Chapter 29

            The conference room was nearly empty now.  Only two people remained after the meeting: Gummi and the Captain.  They stood on opposite ends of the table, avoiding eye contact, attempting to delay what had to be discussed.

            “Gummi…certainly you know that not everything has been resolved today.”

            She stared down at the ground thoughtfully and sighed.  “I…I know.”

            “We still have to figure out how to deal with Jaejoong.  I assume your desire is for him to return to a normal life and be safe from harms way.”

            “Of course,” she confirmed desperately, finally looking up at him.  “That’s all I want.  But is it possible?”

            “I…I believe it is possible.  There’s only one way that I can think of.  And I’ve thought long a hard, Gummi, trust me.”

            “What is it, then?”

            He put his hand on the table and pressed his fingers on the cold wood.  “We have to…erase his memory.”

            All the breath escaped from Gummi’s lungs.  “Erase his memory?  Is that the only way?  Is it even possible?”

            “As you know, the scientists have been working on numerous projects recently,” he explained solemnly.  “The thought of unsuspecting people discovering our mission was troubling to me, so I had them develop something that could successfully remove small pieces of memory.  They finished it only a few weeks ago.”

            “How much memory will it erase?” she asked anxiously.  “Won’t it cause suspicion?  Won’t it make his life more difficult?”

            “It will only erase that past three months of his memory.”

            She stared at him in disbelief, wishing she hadn’t been so eager to listen to him.  “Three months?”

            “It will be confusing for him at first, but I think his friends will help him through it.”

            “Three months…?”  She shook her head frantically.  “But we met two months ago.”

            The Captain gave a shaky sigh and closed his eyes.  “I know.”

            “He’ll…He’ll forget me?  Everything we’ve been through?”  Her heart beat unevenly at the very thought.  “He’ll forget that he loves me?  He’ll forget that…I love him?”

            “Gummi…there’s no way to keep him in your life without exposing him to harm,” the Captain warned reluctantly.  “Don’t you see that?”

            With her body already exhausted, Gummi slowly pulled a chair from the table and collapsed into it.  She looked down at the table as her brain worked furiously.  It searched helplessly for another way, for some alternative option.  She hit her fist against the table in frustration and began to cry.

            “I want to protect him,” she sobbed.  “I know it’s the right thing to let him go…But I don’t want to.  And that hurts me the most.  How could I be selfish and want to hold onto him?”

            “This is really difficult, Gummi,” the Captain assured, sitting down across from her.  “Don’t deny that.  This may be the hardest decision you’ll ever make.”

            “But…it isn’t a decision, is it?”  She blinked her eyes hard and took a deep breath.  “No matter what I feel, we need to save him.  We need to erase his memory.  There’s no other way.”

            “…Yes.”

            “Can I…Can I say goodbye before we do it?”

            “Of course.”

            Jaejoong’s bruised face appeared in her mind once again.  She shivered at the thought of him being hurt in the future.  But her whole body was filled with pain at the thought of him forgetting her.

            “I…I love him, Captain,” Gummi whimpered.  “Once he forgets me…It will be as if he never existed.  I’ll love only a ghost.  And while he’ll forget everything…I won’t be able to forget anything.”

            “I don’t take your sacrifice lightly, Gummi-ah.  I wish there was another way, but I’m afraid there’s not.”

            Gummi wiped away her tears with her shaking hands.  “I should…I should say goodbye, then.”

            “Captain!”

            Quickly rising from their seats, Gummi and the Captain acknowledged Earman Kim and Jaejoong as they entered the room.  Gummi looked away, hoping to hide her agony from Jaejoong.  But Jaejoong focused on the Captain eagerly.

            “What is it, Kim?” the Captain asked curiously.  “Did something happen?”

            “Something wonderful,” Kim grinned.  “General Park has acknowledged the terrorist threat surrounding The Nine and the prophecy, and he’s convinced the President to allocate troops for our mission.”

            “What?”

            “And I will be the first to volunteer for this mission.”

            The Captain stared at Jaejoong in awe, observing his fervent and unyielding spirit.  Jaejoong already stood in a military posture as the Captain approached him.

            “You?” he asked.  “You will volunteer?”

            “I’m beginning my military service in just a week,” Jaejoong informed.  “Kim-ssi said that he would personally request my services, guaranteeing me a spot in the allocation.  I would be honored to serve with you, Sir.”

            Gummi turned to Jaejoong and examined his vibrant smile.  “Oppa?  You’re really going to join the mission?”

            When he looked at her, Jaejoong suddenly became worried.  “Gummi-ah?  Why are you crying?”

            “I thought this would be a good option, Captain,” Earman Kim told excitedly.  “I think it’s more effective than the one we were considering before.”

            Giving Jaejoong one more scrutinizing look, the Captain smirked.  “I think you’re right, Kim.  This is much better.”

            “Really, Captain?” Gummi cried.  “You’ll really allow this?”

            “What good is it for Jaejoong to simply be a ghost?” he replied cleverly.  “I will accept your offer of service, Kim Jaejoong.”

            “Oppa!”   Running hastily into Jaejoong’s arms, Gummi hugged him tightly.  “I thought I was going to lose you!”

            “What?” Jaejoong chuckled.  “Lose me?  Gummi-ah, you could never lose me.”

            She looked up and kissed him quickly.  “Oppa, I love you.  I love you so much.  But aren’t you worried?  This is dangerous.”

            Though he couldn’t understand why she acted the way she did, he gazed at her tenderly and sincerely.  “Gummi-ah, I love you too.  And I’ll never let you go.  From now on, we’ll do this together.  And no matter what troubles The Nine will come across, we can conquer them together.  We were always meant to do this together.  To live, to fight, to love.  I’m not afraid.  If I can help protect The Nine…and you, it will be worth it.  Gummi-ah, I’ll stay by your side forever.  Forever.”

Author's Note: Well, that's the end!  Thanks for reading!  This ending feels more anticlimactic than I thought it would be, but I guess after Soyul getting shot, everything seems sort of lame, not to mention, totally cheesy!  Let me know what you thought of it!  I'm hoping to write a sequel in the future, but I'm more concerned right now with perhaps writing a prequel about Choa and Way's experience in The Comet Project, somewhat because I hardly gave Choa any real time in this fic.  Let me know if you'd be interested in that!  I appreciate you all! :D