“You need me to leave Suzy? She will already be leaving me at the end of this month. We.. We had a contract for being a couple for only a month..” Jonghun was embarrassed that he had to say those words to Suzy’s father but they had to be said.

Jonghun was already running out of time to spend with Suzy & he was treasuring every single moment he could before she left him. Yet now he was being requested by Mr Bae to break up with his daughter even before their contract as a couple for a month could end.

“I know all about your contract son. It is despicable & demeaning to my daughter but since she actually agreed I guess I can’t blame you entirely. She’s young & naïve. It’s only natural she’d develop feelings for a charming handsome young man like you.” Mr Bae said in a monotone.

“She loves you. After reading her diary entry I understand just how much she loves you. Suzy will never leave you. It’s up to you to do it.” Jonghun met the older man’s eyes & felt his heart sink right down to the soles of his Doc Martens. “She hasn’t told me anything about not leaving me sir. There is a high possibility that Suzy might go to London.” Jonghun tried once more.

“Do you think that you know daughter better than me?” Mr Bae raised his eyebrows. “No sir.” Jonghun’s eyes fell back down onto his sneakers. “The way she writes about you, the way she speaks about you, the way she fights with me over you. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out just how much you mean to her. Like I said before I might have felt otherwise about your relationship if Suzy didn’t have to leave but she does. Unfortunately for you she has to leave.” Mr Bae continued speaking pushing Jonghun deeper into silence.

“Do you understand that she will never be able to concentrate & give it her 100% even if she leaves for London leaving your relationship the way it is now? She will miss you & will wish that she was back in Korea every single day. A clean break is what my daughter needs. For her own good.” Jonghun bit back the tears that were already welling up at Mr Bae’s words.

The man wasn’t cruel or mean but he had the way of putting his words across in such a manner that Jonghun felt like a puddle of mud. “I love her. Even more than she realises. Even more than you realise sir. I’m not a selfish person to stand in the way of Suzy’s progress.” Jonghun spoke through a sigh.

“Then are you going to take me up on my suggestion?” Mr Bae wanted to know. Jonghun found himself getting enveloped by his own silence. “I will talk to Suzy about this..” Jonghun stood up when Mr Bae stopped him.

“No. Under no circumstances should Suzy know about the conversation we are having now. She will definitely NOT leave if she hears I told you to leave her. My daughter is headstrong & letting her know this will make her even more stubborn.” Mr Bae shook his head & then cringed in discomfort and grabbed his side.

“Are you alright sir?” Jonghun stood up & walked towards Mr Bae immediately. “I’m fine son. I will be even better if you think about what I said & agree to it.” Mr Bae looked Jonghun right in the eye.

Jonghun bit his bottom lip so hard he tasted blood seeping into his mouth. He was caught between a rock & a hard place. He couldn’t express in words how much he loved Suzy, how much he wanted to hold onto her & not let her out his sight for even one moment yet he was now practically being forced to give her up without a fight.

“The irony is that I now realise that Suzy loves me as much as I love her but I can’t let her know that I know.” Jonghun heaved a deep melancholic sigh. “Okay Mr Bae. I will do it. I will break up with Suzy.” Jonghun regretted the words even before he uttered them.

“I’m glad you made decision son. If you have to break her heart do it. Just disappear from her life before she leaves for London. Let her finish her course & then maybe when she comes back you can pursue her. That is if you still have feelings for her after two years.” Mr Bae said. Jonghun looked at Suzy’s father steadily.

“Sir please don’t misunderstand but I will always love Suzy even if you think that I’m not capable of it. Even if it takes two years or twenty years I will be there for her. Please excuse me now. I think it’s better if I leave.” Jonghun gave Mr Bae a small bow & walked out of the hospital room. He couldn’t take one more minute of Mr Bae’s taunting.

He knew that Mr Bae disliked him but Jonghun had no idea that Suzy’s father thought that he was the one standing in the way of Suzy’s progress. Still feeling like he had been punched in the gut Jonghun headed towards the cafeteria where Suzy was having a bite with her mother & brother. He found the trio sitting together at a table right at the end of the cafeteria.

Su Geun’s head was resting on the table & Jonghun had no doubt that the young man had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Suzy & Mrs Bae however had their heads together & seemed to be in deep conversation. Jonghun watched Suzy’s cheeks turn pink & open slightly at whatever her mother was saying to her.

His eyes watched her every expression on her cute face, every move intently attempting to memorise how her every feature looked like. Who knew.. That might be the last time he would ever get to admire her before she started hating him for what he was about to do.

“Are you feeling better now Omma?” Suzy placed a hand over her mother’s. The older woman’s hand felt cold & clammy & Suzy rubbed her mother’s hand in an attempt to warm it up. “Don’t worry honey.. I’m fine.” Mrs Bae noticed what Suzy was doing & gave her a small smile. “You’re not fine Omma. Your eyes are dead.” Suzy sighed.

“At least your father is still alive.” Mrs Bae replied bluntly. “OMMA!” Suzy gasped in shock. “Don’t mind me.. I’m just tired.” Mrs Bae’s reply made Suzy’s heart sink even further. Her worry about her husband’s health aside it seemed that her mother was actually.. mad at her.

“Are you mad at me?” Suzy questioned & saw the reply in her mother’s eyes even before her mother opened . “No. Why would I be mad at you?” Mrs Bae didn’t meet her daughter’s eyes. “That means you are. What happened Omma?” Suzy sincerely wanted to know the reason why her mother seemed so distant. “Your father had that serious gastric attack after he read your diary.” Mrs Bae said in a cold voice.

Suzy felt the blood rush to her cheeks. “Appa read my diary?! How.. Why did he do that? It’s private.” Suzy protested. “He stumbled upon it accidentally while he was searching for your birth certificate. Your father wanted to bequeath the house we are living in now to you that is why he was searching for your birth certificate. If not he wouldn’t have read your diary & found things that he wasn’t supposed to read.” Mrs Bae sighed.

“Wh.. What are you talking about Omma? What kind of things did Appa read about in my diary?” Suzy felt her face flush to an even deeper crimson. “Just how much you loved Jonghun & how you were planning to give you your scholarship to London to be with Jonghun.” Suzy’s mouth fell open at her mother’s words.

They knew. They knew that she was planning to stay in Korea because she had totally fallen in love with Jonghun & didn’t have the heart to leave him behind for two years. “I told your father that you will do no such thing that will disappoint our family but I think he know his daughter the best and realised that you are serious about Jonghun. Unfortunately for him his gastric started acting up because he got too stressed over that sudden revelation.” Mrs Bae continued speaking while Suzy stared at the table in dismay.

She could hear the disappointment in her mother’s voice. The disappointment that was making Suzy feel as if she was three years old again. “I.. That is my personal choice Omma. I think I’m old enough to make decisions for myself.” Suzy answered calmly.

“It’s a decision that affects me & your father too Suzy. I always thought you were mature enough to make decisions for yourself but I think I might have been mistaken. You are not.” Mrs Bae’s words made Suzy blush once again. It was bad enough that her father had read her diary & had a gastric attack after that, now her mother doubted her ability to make decisions for herself.

“Omma.. Please listen to me. I love Jonghun. I already have a job as his secretary & I’m happy with him. Really happy. Is it too much for me to ask you both to be happy for me?” Suzy sighed drumming her fingers on the table top. “Honey.. You were the first person in our family to receive a full scholarship to a prestigious university in London. Do you know just how many people have applied for that course & have been rejected?” Mrs Bae looked aghast that anyone could refuse the opportunity to study abroad.

“Omma I know..” Suzy started to protest once again when her mother stopped her. “No you listen to me. You might think it’s not a big deal to refuse that opportunity but it is. Your father & I have worked so hard all these years so that you & your brother can have a good future. Don’t you realise how proud your father was when we first heard the news of your scholarship? All the relatives who looked down upon us were speechless at that achievement. Now you want to throw it all away for love.” Mrs Bae shook her head disappointedly.

Suzy’s vision started blurring through the tears that were already swimming inside her eyes. The first time she was finally content in her life she was being pressurised to give it up for the sake of her family’s reputation. “I need time to think about it Omma.” Suzy answered without looking at her mother.

“Think carefully about what is at stake here Suzy. Think about your family. Maybe it’s a lot to ask from you but we’ve no choice.” Mrs Bae woke Su Geun up & dragged him away with Suzy watching on in dismay. Laying her head on the cool Formica table Suzy shut her eyes trying to organise her jumbled up thoughts. She couldn’t leave Jonghun. No matter what she couldn’t leave. She didn’t want to leave him.

“I’ve really fallen in love with him over the past few months. What am I going to do?” a tear slipped down Suzy’s nose & fell onto the table. “Hey..” she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to find Jonghun staring down at her his eyes reflecting her own sadness. “Jonghun..” Suzy’s voice cracked as she uttered his name. If only he knew what her mother had told her to do..

“Ssh.. Don’t say anything. Come..” Jonghun gathered Suzy up into his arms & she collapsed into them with a small sob. “Why does this have to happen to me?” she spoke into his chest. Jonghun felt a sudden wetness on his cheek & realised that he was crying himself.

“She’s already so heartbroken over her father’s condition. How can I break her heart now? Yet I have to do it sooner or later.” Jonghun spoke silently to himself hugging Suzy even closer. “I love you.” Jonghun whispered into her ear. “I love you too.” Suzy answered her voice thick with emotion her tears seeping through Jonghun’s shirt.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note : Sorry for the late update guys. Thank you for the comments! I hope this chapter was good. Comments & suggestions are welcome! :D This part of the parents forcing a couple to break up is something that actually happened to one of my friends in real life. She didn't have her happy ending & I hope through this story & the characters I can give the happy ending she didn't get in real life.