Chapter 10

A Week Later…

Westmoor High School

Piolo picked up the rest of the volleyballs as the students exited through the huge double doors of the gymnasium. After a weeklong tutorial on the sport of volleyball, Piolo was beginning to dislike being a PE teacher and an avid hater of the sport. He sighed as he picked up the last ball and chucked it into the basket. He heard the squeaking sound of footsteps and turned to see Sarah hurrying towards him.

“Sarah, what’s up?”

“Piolo, you won’t believe what just happened…”

“What?”

“Seohyun just came and brought her letter of resignation to the Principal…”

“Are you serious?”

“It’s a mystery where she has been these past few days, only to suddenly appear with a letter of resignation…I don’t know what has gotten into her...Piolo? Are you listening?”

“I need to find her…”

Piolo walked past Sarah and left her standing in the middle of the gym.

Seohyun locked her apartment door and began to wheel her luggage bag behind her. Her luggage made a huge racket as it banged on each step down the stairs but Seohyun didn’t care much; she just needed to go back to her father. She walked over to her car and tossed her belongings into the trunk, closed it, and got to the front seat to start the engine. Suddenly, she heard Piolo calling for her.

“Seohyun, wait!”

Seohyun was surprised to see Piolo and refrained from the starting the car. Piolo stood outside the car as she rolled down the window.

“Piolo, what are you doing here?”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going home…”

“But, you resigned from school, why?”

“I need sometime alone…I’ll be back though…”

“You didn’t answer my question though…why did you resign?”

Seohyun sighed and pulled down her sunglasses.

“I was tired of the drama between all of us...I felt it was best if I left first…”

“But it isn’t your fault!”

“It’s not about blame…I feel its best that we all keep apart out for a little bit and get ourselves altogether, at least for my sake…”

“Seohyun, what happened between Kyuhyun and I was a mistake and I feel that I didn’t handle the situation correctly but we can work through it…”

“Piolo, stop, I’ve made my decision…”

“Who gave you the right to decide?”

Seohyun looked down to her steering wheel and began to tear up.

“Piolo, I need to leave now…I’m sorry…”

“Wait!”

She rolled up her windows and started the engine. Piolo moved back as Seohyun backed out and drove out of the apartment complex. Piolo placed his hands on his head and shut his eyes.

“Dammit…”

San Francisco International Airport

Kyuhyun and Jiyeon sat beside each other in the terminal as they waited for their flight to board. Jiyeon looked over to Kyuhyun and saw that he had his earphones and sunglasses on and wasn’t in the mood to speak. For the past week after the debacle with Tiffany and Seohyun leaving the show, his encounter with Piolo and his momentary incarceration, Jiyeon didn’t know what to expect when they returned to Seoul but her hunch was that it wasn’t going to be positive. Leeteuk returned with several snacks and slid in beside Jiyeon.

“Jiyeon, here are those honey roasted peanuts you like.”

“Thanks Oppa…”

“Hey cheer up, everything will be resolved when we return home…the agency will guide us through everything…”

“Have you ever experienced such a turn of events in the business?”

“Honestly, no, but I figure that the agency is going to have Kyuhyun lay low for awhile and let the publicity die down…for you…just come to work normally and continue with your clerical duties…”

“I don’t want to work in reception again…”

“Then what do you want to do?”

Jiyeon looked over to Kyuhyun, who was ignoring everyone around him, and looked back to Leeteuk.

“I think I’m going back to my family’s dojo and help teach classes again…I was an excellent judo instructor…”

“I see…”

“Yeah, I’m tired of supporting big famous superstars and being their crying shoulders…”

Leeteuk snickered.

“My sweet Jiyeon…whatever makes you happy…honestly, I would love to see you in your little judo uniform…”

“Oppa!”

“What?”

 Bakersfield, CA

Seohyun pulled into the gas station, which also had a restaurant, and decided to take a quick pit stop. After driving for three hours straight, Seohyun’s body was feeling sore and her feet were beginning to ache painfully. She parked outside the restaurant and stopped the engine. She massaged her temples and looked at her reflection in the rear view mirror.

“This might have been the boldest decision I’ve ever made but I have no regrets…”

As she was stepping out, another car pulled in beside hers and out stepped a slim, handsome man who wasn’t looking too happy. He looked over to her and gave her a simple nod. Seohyun, frightened by the man’s sudden arrival, allowed him to go first into the diner.

“Whoa…”

Seohyun strolled in and was approached by a cheerful young waitress with curly blonde hair.

“Hello! May I help you?”

“I just need a coffee and a Danish…”

“Aww, of course honey, right this way!”

The waitress escorted Seohyun over to a booth with a view of the California Valley outside the gas station.

“I’ll get you a glass of water…”

“Thank you…”

The waitress winked and disappeared towards the kitchen. Seohyun leaned against the window and slowly shut her eyes. The coolness of the window and the faint sound of Western music in the background were strangely comforting for her and she could feel her drowsiness creeping in.

“I’m so tired…”

For the past couple of months, it had been a whirlwind of emotion for Seohyun. From the arrival of Piolo, to falling for Kyuhyun all over again, and finishing it up with an embarrassing performance of failed friendship between her and Tiffany, Seohyun quickly lost focus on her dreams and goals. This sudden sabbatical to see her old man was something she wished she had done sooner. The waitress returned with not only a glass of water but with a cup of coffee and the Danish she requested.

“Here you go, is there anything else I can get you?”

“Wow, no, I’m fine! That was quick!”

“You betcha! By the way, that handsome gentleman at the counter says hello…”

Seohyun looked over and saw the handsome man lift his glass of juice and gave her a friendly nod. Seohyun returned with a gentle smile. The waitress smiled and returned to her post at the front door. Seohyun poured some sugar and cream into her coffee and began to stir. She took a sip of it and felt the hotness of the beverage slowly reenergize her body.

“I needed that…”

Moments later, Seohyun finished the last of her Danish and finished her glass of water. The waitress returned with the check and Seohyun paid the full amount and left a generous tip. The man had already left the diner, which left Seohyun wondering why he was so gentle to her. She pulled out of the restaurant and decided to fill up her fuel tank before finishing the last miles towards Los Angeles. She paid for the gas in the shop and returned outside to begin fueling up. As she inserted the nozzle into the tank, she heard someone clear their throat near her. She turned to look and saw the man fueling up too.

“Hi there…”

Seohyun smiled.

“I thought you left…”

“I had to buy some snacks for my long drive to San Diego…”

“I see…”

“If you don’t mind me asking, where are you heading?”

“I’m going to LA.”

“I see. Well I hate to sound cliché but why is a pretty girl like you traveling alone?”

Seohyun giggled and brushed her hair back.

“I just needed some time to think…also…I’m going to see my dad…”

“I see, I guess I’m in the same boat too…”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah…my girlfriend of seven years dumped me all of a sudden and I’m going back to see my mom…she had so I need to spend some time with her…”

“My god…I’m sorry to hear that…”

“It’s fine…I guess it was time to prioritize what was really important in my life, you know?”

“I…do…”

The gas nozzle suddenly clicked indicating that the tank was full. Seohyun startled by the loud click, laughed loudly. She placed the nozzle back on the handle and closed her fuel tank door.

“Well, I wish you good luck at San Diego…”

“You too…”

Before Seohyun could get in, she asked one more question.

“What’s your name, by the way?”

“It’s…Yonghwa….Jung Yonghwa…”

“I’m Seo Joo Hyun…”

“Be safe, Joo Hyun…”

The doorbell rang and Piolo answered it attentively. Upon opening the door, Piolo could feel his anger beginning to rise as Tiffany came into the light.

“Piolo, I’m sorry to disturb you but I needed to speak to you…”

Piolo felt his rage die down after recognizing Tiffany’s somber tone. He couldn’t help but be considerate to her and gave her the benefit of the doubt.

“What did you want to speak about?”

“Could we go for a walk? The night is cool and the neighborhood is quiet…”

“Sure, let me get my coat…”

Piolo vanished up to his room to grab his coat and quickly returned to the front door to find Tiffany seated quietly on the top step of the porch staircase.

“Ready, Piolo?”

The streetlamps powered on one by one down the street as Piolo and Tiffany began their walk together. Piolo looked to Tiffany to see her expression on her face but she kept it hidden and looked straight ahead.

“What did you want to talk about?”

“I remember when we first met you…Seohyun and I just got mugged at the airport in Manila but you were there to save us…”

Piolo softly smiled to himself.

“I remember that…”

“I had such a big crush on you back then but I was too headstrong to admit it…”

“Really?”

“No, honestly, I was scared to admit it because well…because of Seohyun…”

“Seohyun?”

“All my life, I always came in second place…I was never the winner but I accepted that…then I became friends with Seohyun and began to grow confident with myself…Seohyun is the type of person to bring the best out of everyone but…things began to grow complicated between us when we finally began to notice boys…”

“I see…”

“To make a long story short, there have been a lot of moments in my life that I blame Seohyun for but after looking back at those accounts…the only person to blame…was me…”

Piolo and Tiffany arrived at the neighborhood playground and they made their way to the swings where they sat and slowly swung simultaneously.

“I grew bitter and jealous of her…I tried my best to show off to her…when it came to fashion, education, or relationships…but it never phased her…she always cheered me on and encouraged me to do more…I hated her for that…but deep inside…I loved her and hated myself for treating her like that…”

Tiffany wiped her tears.

“Then what happened between us…instead of paying attention to how you felt I used you to get back at her…”

“Tiffany, I understand now…”

“No, you don’t…Piolo…I came here to confess to you that I love you…I want to reveal to you that I’m not bad and to please forgive me for how I treated you and Seohyun…I never meant to hurt anyone…I was being selfish…”

“Wait, huh?”

Tiffany stopped swinging and turned to Piolo.

“I had too much pride to admit it but I have always loved you and seeing you go to Seohyun and being turned down hurt me more…”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“I was scared…please…don’t be mad…”

Piolo was stunned and stood up from the swing.

“Tiffany…I can’t do this…”

“Why?”

“What we had together was a mistake...”

“A mistake? We slept together…”

“I know but that isn’t love…”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“Tiffany, I…I don’t love you…I love Seohyun…”

Tiffany smiled and closed her eyes.

“Thank you…”

“For what?”

“Now I can truly move on…”

“What?”

“I just needed to hear that you love her…and by the way you said I’m not second guessing you…”

“Wait, so was this all some kind of scheme?”

“No, I did love you but I didn’t want you to love me if you still had Seohyun in your heart…it was either all of you or none but hearing you admit that you don’t love me makes it easier…”

“Tiffany…”

Tiffany stood up and began to walk out of the park.

“Tiffany, wait!”

“Piolo, if you are looking for her, she went home to Pasadena to see her sick father…I already sent you the address on your phone…go get her…”

Tiffany tried her best to smile towards Piolo but her tears began to roll down. She hurried away from the park and headed to her car. Piolo chased after her and grabbed her by her arm.

“Tiffany, why are you doing this?”

“I don’t deserve to love you and I thought of hurting you and Seohyun but I would ultimately be doing harm to myself…I want to see you and my best friend happy…its the least I could do for ruining things for you two…”

“Tiffany, it isn’t your fault-“

Tiffany wrapped her arms around Piolo and gave him a deep, passionate kiss. Piolo could feel the sad love expressed through her full, tender lips. She eased back and touched his face.

“I was a fool to think I could ruin something so special…”

Pasadena, CA

The sun beamed brightly through the skinny window blinds of Seohyun’s bedroom and casted a light on her face. She grew annoyed and turned over but she soon realized she couldn’t fall asleep. She slowly rolled over and sat up. She rubbed the sand out of her eyes and took a slow scan around her room. She still had her faded posters of her favorite Korean boy bands, her old study desk filled with comics and CD albums, her collection of stuff toys at the corner of her room, and the corny sky blue wallpaper she used to be in love with.

“Wow, I was such a kid…”

She slowly rose from her bed and peeked out the door into the hallway. She could smell the tasty aroma of scrambled eggs and toast floating through the house and she quickly grabbed her house slippers underneath her bed and made her way to the kitchen. She tied her long, brown wavy hair into a ponytail and took a seat at their small dining table in the kitchen. She observed her Aunt Lina as she prepared breakfast for her and her father.

“Auntie Lina, I should be telling you this more often but thank you for everything…”

“Oh please, I volunteered to help, remember?”

“No, Auntie…I’m serious…”

Aunt Lina turned around with her cute, squinty eyes and smiled warmly.

“Joo Hyun, he’s my older brother…I would have helped even if you didn’t tell me…”

Seohyun smiled and heard her father’s footsteps slowly dragging down the wooden hallway. Her father appeared with his age-old glasses, his gray cardigan, and a copy of the local paper.

“Daddy, good morning! Shouldn’t you still be in bed?”

“Good morning, good morning! In bed? Please…I rarely have breakfast with my only daughter…”

He slowly walked over and kissed Seohyun on the top of her head. He then walked over to Lina and kissed her on the cheek.

“Auntie is making scrambled eggs!”

“I see…I’m glad she still remembers my daughter’s favorite…”

Aunt Lina looked over to Seohyun and smiled. Seohyun’s father sat across from her and placed his paper in front of him. Lina placed a fresh cup of coffee beside him and he lightly took a sip.

“Wow, that’s some good coffee…anyways…how are you, my love? You surprised the folks down here when you suddenly called me and wanted to come home…”

“I wanted to check up on you since you stopped taking chemotherapy and decided to live with your cancer…you have me worried…”

“Honey, the chemo was making weaker me than I ever was...this moment, I am alive and living each day to the fullest and seeing you here makes me stronger than ever…but I sense you are not telling me the whole truth…I know you missed your family down here but there’s more to this sudden visit…”

Aunt Lina finished making the last of the toast and set a plate of scrambled eggs and a side of toast for Seohyun and her father. Aunt Lina then got her cup of coffee and sat beside Seohyun.

“Well…”

“Come on, darling, your father and I won’t judge…were you having trouble with work?”

Seohyun looked down to her freshly made batch of tasty scrambled eggs and sighed.

“Work was fine…it was just…well…Cho Kyuhyun returned…”

Seohyun’s father grew interested and sipped his coffee.

“I see…Kyuhyun…how is your old friend doing?”

“He’s good…I guess…well I guess I never told you but five years earlier Kyuhyun and I ran into each other in Manila during Go Ara’s wedding and we attempted to be together but that was a long shot that ended disastrously…then we saw each other again in San Francisco…”

“I see…”

“He’s an actor, Daddy, and well he was shooting a drama there and Tiffany…you remember Tiffany, right?”

“Tiffany Hwang? That skinny friend of yours who used to sleep here every night? Yes, I do…”

“Yes, she’s an actress now and she was trying to have Kyuhyun and me get back together…things got real complicated between all of us and well…I grew exhausted and that’s why you find me here sharing a plate of my favorite scrambled eggs with you…”

Seohyun took a deep breath examined the expressions of her father and aunt. They both looked at each other then back to Seohyun. Seohyun’s father spoke up.

“Is that all?”

“Well, I met another man named Piolo who I befriended in Manila then coincidentally ran into him as well in San Francisco after finding out my friend, Sarah and him, were related…we also had grown close but it got complicated when Kyuhyun returned…”

“This Piolo…did you two fall in love?”

“Love? I…I don’t know…we were just real close…friends…”

“I see…well…this sounds truly complicated…”

Seohyun lightly chuckled.

“Yeah, but for now, I just want to be with you…”

“Of course, honey…”

Seoul, Korea

Kyuhyun, Leeteuk, and Jiyeon exited the airport and approached the crew van at the loading zone. Kyuhyun placed his luggage in the back of the van and noticed Jiyeon was off in the distance. He brushed his hair back and walked over to Jiyeon.

“Are you not going to put your stuff up?”

“I’m grabbing my own taxi…”

“Wait, why?”

“I’m going home, Kyuhyun…”

“Aren’t you going to come with us?”

“I already spoke to Leeteuk-Oppa…I’m going back to my place and packing up to go back to the countryside to visit my family…I need a break…”

Kyuhyun looked to Leeteuk to see some sort of confirmation of what she was explaining but Leeteuk avoided his eye contact and took his seat at the front of the van. Kyuhyun turned back to Jiyeon.

“Does this have something to do with what happened back in San Francisco?”

“Maybe, maybe not but I just need some time visit my family…if you don’t mind…”

“Oh…”

Suddenly, a taxi pulled up and Jiyeon spoke to the driver.

“Alright, Oppa…I’ll see you…”

“Wait…”

“What?”

“Is this for good? What about us?”

“What about us?”

She nodded to Kyuhyun and opened the back door to the taxi. She placed her bags inside and took a seat at the front.

“Bye Oppa…”

She shut the door and the taxi drove away. Kyuhyun watched as the taxi joined the traffic and disappeared around the airport loop. He sighed and began to realize his life was drastically changing and it wasn’t in his best interest.

Pasadena, CA

Seohyun sat comfortably in her favorite wicker chair in the backyard as she watched her father grill some ribs on their worn out charcoal grill. Even though her father was terminally ill, he looked like he was livelier than ever. She watched as her father gently brushed some of his legendary BBQ sauce on the ribs as they sizzled on the grill. She cherished the aroma of her father’s grilled food and longed for the past when life was simpler. Her father turned around and smiled at her.

“You hungry, Joo Hyun?”

“I am, Daddy.”

They both laughed and he went back to flipping over the ribs. Suddenly, Aunt Lina came to backyard holding her bucket of kimchi she was mixing.

“Seohyun, you have a visitor out front!”

“Really? Who?”

“He says his name is Piolo!”

Seohyun turned pale and looked to her father.

“Go speak to him, it might be important…”

Seohyun sighed and quickly stood up. She nodded to Lina and went back into the house. She walked through the kitchen and entered the living room to find Piolo seated quietly. He saw her and quickly stood up.

“Seohyun!”

“Piolo? What on Earth are you doing here?”

“I just needed to see you…”

“Come on, let’s speak outside…”

She took him by the hand and they went out to the front porch. She shut the front door and looked to Piolo.

“Seohyun, I know it’s all so sudden…”

“It sure is…okay…why are you here?”

“Well yesterday, Tiffany came over and surprised the hell out of me…she wanted to speak to me about something important so I decided to listen…she confessed to me that she always envied you and that the way she treated you was only to get back at you but she’s feeling guilty of everything she’s done to you and wanted forgiveness…”

“I see…”

“She also admitted that she loved me but she was so swept by her jealously towards you that she rather make you jealous instead of expressing her love for me that’s why pushed herself to sleep with me…which I’m still regretting…”

“Piolo…”

“She wanted to know how I felt about her but I said I didn’t love her because…well because…I loved someone else…”

Seohyun’s eyes widened as Piolo stared deeply at her.

“She wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t toy with her emotions so when I said that I loved…you…she was relieved…she was hurt but was able to move on…”

“Piolo-“

“Seohyun, wait, I need to finish…Tiffany was jealous that you were capable of being happy but she was truly hurt knowing that she could be responsible for making you sad so she didn’t want to interfere with your affairs anymore…Seohyun…just hearing her confess pushed to me come down here and tell you that…that…dammit Seohyun,  I love you…”

“Piolo, I…I…”

“I am going to do whatever it takes to show you how much you mean to me even it means having to see you go to Kyuhyun…if you truly feel you should be with him then I cannot do anything about it…if it makes you happy…then that’s all I can do…but it won’t change my love for you…”

“Stop talking…”

Seohyun wrapped her arms around Piolo and placed a long wet kiss on his trembling lips. He embraced her and kissed her back passionately. He pressed her against her front door and they continued to kiss. Seohyun eased off and placed her hands on Piolo’s face.

“I couldn’t forget you, Piolo…you have been the only person who has continued to love me throughout everything…you never gave up on me…and now you’re standing before me with that same love…Piolo, I love you…”

Piolo softly smiled and pecked her on the lips.

“Seohyun…”

“I still can’t believe you came down here to see me…who gave you the address?”

“Tiffany did…you might want to speak to her once everything has cooled down between you two…”

“Oh, so you heard about our argument on the set?”

“You know how the faculty and students spread gossip…”

Seohyun giggled.

“Anyways, come inside and have dinner with us…”

“I would love to…”

Seoul, Korea

The sound of the doorknob rattling echoed through the apartment as Kyuhyun unlocked the door. He slowly opened the door and felt the cold air hit his face. He sighed and shut the door behind him. It was lonely and dark in his home as he dragged his luggage to his bedroom. Regardless of the sleek interior designing and expensive furniture, everything felt empty and worthless around him.

He reached his room and rolled his bags to the far corner. He lazily dragged himself to his bed and fell face first into his pricy waterbed, which he was growing tired of. He rolled over and felt the squishy motion of the bed groove down his spine. He stared up at the ceiling and tried to gather his thoughts.

“What happened?”

Several months ago he predicted that the show would have gone smoothly and that he would have worked things out with Seohyun. He never would have thought things would have gotten so complicated the way they did. What was worst was he slowly saw any form of friends he was beginning to have or already had, disappear. The glamorous life he prided himself with was beginning to wither away and he was fearful for what the future had in store for him. Then, he remembered Seohyun.

“Where did you go, Seohyun?”

He wanted to see her again. He wanted to listen to her talk. He wanted to smell her sweet perfume. He wanted to feel her again. He accepted the reality that having a relationship with her was nearly impossible but sharing a friendship was all he wanted. They were once the best of friends and he wanted to work on that but his ego got the best of him and he threw that away too. He could feel the tragic feeling of despair crawl up his leg. He didn’t want any part of that feeling but he couldn’t deny it. It was time for him to seek refuge from his negativity. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed his mother’s number. The phone rang loudly and his mother picked up afterwards.

“Kyuhyun?”

“Mom, how are you?”

“Honey, I’m fine…haven’t heard from you for awhile…”

“I know, it’s my fault…”

“You’re a busy man…I understand…”

“No, it’s my fault…”

“Honey…well…did you call your father?”

Kyuhyun sighed.

“I haven’t spoken to him in years…”

“He’s been asking about you…”

“You’re still in contact with that man?”

“Kyuhyun, don’t speak like that about him…even though we had our differences, he’s still your father…”

“Even when he left you for a younger woman?”

There was silence on his mother’s end and he felt regretful bringing up the painful past.

“Kyuhyun, your father and I weren’t the best of lovers…yet…throughout all this…we still had our friendship which we both cherish so much…”

Kyuhyun grew tearful.

“Mom, I’m sorry for speaking like this to you…I’m just…hurting right now…”

“Honey…”

“If you read the news in the coming days…don’t believe it…”

“What?”

“Some things happened in the San Francisco which I’m not particularly proud of but don’t believe the headlines…could you promise me that, Mom?”

“Of course…but honey…tell me what happened…”

“I hurt someone because…well…because he took away the girl I loved…”

“What do you mean?”

Kyuhyun wiped his tears.

“Joo Hyun…”

“Seo Joo Hyun? Your old friend?”

“I loved her, Mom…”

“I know you did honey…but…what happened?”

“She…she doesn’t love me back…”

“Oh…Kyuhyun…”

“Mom, I need to go now…”

“I’ll visit you tomorrow morning, okay? I’ll make you some soup…”

“I love you Mom…”

“I love you too…”

Kyuhyun hung up his phone and tossed it into his closet. He rolled over and wiped his tears away. It suddenly hit him that Seohyun wasn’t going to him. It wasn’t his ego or body aching from the pain but his heart. He loved Seohyun but he couldn’t express it to her. Through all the confusion and arguments, he simply couldn’t show how much he loved her.

“Please, don’t forget me, Seohyun…”

After the drama that occurred in San Francisco, everyone took his or her separate paths. With Kyuhyun in Seoul, what will become of his career? Will he be able to patch things up with Jiyeon? With Seohyun in LA and together with Piolo, what does the future have in store for them? Can Seohyun and Tiffany recover their old friendship? Will SeoKyu ever find each other again? Stay tuned for the final chapter of “Lovers in Manila”!