Chapter 17

Broken Strings

Hong Ki strummed his guitar. At first, he was just strumming it in a soft manner. But as seconds passed by, frustration went up to his head that he strummed the string violently. So violent that he ended up wounding his own fingers.

            Frustrated, he raised his guitar up in the air, wanting to throw it away and wreck it into pieces. He wanted to ruin it so badly, just like how devastated he is deep inside. But he was frozen in air when Jong Hoon suddenly came and held the guitar firmly.

            “Hong Ki, stop it!” Jong Hoon yelled at him with firm authority in his voice.

            “Ahhhh!” Hong Ki yelled as tears started to stream down his cheeks. His voice is rough and shaky already. He held his head firmly, pulling his hair because of so much frustration he’s feeling. He feels he wanted to tear everything he sees at this moment, yet weakness overcomes him. It was just so painful.

            “Stop it?! Stop it?” Hong Ki yelled at Jong Hoon. Sarcasm is evident on his voice. “Only if I could, I would stop this pain. This is killing me, Jong Hoon! It totally yet I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself from feeling this! Now tell me, tell me… how can I make myself stop, huh?”

            Jong Hoon sighed helplessly. Even how much he wanted to help his best friend stop from feeling that awful pain, he doesn’t know how he could do so.

            “Hong Ki, please calm down,” he managed to say though he knows Hong Ki wouldn’t listen to him.

            “I love her, Jong Hoon. I love Park Shin Hye so much,” Hong Ki cried like a helpless child on his palms. “She made me feel again. She gave my life hope. She healed me. But why does she have to ruin me again? Break me more severely than I was before.”

            Jong Hoon can only stare at Hong Ki. He knows he could do nothing to ease his friend’s pain. Even he, himself, doesn’t know why Park Shin Hye hurt Hong Ki this way. She’s a lovely girl. She’s way too kind, cheerful, optimistic, and understanding. During those times when nobody can penetrate into Hong Ki’s walls, she was there, willing to give him a hand. She’s beautiful inside and out. And if there is a girl that would fit perfectly for Hong Ki, there would be no one else but Shin Hye. That’s why when Hong Ki told him his plans of courting Shin Hye, he didn’t disagree. If he only knew that Hong Ki would be this devastated, he shouldn’t have let him do this. But falling in love is falling in love. It happens unexpectedly. And there could be no way to stop someone from feeling what he wants to feel for another person.

            “Oppa!”

            Jong Hoon’s thinking was cut short when he heard that calling voice. It was Suzy. She was running all her way to their position, panting as tears are b down her face.

            Hong Ki didn’t even budge. He stayed on his miserable position, crying like a fool.

            “Hong Ki oppa,” Suzy called him. There’s this tone of helplessness in her voice.

            “Suzy, he won’t listen to you,” Jong Hoon said, trying to dismiss Hong Ki’s sister. He knows Hong Ki to well. When he’s really frustrated, he can be the meanest guy. That is something they all know, which only changed when Shin Hye came into his life. But now that it’s Shin Hye herself who wrecked him, he might be worse. “Just give him more space.”

            “But Jong Hoon, this is important,” Suzy pleaded. She wiped the tear that fell down her cheek, but it was useless for another tear fell down.

            “Suzy…”

            “This is about Shin Hye unnie!” Suzy cried out. And as if those were the magic words, Hong Ki moved from his place. He faced his sister with this indescribable look on his face. He looked at Suzy with piercing eyes, emitting that dark and scary aura.

            “Shut up Suzy! I don’t want to hear anything about that girl anymore!” he yelled violently. So violent that he even pushed Suzy forcefully that it made her fell on the floor. Jong Hoon was surprised with the sudden action. He didn’t think Hong Ki could physically hurt his own sister. This seems to get really worse.

            “Hong Ki…” Jong Hoon felt paralyzed; stunned with the intensity of their sudden actions. He can't control everything now. As much as he wanted to help and meddle in, he knows it wouldn’t still make a sense. No amount of words, or even punch, would wake Hong Ki up now.

            Suzy cried helplessly on the ground. She didn’t bother to move and stand up. All she did was to weep on her place.

            “Shin Hye unnie…” she whispered as she sobs. Hong Ki clenched his fist upon hearing the name. He was about to yell again but Jong Hoon was alert. He held his best friend firm on his shoulders, giving him that warning look.

            “Oppa…” Suzy looked at Hong Ki as tears are invading her cheeks non-stop. “She… She’s in the hospital right now. And she… she’s not in a good condition anymore…”

            The world stopped momentarily for them. It’s as if a bomb that was suddenly dropped off unto their place. And they were unready. They didn’t saw that coming.

            “H-how… W-why?” Jong Hoon managed to ask when he has already absorbed the news. Hong Ki, on the other hand, was as if frozen on his place. He couldn’t even utter a thing. Everything seems so hard for him to decipher.

            “Are you kidding me, Bae Suzy?” Hong Ki roared loudly, like a lion ready to eat his prey. He stared at Suzy with those menace- emitting orbs when he had recovered from the shock. “Are you trying to sway things so I won’t feel bitter about Shin Hye’s refusal to my feelings? Are you thinking that that could diminish the pain and the anger I’m feeling right now? Don’t try to make up stories just so you could save your beloved unnie from my wrath, Bae Suzy!”

            Suzy can't help but to cry even more. Her loud sobs, aside from Hong Ki’s heavy panting is everything that could be heard in that room. She doesn’t care anymore if her brother would get annoyed with her sobs, because there is no way she could stop herself from crying. Hong Ki doesn’t understand anything here.

            “You imbecile!” she pointed angrily to her brother. “You really are a moron! I am not making stories here. I’m telling you the truth! Shin Hye unnie is in the hospital. That’s the mere reason why she refused your feelings. She didn’t accept your love not because she doesn’t love you, but because she’s saving you from another misery. Because she’s dying Hong Ki.”

            “She’s dying…” Suzy sobbed continuously, crying helplessly on her palms. “She’s literally dying with brain cancer and at the same time, dying because of trying to hold her feelings back. She did hurt you in purpose—and that purpose is to stop you from loving her. Because she believes you and her wouldn’t make any sense because she’s about to die.”

            “N-no…” Hong Ki mumbled softly, feeling a lump on his throat. He shook his head violently as everything’s sinking into his mind now.

            “No!” he shook his head again, trying to get those thoughts out of mind. He’s hoping that by rejecting the things Suzy has unveiled from their very eyes would make them just pure lies. He doesn’t want to accept the fact. He doesn’t want Shin Hye to die.

            “No, you’re kidding me! Bae Suzy, you’re lying!” he yelled, but yelling suddenly seemed to be strength-consuming for him now. It’s as if his strength is leaving his body. He could feel the shaking of his knees. He could feel his heavy and uncontrolled breathing as if the air he’s inhaling is insufficient for him to breathe properly. If Shin Hye’s rejection of his feelings feels like dying, then this feels like dying twice or even thrice.

            Suzy shook her head slowly and weakly. It’s as if all of them inside that room are exhausted and empty.

            “I wish I was just lying… I wish this is just a bad dream,” she said in a melancholy. Then, she slowly stood up her place and went near Hong Ki. She gave him a large and thick notebook.

            “That’s Shin Hye’s journal.”

            Hong Ki looked at the notebook, and held it with his trembling hands. He is afraid to open its pages, because to him, everything seems like a bomb now. He’s afraid that if he opens the notebook, everything will burst and explode in his face. If denying the truth would save him from misery, then, he would do it. But can he really save himself from a much more painful adversary?

            “That contains everything, oppa,” Suzy stated whilst getting up. She bit her lower lip, staring at her brother with worry and loneliness. “I know… I know she doesn’t want you to know the truth about her. She’s willing to contain all her pain and agony just to save you from a more destructing reality, but I think you should know the truth. I hope you’ll have the courage to take a look at those notebook’s pages. Everything will make sense to you when you read it.”

            Suzy wiped her tears, but they continued to flow like a fall from her eyes. Everything is so painful for her, what more does it feel for Shin Hye and Hong Ki?

            “I just hope you’ll do the right thing after, oppa. No matter what, please follow what your heart tells you.”

            And then, Suzy started walking away, leaving him with something that he doesn’t know how to face.

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Hello there people. I hope you're still there. I know I owe you a lot for not updating for such a long long looooonggg time. But please stay with me until the end. I just got a lot of things to do that's why I wasnt able to give this time. But I will update, promise!

I'm really sorry for making you wait guys. I feel so bad and guilty because of that. But I hope your love won't fade, especially now that things are getting more complicated. Yes, everyone. Shin Hye's sick. What would Hong Ki do? What would happen to their love story? Lezz all find out. :D

Please shower our HongShin couple with love <3 And support Hong Ki with his activities. He has a new drama. :)

Saranghae everyone <3