Jandi is walking down the stairs going out to the garden. She was asked by Jihoo to wait for him at the garden as he was too embarrassed to do something that he already turn it down but succumbing to the latter. Her mind was still on to their argument earlier; the confession he uttered from his own lips, how painful all things around him without telling them and his true feelings for her.

 

Not like she did not know. She want to ignore it, so Jihoo will not see hope.

But faith really plays their lives unfair, she really do not know anymore how to handle what is happening now.

 

‘Eventually, Jihoo will be back to his own eccentric way that there was nothing had happen earlier.’ Jandi thought.

 

“I was too dense and carefree that I didn’t notice how badly the situation to him.” She mumbles to herself giving way to the patient passes by.

 

She arrive at the place and sits comfortably to one of the bench. She looks up to the window she presumed it was Jihoo’s and wandered her mind off. All this happening right now won’t happen if Jun Pyo did not push himself to work so hard. No treaty will be offered and hardly accepted if he did not have that illness that cannot find any cure. And she never ever will know the agony Jihoo had every time he sees her.

 

She sighs heavily.

 

“Why these all things happen so sudden? We never ask this to any of us to suffer like these. I see two persons needed me in different ways and I look at them in different aspect. I may say, I develop some feeling towards Jihoo before Jun Pyo but it is not enough to dither what my heart speaks.”

 

She gazed back to the surroundings without intending to observe at all. She recalls the night Jun Pyo’s decided to end their relationship.

 

That was so hard to accept—till now.

 

She was willing to give up all and give her life to him just to take him care; she’s willing to close the clinic just to be his personal doctor but they have different idea in the situation they are standing. She blindly accepts things in delusion that Jun Pyo might change his mind later on but it was harder to stop it now that he is dead serious about it. She cried on her own, weeping almost every night right after that and her best friend Gaeul witnessed her distressed. She knew that she is not being unfair to her friend as well as she postpone their wedding just to save it for the future because they think she needs them more now.  As it draw another trick to the game of life, she accepts like a crazy mad man the reality shoving in front of her.

 

Those words… Even all of her words are meaningful but it is half meant for Jihoo—as a whole, the words that she wants to scram to is for Jun Pyo, only for Jun Pyo.

 

Indeed, Jandi's sanity really loosening and making some random decision without further thinking now--she's dealing with the devil now as she thought. It shows that she is just using Jihoo to cover up what she really felt for Jun Pyo but she didn't play it well as she can see how hurt this to Jihoo. Well, she asked this side of Jihoo but Jandi never realize how random Jihoo’s character have. There’s a moment he was alright and sweet then suddenly becomes cold and  vicious.

 

Yes. He is the silent cold Jihoo but he was already changed. Is he?

 

‘What make him to be like that again?’ Jandi thought. ‘Oh yeah! I am. I cause it. Haish!’ she nibble the hem of her jacket and then stops.

 

 

"Life is full of game, isn't?" she sigh out loud.

 

"It is, indeed." one of the patients pass by heard her.

 

She was startled as she didn't expecting an answer from someone.

 

"Oh! I'm sorry. Did I frighten you?" ask the patient.

 

"A-aniyo. I-I thought I was alone."

 

"Indeed, earlier. I was out to have some fresh air and I just hear you sigh."

 

"Mi-Mianhaeyo, did I bother you of my babbling?"

 

"No not at all. Mind to be with you while my nurse comes back?"

 

"Sure no problem."

 

"It's very rare sight to have a visitor here and I envy whoever he was." the guy smile sadly.

 

"Really? Why is that?"

 

"No one's patients have a visitor here. It's either they are alone in their lives or abandon by their family or love ones." he said bitterly.

 

"So that's why I did not see a lot of visitorsand only nurses and patients are here.That's odd, there's really a facility like that. Why? Are you alone?" Jandi ask.

 

"No. I am the latter part of what the option I mention."

 

"Oh... I... I'm sorry. But that was mean. Why they leaving you here without any visits... That's so rude." she pouts

 

"That's cute. We're in a serious talk but you made it bright and bubbly after you pout like that." the patient giggles.

 

"It's my pleasure that I made feel you happy." she smiles back at him.

 

"Thank you. Sorry to ask but how are you related to the one of the patient here?"

 

Jandi becomes silent as she thinking of what right term for her to be there.

 

'What I am really?' she ask to herself.

 

"Well... I think I am... I... I am someone's in debt deep and being with him for the rest of his life will be the payment of his generosity."

 

"You mean... an arranged affair? You're here because you oblige not because you want it? That's rather rude than abandoning you know."

 

"Not that I don't want it... I reckon that it is enough for him to suffer by his own because he lost his family in the very young age. I'm here because he needed me and somehow, I need him. We both in the healing stage and we will work this one out..." she said trailing off the last word.

 

"He is a lucky one to have you as a fix partner. I hope you two make a successful couple in the end."

 

 

"A very intimidating word but I can accept it because it's like that way. Uh, Yeah, I hope so." because I don't know what will happen when my sanity comes back.

 

 

"Me... I was abandon because of my illness and they don't want me to be around with them as I became weaker and weaker."

 

 

"You're too talk-ish to be sick really." she smiles.

 

"So I'm doing great pretending to be alright." he said.

 

"They still have no rights to leave you here." she snaps back to their topic.

 

"Naah... I'm used to it because in the beginning, I was abandon."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Mind to hear my boring life before I came here?"

 

"I'm all ears."

 

The man smiles back at her.

 

"I was adopted. Abandon from orphanage but one of the families who cannot bear a child adopted me. At first they are happy having me... But when I grow up and made up to college, there was a drastic change happen to my life. They ignore me after a child born, their own biological son. After that I can't remember they give me love and comforting that they gave before. They attacked me with their nonsense blabbering and they said i did not do any good to them... That I am a failure. Because they mean everything to me, I work hard in everything but for them it is still not enough. They set me for an arrange marriage and I accept it because I love them and I follow what they said and then... I was confined to a hospital before here. I think i was there around three years when they decided to transfer me here and then after that... The family that I got arranges for the marriage off the engagement and my family cut off the communication between us. Now I'm with these nurses and four white walls waiting my death to come."

 

"I'm... Speechless. I... I don't know what to say." Jandi stun as she heard him tell his story.

 

"Don't bother it, it was the past... It is alright now." he gives a warm smile at her.

 

"May I know what your illness was and how many years you Are here?"

 

"Leukemia. Two years already and I'm getting tired of waiting."

 

"If the girl really loves you, she'll find a way to see you."

 

"It's an arranged marriage so somehow I'm not hoping she'll be here and by now she already knew I was adopted. Well at least it's been two years already, she's not showing up."

 

 

"I'll be a friend to you if you don't mind."

 

"I don't like sympathy and pity."

 

 

"I don't. I just want to befriend you. That's all."

 

 

"Alright then... Friends?" he offers his hand.

 

 

"Friends." she shook his hands and gladly accepts a new found friend.

 

 

"I was honored to be with you even in a short time. My nurse is already here."

 

 

And a nurse approach to their place to fetch the patient but it was halt by then.

 

 

"By the way, I'm Henry Lau." he turns his side to see her.

 

She stood and bow a bit, "Geum Jandi. Take Care, Henry."

 

 

 

"So, fix affair that is."

 

 

Jandi were suprise and turn her head to look at him.

 

 

"Still in denial stage, Geum?" asks Jihoo darkly.

 

 

"W-what's with your aura, Jihoo? And what's with calling me "Geum" only?" she titl her head on the side and blink.

 

 

"Well, he's right. A fix marriage is rather rude than abandoning, don't you agree?" he walks forward to her slowly.

 

"You heard us?"

 

"Is that a secret? A secret that you don't want me to hear? Nope, don't worry I'm not surprise... I'm irritated." he stops dead in the middle looking at her straight in to her eyes.

 

"J-Jihoo!" she stutters and steps a bit backward.

 

"I know... all of what you said earlier was not really meant for me, it's for him." he walks again to get near to her more.

 

She feels herself tremble while looking at Jihoo's shady eyes.

 

 

"Let's play of what we had started, shall we?"

 

 

"W-what do you mean?"

 

 

Jihoo stood to her face to face, looking or rather viciously looking at Jandi.

 

 

"Can you handle the other side of Jihoo?"

 

 

"H-huh?" still confused.

 

 

"You NEED me. He NEEDS me for you. I'll grant that-- let's be a "user" to each other, sorry for a rude word but it's the right term."

 

 

Jandi gathers a couple of courage to spat back the insults that she's receiving from him.

 

 

"Don't put all the blame on me... you needed me also. You need me that even I refuse—you're heart still desires someone and that's ME!"

 

 

Jihoo remains silent as what she said.

 

 

"I... I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean it that way." she lowered her head looking down the floor.

 

"Ani. Don't be. It's beyond of our control now because we already lose everything that we did handle before."

 

"What?"

 

"Our control of thinking, that is."

 

"Why... Are we arguing, Jihoo?" she asks softly. "All I want is to..."

 

"Don't you dare to say it again. I'll snap it back to you again." he said with hint of anger in his voice.

 

"Cheobal... Let's stop this argument. There's nothing we can do here. Can we just accept it?" Jandi asks.

 

"Yeah. Yeah... Because both of you can benefit when I interfere in between."

 

"Jihoo!!!!" Jandi's voice tells that she is in her edge now to lose her temper.

 

"What?" he just shrugged it.

 

"You're crazy."

 

"If I'm crazy, what do they call like you? A GONER? Or---"

 

"Enough! You’re acting like him."

 

 

"See? A simple gesture of mine, you’re referring me that I am acting like him? My god! Such a pain in the .” He pinches the bridge of his nose. "Why did I ever deal with a puny like all of you??"

 

"Just accept it... If I had a choice, I'll never do this kind of trick... It hurt so much." she barely whispers it.

 

"Did you say something, Geum?" he turn back his head looking at her.

 

"Nothing. I'm a goner to you, why are you asking me?"

 

"Tch. Spoiled. Do me a favor."

 

"What is it?" Jandi asks.

 

"Don't ever whine telling me that I'm giving you a cold treatment for the next days we come along. I am that one too."

 

"..." she just stares blankly.

 

"And don't ask me that I am not the old Jihoo you know because as I recall, I am what I am back before and after we met."

 

'He's right, he just back to the cold Jihoo I know before we became close.' Jandi thought.

 

She just nod for an answer.

 

"Good. Shall we?"