Chapter 6.

Two weeks passed.

Eric and Hyesung relationship stayed the same. I guess time is the only way to resolve it. I doubted when Hyesung’s wedding day arrived, would Eric even wish them happiness. Anyway, before that, the remaining four members have to be the bridge for connecting the two together, especially when the cameras shooting.

It was another cloudy day. The temperature was rather low, as it was hinting autumn was approaching. As I had always been a lazy bum, I rarely prepare my breakfast. I decided to grab a carton of milk from the refrigerator and went to the office hurriedly. Then I realized having a cold carton of milk as breakfast is the worst decision ever. It was so cold that my stomach seems could not adapt to it.

Eric, Hyesung, Junjin and Andy were called up to have a meeting that day. I supposed the four were going to have lots of awkward moments because of Ricsyung. Dongwan was scheduled to film his drama that day. Minwoo, who was having a radio broadcast interview, was not joining too. I consider my presence is not really a concern when I heard it was just a radio broadcast. I simply put on the basic foundation onto Minwoo’s bare face and called it a day.

After that, I hurried to the washroom straightaway. Unfortunately, the ladies room was locked up, with a big paper written ‘UNDER CONSTRUCTION’ sticking on it.

No way. Rush to the nearest ladies room seems to be the hardest mission to accomplish at the moment.

Right then, I might not have my right mind. I went to the men’s room without considering much.

“It’s just toilet. I’m not pyeontae… I’m not intending to peek at anyone’s p**** at all.” I explained to myself. As if there is the need to…

I went into one of the partitions. Hurriedly, I finished doing my business. As I wished to unlock the door, I heard some footsteps nearing, which completely frightened the hell out of me. I restrained myself from moving, or even breathing.

“Ahhhh!” Someone let out a deep sigh, which then accompanied by banging sound on the wall.

“Hyesung, what are you doing? Stop that…” It sounded like Eric was the one talking with Hyesung, who banged on the wall.

I wonder since when did they started talking to one another… Or could it be, they just decided to declare war in the gent’s room…

“Is this what you have been wishing for?” Hyesung asked.

“What… What happened?” Eric puzzled.

“She left me. She lied to me. She cheated me.”

What…? That girl… what?

Eric remained silent.

“Only now I realized I was such fool… Bought her a diamond ring that cost me thousands. The condo that we even planned to live in, I signed it under her name… And she sold it without me knowing. That bank account belongs to two of us… she just took out all of the money from it yesterday…” He sounded feeble.

He was probably beyond mental breakdown as he started to giggle, “I’m so broke now… Haha, funny, isn’t it? Hahahaha…”

“Not funny…”

“No? Why I find it hilarious? Hahaha…” Hyesung laughed.

“It’s not funny… Hyesung, pull yourself together! Did you try to contact her? Don’t you know where she lives?” Eric questioned.

“Did I?? I’ve looked for her everywhere! She even changed her phone number. She even quitted her job. She just moved out from the apartment few days ago. I contacted her mother… and you know what… eomoni who used to be so caring to me, turned into a stranger in a blink of eyes, and told me, ‘You’re just a stupid man who could not tell I was just paid to pretend as that lady’s mom. Young man, it’s time to wake up now.’”

“It’s time to wake up…? It’s too late to wake up…” He sighed, “I even start to doubt whether I am a stupid… Eric ah, am I stupid?”

“Hyesung ah…” I guess Eric does not know what to say.

 “Whatever item it is she listed in her wish list, I would secretly buy it and send it to her office through delivery. After that, she innocently told me that her admirer is a psychic. I don’t usually do these kinds of things, but she really meant that much to me… that I’m willing to do anything, just anything, for her…”

The brokenhearted man took a deep breath and continued, “Can you even understand my feelings…? Occasionally, I would visit eomoni’s fruit stall in the wet market, and gift red dates or ginseng to eomoni… She will say, ‘It’s okay, you don’t have to send me these. If only you would treat our daughter like a princess, I will be grateful enough…’ and then she’ll pat on my shoulder…”

“Why am I even born with a pair of eyes, when I can’t differentiate a lie and a truth?” He blamed at himself.

“No, it’s not your fault, Hyesung ah…” The other man defended.

Hyesung continued to murmur, in an unclear voice, “It’s too hard for me to accept the truth that… money… is all that she ever wanted… Do you even know how I feel right now?”

I bet Eric doesn’t know what does it exactly feels like to be betrayed by the one you love, because of money. However, it is not deniable that Eric’s instinct was pretty accurate. He did his best to stop Hyesung from being in this situation. Yet, it happened the way that it seems unavoidable.

Of course, I never experience any similar situation as Hyesung, but I just felt the pain of his. That sadness was infective and was spreading in the air.

I was pretty sure that Hyesung only tell this matter to Eric. He must have quietly bottled up his feelings, before he can open up to the one he trusts.

First time in a while, I heard someone cried his lungs out.

“Please, don’t cry…” There were some moving sounds, in which sounds like Eric moved closer to Hyesung to give a hug.

He repeated, in a gentle tone, “Don’t cry…”

Yet, I could only hear Hyesung cried even louder afterwards…

He cried so hard that he could barely breathe. And that echoed in the whole of the washroom.

Two words to describe this… sadness overload.