Chapter 43 - Woman To Woman

The sidewalk is almost fully covered by snow after a heavy snowfall the night before. A few kids could be seen running around, getting all excited as they throw snowballs at one another. There are also some teenagers taking a group selfie – or a wefie, as they like to call it nowadays – with a snow-covered tree as their background. The scenery at the moment is plain beautiful no matter if you were in the middle of a concrete jungle, or at an outstretched land at the countryside.

Just like every winter that has passed, Minzy always enjoys a warm cup of cocoa together with her chocolate cake. For some odd reason, chocolate seems to be her favourite at this time of the year. Her chocolate intake usually doubles that she needs to constantly remind herself to burn all the extra calories soon after.

A satisfied moan escapes her lips as she indulges in the sweet and chocolaty taste of her drink. It is just so nice to be out and about again.

Christmas was spent with her family. Despite the recent passing of their father, it was the best Christmas Eve dinner that Daesung and Minzy have ever had. One, they could finally celebrate together again after years of being apart. Two, the addition of the Kims into the family really helped in lifting the spirits up a lot, especially the mischievous little Jinwoo. The moment he spotted the gifts under the Christmas tree the next morning, the whole entire house was awoken by a very loud scream. Poor Mrs. Song, she nearly had a heart attack.

New Year’s eve was not any different. The Gongs had a little gathering at their house but unlike Christmas, they invited a few other people. The more the merrier, they say. It was not exactly a huge party at a ball or anything, though. It was just a simple dinner followed by several rounds of board games and of course, fireworks. It would not be complete without the fireworks.

At first, Daesung and Minzy were quite skeptical about the idea of celebrating the New Year, but after so much consideration, they figured that it was the best opportunity for them to start anew. They could mourn or sulk as much as they want but it would still not change a thing. They could not bring their father back to life. Besides, Jinwoo deserved to have fun and enjoy his childhood. It would not be unfair for them to deny him that right.

“Have you talked to Yongguk yet?” Jihye’s voice snaps Minzy back to reality; she almost forgot about the other girl’s presence.

Now, the main reason why Minzy is finally stepping out of the confinement of her house is actually Park Jihye. If it were not for the latter insisting on meeting up, she would probably have still been stuck at home, annoying the hell out of her brother. She was actually quite doubtful about it at first. Sure, she had helped the woman before but truth be told, she kind of regretted it. A part of her just cannot help but blame Jihye for all that has happened between her and Yongguk.

Jihye is, of course, very well aware of Minzy’s indifference towards her but she cannot really blame the lady now, can she? She knows that she is partly at fault as well. If anything, she feels guilty for causing the tension between the two lovebirds. And that is exactly why she suggested to meet up today in the first place – to talk and to apologise.

However, it is not as easy as she expected it to be. Although Minzy has agreed to see her, the girl has not really paid her any attention at all. Other than the occasional nods and yes or no, she has not really spoken anything. She does not even seem to want to meet her eye-to-eye. This makes it all the more difficult for the pregnant lady. She really does not know where or how to start.

After almost half an hour of awkward silence, Jihye finally took action. She had to start somewhere sooner or later anyhow. And the first thing that came out of was a rather stupid rhetorical question. Of course Minzy has not talked to Yongguk yet. The guy had just talked to Yixing about it just a couple of days ago. To be quite honest, Jihye was shocked when she first heard the news.

The Minzy that she has come to know over the months that she stayed at Eunmi’s is a very kind and understanding person. She does not hold grudges, nor does she harbour any ill feelings towards anybody that easily. She should know that very well because well, she has experienced the girl’s angelic side firsthand. If it were not for Minzy, she would have been probably living on the streets by now. But then again, everyone has their own limits, their own boiling points.

“Yixing and I are together,” Jihye continues when she receives no reply, “as in a couple. I’m actually pregnant with his baby, our baby.”

Now that Minzy did not see coming at all!

And suddenly, she finds her mind in a tangled mess. Shocked and confused, that she definitely is. She could somehow predict about their relationship, or at least one harbours a feeling for the other, when Yixing came storming into the hospital room that one particular day. But them having a baby together? That she could have never expected in her whole life, especially knowing how conservative of a man Yixing is. Or… was.

But then again, she is not much of a saint as she had always thought she would be either. Sure, she might not have bounced from one man to another and had one-night stands with random strangers, but she did have her fair share of scandalous experiences in the past. It was not really a proud moment of hers but it happened. So she could not really judge the guy, could she?

More than anything, however, Minzy feels guilty, angry and ashamed. Guilty because she had judged Yongguk one-sidedly, without even giving him a chance to explain himself. Angry because she had once again let her emotions got the best of her. And she is beyond ashamed of herself for being such a coward, who did nothing but run away from her problems… again. Never in her entire life has she been so disappointed in herself like this.

The overall atmosphere in the café is quite light and blissful, but there seems to be a very thick cloud hanging over their table somehow. Minzy’s reaction, or lack thereof, is getting more and more unbearable for Jihye by each second. “It’s not his fault,” she decides to continue, only to receive the same unreadable expression from the younger woman again, “It’s not Yongguk’s fault, nor was it yours. It’s mine. I was too blinded by the past that I failed to see what’s in front of me. And I’m really sorry to have dragged you and Yongguk into this mess. I really am.”

“Well, sorry isn’t gonna change anything, is it?” Minzy’s tone is harsh, almost venomous that it makes Jihye flinch in bewilderment; although, she has not meant to sound that way at all.

“I know. Trust me, Minzy-ssi, if I had the power to turn back time and redo everything, I would. I really would. But you have to remember one thing, we’re not living in a fantasy. This isn’t some Marvel or DC comic, this is the real world. And in the real world, happens.”

This time, it is Minzy’s turn to flinch at the other’s choice of vocabulary. indeed happens. It is the harsh reality that we, as human beings, cannot avoid and have to go through in life, whether we like it or not. Some people who are not resilient enough crack under extreme pressure, while others persevere and grow as a person. And if it were not for Jihye’s harsh yet impactful words, Minzy would have been stuck in the first category for who knows how long.

What comes out of Minzy’s mouth next is not what Jihye was expecting, though. What did she expect, anyway? A curse? A long speech filled with nothing but anger and discontentment? She was not exactly sure but it was definitely not an apology. Why would Minzy even apologise to her in the first place? She was the one who supposed to do the deed instead, which she did and would definitely do again if that helped to mend their relationship.

Jihye habitually rubs her baby bump as she continues to listen to the other girl talk. Looking at Minzy’s dejected expression makes her feel like giving her a hug but decided against it. Not now, at least. Maybe later, once she has finished talking. So for now, she lets Minzy pour her heart out while she listens attentively, showing comforting gestures whenever necessary.

“I’m sorry, I must seem like a fool right now,” Minzy chuckles bitterly after a long speech, staring at the half-empty mug on the table in front of her.

“No, you’re not, Minzy-ssi. You are anything but a fool,” Jihye reassures with a small smile on her face, “We’re only humans, we make mistakes. There’s nothing wrong in that at all. But it is up to us to get back on our feet and right them, or continue to live in self-pity and repeat those mistakes all over again.”

“You’re right,” Minzy sighs.

She then looks out the window, staring at the few kids that have been playing outside since they entered the café, and gives the older female’s words a little thought. She was right. From the very beginning, her words have been nothing but the truth. happens, but what happens after that really does depend on her and her only.

The most shocking part, however, is the fact that she has had this exact conversation before. The only difference is that the roles have somehow been switched. Back then, it was her who gave a particular someone a lecture about life, about staying positive, about letting go and moving on. It is rather funny how she ends up being on the receiving end instead this time around. It is as if she were given a taste of her own medicine.

“Besides, Yongguk wouldn’t date a fool. You know how choosy he is. Don’t get me wrong but oh my god, which normal man would list ‘a girl who picks up rubbish’ as his ideal type? That’s just so absurd!”

Minzy cannot help but laugh out loud at Jihye’s sudden comment. Thinking about it, her boyfriend has a sort of weird in women. She remembers him telling her that she looked cute when she burped unceremoniously loud during one of their movie nights before. If that weren’t weird enough for anyone, she does not know what is. Well, perhaps the guy has just been blinded by love.

The two ladies then find themselves bonding over a common cause – having dated the same guy. It is rather strange how two ex-girlfriends could come together and get along really well but both Jihye and Minzy are thankful that they could finally become friends, without any hard feelings getting in the way. There is no more hatred, no more anger, and no more jealousy. They are just like two classmates, making up over lunch after a huge fight and gossiping their hearts out soon after.

“Did you know that Yixing took a dump at a female’s public toilet once?” Minzy asks with a chuckle.

“No way!” Jihye gasps a little too dramatically; partly in shock, partly amused.

“Yes way! He accidentally drank his grandmother’s prune juice during breakfast.”

“Oh my god, isn’t he allergic to prunes?”

“Yup! Poor, Yixing. As soon as we reached the shopping mall, he immediately rushed for the toilets and unfortunately for him, it was the female’s! He must’ve dumped a lot because not long after that, a couple of ahjummas stormed out pinching their noses and yelling a few curse words.”

The two women immediately burst into a laughing fit, startling some of the customers sitting near to their table. They spend about five minutes or so just laughing to their hearts’ content. “Aww, my poor baby,” Jihye is the first to recover from their laughter, “But thanks to you, now I have something new to blackmail him with!”

“No problem, girlfriend! But… do you have anything about you know… Yongguk?” an evil, teasing glint is visible in Minzy’s eyes when she asks the question; her eyebrows furrowed slightly in anticipation.

“Oh definitely yes, girl. I’ve got lots! Let me start with when he accidentally put his hands on Ms Han’s chest after lecture.”

“I knew it! I’ve always known that Yongguk’s such a !” the two of them start laughing again at Minzy’s comment.

“He is, isn’t he? Well, anyway, that’s not the best part yet. The best part was after that incident, Ms. Han probably thought that he had a thing for her or something because she just couldn’t stop flirting with him ever since. She literally threw her body at him once, in front of the whole class!”

“Holy crap! How old was she again?”

“I don’t know, like 40 something maybe?”

“~”

“Indeed!”

And just like that, the former enemies bond and slowly become two best of friends. Several months ago, this occasion seemed so far-fetched, almost impossible. Now that it finally happened, it feels… different. In a good way.

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note: Yixing and Yongguk are buddies, and now Jihye and Minzy are friends too! Yay! For those who are wondering about the "cliffhanger" from last chapter, well, I purposely ended it like that. I didn't want to touch further on the matter because everything have been explained in the previous chapters (Minzy being illegitimate but she really isn't one and whatnot). Let's just say, Yixing knew about it but there's just no way in talking to his father out of his plans so he decided to leave. For Minzy's sake. Okay? Haha. Anyways, there are only 3 chapters left, including the epilogue! I am both excited and sad that this story is finally coming to an end. Sigh. Thank you all for staying by my side even when I took a lifetime to update! Love, love y'all! <3

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Story by: afagyel | Poster and background by: Tomoe Graphic Shop