43
Defence
“I can explain.” Donghae’s mother went on. “You’re the one who got me started. Didn’t you say she could miraculously turn out to be an Estate Owner’s daughter? I just wanted to verify, I had no idea that girl would have such manners.”
Yoona stared at her angrily with her eyebrows painfully scrunched up before she headed toward the door. There was nothing to say. When she got outside neither Donghae or Victoria were in sight. She let out an exasperated breath before she pulled out her phone.
“Help me search for them.” Yoona said as soon as he picked up on the other line of the phone.
“Hello?” Taecyeon asked.
“Help me search for them.” Yoona repeated.
“What happened?”
- - - - -
Her legs just moved once she reached the street. It was all on impulse, an uncontrolled condition. Without question she just moved down the street. Everything flew pass in a blur. The wind flew at her but that only made her run harder against it. She hadn’t had such a good run in a long time. How long had she been running?
Images of laughing people appeared in her mind but she quickly lashed them away. Everything faded and the blurs slowly dissolved back into shape when she came to a stop. The moving cars slowed pass her disappearing around the bend and the clouds disappeared behind the tall pine trees. As she fought to catch her breath, she slowly began moving forward unsure of where to go. She didn’t recognize the area.
It was on her eighth step when she heard furious footsteps turn around the corner.
“Victoria!” he shouted.
She stopped in her steps slightly moving her head to her right trying to not look back at the same time as she wanted to look back.
“How can…” he panted, “you…move…so…fast?”
Victoria didn’t turn. What was there to say?
His loud breathing was noticeable as he struggled to walk over. When his hand touched hers she felt him turn her around.
“Are you…ok?” he asked still out of breath.
How far had she made him run?
“Why…did you follow me?” she questioned.
“Didn’t you say that you couldn’t turn away from me?” he asked.
Victoria stared at him.
“So…why did you run off first? You should have waited for me,” he went on, “I don’t care what you say. Your background doesn’t matter, I don’t care who your parents are, or what they do. I don’t want them, I only want you.”
“What?” was what she wanted to say but the words never came.
“Sorry…I won’t ask you about what you’ve been through anymore. I’ll wait, instead, for you to tell me what you want me to know.”
Victoria felt awed. What was she suppose to say now? What was she supposed to do? The cold in the clouded air whistled pass as if to say the worse may have passed.
She returned the grip on his hand, “Thank you.”
- - - - -
Taecyeon rushed around the city in his car racing the streets in panic mode. After getting stuck in traffic he pulled out his phone.
“Have you found her?” he asked.
“I haven’t seen them anywhere.”
“Do you think anything would have happened?” he worried.
Yoona was quiet before going on, “No. There’s been no reports about anything.”
Taecyeon heaved a sigh.
“Sorry,” she apologized again, “you should go home. Victoria…may have gone back. She has no where else to go.”
“Ok, if you can get a hold of them let me know right away.” Taecyeon said before hanging up.
After heaving a long sigh he reluctantly headed back with much thought. Nervously he paced back and forth in the living room putting his hands together them dropping them to his sides. What if those people attacked Victoria while Donghae was there? What was going to happen if that happened? He was sure that as a businessman Donghae didn’t know any self defense. Taecyeon heaved another long sigh and sat down waiting for well over an hour before the door opened.
“Yah!” he shouted jumping up.
Victoria stared at him surprised. He hurried over, observed her red face, and slightly touched it.
“Are you ok?! What have you been doing?! You’re freaking cold!” he screamed.
She frowned at him, “Nothing happened.”
Taking her shoes off she ped her jacket, walked toward the bedroom, but felt herself spin around with his hand on her arm.
“Nothing happened? Nothing happened?” he repeated. “You can’t even tell me what happened?”
“Why? What’s wrong?” she asked confused.
He stared at her and snorted, “Whoa! Wow! You’re great, you’re really great!”
“What are you angry at?”
“Angry? I’m not angry!”
“You’re yelling.”
“Psh!” he went on. “How could you let that fool treat you like that while I was sitting my off waiting for your return?!”
Victoria stared at him then asked, “Who exactly are you angry at?”
“Don’t take your jacket off! We’re heading out!”
“Huh? To where?” she questioned following him toward the door.
- - - - -
Donghae reluctantly opened the door and walked into his home to find his mother pacing back and forth uncomfortably in the gathering room with the fire blazing in the fireplace. His mother looked up immediately once he stopped by the open entrance.
“Where’d you go?” she questioned.
Donghae stared at her then entered the room toward the table where the newspaper sat. he grabbed it and asked, “What’s this about, mom?”
“I just wanted to see if she was really the daughter that was missing.”
“You got her answer so leave her alone.”
“That wasn’t an answer, it was nothing but a lie. Do I look stupid?” his mom asked.
“What do you want from her?” Donghae wondered.
His mother crossed her arms, “Restore her family, perhaps.”
“What?” Donghae asked not believing her. “That’s not your problem to deal with, mom.”
“And who are you to be saying this to your mother?”
Donghae glanced at her without wavering.
“So what? If what she told was a lie then I might quickly agree to a marriage proposal.”
“What?”
“Or if she’s just really someone from the street then you can give up hopes of ever seeing her again.” she told turning her head away in a snobby manner before turning back to him. “So, what is it you want?”
Donghae stared at her unbelievably.
“I’m pretty sure you know something about her, right?” his mother smiled.
Donghae pressed his lips together.
- - - - -
Minutes later she found herself following Taecyeon down the aisles in the mart watching as he tossed random stuff into the shopping cart. She glanced at his face to find it calmly still. He was angry. She took a breath, crossed her arms, and just followed silently.
When they checked out and headed out Victoria asked, “So what did you two talk about when I left?”
Taecyeon remained silent.
“You two didn’t talk?” Victoria pressed.
Taecyeon stared at her then switched the subject, “Did you meet up with him?”
“You can’t even say his name?” Victoria asked.
“You never say Yoona’s name,” Taecyeon pointed out.
Victoria turned away. “Ok, I was wrong for annoying you.”
They were silent while making their way to the car.
“Are you ok?” he asked. “What his mother talked about…”
“You think I can’t even handle that?” questioned Victoria. “I’m more capable than you think.”
“That’s good.”
“But why do you seem to dislike Donghae?”
Taecyeon stopped the cart by the car and opened the back trunk.
“It’s not dislike. I just don’t feel comfortable with him.” he replied while unloading the bags into the car.
Victoria stole a glance at him without offering her help.
“Maybe you shouldn’t try to isolate yourself anymore,” Taecyeon broke the second of silence, “Yoona’s very doubtful about approaching you because you keep distancing yourself. Why don’t you try to talk to her?”
She fully turned so that she could face him, “She’s a Deputy Sherriff. If I surely approach her firsthand she’ll want to dig information out of me about those 14 years.”
“And you’re scared?”
A gust of wind flew pass tossing her hair into a crazy whirl.
“Can I not be afraid?”
“Look Victoria…” he began.
“I can’t do it.”
“She’s tried so hard looking for you! She went all the way to Gapyeong and stayed till midnight while searching like crazy in the woods for some clues that couldn’t be found. Do you know how difficult it was to see that?” Taecyeon tried.
Why was it that during that night no one else was around to make them quietly head back home in silence?
Victoria swallowed silently, “If I’m not approaching her then I don’t want to be found.”
“What…” he started but she cut him off again.
“During the darkest moments, during those darkest hours I couldn’t even cry, couldn’t even ask for help. How can you compare the unexplainable stuff I’ve gone through just to live till today to all that crazy searching she’s been doing?
“Every second, every hour of my life I was alone bearing the cold. And you compare that to how she’s climbed up the ladder to being successful, while I’m out here hiding cowardly? Do you know what they turned me into? I barely even have the right to be living right now. And you’re asking me to reproach something I’ve worked so hard to forget? You’re kidding me. Does this make anything fair for me then?!” her voice shook, her hands wanted to tremble but she couldn’t express any of it.
He stared back speechlessly bewildered. There wasn’t anything he could do.
Victoria felt almost shocked when he put his hand on her arm. She felt like throwing him off, hurting him, but she couldn’t.
“I’m sorry.” he apologized. “Of course, I don’t understand. None of us could understand. None of us could make up for any of it. But you know, just like anyone else, I want the best for you. The people who’ve been waiting for you are still here, whether you want to see them or not. While you’re still here, you still have the chance to return. What you’ve done isn’t your fault. It’s not too late, Victoria. What you’ve been through, you shouldn’t try to hold that as an excuse to keep hiding. The ones who have waited for you, what about their hearts that have slowly died while waiting?”
“All in all you’re telling me to turn myself in?” Victoria plainly questioned pulling her arm out of his hold. “I don’t care what you or anyone else think I should do. I’m not going back.”
He put his grip on her arm again, “That’s fine if you won’t listen to me. Will you listen to Lee Donghae then?”
“Don’t pull him in this,” Victoria warned staring at him with angry eyes.
“Why not?” he asked.
Victoria swallowed silently searching her mind for some kind of retort. “Why does it matter to you? Who am I to you other than this person you’ve picked up on the street? Or could it be that you like Yoona and you feel you owe her something by telling me to go back to 14 years ago? Is that it?”
Taecyeon stared at her, “You’re absurd.”
“So, you’re not denying it?” she challenged.
“You’re really making this hard,” he commented, “I’m only saying this because I believe that you deserve the kind of protection you’ve been deprived of all this time. Because you’ve received no love, no affection, you can’t understand and you can’t accept anything I do. It’s fine with me, because we aren’t close.
“Just once, Victoria, just once can’t you think about seeing the parents who gave life to you? The friend who lived so pitifully for you? I’m not telling you to take off your mask and go upright to them and say you’re coming back. Just let them see you, once and for all before anything should happen. They deserve at least that from you even if you’re just going to stare from afar. Somewhere inside you, within that tough exterior you always exhibit, I know you also yearn for it. Am I right?”
“Tsk,” Victoria snorted, “protection? You’re crazy.”
“Victoria!” he shouted grabbing a hold of her other arm with his free hand. “Would you listen to me just once?!”
“No, I won’t, because this is my problem. Not yours. You got it?” she asked shaking him off. “You go home alone.”
“Yah! Yah!” he screamed after her as she walked off.
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