let’s part way now,” he got off the 3ft ledge barrier and stood on the narrow ledge.

Seungwan grabbed hold on his wrist “you’ve wasted so much time already, it brings no harm to waste a few more minutes.”

He took the harmonica and brought it up to his lips and begin his music, hesitantly. She could see how his hands were shaking as he gripped on the instrument. The melody was slow, filled with melancholy. She could feel, how much pain he had while writing this song and without realization, her eyes were b with tears. It momentarily brought her back to a distant emotion, the exact same emotion she had years ago. When he stopped playing, he was surprised by her expression. He could tell it was genuine. Never in his life has he ever encounter such response.

“I may not know the lyrics of the song but I can tell how much pain the song induced. It was beautiful,” Seungwan tried hard to stay composed.

“So Far Away, that was the title of the song,” Yoongi reached out his hand to wiped off the tear at the corner of her eyes. “I wrote it when I know nothing about music, about dream. All I wanted was to just die but yet, I can’t.”

Seungwan grasped on his hand tightly, “Min Yoongi, could you give me a chance? I can help you. Give yourself one more chance, give your music one more try.”

His heart was racing when she gazed into his eyes with hope.

“Like I said, I’m surrounded by musicians. I can lend you a hand. Perhaps, this time, you will get to find the right person that treasure your music.” Seungwan said. “It’s not thrashes, it’s just you haven’t encounter the right person.”

He didn’t respond but just stared still at the petite lady who was desperately trying to stop someone from suiciding and this person was only a stranger to her.

“One month, if after one month I still can’t change your mind of ending your life, you can always come back and die all you want.”

Yoongi chuckled at her last word before nodding his head. He wasn’t sure what makes him change his mind. Was it her suggestion on helping me finding the right musician to appreciate his music or was it because of ‘her’ but he came down and made a one month’s promise with Son Seungwan.

-

The following day, Yoongi kept his promise and went to her clinic. He was astounded by how classed and perfect the interior design of the clinic and furniture. Rubbing on his lap nervously, he felt out of place. The same old feelings of refusal and rejection were haunting him again.

“Yoongi?”

Her voice calmed him.

“Something is not right?” she ran her hand on his back, trying to calm him down.

He closed his eyes and shook his head “just the same old issue.”

She took a seat next to him and muttered “you can tell me, you know.”

“It reminds me of the past. I always wait for the producers and writers outside of their studio and when I present my music to them, their comments are always horrible.” Holding on his knees, he said “the atmosphere here reminds me of that.”

Seungwan helped him up and led hi