Chapter 24

Well, well. A reunion.” Jessica sneered, with tears flowing down her face. She looked at Jaejoong with determination, regret & despair. Her hand trembled slightly in her upheaval. Cautiously, Jaejoong moved towards Yuri, intending to shield her with his body. Leeteuk started to stand up too, to protect Yuri from the line of fire, “One more move & you two can say goodbye to her.” Jessica said coldly, when they were only a couple of steps away from her. Jaejoong & Leeteuk stood frozen, not willing to put greater risk on Yuri, yet they didn’t know what they should do to protect Yuri while Yuri could only stand there, frozen.

Jessica smirked bitterly, “So Jaejoong Oppa, you are willing to throw your life away for her? She isn’t worth it. Why can’t you love me? Why her?”

Jaejoong felt his body tense in anticipation of shielding Yuri from danger & answered Jessica frankly. He felt so tired of protecting her feelings by sacrificing his & Yuri’s, “Its simple. She’s my soul mate. She completes me in every way. I would never love another woman aside from her & I can’t love you because I don’t feel the pull for you as I feel for her. Face it, Jessica. We could only be friends. No more than that.”

She pulled the trigger. Jaejoong threw his body on Yuri’s to protect her when he heard the click of the gun. They looked at Jessica who was laughing mockingly as tears gushed from her eyes in bewilderment but the aim of the gun hadn’t changed; it’s still pointed at Yuri’s heart, “I have one more bullet in here. Don’t worry; I’m an excellent shooter. Yuri, your choice. Your life or Oppa’s.” Yuri tried to push Jaejoong away from her while Jaejoong tried to push her away from the line of fire. Leeteuk looked at them both with unreadable eyes & clenched fists. Hyukjae & Tiffany stood there with mouth wide opened, too horrified by the sudden incident to move.

Suddenly, a masculine laughter boomed in the air & Sehun walked in with an antique gun in his hand & brown, almond-shaped eyes wild with madness.

He laughed & whistled, “What a party. All the people are here already & here I thought I will have to wait for all of you.” He laughed raucously; feeling the situation very hilarious while the others looked alarmed seeing the mad glint in Sehun’s eyes. Suddenly, a gasps was heard from the doorway. Mr & Mrs. Kwon stood there with horrified looks on their faces. Sehun grinned & gestured using his gun for them to come in, “Welcome. Welcome to our party. The more, the merrier.” He laughed boomingly. Mr. Kwon looked at Yuri & had to steady himself seeing her precious daughter at the wrong end of the gun. Yuri signaled her parents to stand & stay silently.

Sehun shifted his attention & looked at Tiffany & Hyukjae, “Hello, beautiful, & the beast.” Pointing the gun at Hyukjae, he smirked, “You & your bastard of a partner should pay me back! They took all of my stuff. They took my house. They took all my cars & I don’t have anymore money. My father even ignored my requests for more money. All because you two opened your big mouths. Now you pay. Don’t worry, I know where it would hurt the most.” He laughed maniacally, shifted his gun to Tiffany & started to pulled the trigger. Hyukjae instinctively jumped & tackled Tiffany to the ground, protecting her with his body all the while. At the same time, Leeteuk moved to tackle Sehun but he had detected Leeteuk’s movement from the corner of his eyes. Furious, he turned his body, pointed his gun at Yuri & pulled the trigger. Jaejoong quickly pushed Yuri behind him & closed his eyes before screams & gunshots were heard & then the sound of bodies hitting the floor. Then silence.

Yoona with Minseo & Dohyun were outside the house when she saw a disheveled & strange looking man holding something that looks like a gun entering her house. Feeling apprehensive, Yoona grabbed the children’s hands & ran towards the payphone nearby. Her call to the police just ended when she heard the sound of gunshot from the house. She ran to the back of the house in terror.

She left the children in the kitchen, told them not to wander around & tiptoed to the living room. She saw a guy standing still, stunned by the red fluid flowing from his chest. He looked at his red hand in confusion then slowly crumpled down on the floor with astonishment still in his eyes. Yoona gasped & dropped in a dead faint.

Jaejoong opened his eyes in amazement; he just got shot but he didn’t feel any pain anywhere in his body. He looked at Yuri’s horrified face, ‘She’s alive.’ He thought, as he caressed her cheek. Then he turned his head to see what Yuri was looking at & saw Jessica laying on the floor next to him. With a gunshot in her stomach. She smiled faintly & reached out for Jaejoong, “Oppa. I’m glad you are okay. I couldn’t bear to see you die.” She coughed & blood spurted out from her wound but she didn’t seem to feel it. Outside, the sirens of police & ambulance could be heard.

“Jessica, hold on. You are going to be okay. The ambulance is here.” Jaejoong said, while he was trying to stop the blood. The rest of them were still stunned, looking at Jessica, not believing that Jessica would go that far for Jaejoong.

Jessica shook her head, “I have hiv, Oppa. I will die anyway. I’m glad I could die this way.” She took out her necklace with her trembling hands & pointed at its pendant. It was a small key, “Oppa, take...take the key. Open my safe box that’s under my bed.” She reached out for Jaejoong’s face but before she could, her hand fell down as she closed her eyes forever.

“Sungmin Oppa.” Yoona whispered, with longing.

Keunsuk smiled bitterly, ‘What did I expect?’ He thought glumly, ‘I knew she’s still in love with her deceased husband, even though he’s gone.’

He remembered yesterday when he had seen Yoona being rolled out from the ambulance. His heart had performed a wild dance & his knees had turned to jelly when he had seen her pale face but the anxiety was nothing compared to the pain he felt when she whispered her deceased husband’s name. Just when he had accepted the fact that he was fatally attracted to her, on the verge of falling in love in fact, her words stabbed him dead center in his heart. He checked her condition & then walked to the door, “Take care, Yoona. I hope I will never see you here again.” He opened the door & walked out; his mind was made up, he would fight his feelings because no good would come from it.

“Keunsuk Oppa.” Yoona jerked awake, realizing what word had just left . She put her hands on in shock. Looking around, she knew she was in the hospital again, but she was alone this time with no gentle-eyed doctor waiting patiently beside her. She hugged her knees & closed her eyes, ‘It was just a dream.’ She thought sadly.

She had dreamed of Sungmin & Keunsuk. They had called her name & cupped her face, seeing eyes to eyes. She had looked into eyes so gentle & compassionate. Eyes so deep that they looked through the barrier she had erected around her heart & straight to the center. The eyes she loved. Sungmin’s eyes. Keunsuk’s big, dark brown eyes. So similar & yet so different. Her heart did some somersaults when she remembered seeing those eyes yesterday, ‘Am I falling in love again, but with whom? With Sungmin Oppa? Or with Keunsuk Oppa?’ Feeling edgy, she got up & went home.

It was Jessica’s diary. Jaejoong picked up the book from the safe box & started reading it. About her plans to destroy him, to make him pay. About her insecurity. About her being abandoned at childhood. About her love for him. He read until he reached the last page. It was written five hours before.

‘Diary,

I’m losing Jaejoong Oppa anyway. Nothing matters anymore. I lost. Yuri wins. It’s as simple as that. These eight years we have lived together, I have never seen his eyes shine the way they were when he saw Yuri. I have never seen his quick grin, the way he did when he was with her. He truly loves her & now, I realize he will never be as happy with me as he was with her. I lost but I can’t live without him. I really can’t.

When I got home today, he was gone. Without a doubt, I know he’s with her so I called some people & find out where she lived. I need to see them together so that I could feel peace for what’s left of my life.

I’m dying from hiv anyway. A few years doesn’t matter to me that much so I decided to test the water. If Oppa really loves Yuri & if Yuri truly loves him, if they were willing to sacrifice their life for the safety of the other, I will let them go. I will wish them happiness & I will disappear from their life forever & never bothered them again. I only hope they will not hate me. I only hope Oppa will not hate me.’

Jaejoong smiled & whispered, “I’m sure you could still hear me, Jessica. No, I don’t hate you. You gave your life to save mine. How could I hate you? Although you made my life miserable these last eight years, I forgive you. Please rest in peace.”

Jaejoong took the diary, grabbed his white ripstop moto jacket & walked away.