KIM MINJOO

The silence felt rather suffocating.

Being with someone's mum, more specifically your ex-girlfriend’s mum, Mrs Ahn.

“I might have to pour some water on your knee so that I could at least have the blood washed off. It won’t sting that much but are you able to move so that you can stick your left leg out of the car.” Mrs Ahn asked cautiously.

I replied with a meek ‘yes’ before angling my leg outside of the car.

Mrs Ahn tenderly removed the handkerchief round my left leg and reached out for a roll of bandage from the glove box.

She poured water from a water bottle and I watched the blood flow to the ground, splashing it with a streak of diluted red. It seemed disturbing to me but it seems like Mrs Ahn wasn’t unfazed by it.

“So how did you manage to meet Yujin today?” She asked abruptly while proceeding to reach out for a clean towel from her magical glove box.Damn how much equipment does she have. Is it because of Yujin’s constant injuries?

I spilled the details, leaving out the part about how I had initially agreed to the movie date so that I could make amends with Yujin.

“Did you perhaps agree to this date so that you make amends with her, Minjoo? Since you don’t seem like the type of person that would want to go on a date with their ex unless you have a good reason for it.”She raised her eyebrows questioningly.

, how did she see through the facade? Is she some kind of mind reader or is it just motherly instincts?

I kept mum regarding her question before a small nod.

Mrs Ahn did not seem angry, which was the reaction I had expected. However, she seemed rather pleased with the response.

“You know, the Ahn Yujin during the relationship and the aftermath felt like two different masks. One that you wear when you perform and the other that you have within yourself that shows all your inner feelings. You’re a theatre club member, right? She reminded me so many times when I thought you belonged in the gardening club. But anyways, she was a wreck. I thought seeing her mope about that final match was the worst but this would probably outrank it. Like there was no wood to feed the fire within her to fuel the passion she had. After the finals, she had the determination to do better but with the split, it seemed as if she had no purpose with continuing the game of life. She wasn’t attending her floorball practices and Hyewon along with Yena had to drag her just so that she wouldn’t drown in her sadness in the house. Also, my husband and I were away on a business trip so we weren’t there to comfort her. We only returned immediately when Yena told us about Yujin’s condition. We didn’t care about the great property deal we were about to lose. We just wanted to be there to comfort her and take at least a bit of her suffering away from her. She had wanted to take you out on a simple picnic dinner by the lake the day she found you kissing the 'I don’t really give a about' person. She even had to work hard to bring the team to the top 3 of the floorball’s championship so that she could prove to my husband that she was a capable leader in her floorball club and borrow my husband’s car. It just hurts to see her coming back home early that day without that lovesick smile she has on her face after your dates, the orchids were thrown into the dustbin without any hesitation and she just locked her door”

I tried to hold in my tears, recalling all the specific details of that night. I was just bleak, my black heart choosing to kiss Kim Chaewon, who I knew at that time was pursuing me. Choosing to do a wrong, immoral act which I should not have done at any given point of time, it just made it worse that she was there to bear witness to it . We were both excited for it as it was the only free time we could celebrate her floorball achievements and there was a gap in my hectic schedule with that Youth Festival coming up in a week. But I choose to succumb to my own feelings. I would do anything to reverse my past and slap the hell out of my senses and get a grip on my own self. But I couldn't, the countless times I tried to tell Ahn Yujin my side of the situation, not immediately chasing after her witnessing the kiss, to not communicating our feelings regarding the situation and ultimately not confronting the situation hence I had no choice but to accept the reality which was to be with the person whom I cheated with on the true person caged up in my heart, Ahn Yujin. The acceptance of a silent split.

“Judging from how much you are zoning out and you not flinching when I tightened the bandage on you rather tightly, I assume that you are thinking about telling your side of the story. But, reserve it for Ahn Yujin’s ears to listen to. It is your life and I am just here to at least be a ‘prop’ in allowing you to act out your decision. Truth be told, I would truly love you to return to her but think about both of your happiness. I wouldn’t want both of you to rush back into this game of love and have both of you ending it on a bad note due to another incident. Talk about your feelings honestly with each other and have trust in each other. I can see that tall ashole running back here. So I’m making this real quick, you have the power to change the fate of the game of love that you are playing with my daughter. If you want to see results, be it positive or negative, you need to be willing and passionate and work hard for it.”

Yujin entered the car, panting heavily, not before waving her cornflakes box in the air with a triumphant smile, her eyes crinkling into tiny crescents and her dimples sinking into her face, the same smile that I had grown to love over the months.

“You little , if you ran here a little faster, Minjoo would not have fainted from the loss of blood.” Mrs Ahn said rather sarcastically.

“What! She fainted?” She said with a worried face.

“Hey, prince-,, uhm are you okay? Wait, no, do you want to lie down on my shoulders if you are feeling really tired or my lap if that would be more comfortable. I wouldn’t mind as long as you are comfortable all the way and you could at least get a bit of rest along the way. You seem really tired, judging from the dark eye bags under your eye. You know you should really sleep early so that your skin would be flawless. I mean as if you weren’t flawless enough.” She rambled on until the last sentence which she faintly muttered to herself but it was loud enough for me to hear. It just sets my heart exploding like fireworks on how she always shows her motherly and rather fussy side whenever I injure myself. 

In response to her rambles, I laid my head on her lap, effectively causing her to become frozen and keep mum at the same team. I could sense a faint movement and Yujin slowly released the tension in her body and slowly relaxed in the warmth. It felt so nice to be in this position after a long and tiring day. Just like our past memories of Mrs Ahn driving the both of us home and her lying down on my lap after an exhausting match.

I could hear faint whispers being shared atop of my head. I picked up some lines from Mrs Ahn regarding her work for the hospital and Yujin’s eager response. Slowly, I felt a hand my head. 

It felt so foreign yet familiar at the same time. It started out rather hesitatingly and it seemed to relax after relaxing the person who was being messaged was under the pretense of being asleep. It felt so comforting like hot cocoa on a rainy day with lovers snuggled up under the blanket. I shifted my head to push myself further into her touches but she stopped abruptly. Was she afraid that I had realised that she was massaging my head? I immediately let out a light snore. It seemed to be enough to convince Yujin as the of my head continued with a slow and comforting pace. 

Unbeknownst to me, I ended up sleeping.

I woke up to someone lifting me up, I lifted up my head and realised I was at Yujin’s house.

She plopped me down on the couch and went to the kitchen.

“Hey, Minjoo bab-, oh , do you want a drink. I’ll give you soy milk. It’s still your favourite right, I assume” she asked from the kitchen.

“Yeah” It’s kinda sweet and bitter at the same time at how she remembers that little detail but our label deters her from calling me pet names comfortably again.

Mrs Ahn returned to the living room with a first aid kit. She immediately patched up my wound and told me at appropriate times when the medicine she would apply would hurt. FInally, after the last clean up of my wound had been done, she patched on a bandage around my knee. 

Meanwhile, from the corner of my eye, I could see Yujin staring on with a worried expression, afraid as if I would cry from the stinging pain of the alcohol on my wound. I wanted to prove to her that I have grown a little tougher but I gave out a little whimper when the stinging sensation of the alcohol got a hold of my nerves.

Once, Mrs Ahn finished her work, Yujin moved in swiftly but with caution. She handed me a glass of soy milk which I gulped down to soothe my nerves after the clean up session of my wound.

It was a rather awkward moment of silence as both of us enjoyed our beverages.

Yujin broke the silence by telling a joke, “ Do you kneed any help with your knee, Miss Kim. It seems to be in kneed of medical attention”

She guffawed at her own jokes while I snickered at how horrible the joke was.

Mrs Ahn soon returned with car keys in her hand.

“Hey, young miss, you will have to drive Minjoo home since I have to write up my report for the hospital”

Yujin didn’t seem to object in any way, it's as if we were presented with an opportunity to return things to the way it was before. 

“Okay mum” she curtly responded

“Hey Minjoo, are you able to walk or do you need me to carry you to the car again?”

“I think I’ll be able to manage on my own.” I said while handing my glass to Yujin, who left the dishware at the sink.

I hobbled towards while holding tightly on Yujin’s arm which she had offered as a support for my pathetic, hobbling . 

Finally, we managed to reach the car and I managed to slide into the front passenger seat without much difficulty.

Yujin slid into the driver’s seat at the same time.

She glanced over at me to ensure that I was safe and secure. However, something caught her eye and she hitched her arm over my body and moved towards my body. Slowly, her face came nearer but she backed away 

immediately, pulling my seatbelt towards her and locking in place. Tsk what was I supposed to expect, besides we weren’t in the stage where the label of ex-lovers were still pinned on us. But she was still being a much better gentlewoman than Kim Chaewon. That reminds me that I haven’t given a single damn thought about her for the past few days.

Yujin started the engine and rode towards the direction of my house, without even requiring my address. These made me come to a slow realisation that she was truly not over me yet.

Awkward.

The only way I could describe the ride, sure it was silent but there was just a barrier of tension between us. 

She soon pulled up in the driveway of my house and helped me into the lift and all the way to my apartment, without letting my hand let go of her arm once.

Once, we reached the apartment, we exchanged quiet goodbyes. 

I closed the door, half expecting her to turn back and tell her she loves me.  But that only happens in K-dramas. I Immediately trudged back to my room, feeling rather lonely in the apartment since my parents were working overseas and my nanny was away on a mini holiday with her family.

I cleaned up and changed into my pyjamas that Yujin had gifted as a couple pyjamas to the both of us, with much difficulty owing to my injured knee. 

I checked my messages, replying to Yuri’s worried questions and in a way to alleviate her worries. As I scrolled below, I came to rest upon Yujin’s profile picture. The fact that I relieved little memories of the both of us especially when the little habits of hers kept continually reappearing showed how much Yujin truly hadn’t let go of the past. Well truth be told I hadn’ let go of the past either, Yujin.

I felt rather sleepy after today’s events but I had a hunch that I would be able to sleep better than before today, without those recurring nightmares of the events.

I closed my eyes and drifted off to dreamland.

____________________________________________________________________________________

AHN YUJIN

I wiped my hands nervously against my jeans before taking a deep breath in and pushing the doorbell.

I could hear some faint shuffling behind the door and someone bumping into a furniture rather roughly.

The door finally opened, revealing a truly morning Minjoo look with her disheveled hair and a pair pyjamas. Wait, those were the pyjamas bought for her a few months ago, did she not throw them away after all this while.

But anyways this wasn’t the main point of the visit. I just needed to give her the personal first aid kit to allow her to change her wound daily. Then, I will be on my way out.

“Here, this is your personal first aid kit that my mom assembled yesterday.

 You will need to change your bandages every day so as to prevent infection of the wound. I assume you know how to do so. I will be going along now. Have a nice day” What the was that? ‘Have a nice day’. Who says that on a Sunday morning?

“Uhm, I’m not really sure how to change my bandages and disinfect my wound. Do you perhaps, can like show me so that I get the hang of it?” 

I hesitated for a bit before giving a shrug of shoulders to acknowledge it. 

I entered her apartment hesitantly and followed her to the couch. 

I took the kit from her and began working on disinfecting the wound while explaining it to her slowly so that she could get a gist of how to patch up her wound. 

Finally after an hour, I patched up her wound neatly after a rather quiet and awkward exchange with her

I packed the medication and rolls of bandage neatly into the kit. 

I bade my farewell and proceeded to exit her apartment.

Just before I wrapped my fingers round the doorknob, I turned around and asked.

“Do you want to watch my floorball club’s match against Logos High with Yuri next Sunday and I could perhaps compensate for the movie date with a bubble tea date?”

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Hihi, jdchrt here again! Well what do you think Minjoo's response might be? There would be plenty more chapters before this story comes to an end but I would like to thank the 70+ subscribers and 9 upvotes. I might be writing a new one shot that I came up which involves mythical beings but it may take a while since I have to focus on hbl(online school in Singapore context). But do have a wonderful day ahead and leave a comment on the ways I can improve this story or how whether you think jinjoo may get back together.