Chapter 13

At the apartment, next door to Yuri’s, there were four dejected people still trying to come to terms about what had happened. Hyukjae stood up from the couch & went to stand at the window. Tiffany & Yoona were whispering, trying to find a way to cheer Yuri up. Leeteuk sat on a barstool near the kitchen with a red egg-shaped face from rage & fist clenched tightly.

Suddenly, Hyukjae turned around & said, “You know what I think? I think Jessica must have tricked Jaejoong into betraying Yuri. She could be putting something in Jaejoong’s drink & seduced him. Or she could hypnotize him. Or maybe she hit Jaejoong on his head & while he was unconscious, she set up everything so that it looked like they slept together. I can’t believe that girl. She has the face of an angel but the heart of a devil. I’m going over there.”

Tiffany hurriedly approached Hyukjae & pulled his hand, “Hyukjae Oppa, you will make matters worse. Let’s hear Jaejoong or Yuri’s explanation first. If he really cheated on her, I would help you bash him up. You hold him down & I will hit him in his face. I have been told that my right hook is excellent then we…”

Yoona interjected, “You two are really a match made in heaven. Let’s not jump to any conclusion. We had better find a way to comfort Yuri. This thing bounds to be hurting her like crazy. She’s always been optimistic. Let’s hope this incident wouldn’t change her.”

Leeteuk spoke out confidently, “Yuri is the toughest girl I know. Jaejoong or anything else wouldn’t be able to break her but she is also fragile. She will need all her friends’ support to be back on her feet.”

They went silent again, drowned in their own thoughts. Only the sound of rain hitting the windowpane was heard in the apartment.

Meanwhile, Mr & Mrs. Kim had just arrived in the Kwon’s house from the church. They sat quietly with Mrs. Kwon in the living room. All of a sudden, Mr. Kwon stopped his pacing & turned to face the Kim’s. His eyes were burning with unshed tears.

“What are you doing in my house? Hadn’t your son caused enough trouble already?” He asked, sneering.

“We are here to apologize on Jaejoong’s behalf. I don’t know what he had done to warrant such a reaction from that girl but we will not make any excuses. The fault lies on our side. What can we do to rectify this mistake?” Mr. Kim asked sincerely, while Mrs. Kim cried silently.

“Tell Jaejoong I will never forgive him for this! I never want to see or hear his name linked with Yuri after this! He is to stay as far away from Yuri as possible! No phone calls, email or contact whatsoever! If he ever get near her again, I will cut him to pieces & feed him to the dogs!” Mr. Kwon said fiercely, but the ache inside him seeped out, “My princess will have a hard time facing her friends & relatives. Even if she has always been optimistic & vivacious, I’m still not sure she could live this down. This tragedy shouldn’t have happened to her. Her only fault was to trust that damn playboy of a bastard!”

Mr. Kim nodded & stood up, “I will make sure Jaejoong have no contact with Yuri ever again. I’m very sorry for making your daughter go through all of this. We sincerely apologize. We will take our leave now.”

Mr. Kwon nodded curtly. He signaled for his wife to send the guests out & walked to his study, all the while thinking of ways to cheer up his precious daughter.

“Yul, are you okay?” Jaejoong whispered into her ear.

Yuri nodded & got up from the bed, blushing. She pulled the blanket with her & walked to her closet to find a festive floral lace short black robe to hide her red cheeks, “We aren’t supposed to do this. Oppa, we.”

Jaejoong shushed Yuri & hugged her waist from behind, “We did it out of love.”

“But still.”

“Are you sorry we did it?” Jaejoong gazed at her, studying her face.

Yuri bowed her head to hide her flaming red face & shook her head faintly but seeing Jaejoong’s arms around her waist, she remembered that his arms didn’t belong to her anymore. She squeezed her eyes tightly to block out most of the pain & whispered, “Oppa, you should go.”

“Yuri, I love you. Why can’t we be together? I can’t stand letting you go. We could help Jessica together. Without you, how could I help Jessica? I had be half alive myself.”

Yuri put her hands on Jaejoong’s & squeezed them softly, “Oppa, we can’t. Although, I didn’t say it often, you know I love you too, but Jessica would always stand between us & never say you are half alive without me. We are both strong. Without each other, we may not be as complete but it will have to do.”

They both went silent, savoring the little time they had together. Only the sound of the rain outside filled the air around them, “Then let’s promise each other to meet at the beach on this day eight years later. We will decide our future then. Please? So I will have something to look forward to.” He felt his heart constricted as he forced the next words out, “Even if you marry someone else by then, at least give me a chance to witness your happiness.”

Yuri tightened her hold on Jaejoong’s hand. It torn her to pieces to let this man go when all she wanted to do was to hold him close & go through life with him but an image of Jessica collapsing in the church flashed in front of her eyes. The grief in her eyes, the frail delicate body falling onto the floor, the gasping for breath. Yuri hardened her heart & let go of Jaejoong’s hands. Saying goodbye to him was killing her inside but it had be easier to end it all swiftly.

She turned around & said casually, “You should go now. I’m tired.” Although her voice was so nonchalant, he could see the myriads of feelings in her eyes. Jaejoong gazed at her as if he wanted to memorize her every feature into his mind. Yuri, likewise, looked into his eyes, wanting to imprint every little detail of him into her memory. He reached out for her but she stepped back & shook her head. He reached out for her again, & pulled Yuri into his embrace, needing to hold her for the last time, wishing time would stop. She held herself back from hugging him in return because she knew once she put her arms around him, she would lose the battle & forget about Jessica. About a life at stake. Her heart was screaming at her to hang onto this guy whom she loved intensely but she knew better than to listen to her heart at a time like this. After what seemed like a millisecond, Jaejoong forced himself to step back & gave her a watery smile. He whispered brokenly, “I will explain it all to the people next door. Go rest for a while. Yul, be happy. Always.” He tucked her hair behind her ear & walked out of her life.

Yuri gazed at his retreating back. She dug her nails hard into her palm to keep herself from reaching out for him. No tear could be seen on her face but pain was very evident. Very softly, she whispered, “Bye, Oppa. Please be happy?”

Jaejoong closed Yuri’s door & leaned his forehead on it. His heart urged him to reopen the door & begged her to take him back. Or at least to let him see her from time to time but he knew that Yuri would never agree to it & he also know that what she had said was right. He took in a deep breath & whispered softly, hoping Yuri could hear him through the door, “Yuri, please wait for me? I will come back for you. No matter where you are, if you don’t come to our date, I will find you. Even if it would take all my life. If by then you have found another guy.” He took in a deep breath & continued, “If you have found another guy, I hope he would be someone who deserved you, who would put your happiness above all. Someone I would strive to be. If that’s the case, I would thank him for making you happy & wished you two a happy life together.”

In her apartment, Yuri forced her quivering lips to curve up. She felt a faint sweetness seeping into her although she didn’t know where & how it came, “Oppa, I wish you happiness, too. No matter who is by your side, I hope she would realize what a treasure you are.” She bit onto her lips to stop herself from crying, “You & I aren’t meant to be at this time. Maybe the time would come when we could love each other all the way from head to toe, from past to present to future. So absolute that nobody from our past could ever separate us again, but whatever the future has in store for us, my only wish is for you to be happy.”

Jaejoong sighed & raised his head from the door. Maybe the time he took leaning on her door made him stronger, he doesn’t know but he walked to the apartment next door more steadily & knocked on the door. He turned the doorknob & finding it unlocked, he stepped into the living room to faced his nemesis. Four judges, standing together with terrifying expression, were glowering at him. He gulped loudly & sat gingerly on the couch. The judges shouted at him at the same time the moment his touched the cushion.

“What the hell did you do to Yuri?! I have told you time & time again, not to play with her heart! I will make you pay, you heartless jerk!” Tiffany, the fierce avenger.

“How could you humiliate Yuri this way?! I thought you are a decent guy!” Yoona, Yuri’s main supporter, “What the hell do you think you are doing with Jessica?! She’s a witch! She had loads of dirty tricks & I told you not to ever hurt Yuri!” Hyukjae, the angry prosecutor.

“I will skin you alive if you really cheated on her! Tell me what have you done to her?! Is she crying?! Is she okay?!” Leeteuk, Yuri’s champion & his executioner.

With a heavy sigh, Jaejoong dropped his head into his hands & started his story. He emptied his mind out & spoke like a robot to make the pain of reliving his heartbreak more bearable. He deliberately skipped the part of them sleeping together & went on to their promise to meet each other eight years later.

Leeteuk rushed to the door before any of them had a chance to stop him. Tiffany, Hyukjae & Yoona didn’t know what to say or do so they just stood there in silence. Jaejoong started to stand up to chase him & demand that he leave Yuri alone but suddenly, realization dawned that he had no right to stop him. He had no right in whatever concerning Yuri anymore. They were heading towards a different path & no matter how much he wanted to be with her, he couldn’t turn his back on his conscience. He only wished that someday, their path would merge again. He got up & walked lifelessly out of Tiffany’s door. He looked back at Yuri’s door longingly & regretfully for a second & ambled to the elevator.

Without knocking, Leeteuk opened the door slowly & walked in. He saw Yuri standing in the living room, motionless & expressionless. She had taken her wedding gown off & was wearing a robe. Her makeup had already been removed. No traces of a bride could be seen on her but heartbreak left an obvious mark on her. Eyes full of sadness, he approached his dream girl; his heart ached seeing Yuri like this. Hesitantly, he caressed her cheeks & called her softly. Yuri blinked her eyes a couple of times. Upon seeing Leeteuk, she tried to smile but her smile went sour & tears started to trickle down her cheeks. Leeteuk swallowed the lump in his throat & held her close, “It’s going to be okay, Yuri. Let it all out. I will always be there for you, every step of the way. You could always count on me.”

“Could you hold me like this for a minute? Let me indulge in self-pity for a moment. I promise you I will be back to my usual self afterwards & never be so weak again.” She whispered, amidst her tears. He nodded & rocked her for a while until her crying subsided & she fell asleep.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: will be updating more tomorrow because i'm free since its july fourth ^^

if you guys are interested in my new fanfic, click on the picture to take you guys to my new fanfic <3