Chapter 31.
The Florist.{Edit}
She's back.
Everyone looked towards the lady.
They wondered who the hell she was.
And why was she looking for Sungyeol.
Before Sungyeol could even reply that he was here, Sunggyu cut him in the middle and asked who the lady was first. Ever since that accident and Nana leaving, Sunggyu had been extra careful with the people Sungyeol hangs out with. He didn't want Sungyeol to have another heartbreak or another serious injury. They watched as the lady chuckled slightly before taking off her own hat & sunglasses, and bowed.
"It's nice to see you Sunggyu-ssi, and everyone else."
That face.
That voice.
Oh gosh, could it be?
Jang Nana was back in town?
Sungyeol was able to recognize Nana's voice easily, mainly because he had been dreaming about that voice ever since Nana had left. At first he thought he had recognized her the minute she asked for him, but he had thought it was his own hallucination. But when she called Sunggyu and the rest, he knew it was her. It had to be her, because he couldn't wait any more and that voice was giving him dreams and nightmares at the same time.
He wanted to rush forward obviously, but he was being prevented from even taking a step by Woohyun who had pushed Sungyeol back down at the counter. Everyone was looking at Nana who their arms crossed., they were also preventing Sungyeol from getting towards Nana. Throughout that whole time, Nana was calm and collected. How many times had she rehearse this scenario in her head. She had already predicted this would happen.
Yvonne walked forward with anger written all over her face. She raised her had, intending to slap Nana across the face for leaving them. But she was stopped, by her old best friend who saw the slap coming and had reached out for Yvonne's hands and held her in mid air. She then slowly, yet forcefully moved the hand down and asked Yvonne to step aside. Myungsoo was furious at Nana's attitude and the way she was treating his girlfriend.
"Wow. My best friend wanted to slap me."
"You deserved it."
"I don't deserve any angst from you guys unless you hear me out."
"Why should I?"
"Then why should you slap me?"
Nana was different.
She wasn't that same girl who whined at her best friend anymore. She wasn't that girl who would rely on her friend for anything and everything. They couldn't believe it at first, but Nana had changed. She looked stronger, more independent and cool. There was bitter sarcasm in her words that was directed at Yvonne. Nana didn't think she deserved the slap that her best friend wanted to give her. She told Yvonne to step aside again. But when the best friend didn't move, Nana raised an eyebrow at Myungsoo.
As if she was saying - 'Take her away of I'll hurt her.'
As Myungsoo went to take Yvonne away, Sunggyu was still staring intentively at her. Nana had already guessed who would be the most defensive, and offensive ones in the group when she returns. She knew Woohyun, Dongwoo and Hoya would probably get so surprised and shocked that it would take a few minutes to recover. Sunggyu thought about the difference in Nana.
The Nana they knew would cry the minute they saw them when she comes back, but the one in front of him was glaring just as strongly as how Sunggyu had been doing to her all these while. Something had happened to her within those four years overseas and she wasn't, again, given the chance to explain anything when Sunggyu moved forward towards her. And as he got a little closer, Nana moved back a few steps. She moved back not because she was scared, but to put some space between them if needed.
Which was needed.
Because Sunggyu had tried attacking her.
Sunggyu had actually stretched his hands out towards Nana quickly, but the latter had suddenly twisted his arm and held him down while holding onto his shoulder and pressing him down. Everyone gasped loudly. What was Nana doing! She quickly let go and moved back, away from Sunggyu and the rest. But throughout that whole time, she hadn't flinched nor blinked in fear. Sunggyu realized it was similar to someone he once knew. She was so like, so like Sungyeol.
The old Sungyeol at least.
Like a snake who didn't want its enemies to touch her.
Sunggyu rubbed his shoulder and adjusted the joints and bones of his arm and shoulder before looking at Nana with mild shockness, and curiousity. He asked her softly, instead of his usual loud and mean questioning. There were somethings that only by asking softly would he get the answer, and Nana was that kind of person.
"What happened Nana?"
They went to a seperate place to talk.
A cafe next to Le Fleurs.
Without Sungyeol though.
There was too much to be said and Nana had said she wished to explain things away from Sungyeol's strong sense of hearing now. She didn't say it aloud for Sungyeol to hear of course, but Sunggyu had guessed from her body gesture and told Sungyeol to stay in the store no matter what. Nana then left the store quietly and walked to the next store and went to get seats. She realized from the moment Sunggyu had asked her what had happened, she had to tell them, regardless of whether she or they would like it. They did have the rights to know because after all, it was her that left them.
But she didn't run away.
That was for sure.
She just had too much things to do and very little time.
After Hoya had gotten Nana her favourite drink, Caramel Cream, Nana broke into her very first smile ever since the others had saw her, and thanked Hoya. Everyone noticed how in these four years, Nana had grown even more beautiful than she already was, but there was also something else within her. Something between seriousness and sophisticated. Her eyes were sharper to notice different things and for some reason, and everyone was unhappy about, Nana had gotten skinner than before. It was not obvious from the over sized clothing, but from her face. Her cheeks looked hollow.
They looked at her, waiting for her to begin her tale and whether or not to believe her.
Nana took a sip on her own leisure, and smiled slightly before beginning her story.
"It began that night, that same name I was kidnapped. The same night I'd broke down and cried in front of Sungyeol's ward and the same night Dongwoo helped me by telling me to pull myself together and be strong for Sungyeol. That night, I vowed in front of Sungyeol's bed that I would do anything and everything I could to help him recover his eyesight. Because it was me that made him lost it."
She took out her wallet and showed them a very old photo of all of them.
But there was a biased smaller photo of only Sungyeol by the side too.
"I love him, I love Sungyeol like I'd never loved anyone before. The very first time I saw him in Le Fleurs, I could feel his pain, his sorrow and his sadness just from his eyes. He was attentively looking at me if I had need any help, but I was looking at him the whole time. L was right, I did want to get close to him, but it wasn't for the reason you guys thought it was. I hated the fact that he was hurting even though I had only saw him once, and I always felt as if I was hurting along with him when I looked at him."
Nana smiled when Myungsoo did a 'I-told-you-guys-so' look.
"I wanted to be friends with him, so I came back several times and made a fool out of myself. I asked him out for dinner a few months before that incident. I lied when I told him I was eating alone, because the truth was I had a family part that night that I didn't want to go. I was too troubled on my own and needed someone to talk to. Unknowingly, I had stopped right in front of Le Fleurs and thought, what the hell, and went inside without hesitation and asked Sungyeol out for dinner. We had fun, more fun that I could even remember.
I was always the odd ball, the weird one no matter how hard I'd tried to fit in before. But Sungyeol didn't mind all those. And his smile made me calmer, it made me forget every single problem I had. I always thought it was his charm, that his presence brought peace to the people around him. But I know now, that it was actually because he was just as weird as I was. I won't say his past was horrible. It was horrible to him, but to me, it brought assurance."
Nana grinned slightly.
Everyone wondered what was going on.
Because Nana hardly, and probably, never talks about the night when she was captured.
They did ask her.
But she'd refused to say anything all the time.
"We went out more, texted and talked a lot more to one another. It never occured to me that I was slowly liking him until that night. The m-men, they did things to me. I hated it. They touched my legs, my face and did horrible things to me. They said I was pretty and Sungyeol was probably having a fun time whenever we met up. They threatened me, they hurt and told me things they would do dirty things to me.."
Nana paused for a while before turning to Yvonne.
Her best friend was biting her lips.
"The reason why I thought I didn't deserve your slap was because I went through a lot more things than you did. I didn't have to accept a slap from my own best friend because I was abused and hurt. Did you even think about that when I was crying at nights because of fear?"
Yvonne's lips had gone white.
She tried apologizing then, but Nana turned away.
"I was afraid, I was very afraid that they might really do those things to me. So I kept quiet. Until they started talking about Sungyeol in front of me. They told me everything, everything they could remember since many years ago. In all honesty, it was Sungyeol's horrid past that calmed me down. I listened attentively that he was a Second Leader or a gang. He was a Legendary Fighter. He was a caring brother too. What was wrong with them? Was that so wrong that he was only helping his brother. All these things wasn't his fault, why were people judging him, I couldn't understand.
But I understood then the pain and guilt he had in his eyes the first time we met. His late brother was the reason why he was in so much pain. And how could anyone hate him because of that! And amazingly, I fell in love with him that night. I fell in love with his strong and caring personality. I fell in love with his choding character and his gummy smile. He was beautiful."
Myungsoo cringed slightly when he heard how wonderful his best friend was.
Everyone did to, especially the guys.
But Sunggyu and Woohyun just nodded normally.
"His past gave me strength to act, and I tried escaping that night. I kicked their nuts, I slapped and clawed them when they tried touching me again and I them hard when they touched my face. I got a lot of beatings though. They slapped me, they pulled my hair, they kicked me until I had no choice but to give up. But they knew I wasn't a scared hostage anymore, so they left me alone till it was time to move. I prayed for Sungyeol to save me."
Nana's voice got softer.
"And he did save me. But he had to pay the price to save me. I felt like the worst being on earth, I hated myself, I wanted to die. If only I hadn't wished for Sungyeol to come save me, he wouldn't be blind. I always dreamed about that night. I had so many nightmares about him. It was horrible and scary to me. Every night when I sleep, I thought about how Sungyeol was. It pains me more than you guys! But I know, I'd left him. But it wasn't because I was afraid of him, I didn't have time, there wasn't enough time."
Everyone listened attentively.
Finally, the reason why Nana left.
"It was two weeks after Sungyeol had woke up and the doctor was giving him a check up. I was there alongside Woohyun and you all were in school. The doctor told us Sungyeol's condition had stablized and started explaing to Woohyun about the part of Sungyeol's brain. He thought I couldn't understand what they were talking about, but I did my own research. I understood every single word the doctor had said."
Nana closed his ears as she thought back about that day.
And everyone watched as Woohyun thought back about that day as well.
"It was about the stem connecting from the brain to his eyes, it was badly damaged and the only way to save it was to find a replacement for it in the brain. But then he said it was too dangerous and the technology was not available in Korea yet. I called my grandfather that night, he was once a doctor in UK. I told him about Sungyeol's condition and he told me that kind of operation was too risky and that the only survival chance was at most, two percent. However, I had hope, that technology does exist! He then told me that was when he was still in UK, and that maybe the technology had advanced now.
I had hope! And my grandfather made a call to the hospital in UK for me. I waited for a a few days and told no one about this news because I was afraid that the result wasn't positive. I didn't want to get everyone's hopes up and crashed it later on. Finally, a call came to me a week later and my grandfather said UK did have the needed skills and technology to successfully complete that transplate surgery within the brain. They told me to send them a report of Sungyeol's health check but I was having none of that."
It was slightly funny to see how Nana was huffing and puffing because of excitement.
It really was.
"Sending reports here and there would take forever. So I stole Sungyeol's health report and made a copy of it while I booked the next flight to UK which was in an hour. I told my grandfather and he assured me he has a friend who could help me and Sungyeol. I went home and packed just a few clothes before taking my passport and whatever savings I had before rushing to the airport. I wrote a short note to Yvonne and dropped it off her home and left."
She looked at all of them.
"I didn't want anyone to help me. Not my parents, my you guys, not anyone. I wanted to do this alone. Because if Sungyeol do so much for his brothers and me, I was definitely able to do the same for him. I would and I will."
Determination was fired up in Nana's eyes.
"As I touched down to UK, my grandfather's friend offered me a place to stay and asked for the details of the patient, I showed her Sungyeol's report and she frowned before smiling and telling me how Sungyeol was a really strong kid. And Just as we were walking towards my mentor's house, my phone was robbed as I was texting Woohyun where I am and what I was doing now. I tried to give chase, but I failed. Therefore for a few months, I had no phone, but it didn't matter to me. I'd spent every waking minute in the hospital, learning about whatever I could, I thought that was more important than anything else."
Nana smiled when she saw Sunggyu nodded.
And they all jumped when they heard Woohyun shouting aloud.
"I did receive your text! It was a very short 'oppa, I'm at-' and no more!"
Nana smiled and nodded.
She did smiled apologetically since she didn't type fast enough.
"Anyway, they were impressed with what I know about the human brain and offered me a place in the hospital to learn about it for Sungyeol. I readily agreed. It was difficult for me. I was a Business student, I wasn't a Science student. Whatever I knew what was I had learned on the airplane to UK. I focused all my attention on learning whatever I could to help Sungyeol."
She bit her lips after.
"Although I had no phone, I did call back to my parents and I told them to tell you guys where I were. But they have no idea who I was talking about. They were also angry that I had just left them and school without a word. It was very messy that I didn't even dare to ask them to ask Yvonne since I knew they would blame Yvonne as well. I got a new phone months later, a new number too. But then I realized, I didn't have all your numbers because I didn't remember it. I did sent a letter to Yvonne's house within these four years, but after the first letter was sent back to me, I didn't write anymore."
She shrugged.
"I thought Yvonne was still mad at me because the letter wasn't even opened. But I realized she had moved. As for where I'd learned to fight, it was self taught defense when I had some free time in UK. I learned different kinds so that I could protect Sungyeol. And I'm back here, after four god-awful long years, with a letter to the hospital head and all the information I could gather from UK. I came back with the same set of clothes since my luggage was just filled with a lot of papers. I'm back here, to give Sungyeol a chance to see again. Please, I beg you guys to let me. Please."
Everyone stared at Nana who was now looking at them with pleading looks. In truth, they felt horrible inside. They had spent four years hating and getting angry at her when she was actually overseas, suffering and trying her hardest to find something for Sungyeol. She was the one who truly wanted Sungyeol to get his eyesight back. And she was right, they hadn't thought about how painful that night was for her and had accused her many things. She would do anything for Sungyeol.
But strangely, to Woohyun, that anything that Nana would do for Sungyeol scared him a little. There was something more that she was hiding from him. She was usually closer to Woohyun, and right now, she was trying to avoid looking at the Doctor as much as possible. Sunggyu thought even though they understood Nana, she was still not her usual cheerful self. In fact, she looked angry and slightly pissed at them.
"Why do you look so glum and unhappy?"
Nana's eyes widened before she placed her hands on her the side of her hips.
"Because the moment I dropped off the plane, I'd tried looking for all of you!"
"I went to Yvonne's house and saw that she had moved!"
"I went to school and they said you've all graduated! Well, belated congratulations!"
"I went to the hospital to look for Woohyun but he was on off, but I found your address."
"I went there but no one was at home!"
"I went to Sunggyu's company and they say he was on off as well!"
It was now all of their turns to look apologetic and sheepishly at Nana.
"Seriously! I came back with his awesome news to share but I had to travel probably the whole of Seoul just to search for you guys. I finally decided I would just go find Sungyeol since I missed him so much. And when I wasked into Le Flerus, I saw all of you. Imagine how stupid I felt that moment, of course you guys would be with Sungyeol, I didn't realize that at all! Oh I have one more news to share!"
They moved closer to her and she smiled while standing up.
"Surprise! I'm back for good now, how's everyone!"
Everyone laughed at the adorable girl.
Maybe they thought she had changed.
But then they realized, the ones that matter never did change after all.
That night, Nana went to pick Sungyeol up as a form of a surprise.
Sungyeol had rushed out of the store and was wasiting impatiently for Sunggyu to pick him up.
He wanted to find Nana. He wanted to hear how she was doing. He wanted to touch her face. He was afraid she would leave him again. But he just wanted to make sure she was fine and safe. Therefore, as he fidgeted around, he felt a pair of soft hands touching his own, he pulled back until the person in front of him started speaking.
"Annyeong Yeollie."
"Nana?"
"Uh-huh. I hope you didn't forget me."
"How could I forget you. I couldn't and I never want to."
She hugged his waist.
"I'm back for good now. I won't you anymore."
"You promise you'll stay by my side from now on? I'm scared."
"I'll protect you now. Don't worry. A-And I've missed you."
Sungyeol gauged roughly before pressing a kiss on Nana's forehead. She was surpised but she loved it so much. Sungyeol told her back how much he had missed her as well and they both smiled gleefully. Nana then told him she was picking him up instead of Sunggyu and slowly led him towards Sunggyu's car and put on the seatbelt for him. They spoke a lot on their way home.
And underneath all that laughter, Nana knew she had to do one more thing. She was going to be very worried about Sungyeol's reaction, and didn't know how to break the news to him.
Knowing Sungyeol well enough, he wouldn't want to accept it that easily.
P/s: Hi everyone. That's right Nana's back! And with reasons. I actually think that many of you readers already guessed what was going on. And if you got it wrong, good job! Anyway, I just want to say this story is going to end pretty soon. Maybe in two day's time? I hope you all continue to give support to all my stories. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
P/s/s: I post the first chapter the Inventing Ways. Do give it a look. I think it's pretty awesome. Featuring SHINee. One my of my loves. I'm a big Shawol and Inspirit. Thanks for all the support.
Till the next chapter, xoxo.
{Edit} I feel ridiculous every time I see how I wrote the story was ending in two more days or what nots. Like damn, I ended up writing ten more chapters after this. How does ten of my chapters got packed into two days. Even if I wrote for forty eight hours straight, the most I could probably do was seven chapter. I was retarded. Sigh...
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