Chapter 18

“We are home.” Yuri nudged the door wider with her elbow awkwardly since Dohyun was in her arms, still sleeping soundly. Hearing Yuri’s voice, Minseo rushed downstairs & started helping her mother with the plastic bags in her hands. Tiffany walked out from her room with a big yawn.

“Sleepyhead, help me with these in the kitchen.” Yoona said, while giving Tiffany a secret signal that there’s something she wanted to talk about, “Minseo, help auntie Yuri with Dohyun okay?” Minseo nodded & ran after Yuri.

“What?” Tiffany leaned on the kitchen counter with eyes half opened.

“I saw Jaejoong Oppa today at the hospital.” Yoona dropped the bomb gracefully.

Tiffany’s eyes popped open & she jolted in shock, “Kim Jaejoong? Yuri’s Jaejoong?”

Yoona nodded grimly & told her while putting stuff into the fridge, “I saw Oppa in the hospital when I was fetching Dohyun home. He hasn’t change much & the first question he asked was Yuri.”

“Dohyun. He’s seen Dohyun then? Oh my god, what did he say? Does he know? Dohyun inherited Oppa’s look more than he did Yuri.”

Yoona shook her head, “I think he asked me whether Dohyun was my son. I’m not sure since I didn’t pay attention to what he said & I don’t think he recognized Dohyun since he spent most of the time grilling me about Yuri; he only looked at Dohyun fleetingly. Then Teuk Oppa entered the picture & Dohyun called him daddy in front of Oppa. So he thought Teuk Oppa & I were married but when Yuri appeared at the hospital, he ran to her & called her mommy. I got so panicked that I pushed Yuri outside & ran from the hospital. I don’t think she saw him though.”

Tiffany patted her own chest in relief, “That’s good. I bet Oppa thinks Yuri & Leeteuk Oppa got married & Dohyun is their son. Are you going to tell Yul? Um...Oppa was alone, right?”

Understanding where the question led to, Yoona assured Tiffany, “He’s alone. His sidekick wasn’t with him. About Yuri, I asked her about her reaction if she ever meet Oppa again. She only wishes to see him happy. I don’t think she’s gotten over him yet. At least not completely & she’s not going to tell Oppa about Dohyun.” Deciding to think about her still-odd feelings for Hyukjae in the safety of her room later, Tiffany focused her attention more to the problem at hand, “I think we shouldn’t mention this to Yuri. Our life is peaceful enough now. Don’t stir the nest & bring her back to that horrible moment eight years ago.” They looked at each other; each thought about the same thing. Tiffany pursed her glossy pale pink lips & said, “Although the odds are against it, what if someday they meet again, & Oppa mentioned that he had met you before? Yuri’s going to think we lied to her & you know how much she detested liars.”

Yoona nodded in assent, “I don’t know what to do. We should think about it more carefully.” They were drowned in their own thought for a moment & suddenly, their head snapped up & they looked at each other in horror, “Dohyun.”

“so Harry got into the train & off he went to Hogwarts. We will continue the story tomorrow night, sweetie. It’s past your bedtime now.” Yuri closed the first book of Harry Potter she was reading to Dohyun & looked expectantly at him. Dohyun grinned & smacked his lips on his mother’s cheek, “Good night, mommy. Don’t forget to continue the story tomorrow okay?” Yuri smiled & nodded; she fixed his blanket & kissed her son’s forehead.

Suddenly, Dohyun, who felt not the least bit sleepy, yawned & said, “Mommy, I met a funny uncle today at the hospital. He was pretty. Like the prince in my book. He almost stepped on my car but I shouted at him not to squash it. Then he fell down trying to avoid it. Isn’t uncle Jaejoong nice, mommy?” Yuri made a humming sound & widened her eyes at her son, signaling him to close his mouth & go to sleep. Suddenly, Dohyun’s words made her froze & she stiffened but Dohyun was so into his story that he didn’t notice Yuri’s reaction, “Then he saw auntie Yoona. Auntie Yoona went all white & she pulled me to a cab but the funny uncle didn’t let her. Then daddy came & then we went to eat ice cream. Then you came & forced me to eat porridge. Mommy, can I have a burger tomorrow?” He yawned again. His eyes were getting smaller & smaller when suddenly the door slammed opened. Yoona & Tiffany stood at the doorway, panting.

Yuri was still in her horrified mood & Dohyun stared at them with his confusion-clouded eyes. Seeing that Dohyun had unconsciously ruined everything, they groaned in defeat & said goodnight to Dohyun. After they were sure that Dohyun was asleep, they pulled the zombie-like Yuri & tiptoed out of his room. They went to the balcony & sat Yuri down to let her recover from her shock. The scent of jasmine wafted & slowly, Yuri came to her senses.

Yuri took in a deep breath. The aroma of jasmine always soothed her nerves. She opened her eyes when Yoona carefully asked her, “So, what was Dohyun telling you before he fell asleep?”

Yuri’s lips bowed up into a forced smile, “He’s been telling me about a pretty & funny uncle who could make your face white. Who’s the guy, Yoon? I didn’t know that you have a secret guy. Spill it.”

In a split second, the time it took for Yoona to see the agreement in Tiffany’s eyes, she decided to come clean. She moved to Yuri’s left while Tiffany moved to Yuri’s right, “Yul, I...er, I met Jaejoong Oppa today at the hospital.”

Yuri’s breath hitched a little hearing her uncertainty affirmed, “J...Jaejoong Oppa? Kim Jaejoong?” Yoona nodded in affirmation. Yuri, who stared at a distance, could feel Yoona’s answer. Her mind was in a whirlwind but she managed to choked out, “How is he? He’s well, isn’t he?”

“He’s fine as far as I could tell. Yul, are you okay? I made the right decision telling you this, right?”

Yuri bobbed her suddenly heavy head, “I...I’m going back to my room. Um...I will...I will see you guys tomorrow.” She rushed to her room as if a pack of hellhound were on her trail. All she could think was that she needed to be alone to sort out the tangled emotion inside of her. Yoona & Tiffany looked at each other helplessly. It was out of their hands now.

‘Diary,

I’m so scared. I feel like Jaejoong Oppa is getting further & further away from me. Sometimes, I felt like he’s unreachable that he was only biding his time. Yet, he is still the same. He’s still taking care of me & still as attentive as ever but I could feel his mind often wandered around. Is it because of Yuri? That girl is really the bane of my existence but according to the detective I hired, she’s moved far away so she’s not a threat to me any longer. I don’t think she will even come to their date next month. Now, all I have to do is to wait for Oppa to forget his feelings for Yuri, whatever it is & then he will be mine & I will love him completely so that he wouldn’t want to leave me ever. We are meant to be from the start & we will love each other all the way to our deepest soul until death part us.’

Hyukjae rubbed his eyes in disbelief. It was Tiffany. It was really Tiffany, sitting not far away from him in an elegant restaurant. He sat still for a moment; his eyes roaming her face & body. She had changed. Her mid-back length, golden brown hair was still the same, just that she has her bottom hair curls. Her clothes used to be casual. The Tiffany he saw that day wore a ¾ sleeve fit & flare shirt dress that draped her body, showing subtle hints of feminine curves & yet, so flattering. Her makeup was flawless, enhancing her beauty. She was sitting alone, enjoying her clear wine slowly.

Hyukjae picked up the silverware & looked at his image in it, “Perfect.” He said, under his breath. He took in a deep breath while combing his short, brownish orange hair with his long, slender fingers & got ready to stand up when he saw a handsome guy approached Tiffany’s table. The guy he had seen before with Tiffany. He saw the guy took her hand & kissed her knuckles. He saw Tiffany’s smile bloomed. He saw red. Like an animal with his territory trespassed, he growled & clenched his fists. Noticing the look the man had in his eyes when he looked at his Tiffany, he stood up so abruptly that his chair toppled down, creating so much noises. Tiffany looked at the commotion uninterestedly but upon seeing a tall guy with a red face looking daggers at her, she gasped & grabbed the table firmly for support.

Eight years hadn’t changed him a bit. His milky, white skin still looked healthy. His body, clad in casual attire, looked even better than before. His face had more character now with faint lines around his eyes. Lines that would be horrible on a woman but made a man looked more appealing but she could also see that he’s still the hot-tempered Hyukjae. Tiffany prepared herself for a confrontation overdue. Her heart pounded in joy, excitement, longing, dread, hurt & a familiar feeling she didn’t want to examine any further.

Hyukjae stalked towards her with teeth clenched tightly. Feeling the dangerous air around Hyukjae, Tiffany’s date stood up & demanded, “What is it?! Why are you disturbing us?!”

Not able to control himself any longer, Hyukjae raised his fists & punched the guy in the face, “Stay away from my girl.”

Tiffany screamed in shock seeing her date’s nose spurted blood. She looked at Hyukjae in disgusts & helped her date up. She picked up a napkin, dipped it into the ice bucket & put it on his nose. Then she turned to Hyukjae & jabbed her finger into his chest, “We broke up eight years ago. Got it? I’m not your girl anymore. Now, get out of my way.” She put her arm around the guy’s waist & helped him walk towards the restaurant exit. Suddenly, Hyukjae grabbed her arm & said more calmly, “Fany, I need to talk to you. Eight years ago was a misunderstanding. If only you would listen to me, give me another chance. I know you still love me. I saw your expression when you saw me just now.”

Tiffany gave him a withering look, ‘Get this through that thick skull of yours. I’m over you. Now, get out of my life.” She walked out with her head held high, despite her embarrassment for causing such a scene. Hyukjae sat dejectedly on the chair she had vacated & banged his head on the table, “How could I do that? She would never forgive me now.”