Chapter 20

The night was very clear. A full moon was shining brightly with a million of stars scattered in the sky. It was the night before their date.

Jaejoong was sitting on the balcony, thinking about his problem & the date tomorrow night, ‘Will Yuri be there? Will she come alone or will she take Teuk with her? & what about Jessica? Isn’t eight years enough already? If she’s going to ever get better, she will get better already, right?’ In the background, Hyukjae was fuming something about Tiffany & her date & a betrayal of some kind. A whack on his shoulder brought him back. He scowled & saw Hyukjae glowering at him, “Did you even hear a word I said?”

Jaejoong stood up & said impatiently, “You know what you should do from the start. Instead of punching left & right, you should just admit to Fany that you have been missing her like crazy. Instead of protecting your pride, you should come clean to her & admitted that you made a mistake eight years ago & asked for another chance.”

“I did.” Seeing Jaejoong’s impatient look, he squirmed a little, “But not exactly in those words.” The moment his mind went to Tiffany’s date, he fumed again, “If only she weren’t with that guy, I would act more civilized but seeing the guy acting so intimate with her, my mind could only see red! I didn’t even realize what I had done until Fany looked at me in disgusts!” Realizing his misstep, he flopped down on a chair, “I have ruined it. My only chance & I have ruined it.”

Jaejoong went inside his apartment & grabbed his black calvin klein faux leather moto jacket. Before he could opened the door, he looked at the dejected Hyukjae still slumped in the balcony, “Midnight is getting nearer & I’m going to wait for Yuri at the beach. Jessica would be back pretty soon. You could stay here & keep her company if you want.”

Hyukjae jumped from his seat & ran out in a second, yelling “I had rather sit with a tarantula on my lap than with Jessica smiling sweetly on my side! See you later, buddy, & good luck!”

It was five in the afternoon. Her work was left scattered on her desk, untouched. All day, Yuri’s thought had kept wandering back to Jaejoong. To their date today. She still couldn’t decide whether to go to the beach or not. She took a calming breath & practiced her yoga breathing technique. For once, it didn’t calm her even one bit. She still felt restless. When she opened her eyes & glanced at her anne klein gold-tone adjustable bracelet watch, it was already five. Not being able to stand the anxiety that was suffocating her, she turned off her computer & grabbed her brown michael kors hamilton tote purse & black calvin klein belted trench coat.

Just before she stepped out from her office, her samsung galaxy note two beeped. It was from Jessica.

The beach was still crowded at six in the evening. Couples strolled hand in hand or sitting close watching the sunset while kids played with each other or their pets & families having picnics. Yuri took off her navy steve madden edda wedge sandal; she wanted to feel the familiar cool sands on her feet. She walked slowly towards the spot where Jaejoong had proposed to her with her heart jumping from her chest to & back again, in excitement, anticipation, nervousness & resignation.

The secluded place was deserted. Not even a single soul was there.

She laughed mirthlessly. The disappointment that she felt was akin to having her heart stabbed with a blunt arrow. She unclasped the necklace that she wore under her white silk beau shirt. A diamond ring was also hanging on the necklace, beside the teardrop pearl. The ring & necklace Jaejoong had given her on the very same spot. She closed her eyes in defeat, turned back & started walking towards her car. Realizing she still clutched her two precious things tightly in her hand, she looked at them for the last time & threw them onto the sand, on the same spot they were placed last time. Then she started walking again.

“Yul.”

Yuri couldn’t believe her ears. She turned around slowly & saw a badly sunburned Jaejoong grinning widely in front of her. The ring & necklace were hanging from his hand. She tried to smile but her eyes suddenly got misty. Using all of her strength, she tried to keep the tears from falling & smiled in greeting. They looked at each other’s eyes & the world ceased to exist. It felt as if the last eight years disappeared.

The sun finally dropped out of sight. Jaejoong & Yuri were still sitting on the sand, feeling each other’s presence without any word exchanged. Only the sound of waves filled the silence.

“Are you happy?” Jaejoong suddenly asked, still looking at the horizon. He couldn’t look at Yuri, knowing she belonged to someone else now. He couldn’t because he knew his eyes would revealed his pain & reluctance to give her up.

Yuri nodded & looked down at the sand, “I’m content with my life now. Dohyun is a wonderful child & you, Jaejoong Oppa?”

He smiled a little & looked up at the stars above, not answering her question. How could he be happy when his source of happiness was in someone else’s hand? But he promised himself that he would be content because he had finally witnessed Yuri’s happiness. Suddenly, he took her hand & put the ring & necklace back on her palm, “Here. I bought them for you & they would always be yours. Keep them.”

Yuri held them tightly in her hand, not knowing what to do. She remembered what Jessica had said a while ago, “Yuri, I know that I ruined your wedding eight years ago. It’s not intentional, I swear. These eight years, my feelings for Oppa had deepened tremendously & I think his too, if only you wouldn’t get in the way.” Then she said brokenly, “To tell you the truth, I got hiv. I wouldn’t live long. Please, don’t take Oppa away from me? After I die, you two could be together again. Please? For the last year of my life, please let him be by my side, I beg of you?”

Yuri sighed & gave them back to Jaejoong, “Oppa, things have changed. I can’t keep them any longer. I’m sorry.”

‘She had married Teuk. Things are different now.’ Jaejoong thought bitterly. Hurt & disappointment flashed in Jaejoong’s eyes, making Yuri winced in return. Jaejoong swallowed his bitterness & nodded, “I should go.” Yuri said abruptly, & got up.

Jaejoong looked at her sadly, “Can’t we even be friends? Not only have I lost the only woman I have ever loved but I have to lose a friend, too?”

Yuri looked down at her feet & then sat down again. To break the awful silence, she said lightly, “I thought you weren’t coming. I know we didn’t say the exact time to meet but I thought since we broke up around sunset, we should meet around sunset, too.”

Jaejoong smiled softly & replied, while playing with the sand, “I have been waiting for you since midnight, since the first second of the day. I even got sunburned since I don’t want to leave the spot, lest you come while I was gone. The only time I left this place was to buy a drink since my supply had run out & I almost missed you.”

Although, Yuri felt extremely touched, she fought back the urge to throw herself at him & surrender. Jessica’s image strengthened her resolve. She smiled in appreciation & , “I thought you put on some tanning lotion or something.”

Jaejoong grinned & laughed. Yuri smiled, glad that the awkwardness around them had melted. They chatted & laughed more comfortably like they used to do until the moon was shining brightly that it reminded Yuri that she had to fetch Dohyun from her parents’ house.

“Will I ever see you again?” Jaejoong asked, looking at Yuri’s eyes deeply.

Yuri put on a smile & got up, “Of course. We are friends.” ‘& you are my son’s father.’ Yuri added silently, “I will call you.” Yuri said, as she offered her hand to Jaejoong.

He took ahold of her hand & whispered, “Friends.”