The Gift
Top Secret
Ji Hyo was very busy preparing for her husband's birthday. This is the first time that she has prepared something for a special someone. She searched the internet all day long on how she could make this day extra special for him. She went to the grocery to buy all the ingredients and all the materials that she needs to surprise her husband. She didn't know what to do at first, but when she asked her mom on how she surprises her dad whenever he celebrates his birthday, her mom gave her a wonderful idea. She listed all the things that she needed to do and she put a check mark on every thing that she had accomplished. The maid wanted to help her when the maid saw her having a hard time cooking, but she said, "The efforts would count." The maid smiled at her and she smiled back at her. She was humming a song when she was doing all the stuffs for her beloved husband Kim Jong Kook.
Ji Hyo looked at the wall clock. It has been eight hours that his husband has been away. She called and texted her husband multiple times, but her husband didn't reply nor answer any of her calls. She was so worried that something might happen to Jong Kook, so she took the phone and dialed 911. Before she could connect to the line, Jong Kook appeared in front of him. She hugged him as soon as she saw him because she was relieved to see that her husband is okay. Jong Kook took her arms off him. There are still 80 minutes before Jong Kook's birthday will be finished. "I was so worried about you." she said to Jong Kook. "And so?" sarcasm was heard with Jong Kook's answer. "Could you please stop being clingy? It really makes me itchy." Jong Kook told Ji Hyo. Jong Kook left the living room to walk towards his room, but Ji Hyo stopped him by giving him a back hug. "Happy Birthday Jong Kook Oppa."
His exasperation about the clingy woman reached its boiling point. He rudely removed her arms on his body. "Every day with you makes me so gloomy. How could I have a happy birthday with someone I don't even like to be with? It has been years since we've been together and every day I am really really close to be going insane. What do I have to do for you to sign the divorce papers? I just want you to sign the papers. If you sign the papers, I might even acknowledge you. You are really ruining my life. What did I do to deserve you? You're such a nuisance." Jong Kook bursted out his exasperation on her. For three years that they have been married, she has never seen Jong Kook this angry, and it stabbed her too much pain seeing him yelling at her that she's ruining his life where he considered Jong Kook as her life. "S-say.." Ji Hyo uttered. "What do you want?" Ji Hyo asked him with a serious tone.
Jong Kook felt the difference on Ji Hyo's voice when she asked him. Ji Hyo is looking straightly at him. He could see the way Ji Hyo stares even though the room is stupidly dark. "I want my freedom." said Jong Kook. Ji Hyo looked at him when she heard his answer. She smiled at him like she usually does. Then, Ji Hyo lifted her hand asking for something. "What's that?" Jong Kook asked. "I want to hold your hand. Even just tonight. Please let me hold your hand." she told him. "I will. If you bring me back my freedom. You're so annoying." said he to Ji Hyo. He left the woman shocked and obviously hurt by his words. Ji Hyo, on the other hand, was shocked and hurt by his words. 'You're so annoying.' 'You're so annoying.' 'You're so annoying.' These words didn't leave her mind. She choked and left the living room. She went to the bedroom, and looked for something.
Jong Kook was very surprised to see his room so bright and so beautiful. There were a lot of streamers on the wall, party poppers could be seen, food are everywhere, and a big cake with candles in the middle were seen. The greeting says, "Happy Birthday My Jong Kook Oppa! I love you!" That was the first time that he saw the words I love you of Ji Hyo to him. The home earlier was so dark, and he didn't think that Ji Hyo had prepared something on his birthday. He touched his forehead feeling sorry of what he did to the woman whom he had bursted his anger on. A loud knock of the door was heard. He opened it and saw Ji Hyo standing in front of him. 'Don't you ever get mad at all?' asked Jong Kook to the smiling woman in front of him. "For you." said Ji Hyo as she was handling him her gift.
He took the gift from Ji Hyo's hand and saw a very expensive watch. The cost of the watch is equivalent to the cost of buying a house and a lot plus a car on it. He knows it because he knows how to check authentic gadgets. Before he could utter a word, Ji Hyo had kissed him on the lips. He felt the warmth and the softness of the woman's lips. He didn't know why he felt like he wanted to return the kiss. "Those are my gifts for you." Ji Hyo said still smiling at him. "A kiss?" Jong Kook asked without knowing his voice has become softer. Ji Hyo nodded at him. "I was thinking of showering you kisses, but I know that you will not like it, so I decided to just give you a kiss." "It's actually a special kiss because that special kiss has a name." Ji Hyo told him. "Do you know what the name is?" Ji Hyo asked him again. "It will make you happy when you hear it." she said. "It's a farewell kiss." Ji Hyo, whom she called a smiling clingy woman, told him.
Jong Kook couldn't believe what he just heard. He has been waiting for this moment to come. The moment that Ji Hyo would let go of him on her own. He looked at the woman in front of him. "I am giving you that watch as a sign of giving you back your freedom. I am sorry to have annoyed you all these three long years. Actually, I was willing to give you all my time, but I am giving you back your time now, as well as your freedom." Ji Hyo told him trying to control her tears. Ji Hyo lifted her hand once again. "What's that?" Jong Kook asked the same question on the same gesture of Ji Hyo. "I will not ask you to hold my hand anymore. I will not ask you to call me anymore. I will not ask you to check on me anymore. I will not ask you to live with me anymore. I will not ask you to miss me anymore. And I will not ask you to love me anymore. I will not ruin your life anymore. I won't consider you my life anymore." Ji Hyo said to him.
"I am asking you now to give me the divorce papers. I want to give you your freedom on your special day. When I sign it, please go back to South Korea first. Let me stay here for a while. The people there don't know that we got married. Your parents and my parents were smart enough to know that we will not be together forever, so they kept our wedding a secret. When we see each other again, let's just act like we don't know each other. We are strangers, afterall. When I see you, I'll consider it as our first meeting. I will stop loving you now, Kim Jong Kook-ssi. I wish you all the best and I am wishing you a lot of success. I'm so sorry that it took us three years before I have decided to let go. I was trying to do all the best that I can, I was willing to give you everything I have, but you weren't. I just realized how selfish I am when you yelled at me earlier. I am very sorry for ruining your life." she said and bowed deeply in front of him. He was very suprised at the girl's actions. He didn't see this coming, and he wonders why he is not liking what he is seeing. After the bow, Ji Hyo lifted her head up and looked at him.
"Do you know that you have such cute eyes? that you have such a great smile? that you have a luscious body? that your voice is so soft and so sweet? that you don't even need to sing at all because when you talk, it feels like the music is being played.. And do you know that you have all the things that a woman desires? You are very loveable, Kim Jong Kook-ssi. Before I forget everything, could you please let me have a closer look of you for the last time?" said Ji Hyo, whose smiling sadly at him. "Ji Hyo--" he called her name. Ji Hyo wiped a tear that fell from her eye when he called her name softly. "You really kept your word. I should have done this a long time ago if I knew you would acknowledge and call my name that way. It's so soft. It warms my heart. Thank you for speaking my name that way. I have one last gift to you." Ji Hyo, whose bidding goodbye to him, said. Ji Hyo sighed and gave him one last kiss on the lips. "You're free." she said to him after the kiss and while looking directly at him. Ji Hyo had stepped out of his room without a sound except her heart shattering as it hits the ground.
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