Eun Mi

It was now about two weeks after the beach trip. If Sun Hee was still pouncing on Dayday, I had no clue of it. She acted normal at school and at the girl gatherings we had. I never saw her with Dayday again. And if she still was hanging onto him, what I didn't know wouldn't hurt me. I still believed and trusted Dayday, so I was putting my faith into him that nothing would happen. Plus, have you seen the guy? Never in a trillion years would he cheat. 

I took another sip of my coffee and stared out the window. Right now I was at a small cafe, trying to finish marking assignments. There was a tap on my arm. I looked over and standing in front of me wearing a happy smile was Jun. 

"Hi Miss Lee." 

"Hello, Jun. What are you doing here?" 

"Oh. I came here with my mommy." He pointed towards a tall woman with a chic bob cut. I nodded and we talked for a bit more, mostly about how his weekend was going. His mother came over and greeted me, and then excused herself and Jun since he had his swimming lessons. 

I packed up my things and got up from the table, walking towards the counter. I bought a box of doughnuts to share with the girls when I met up with them later. Pulling my phone out of my pocket as I left the cafe, I typed a quick text to Dayday.

Handsome boyfriend, I miss you. Are you busy? Call me. 

Before I could take another step, my phone rang. 

"I heard my girlfriend misses me." Hearing his voice put me in a better mood almost instantly.

Smiling, I replied, "Yeah, she does. What are you up to?"

"I have some errands to do today."

"Are you busy all day?"

Sounding apologetic, he said, "Yeah. Sorry."

"No worries about it. I'm gonna meet with the girls and maybe go shopping."

"Sounds fun. Hey. Are you doing anything on Tuesday?" 

"Tuesday? Well, there's teaching. After that, I'm free."

I could tell he was smiling. "Perfect. Let's meet at De La Rose for dinner, and then I'll surprise you with something afterwards."

"Is there something special on Tuesday?" I asked him, puzzled.

Dayday laughed. "You don't know? It's your birthday, loser!" He remembered? I smiled, feeling all tingly inside. Even I had forgotten about it myself. 

"And, it's our 150th day together." 

"150th day? Since when was 150 days together for couples celebrated?" 

"Since I said so," he said. Even though he couldn't see, I made a face.

"Fine. De La Rose, Tuesday. What time?" 

"Seven."

Before we said goodbye, there was a girl's laugh in the background, yelling Dayday's name. The voice and laugh sounded oddly familiar. I couldn't match a name though. Frowning, I put my phone in my bag and continued driving to the meeting spot that Mimi had set. 

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"Good evening, miss. Do you have a reservation?" The hostess smiled politely at me. 

I nodded. "Under David Kim." 

She looked through her reservations book and found the name. "The other person has not yet arrived. But please follow me to your table." 

Dayday had picked the best view in the entire restaurant. Looking out the window, I could see downtown and all the city lights sparkling brightly. I thanked the hostess and asked for a glass of water. Dayday would probably be here soon, so I'd wait and order with him. 

A while later, the waiter came by again for the second time, asking if I was ready to order. Once again, I shook my head no and cut my eyes to the seat in front of me. The waiter gave a nod and walked off to another table. I looked at my phone, checking the time. 7:45 already. He was probably stuck in traffic. 

__________________________________

I stared blankly at my water glass. There was a small tap on my shoulder and I looked up. The waiter was standing there, looking apologetic with pity in his eyes. I gulped, willing the lump in my throat to go away.

"Miss, I'm very sorry, but it's now 11 o'clock and the restaurant is closed. I'd like to ask you to please leave." Numbly, I put on my jacket and grabbed my purse. As I walked towards the door, I could feel the stares of the staff on my back. I heard someone whisper, "She's so pretty! How can some guy just stand her up?" 

I walked faster, even after I left the restaurant. One foot in front of the other. I concentrated on that and breathing in and out. Inhale. Exhale. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was dialling Dayday.

"Hello?"

"Meet me at the park near your house. Now." I hung up, not giving him a chance to answer.

When I got there, he was already sitting on a bench. I sat next to him. Since he didn't start talking, it was up to me. 

"Be honest with me, okay?" When he didn't reply, I continued on. "Did you forget?"

It was a few moments before he answered. "Kind of."

"What were you doing?" Nothing. "Were you with someone?" 

Dayday nodded.

"Who?"

He looked over at me. "Are you sure you wanna know?"

Even before he said the name, I knew who it was going to be. Still, hearing it from him was like being er punched in the gut. 

"Sun Hee."

Taking a deep breath, I told myself not to do anything I would later regret. "I saw the two of you hugging after school a few times, and her text message to you that night that we were watching the movie at your house. At the beach, the way she clung to you, do you think I didn't notice? There have been so many instances where these things have happened, and not once did you do anything to stop her."

I took a breath. "Even with all of this, my faith in you never wavered. I trusted you. I thought that it was just her that was coming onto you. But you never did anything to stop it." I felt tears beginning to prick at my eyes. 

Dayday sat there, passive. His face was a mask of no emotion. This was when anger kicked in.

"You bastard!" I yelled. "Do you know how embarrassing it was? Sitting there, waiting for you to come. The staff stared at me with pity in their eyes. I thought that maybe you were just caught in traffic, and I'd wait for you, just a little bit longer. But you never came." 

He was still staring at the ground. It was like talking to a statue. Finally, he looked at me. "So what do you want me to do?"

That was it. I couldn't take it anymore. I was so sick and tired of all the lies, of all the broken promises, always feeling confused, and having my heart stomped on over and over again. This was just the last straw, and I snapped. 

I stared right into his eyes and said, "I'm done. I'm tired of being jerked around, being toyed with. Pick. Me, or her." 

Time seemed to go on forever after I uttered those words. My heart was racing. 

"Why the hell did you say that? Do you want to lose him forever?" a tiny voice in the back of my mind asked. I pushed it away. 

He took one last glance at me.. and turned away.

In the silence that followed, the sound of my heart shattering could probably have been heard all over the country.