“Where’s Jaejoong?”

 

The question has been surfacing each time she went for the usual class gathering that one of her classmates would organize fortnightly. She did not like the idea of class gathering since it would remind her of the drastic changes in Jaejoong and it would hurt her so much. Yet, she did not want anyone to know about it. She did not want tarnish Jaejoong’s good husband’s image. 

 

“He is busy with his work.”

 

With a satisfying answer, they turned their attentions back to the topic before. She let out a soft relieve sigh and tried to smile at any thing that everyone think was funny about.

 

The truth about Jaejoong’s absence was that he never knew about the gathering. She never got the chance to talk to him, needless to say, ask him. 

 

She stared at the good and loving husbands that her classmates have brought along for the gathering in envy. She wished that her married life were just like theirs.

 

Her heart tightened. In between the smiles she tried her best to show, tears that she tried so hard to hold back slowly formed in her eyes. It has always been a routine and a habit for her ever since she has gotten used to the six years of pain. 

 

Everyone would have questioned her the first few times it happened. Soon after, everyone would have treated it as a weird habit of her to smile to the point tears welled up in her eyes. 

 

With everyone biding goodbye, they left on their separate ways. Hyomin got into her car that Jaejoong has gotten her on one of their special occasions, and started bursting out in tears. The pain in her heart was something that nothing could have healed except for the one who caused them. 

 

After every class gathering, she would cry to her heart’s content and get back with her usual life again. Her heartbreaking routine has gone on for six years and it was about to get better until that day, everything has returned back to the first time.

 

Except, it was twice as much as pain.

 

Jaejoong stepped into the usual quiet apartment in surprised to see the lights off. He came back way past midnight but Hyomin was nowhere to be found. The thoughts of her leaving him flashed in his mind immediately. And at the same time, he rushed into the room worried to see an empty space in the wardrobe. 

 

He felt relieved when he saw Hyomin’s clothing were still in the wardrobe and at the same time, worried at her sudden disappearance. She would usually knock off on time. Even if she has some plans going on, she would still be home before he did. 

 

Jaejoong stepped out of the living room with a frown, searching for clues to where his wife has went. After rummaging her drawers, he fell onto the sofa in fear that something must have happened to her on her way home.

 

He tried clearing his thoughts and convinced himself that she would be home if he waited patiently. And true enough the doorbell rang. He bolted up from the seat and opened the door not expecting to see something different.

 

Jaejoong stared at her peacefully asleep figure lying on the usual side of the bed. Her disarrayed hair and her messy makeup made him frown. He was not disgusted by the messy appearance but rather having the same feeling that he heard her cry each night.

 

‘I found Hyomin alone by the roadside stall, drunk. She must have been going through a hard day.’

 

The voice played back in his head. He was surprised to find his ex-classmate, Park Yoochun, to be carrying her on his back, appearing in front of their doorsteps.

 

He was clueless to how, after so long, did Park Yoochun able to recognize her since she has changed so much these years. And it seems to him that Park Yoochun had knew things about him since he did not make an effort to question about his life like they had been meeting up once in a while.

 

The soft sniffing sound snapped him off his thoughts. Staring down at her, he felt a sharp pain right in the heart. He knew very well that he was guilty for all the pain that she has been feeling. 

 

-

 

Hyomin woke up to the huge hangover she had from the vicious drinking last night. Holding onto her throbbing head, she sat up slowly to realize that she was back at home. Staring down at her changed clothes, she figured out that Jaejoong was the one who changed them. 

 

‘Did Jaejoong sent me back?’ She thought quietly. She turned over to her nightstand surprised to find a box of aspirin with a glass of water. A small smile crept on her face at his little caring thoughts that were unexpected.

 

The vibration of her mobile snapped her out of her loving thoughts. She grabbed her mobile and to her surprise, she had a message from Park Yoochun.

 

‘You must have been having a bad day for you to drink till that state. I hope Jaejoong didn’t yell at you for carrying you on my back in that state. – Park Yoochun.’

 

Hyomin stared at the message with a frown. She has never expected Yoochun to be the one who sent her back. After all, the last thing she remembered was drinking alone. Staring back at the last sentence, she let out a small smirk. 

 

Jaejoong will never yell at her no matter how much she wished for it. Things would not be this bad if he would just speak a word to her. She would not have the chance to be drinking all by herself then.

 

The sudden vibration snapped her out from her thoughts. She stared down at the name flashing on the screen, debating if she should answer that call.

 

‘Park Yoochun’