Hyun Joong

“MY BABY!!”

The loud call jerked So Min and I out of our solemnness. So Min withdrew her arms hastily as if she was caught red handed in a crime. It was a pity that I could not feel her arms, that I had grown fond to the warmth that wholly enveloped me.

“Momma?” Jun Yoo got up from my lap to rub his eyes sleepily.

“MOMMA!!! It really is you!”

He jumped off the bench and lunged forward to hold a middle aged woman who had trespassed our moment of silence.

“I thought you didn’t want me..and..and I would never see you again,” Jun Yoo wept.

His mother bent down and shook Jun Yoo gently by the shoulder as tears rolled down her cheeks, “Silly boy! You are my heart and soul..All I ever wanted to do with you is love and protect you.”

Both mother and son interlocked in a deep embrace as So Min and I could only looked on quietly at their reunion with relief.  Jun Yoo’s mother finally became aware of our presence and quickly stood up to address us.

“Thank you so much for taking care of Jun Yoo. I was afraid that he would meet up with bad people.”

So Min was the first to speak, being a female who was equally concerned towards her same kind, “We didn’t do much.. Are you alright, ma’am?”

Jun Yoo’s mother dabbed at her tear stained eyes with tissue paper as she recalled the fear of losing Jun Yoo,“I’m alright. It was just that split of a second that I thought my world had crumbled when I turned around and didn’t find Jun Yoo with me.”

“It’s ok. We are glad that Jun Yoo and you are reunited,” So Min added with a reassuring smie and pat on her shoulder.

Meanwhile, I bent down to brush the boy’s hair with my hand, “Little man, from now onwards, prove to your mom that you could protect her and never make her cry again. Do you read me?”

Jun Yoo raised his hand to his head in salute, mimicking what a good soldier would do, and proclaimed loudly, “I read you, sir! I will do my best to never ever make my mom cry again.”

His mother chuckled in between sobs and kissed his son lightly on the head before thanking us again, and then cajoling Jun Yoo to bid goodbye.

After they left, I beckoned to So Min that we should head back to her home soon. The first part of our stroll home was quiet until I broke the silence, prodding about my past.

“Do you know about my family?”

She hesitantly shook her head, which was not convincing that she knew nothing at all. However, I was not going to press on now if she did not want to reveal, for any reason it may be.

“I wish I knew who and where my mom is now. I wonder if she is looking for me now and if she is worried. If I could find her again, I would make the same promise as Jun Yoo. That I would protect her and not make her cry again.”

She stopped in her tracks, “Why do you think you had caused her grief before?”

I sighed, for knowing no reason at all, “I felt that I did. I had hurt her, even though I couldn’t remember.”

Looking away from So Min, I hesitantly added as a tinge of tear threatened to break through, “If it’s not because she’s upset that I had made her unhappy, why isn’t she here for me now?”

Yes..if only my mother is here with me, I wouldn’t feel so insecure...

I wouldn’t feel so lost..  

So lost without a family..

Without a home…

Just like Jun Yoo when he lost his mother…

“Hyun Joong…She must have her reasons for not being with you now. There is no one single parent who wants to leave their children. No matter where she is, you must believe that she is always watching over you and wishing for your well-being. If you remember that you love her, you need to be strong for her. She will be proud of you.”

“We couldn’t change the past, but we could look towards making things better for others that we love now,” she consoled.

Gazing intently at her, I marveled at the wisdom that I never thought could reside in someone so young. And yet again, this was another facet of her that continued to intrigue me from the first time I set my sight on her. I was suddenly aware of how she had stirred a difference in how I think and feel.

She made me feel that losing my memory was not the end of the world and I am still unique.

She made me want to look forward to what would happen tomorrow.

She made me feel alive again.

And even her mom bestowed me with the same glow that my own mom could have given me.

Everything about her made me feel at ease with myself.

As if I found home again…

Impulsively, I grabbed her hand and looked deep into her eyes, “I think there’s this person whom I want to protect now.“

So Min

As he held my hand under the blazing afternoon sun, even the most soothing breeze could not calm my racing heart as I searched deeply in his eyes what he would say next.

What gave me the courage to even think that he would be citing my name?

I could feel his hands squeezing mine tighter. It felt like internally, he was fighting for the right words to say.

Part of me wanted him to tell me that I was the one that he would protect, but part of me wanted to push this shameless thought away. It would be impossible for him to say such a thing, when….

…when I am in Hyori’s shadow?

How dare I even hope that he would want to protect me when…

…when I already have Geun Suk who loves me whole heartedly?

Geun Suk, who had been through the darkest hours of my life after Hyun Joong had forgotten about me, who stood by me day and night to support my emotional ups and downs.

How could I be such an ingrate to forget that?

Whoever Hyun Joong would refer to later, I should stop giving myself any opportunity to be unfaithful to Geun Suk.

And stopped myself from making a fool of myself, for Hyori was now his girlfriend.

Withdrawing my hand away from Hyun Joong slowly, I decided to shift his attention to something else.

“Look at the time! We are so late! Mom must be really impatient by now. See! She’s standing at the gate,” I pointed to Mom, who fortunately came to my rescue.

Madam Jung

It had been more than three hours since they went out. Lunch was long ready to be served but there was no sign of their return. I began to feel anxious and hypothesized that something untoward had happened to both of them.

Rooted to the living room, I paced up and down hoping to catch a glimpse of them. Ten minutes passed.

Twenty minutes…

Thirty minutes…

Still no So Min and Hyun Joong.

Did they meet with an accident?

Should I call the police??

Finally, I caught sight of both them approaching from a distance. Heaving a sigh of relief, I ran towards the gate to welcome them when I suddenly saw Hyun Joong grabbing So Min’s hands.

Had the walk made him realize something?

Not wanting to get overexcited, I stood still at the gate to observe the two. But what happened next definitely dampened my rising anticipation. So Min seemed to have declined his advances and started strutting quickly towards me.

As they both greeted me at the gate, I could see two contrasting expressions on their faces. So Min with her pretended excitement to be home, and Hyun Joong with clear disappointment.

Lunch was awkward. So Min was talking non stop as if nothing had happnened, while Hyun Joong was quiet. I did not know what had gone wrong but I would find out after Hyun Joong left.

Hyun Joong left directly after lunch, expressing his gratitude for having him here last night and today. I smiled genuinely at him and requested him to come back again when free. He threw a longing look at So Min’s back, who was washing dishes at the sink, and mumbled ‘I will’ half heartedly. Then, he walked away with sagged shoulders, like a soldier who was defeated in a battle.

In his case, probably it was the battle of the hearts.

My heart sank as I watched him go away dejected. I felt my whole being went out to the young man whom I developed and instant affection for, mourning for his loss.

“What happened, So Min? Hyun Joong came back a different person after the walk.”

“No…nothing, Mom. Maybe he was tired..” she lied, even if she tried to sound convincing.

I might not be able to tell what actually happened. But I wanted to speak my mind even though I could be wrong. And so I shot out, “So Min, you need to be true to your own feelings. If you don’t face your true feelings, the person who will be hurt will not be just you.

“Hyun Joong is a good man. Don’t hurt him by hurting yourself.”

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Bowwow

Gosh! Boring chpt, sorry! i couldnt think of what to write at this moment. You can say I'm updating for the sake of updating today. Couldnt inject any excitement into the story at all! But I'll do better at the next update. Please stay tune!

And thanks to new subscribers to the story. And thanks to all who is still with me in RONR!