19

7:34 a.m.

It was raining again. Jiyeon watched as cars and street signs blurred past under the heavy curtain of mist and fog. The engine of the bus rumbled on as it whirred past the streets.

Jiyeon had woken up that morning to the familiar scent of rain and a dull knowledge that Sunggyu had left the country. It’s in Scotland, he had said. But he never mentioned anything about the school or when he would be coming back.

Sunggyu had texted her last evening. He was going to leave later that day. It was too sudden. But she went to send him off, anyway.

To be honest, she had expected a few dozen to come, but Jiyeon was surprised to see only a few of his friends there. She had scanned the faces of the people that were present, and recognized them all almost immediately. These were the people Sunggyu spent most time with; the ones whom he trusted and truly meant a lot to him.

Sunggyu had turned his head in her direction as if aware of her stares. A smile graced his lips as recognition flicker in those wise orbs that Jiyeon knew she would miss. She smiled in return and he could not help but find that her smile was beautiful. He had made his way towards her leaving his companions confused.

When the announcement came, there was a different quality in the air. It as if all of them were cloaked in a similar bitter-sweet emotion. Torn between being happy for him and, grieving for his departure.

In the last few minutes before he checked in for his flight, a couple sauntered in with their most refined clothing. Jiyeon’s breath was stuck in . There was just something in their features that reminded her of Myungsoo. Then, it sank in, they were his parents. Jiyeon was startled to see them there, thinking that they would be with Myungsoo in some other place unknown to her. Why were they here when they had just ‘shipped’ Myungsoo to a foreign country?

Softness in those orbs that were so publicly expressed, that Jiyeon found it so strange that they were related to Myungsoo. But they were so explicitly expressed that it could be nothing else but genuine. Their steps were conservative, as if they were reluctant to let this man in front of her go.

Sunggyu introduced them to her and they shook her hand with the politest smiles. Sunggyu, of course, had not failed to make the atmosphere less awkward for all of them. No one remembered that he was leaving. Soon.

But when he took a long breath and said ‘this is it’, all recounts of his departure knocked back into her.

Mrs. Kim smiled: what was meant to be supportive turned out shaky and wavering. She brushed Sunggyu’s shoulder with her hand and adjusted his attire. Both their expressions were determined.

“Look how much you’ve grown,” her words burst with pride as she held his gaze. Tears were already pooling in her eyes.

“Mom,” he said, choking back on his own tears, “don’t cry.”

Seeing his reddening eyes, she folded him into her arms and he crumpled. She whispered comforting words into his ears, as if he was just six again. She rubbed his back as he buried his head deeper into the nook of her shoulder.

Jiyeon watched the scene as it unfurled before her eyes. Never before had she seen Sunggyu like this, neither had she imagined this strength of love that was emanating from him towards the person whom he called his mother.

Sunggyu was saying something but it came out as a muffled moan. Then, he broke off the hung, giving a nervous laugh as he wiped his tears.

“Mom, this is embarrassing.”

Mrs. Kim laughed and patted his shoulder. Then, he turned towards the man next to her. Jiyeon could clearly see the stiff steps as he walked, as if he was fighting all the raging emotions but refusing to let it show. He pulled Sunggyu into a rough hug and patted his back.

He broke off the hug as soon as he did it and said something to Sunggyu; his deep voice coursing around them, but too soft for Jiyeon to decipher the words. Sunggyu smiled and Mr. Kim smiled as well: a heavily lopsided grin that was so like Myungsoo that she had to turn away to suppress the sudden emotions that was surging through her.

Absently, she started scrutinizing the whole departure hall: men and women dragging their luggage, smiling, laughing, crying and hugging. Family and friends gathered, all filled with the bittersweet emotions as they send their loved ones off. Much like how she was feeling.

“Hey.”

Jiyeon turned. Sunggyu was smiling in front of her, bending his knees so that his eyes were leveled with hers. She still could not believe that he was leaving.

All their memories lapsed into her mind. Sunggyu laughing with her; Sunggyu supporting her; Sunggyu giving her a carton of milk; Sunggyu listening to her playing. And now, this same man who had given her so much courage, this man who had been watching out for her was actually leaving.

“What were you looking at?” He asked.

Tears started burning the back of her eyes.

“You were looking at other guys and don’t even bother to pay attention to me now that I’m leaving?” He said in mocked anger.

How could he still joke around when he was leaving?

Tears stung her eyes, and complying with gravity, they escaped one drop after another, falling onto the cold ground.

“Aw, Jiyeon.”

Sunggyu pulled her into an embrace and Jiyeon closed her eyes against his warmth. She could not even start to imagine how it would be like to not have Sunggyu by her side, always smiling and always lifting her spirits. Whispering, he said, “Don’t cry.”

But he was leaving and there was nothing that she could do about that. She smiled, recalling all that he had done for her, and knew that she could not send him off crying like this. She should give him courage like how he had always given it to her.

She pulled away and took a last look at his features: his eyes, nose, mouth, memorizing them. He was a story that she would tell her children and their grandchildren. His heroism would be passed on from one generation to the next. She smiled to him, and made sure it was unwavering.

Thank you. Be safe.

He smiled. “Take care while I’m gone.”

The last of him that she saw was his determined back, poised and ready as he passed through the gates. Then he was gone, perhaps forever.

The bus stopped and Jiyeon alighted. She scurried into the school grounds, holding her hand above her head as a makeshift shelter against the battering raindrops. Students turned to look in her direction as she passed through the school gates. No, it was not because she was the only one without an umbrella, she knew, but of something entirely else that she did not know.

There was something unsettling in the air as she walked. As if those flickers in their eye held some sort of promise, something hidden that she could not come to understand. She lowered her gaze, almost afraid. Almost. There was nothing wrong apart from the fact that it was soaked to her skin. But she was more than sure that that was not the reason they were staring at her like so.

Their stares left her in a flurry, and pricked her skin more than the cold, needle-like raindrops did. Still, she trudged on, making her way cautiously into the building.

At least the hallways appeared normal enough. She weaved her way seamlessly through the crowd, having done this countless times without ever getting noticed. But that one day, however she moved, she did not escape anyone’s attention.

She was almost relieved when she reached her locker so that she could grab her extra set of uniform and flee from their unrelenting gazes. She pulled at the door. It did not budge. She tried again and again but nothing happened. She did not know for how long she was there, tugging at the door and making a fool out of herself. She was sick of it. Sick of everything and everyone making her look so stupid. She gathered every ounce of her strength left and pulled.

When the door finally jerked open, something fell on her. A red bucket tumbled down and iced water spilled on her already wet uniform. The hallway was silent for a moment and the sound of the bucket bouncing on the floor was echoed and amplified. Then, all of them roared with laughter, as if waiting for this glorious moment where she would be viciously humiliated in front of the whole school.

Jiyeon did not even feel the coldness of the water as it seeped into her skin. Anger was fuming beneath her skin, so violently, it was threatening to explode. She picked up the bucket and hurled it to one of the girls standing in front of her. It smacked onto the girl’s forehead with pinpoint accuracy. She staggered back, rubbing her forehead. Then, as the fact of what had happened dawned upon her, her eyes widened.

Jiyeon could see the rage flushing her face as she stomped towards her. She pushed Jiyeon’s shoulders with so much force that she almost fell backwards. But she stepped back and regained her balance. Her anger escalated and took control of her body. Jiyeon kicked the girl’s knees: her weakest points, until she fell, her body slamming against the cold ground.

She lay motionless on the floor for a while, and Jiyeon stood in horror. What had she done? She did not know from where the immense amount of energy had come from or what had manipulated her to do such things. She looked at the unmoving girl.

Then, the girl’s head turned slightly, to an angle where only Jiyeon could see the sinister smirk on her lips.

Jiyeon’s breath hitched as anger settled in once again. The girl was completely fine! It was all a stupid act to make everyone believe that she had been badly hurt! Jiyeon looked at her with venomous eyes.

As her friend rushed to the girl, Jiyeon turned to leave. She was not going to go through any more of this stupidity.

“Boo!” Someone leered.

The others followed and soon the whole hall was shouting into her ears. Her ears throbbed from all their jeering and sneering. But she walked on and they let her pass.

-----------

7:34 a.m.

Myungsoo heard more than saw the rain as it poured outside. The little droplets pelting on the glass window nearly lulled him to sleep again. But he forced himself up. Everyone had made their way out of the plane as soon as it touched the ground, as if they were excited that they had reached Korea. Myungsoo had stayed in his position for a while though, his actions were not hurried, and his looks were distant. He had come back from seeing his school in London. He was home and he planned to keep it that way. Myungsoo started to his chin again and stopped short, still he stayed unmoving in his seat.

But now, as the stewardesses worked their way around the plane to prepare for the next flight, he hauled himself up. Walking out of his cabin, with his hand neatly jammed in his pocket, his mind worked frantically: figuring and plotting.

Myungsoo walked through the arrival hall, behind him a number of men in black followed suit. He would just go home. It felt as if the long flight had affected his ability to think. He would just have to catch some sleep before going to school. He had promised Jiyeon, and he was not planning on breaking it. It was her birthday, anyways. He would not miss it for anything in the world. With that thought in mind, he entered the car. As the car whirred away from the airport, he fell asleep.

------

5:31 p.m.

They crowded around her so that she could not escape.

“Now!” Another girl shouted and all of them started throwing things at her: eggs, flour, tomatoes.

She felt all of them as they strike her skin. It hurt. She felt every inch of the liquid as they trickled down her skin. It hurt.

Of course it was all planned. That explained why they were all staring at her when she entered the school grounds. Why did she not think of that? Why did she fall right into the trap? Why had she been so senseless?

She looked at every face, all goggling, laughing, and sneering. Did anyone realize how ugly they appeared? Did anyone realize how idiotic they were?

Absently, the tears starting escaping her eyes and she could do nothing to stop them. She could not control all these mixed emotions anymore and for once, she was glad that they were throwing all these things on her so that it could hide all the tears.

From one side of the crowd, she could see them starting to stop. Why? Had they ran out of things to throw? She smirked bitterly.

 But she was wrong. The crowd cleaved and standing in the middle of it, towering amongst others was Kim Myungsoo.

--------------

5:31 p.m.

Myungsoo sat, leaning on one corner of the clock tower, watching as the shadows danced on the walls. The flickering light of the candle was reflected on the dark irises of his eyes as he sighed.

He had lit a candle and placed it in the middle of the room where the piano stood, and for the first time in the months that he had been here, he was able to witness the beauty of the tower. But that was not the reason why the heavy sigh of exasperation had escaped his lips. The worries that had weighed his thoughts were from the tiny box that was gripped between his fingers.

The box was no larger than his palm, painted in black. Blots of white were smeared all over the surface, as if the designer had refused to let darkness dominate the area. It was the box that he had received from Jiyeon on his birthday. He had almost forgotten about it but luck—as he wanted to put it—was with him and he found it lodged neatly between the stacks of his book when he returned earlier that morning.

Yes, he had just returned from his crappy ‘business trip’ that morning and had not enough time to sleep. But it seemed like jet lag would strike him later than he thought. He could just skip school today.

But it was Jiyeon’s birthday.

Myungsoo played with the box, running it between his fluid fingers, feeling the negligible weight on his pam. Then, he opened it. The fact that it was empty had always unsettled him; knowing that it had meaning that he could not decipher. And there was the note. The short note that Jiyeon had written with her flowing handwriting had puzzled him even further.

Myungsoo, happy birthday. I hope that in the future, when you look back to this day, you will remember this present and treasure it.

What did that mean? What was he supposed to treasure? How could he even treasure it when he could not see the thing that he was supposed to treasure?

Myungsoo raked his hair, buried his face between his two palms and took a breath. He tried to recall the day when Jiyeon had took him out to the streets. He tried to remember how her eyes looked like, trying to search for any clues that might lead to an answer.

But all her could remember was how vulnerable he felt when they both were playing a duet on the piano. He could still feel the warmth of her notes, and the richness of the sound was still repeating in his ears as if they were real and he was experiencing the same thing all over again. He remembered how she smiled when the song ended, as if she had just experienced the best moments of her life. And undoubtedly, he knew, he was smiling like that too.

Things were different when Jiyeon was there. She was able to turn dull moments into richness that he could treasure. He knew he had changed, but only because Jiyeon was able to give him a reason to smile and laugh. And ultimately, she had transformed his life entirely. She had brought memories that were irreplaceable, and that he knew, would stay with him forever. And no matter how things turn out in the future, he knew he would look back to this day and smile. These were the memories that he would treasure forever. 

Wait. What was he thinking? It was exactly what Jiyeon had written in the note.

Myungsoo jumped onto his feet.

Something that he would treasure forever. 

Memories. 

Of course. That was it. Why had he not thought of it before? 

A smile of satisfaction slithered onto his lips as he sprinted towards the door. He had to find Jiyeon and tell her that he had solved her little riddle. 

He looked at his watch and nodded. Classes had just ended. She must be somewhere. His first destination was the main entrance. If he wanted to search the whole school for her, he would start there. 

As he neared the main hallway, his steps gradually slowed until they stopped entirely. It was not Jiyeon that he saw, but a circle of crows. And almost immediately, he knew. Something was wrong.

Myungsoo took a step forward, and another. He felt his breaths quicken as anger seeped into him. His ears picked up every sound that they made: the jeers; the laughter. His eyes were fixated on their hands, which were gripped into fists. They were all holding something. And he had a bad hunch about it. When the crowd started raising their fists and throwing things towards the middle, he started running.

And drove himself into the mass of people.

He forced his way through, pushing and shoving all of them aside with so much force that some of them started plummeting backwards. When he felt the splat of the egg as it hit his face, he was aware that he had become the victim of their 'food throwing' session. But, he could not seem to care. All he needed to do was to get to the middle. It felt like the crowd was closing in on him and he even contemplated on kicking their asses so that they all would move aside. But just as he was about to put his plan into action, the throng of people started cleaving, making a pathway for him to move. 

And right in the middle, that was where he saw Jiyeon. 

It did not matter. Because he looked as bad as she did. Eggs coated his otherwise clean uniform, and flour was smeared all over his face. If the situation was not this bad, she would have laughed at his appearance. But she did not. Because however hard she tried to think that his condition was as bad as she was, she knew her appearance was worse.

Jiyeon watched as Myungsoo strode towards her, as all the other sounds and actions die down. There was it again: the cold aura that demanded authority was exuding from him. It swept them all so that they were all looking at him and no one else. He looked over at them with dismissive glances, as if their very existence held no significance at all to his life. He came here for only one person. And only that person mattered. 

He took a step forward towards Jiyeon, laid a hand on her back and guided her forward, through the crowds and back to where he had come from. He leaned in and whispered, "I have something to show you."

When they reached outside, it was still raining. He had not realized that when he had ran here. The rain was getting heavier, spilling from the sky and them bouncing off the ground. He gripped Jiyeon's wrist and then tried to scream against the thundering sound of the rain.

"Let's go!"

Then, they were running. Like two idiots they were: slipping and regaining their balance and then running again. No one could care less. The rain continued to spill from the sky; soaking and pricking their skin like cold, little needles. Jiyeon remembered the last time when they had been in the same predicament and a smile graced her lips. She inclined her head towards him, studying and memorizing his features as they dashed.

They were both panting as they stood in front of the alcove: the very thing that had become the wall between their world and reality. Jiyeon ran her hand through its crook like the very first time she was here, a long time ago. And suddenly all her earlier excitement and exhaustion were gone and she was swept with a feeling of melancholy.

Myungsoo stepped forward and pushed open the entrance. Jiyeon shook away all those feelings and she followed his steps, finding comfort in the sound of his heels on the solid ground.

But when she had stepped in, the familiar darkness of the place with its own mystery and story did not greet her. Jiyeon froze.

It was beautiful. A candle was lit and placed in the middle of the room. The light flew in all directions and they danced freely on the walls. The piano stood in the middle, taking pride in its own grandeur. Its surface was smoother and more polished than she ever thought it could be, as if someone had painstakingly strived to make it that way. Myungsoo.  Somehow she just knew that it was him who had done it.

She lifted her head up and smiled. A mass of gears and steel worked, oscillating, slowly and steadily. The space was vast, as if she was looking at a sky of golden spinning gears. It was simply breathtaking.

Myungsoo gently pushed her onwards and closed the door behind her. He strode towards the piano and sat down. For a moment, they were silent, until he turned and smile.

Cocking his head towards the small box on the piano, he said, “Do you remember that?”

Jiyeon nodded. He still could not get over the irony that he was the talkative one when he was with her.

“Let’s add more to it, there is still a lot of space to fill.”

With that, he started playing, a sound that swept her off her feet; made her forget about all the things in the world, as if they never mattered, as if they never existed. Jiyeon smiled, he finally got it: the thing she gave him.

Before long, they both were playing a song of happiness, not the momentary one but the one that held the promise of forever; of the senseless things like shooting stars and sunny days, of hope. Of the soft wind that fluttered around their ankles, or what laid beneath the smudges of sunlight, or the secrets hidden between the whispers of shadows.

The notes sang for them and danced, fluttered and soared. They were filled with too much joy and bliss that it did not make sense. In this world, happiness was not something you could easily feel. But then, at that point of time, it did not matter that nothing made sense. They both just had to be there, living the moment where it seemed like their happiness would never end; that it was right to believe that they would stay this way forever.

Myungsoo tried to catch the moment, grasping them like a pathetic beggar. He filled the last of the notes with all the feeling he thought he never had, lacing them with what he hoped was courage. Yes, they would come out of this messed up life, safe and unscathed. ‘Be brave’ he had said, and as long as there was still air in his lungs he would make sure that she stayed safe. Always.

When the song did end, everything seemed so silent, so void that it almost felt so… sad. She could have chosen to cry at the melancholy in the soundlessness, or begged him to return to that moment when everything had felt so right. Instead, she broke into a smile, so widely; it could have been a soundless laughter. She seemed so sincere; so happy.

Myungsoo turned. He was confused. Despite what had happened today; despite that she was hurt, she could still find that beautiful smile in her to show it to the world; to him.

“Why are smiling like that?”

Jiyeon turned to face him. The remnant of the smile was still there. He looked at her, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

“Wipe that smile off your face,” He said.

Then softer, “Or I’ll wipe it off for you.”

Jiyeon looked at him, her looks questioning. He held her gaze and she was swept away again by the intensity of his gaze. She had always been lost in them, helpless against their depth, secretly wondering what lay beneath those dark orbs.

When he leaned in, time seemed to slow down. Her breath hitched and her heart was beating so fast that she thought it could suddenly stop. She gulped nervously. When she felt his proximity as he leaned in even closer, her eyes fluttered and closed. She felt safe. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her skin. In that moment, she yearned to have him close: the feeling so intense it scared her.

Beep. Beep.

Jiyeon opened her eyes, only to see him withdraw from his position. She realized that she was clutching his sleeves, tightly, but she did not let go, afraid that if she did, she would lose this moment, and maybe, him. He turned and smiled, aware of her hand, but did not do anything.

Beep.

Myungsoo fished his phone from his pocket.

“Yeah?” His voice was expressionless.

She saw his expression changed: his small smile slowly turning to his usual frown. The glimmer she saw in his eyes was gone. He was the Kim Myungsoo, the cold heir of one of the leading company in Asia. He was a stranger she never knew.

“Yes, I understand.”

He ended the call and paused. Then slowly he removed her hand before standing up. Not once did he look at her. He acted as if she was not there. She watched him walked, his strides purposeful; his aura powerful. Just before he walked out of the door, he paused again. His head turned slightly but he stopped. For that briefest moment, Jiyeon felt his wall crumbled again: he was just Kim Myungsoo again. He stood so still and she could almost hear him falter. But then he resumed walking, out of the clock tower. The door closed with a small click, and he was out of her sight.

She extinguished the flame.

And it was dark again.

A/N:

Hey guys!

The first thing that I want to tell you is that, one of our lovely subscribers, yukie_chan, had offered to translate my story into Vietnamese (OMG how cool is that?), so here’s the link to the forum if you guys want to see it.

I’m sorry for being late and all but MY O LEVELS ARE FINALLY OVER!!!!! OHMAGOD THE BLISS. It took me a while to write this chapter, because all those studying made me lose my sense of literary English and had to read loads of books before it finally came back. But this chapter is quite a long one for my lovely subscribers and readers. XD I know a lot of you must have given up because I update too slowly hahahhaa, but those of you that are still supporting me, you know I LOVE YOU GUYS.

And recently, I was just introduced to the upvoting system (yeaaah I’m slow, I know ><), and you don’t know how much I’m grateful for those of you who upvoted me TT.TT thank you thank you thank you so much, I love you guys so much. *gives virtual kisses*

And those of you who had promoted my fic and recommended them, THANK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!

Don’t forget to drop a comment and for those of you who haven’t subscribe yet, do subscribe! And for those of you who don’t have an AFF account yet, make one and subscribe! Hahahahah jk jk.

And one more thing, I LOVE YOU GUYS! MUAH. Hehehe don’t be freaked out by me.

-Faith

P.S. I just realized that I write long author’s notes hahha.