Chapter 8

“Going to Busan.”

“Shin Hye~yah, oettikah?”

“Please reply.”

“Jag`giyah~~”

Yong Hwa has been staring at his Samsung Galaxy S4 for sometime now. But he has been cursing it at the same time, regretting why he even endorsed it in the first place when he couldn’t even receive the important messages he has been waiting for hours.

“Aiiiisssshhh, what’s wrong with this phone?”. He asked, raising his phone on the air while shaking it of here and there.

He and Jong Hyun has approved by President Han to go to their hometown for 3 days vacation, as one of Yong Hwa’s condition after the hot issues about him being withdrawn from The Heirs. They have been waiting for their flight announcement at the Seoul Airport early at 6 and been sitting for hours in the area.

“Shin Hye’s messages couldn’t get through.”, he further commented. He then closed the famous application KakaoTalk which they have been using as one of their means of communication.

His Jong Hyunnie’s beside him, also busy texting.

“KakaoTalk isn’t as good as before, or is it this phone?”, another note’s been said by him.

Jong Hyun frowned at the comment he heard from his Hyung. He thought his brother has gone his screws loosened after all these happenings and could only deny about the fact that Samsung and KakaoTalk aren’t the things to be blamed. He then turned to him to tease . . .

“Maybe she really isn’t replying.” He peeked at YH’s phone once and nodded at his first remark, but when he hoisted up his face to look at his brother, he nearly killed himself because of regret from asking him.

“Bwah?”, he heard from Yong HWa, looking more annoyed than how he looked when Shin Hye’s messages “couldn’t register” in his chat box.

Pain and certain realization and a load of annoyance are evident in his frazzled face, almost ready to do and give more denials to defend his sanity . . . but at one point, break down from that grasp of reality.

“!”, he exclaimed in his thought.

“Ah-ah, yeah- Samsung seems to be in restoration right now, even my Kakao Talk go error every time, what’s with these gadgets and applications nowadays?”, Jong Hyun pointed at his gadget, gesturing to knock it down. He widened his beautiful big eyes as big as possible and went all raged about the so called instability of their gadgets. “Woah, Jinjja . . .”, he glanced a little at his Hyung and then gulped big.

He then softened his expression. Sorry written in his lips. He feels he isn’t in the right place and the right time to joke on him. After all the issues nowadays, he cursed Han again

“Miyan~he, Hyung.”

“Anya, you’re right, she must have no time for me now.” Yong Hwa said in an almost whisper, accepting part of his defeat and realize that maybe . . . just maybe, even if he is in hot waters recently, she can’t console him that easily.

“Hyung . . . ahhh, I’m sor . . .”

“TO all the passengers of this flight . .blah blah blah please blah blah blah . . .”

They heard the pager calling them. Yong Hwa stood up first, pocketing his phone and attaching the earphone to his ear holes. He held his ticket by his left hand and hung his travel bag onto his shoulder at the same time hooding himself up with his jacket.

He went straight to the counter, unmindful of the airport staffs eying him, the fans who were taking his sad face photos and even Jong Hyun.

~~

At the Busan Internationl Airport.

The two arrived at the Busan ground fast after a 45 minute flight. They immediately went out of the plane and headed for the exit.

“Yong Hwa Hyung, did you receive Eomonim’s message?”, Jong Hyun asked the ever cold Yong HWa from behind, catching the speeding up him.

Yong Hwa stopped. “Bwah? What message?”, he slightly turned his neck sideward to ask Jong Hyun who almost bumped his back due to the sudden halt.

“Eomonim said they can’t fetch us because they will be preparing for our arrival. But they sent the car already outside.”, Jong Hyun uttered the written message in his phone while they are walking the way out of the airport.

Yong Hwa only need to hear that someone’s fetching them anyway, so he swiftly stepped forward and continued walking.

~~

The gate opened as the car entered the Jung’s residence in Busan. Driven by the family’s driver, they both sat at the passenger seat with silence distanced them. No one talked inside the van, as if they are strangers. The only noise they hear are the heavy sighs and the soft engine coming from the Mercedez Benz owned by Yong Hwa’s parents.

Until Yong Hwa started to cut off the quietness of the surrounding.

“I’m damned, ain’t I?”, he asked through the air, unsure who he is talking to, whether the driver or Jong Hyun.

“Everyone hates me.”, he continued.

“They thought I am some bad actor who thinks that I control my roles whenever want to.”

“Am I really like that?”, he continuously questioned while his sight is outside the window, eternity is his vision.

“Hyung . . .Anya, we know you aren’t like that. For us, you are the best leader, actor and person we know. They just misunderstood.”, Jong Hyun felt a stab on his chest upon hearing all his brother’s remorse. He felt it is very unfair to his Hyung that he gets all these hate when all he did was to sacrifice a big step ahead of him.

“Huhm! I did all of these for her, and I know I did just right. . .”, he sighed heavily, turning his body side-wards then looking at Jong Hyun’s direction.

“But the feeling is . . . it’s like I missed hitting One bird with my two stones . . .and I feel so small.”, his self-belittling continues as they parked at their manor.

“Hyung, Geman~he, stop doing this!” Jong Hyun tried to stop all of the pain and self-blames he hears from Yong Hwa.

“Huh, Look! She isn’t even here! Not even a text message nor a call.”. Yong Hwa concluded with a smirked. Sarcasm is throughout his small face, although the reality of his pain blended along. He immediately opened the car’s door and went outside, leaving Jong Hyun alone and regretting.

~~

Jung Pil Sok eomonim is in the veranda in her beautiful white dress. Her hair up, her smile so sincere. She is patiently waiting for her son to arrive finally in their home after almost a year of his absence due to his career. She clasped her two hands together as she finally sees the van parking in front of their house. She feels some beatings inside her chest that go up then go down. Really, the reality that she is about to see both her children together is as good as heaven for her.

The car finally stopped. She waited a little more until she at last, saw Yong Hwa being thrown out from there.

Sad and lonely. Pained and almost about to cry.

“Omo~~ my son~~” in her satoori accent exclaimed. She put up her both clasped hands towards while she frowned anxiously.

By that moment, she gets this certain urge to run to him. To tell him everything is alright and that she loves him very, very, very dearly. She feels his pain, she feels his loneliness. She feels his sadness, and she feels the tears.

His youngest . . . on his early twenty . . . is being tormented by his antis.

Without any ado, she opened her arms as wide as she can, welcoming his crying son.

~~

Yong Hwa saw his mom outside their house, accompanied by their long been maid. She is in her beautiful state as she opened her both arms too wide. He looks at her very dearly, checking if something is changed.
Yes. Her eyes. He sees her eyes changed suddenly. The beautiful smiling eyes she has changed into a motherly eyes, soft but magical, seeing him all-through, like an X-ray.

The eyes that states “Come here, I am here for you!”

He feels home with those eyes.