“I almost by a group of men…that..that night” Chorong finally said it.

“What?!” Eunji didn’t care about eyes that looking at them. They have been staring for a while since she raise her voice at Chorong earlier.

“Rong..” She look at Chorong who is now has started crying.

“I’m sorry..” Chorong cover her face. The memory of that incident is coming back into her mind. That is why she’s avoiding to talk about it.

“I’m sorry, Eunji” Chorong lower down her head. But Eunji can still hear her crying.

“What are you talking about? How- Rong…who on earth dare to..! Rong I’m sorry” Eunji take a sit at chair beside Chorong. She give her a warm hug. Trying to calm Chorong who is clearly still traumatize by the incident.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know…Rong” Eunji hurt and sad looking at Chorong like that. She didn’t know that Chorong experienced something so bad like that and all she did was being mad and hate on Chorong. She blamed herself so much.

“No Eunji, you shouldn’t be sorry. It’s not your fault” Chorong lift her head and release the hug. Don’t want Eunji to blame herself when she is the one who is not telling anybody about it.

+++++

Chorong put her phone at the bedside table. Settling herself at the bed, trying to ignore her feelings of wanting to meet Eunji and just sleep on it.

She closed her eyes, only for a few seconds before she open it again. She blink her eyes a few times. Looking at her dark room. “Why can’t I sleep?” Chorong force her eyes to shut and try to sleep again. She rolls her body to other side of bed. Then she move her body posture to make herself comfortable. Almost 15 minutes went with Chorong keep on doing the same thing. But still, she cannot sleep that night.

“I need Eunji” She open her eyes and the image of Eunji playing inside her head. She sit at the bed, take the phone from the bedside table, wanted to text Eunji.

“If I text her, she will refuse again. I should just go” Chorong stand up, change her pajama and put on a sweatshirt and a loose pants. Decided to just surprise Eunji with her existence in front of hotel room later.

“Tradition or not, I don’t care anymore. I need my fiancée. A few hours will do” Chorong said and step out from her apartment. Thankfully her sister Seunghee has went to her parent’s hotel room. Not sure what are they busy with or maybe they just hang out, chit chatting till dawn. Chorong not too sure about her sister, what she is sure about now is she want to meet Eunji. She just hope she’s not bumping into any of their family members later when she’s at the hotel where Eunji is staying.

Chorong take a cab to go to the hotel. Halfway there, she ask the cab driver to stop at the convenience store 1 block away from the hotel. She want to buy a drinks and decided to just walk to the hotel from the store.

She grab a few cans of alcoholic drinks and a few snacks too and proceed to the counter to pay. Once settle, she exit the store happily thinking of meeting Eunji that night. On her way to the hotel, she saw a group of 5 drunk men chit chatting and smoking outside the nearby night club. She walk passed them and with that she earn a whistling from the guys. She ignore it and start quicken her step to be away from that area as soon as possible. To her surprise, the drunk men followed her.

“Hey I can see you bought a drinks. We can be your drinking buddy” One of them said while follow her. Two of them walk even faster and manage to outrun Chorong. They stand in front of Chorong and it makes Chorong halt her step. She is now surrounded by the 5 drunks’ men. She started to feel scared. Luckily she learn hapkido for a few years and still remember the techniques to defend herself in this kind of situation. She’s preparing herself to attack the men if they are trying to assault her.

“Wow this girl is fierce” one of them said looking at Chorong already showing up her fist.

“Chill lady, we just want to have fun. I bet you going to like it too” the other men said. None of them showing any sense of fear to Chorong. But that doesn’t make Chorong want to give up. She still on guard with her fist ready to throw punches anytime now.

“Your tense face is y” he said and trying to touch Chorong face. Before he get to touch her face, Chorong has quickly dodge that filthy hand and her fist fly in the air and hit that guy face. “!” That guy felt her face that just been hit. The other guys walk closer to Chorong and trying to grab her, want to stop her from throwing anymore punches. Chorong use her hapkido techniques to resist, but how much strength a lady have compare to 5 men and what worse is they are drunk men who are clearly not in a sober mind. She is now in a hold of the men after a few minutes resisting. She’s tired and have no energy to fight back.

“This is getting so annoying” The guy that been hit by Chorong said with an annoyed face. He then give signal to his friends to take Chorong to the dark alleyway not far from there. It is late at night and no many people pass by that area. The only people that in the area, all are drunk and not really care what is happening around. Chorong is totally helpless at that moment. The guys start to touch her, kiss her. She’s crying and screaming for help. Hoping there is one kind and sober people who can save her at that moment. One of the guys’ slap her when she’s screaming “Shut up, !” Then they continue harassing Chorong. They lifted Chorong sweatshirt and start touching her bare body. Some of them grabbing her . Chorong crying even harder and screaming again. She use her last strength to push away all the guys but the guys does not budge even a little. All she can do now is praying that someone can come and help her. Her mind is thinking of Eunji. How she is a disappointment to Eunji. How she has tainted with a dirty men all over her body now.

“Move your filthy hand from her!” Chorong hear someone yell and throwing something at the men. She’s now released from all the touching and grabbing from all the drunk men. She have no strength left and collapse there immediately. She’s not totally black out, she can still see that there is 1 women and 1 men fighting the group of drunk mens earlier. Chorong crying even harder, thankful that her prayer been granted and someone is here to save her.

+++++

“ing bastard. How dare they touch you” Eunji slam the table. She is so angry after hearing Chorong story of that night before their wedding day.

“Why didn’t you tell me Rong? I’m sorry, sorry for didn’t know and hated you” Eunji caress Chorong hand and start sounding so soft and warm at Chorong. She can’t believe what has Chorong went through and she did not know anything about it. She is surround by guilty the moment she heard the whole story from Chorong. She should be there for Chorong when she is in trouble. She hate herself so much right now for rejecting Chorong request to meet that nigh. If she agree, maybe all this will not happened because obviously she will not allow Chorong to walk alone at night. She can be the one who go and meet Chorong at her apartment.

“Eunji, it never your fault. Stop saying sorry. I’m the one who should be sorry. I am sorry for not telling you. I’m sorry for leaving you without any word. I’m sorry for only be here after 4 years. I really am sorry Eunji” Chorong apologizing for everything she did to Eunji. Yes she almost got , but her biggest fault is leaving everyone behind and not saying anything about it, not even to her parents.

“Hey enough with sorry. I know now why you did that. It’s understandable. You had your reason and I’m not mad anymore” Eunji flashes her famous eye smile. Making sure Chorong not feeling sorry towards her anymore when Chorong is the one who have to live with a worse trauma.

“Thanks Eunji. I’m so thankful that you agree to meet me and listen to me. I was worried you going to ignore me or not believe me” Chorong relieved that Eunji didn’t look at her with an eyes full of hate anymore. She shouldn’t doubt about how kind Eunji is. She always like that and never once change. One of the good traits of Eunji that she love.

“You are not that good in acting Rong. So I don’t think you lie about that after how traumatic you look when you said about the . I was so panic when I first hear it. You make my heart rate increase rapidly in just a second”

“Sorry” Chorong smile at how sincere Eunji is being worry about her.

“What’s important now is you are safe” Eunji smile back at Chorong.

“But I’m sad that I’m not the one who save you. I should agree to meet you that night and just go to you. All of this will not happen if I- “

“Eunji, stop it. No one know what will happen that night. And I agreed to just go to sleep and not meeting you, but I decided to go there myself and not telling anyone. If I know or if anyone know what will happen,d you think I will go? Obviously not. So don’t..don’t say like that. It is not your fault” 

“You went through so much, Rong. And all I did was hating you” Eunji just flooded with guilt right now and it makes her cry a little thinking how hard it is for Chorong and she is n