Chapter 26: I Choose You

“Ms. Kim, the meeting will start in 10 minutes.” Ms. Han, Namjoo’s reliever, told me.

Ms. Han is my acting secretary this week because Namjoo filed for a vacation leave. I can’t decline her request. Especially when I know how hard it is for her to be around me when I am the reason of her heart break.

I nodded and took my things as I stood up and walked to the meeting hall.

As I entered the hall, some of the board members are already there, reading the agenda for today’s meeting. L.Joe was also there, looking finer than he did yesterday.

He looked at me and smiled.

I nodded at him and went to my seat beside Mr. Lee.

“You’re early, Ms. Kim.” Mr. Lee told me.

I gave him a look. “Are you kidding me?” I asked him and he just chuckled before looking at his phone again.

I really wonder if he’s Harem Magnet. I peeped in to see what he’s looking at but I can’t see it. It was his lockscreen and it’s plain. See? If he’s Harem Magnet, he should at least have a different lockscreen wallpaper. Not that it would mean that he doesn’t have OK Cupid in his phone but…

“Ah, Mr. Lee,” L.Joe suddenly spoke.

Mr. Lee was shocked and so was I.

I mean, why was L.Joe calling him all of a sudden?

“What’s it, Mr. Lee Byunghun?” Mr. Lee asked.

Actually, it’s funny because Mr. Lee is calling another Mr. Lee. Sorry.

“Can I borrow your phone?” L.Joe asked. I narrowed my eyes on him. “I just have to call someone and I didn’t bring mine.” He added then he smiled at me.

I rolled my eyes.

Mr. Lee was hesitating to give his phone but in the end, he did.

L.Joe smiled and thanked him before fiddling into the phone. I watched him and he smirked as he reached the homescreen.

Why is he smirking?

I continued to look at him and it seemed as if he is typing.

After a few seconds, he smiled and gave the phone back to Mr. Lee. “Thanks again, Mr. Lee.”

Mr. Lee nodded and took his phone from L.Joe.

I narrowed my eyes at L.Joe and he winked at me. I scoffed and shook my head. He has to be kidding me. What is he trying to do?

I glanced at Mr. Lee and he is typing something on his phone. I wonder if he really is Harem Magnet.

Then it dawned on me.

Did L.Joe borrow Mr. Lee’s phone to see if he has that dating app on his phone?

I looked at L.Joe again and he smirked at me.

Geez. Why is my brain not-

“Hello?” I answered my phone. I didn’t see who it was but the voice sounded really urgent.

“Hana,” I widened my eyes when I realized that it’s Kim Yukwon.

“Hey, what happened?” I asked in worry. His voice seemed urgent. What is happening?

“I’m in the hospital.” Yukwon told me.

My heart started to beat fast. “What?!” I asked surprise – a little too loud.

I noticed L.Joe look at me.

“Hey, Kim Yukwon, what are you doing in the hospital? Are you hurt? Are you okay?” I stood up and the board members looked at me. It was a good thing that the meeting hasn’t started yet.

I didn’t care at all though.

“Not me, Hana. But Jiho is…hurt.” I suddenly felt my heart leaping

“WHAT?! What happened to Jiho? Is he hurt? Is he okay? Where are you? I’m going now!” I asked him nonstop.

“Hanguk Hospital.” Yukwon’s voice is urgent and full of worry. Yukwon was always the cool and calm and funny jokester type. Not like this.

“Okay. Wait for me. I’m coming now.” I told him as I hung up.

“Sorry.” I bowed at the board members. “Something urgent came up.” I told them then walked to the door.

In a blink of a second, all of my memories with Jiho are coming in.

“There is no woman who deserves to cry because of a man.”

“I know it’s hard for you to do this but please, move on, Hana. Move on from him. He’s not worth your time and your tears.”

“But my love for you is greater than the hate, Hana. It’s greater than anything else. I was even thinking if you’d come back to me, I would accept you whole heartedly. That’s how great my love for you is.”

“Always laugh like this, please. I don’t want to see you hurt again. I can’t take it.”

“I can’t promise we won’t fight. But I promise you that I won’t let a day pass without making up. I won’t let you sleep mad at me. I won’t let you sleep crying because I hurt you.”

“I actually wrote this song five years ago, when I had a girlfriend that I really loved. But I didn’t want to release this song when I know that she wouldn’t hear it. So, we’re releasing this now, now that she’s back, to tell her that nothing changed. She is still the only HER for me.”

“Thanks for coming back, Hana. You don’t know how you make me happy. Don’t ever leave again, please.”

“I could only rest when I’m sure that you’re in your pad, resting as well, and not with some guy who I know would do anything to get you.”

Every single word that he told me to be okay again is flooding my mind right now. He better be okay. Or I won’t ever forgive him.

There is this unknown feeling that’s growing inside of me.

It’s been days since I’ve last seen Jiho. It was the day when L.Joe broke up with Namjoo. He never contacted me after. He just sent me a message telling me to trust my feelings.

Honestly, I miss him.

I miss Woo Jiho.

I didn’t know how much until now.

And I freaking miss him so much.

There has been a lot of drama lately about me and L.Joe. L.Joe told me he would wait for me.

Every kiss. Every hug. Every sweet word.

L.Joe did everything for me these past few days. He has proven himself to me. He has proven me that he loves me.

And I believe him.

But after everything he’s done me. After all the confusion he gave me. There is still that one person who I can’t get out of my head.

Woo Jiho.

And knowing that he is in a hospital right now, I don’t know what to feel.

It’s like my whole world is falling to my feet. I feel devastated.

I feel like my world is demolished.

I know I love L.Joe.

But Woo Jiho… I love him on a different level.

“Hana!” Somebody grabbed my arm. It was L.Joe. “Where do you think are you going?” He asked me.

I looked at him. “Byunghun,” I breathed. “Jiho is in the hospital. I need to go there.” I told him. “I need to be beside him. I need to take care of him.”

L.Joe looked at me. His face shouts sadness. I know. I can read it.

But I don’t give a damn on that now. I need to be with Jiho now. I need to be with him. He needs me more than anyone else.

“Please,” I begged him. “Let me take care of him the way I took care of you.” I told him.

He let go of my arm.

I shut my eyes and messed my hair. “I don’t know what to do anymore.” I told him. “I don’t know what’s happening to me.” I continued as I looked at him. “I don’t know why I feel this way. I am torn, Lee Byunghun.” I told him.

He sighed hard. “What do you mean?” He asked me.

I shut my eyes and exhaled heavily. “Please don’t wait for me.” I told him. “Please live your life like you should live it.”

He looked at me in shock. “Kim Hana,” he tried to stop me. “Please don’t tell me to let go of you.” He told me. “Not when we’re in this perfect situation already. Not when I just broke everything for you. Not when I’ve deeply fallen for you.”

I looked down and I can feel my tears b around my eyes.

I knew this time would come. I have to choose. But I didn’t know that letting one of them go is one of the hardest thing in the world.

I thought the decision to give up 5 years ago was the hardest. But no. This is way harder than leaving.

“Are you indirectly telling me…” He paused. “…that you’re choosing him?” He asked me. His voice is trembling.

I shut my eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

Right now, I’m choosing Woo Jiho. My Mr. Right.

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It’s funny how we only realize someone’s worth when he’s not by your side anymore. I have always tried to treasure everyone to the best of my ability.

I’ve tried my best to keep Minji by my side because I know that I can’t live without her as my best friend.

I tried to keep my relationship with my dad because I don’t want him out of my life. Even if he lied to me over the company, I tried to understand.

But there is this one person who tried and still tries to keep me until now.

Woo Jiho.

And right now, I think, it’s my time to keep him too.

I ran to the emergency room and saw the Block B members crowding in a circle. I walked to them and was shocked to see Woo Jiho standing there, well and fine.

My eyes widened. “What is happening here?” I asked them.

They all smiled at me.

“Sorry, Hana.” Yukwon told me.

I narrowed my eyes on him. “What do you mean?” I asked him.

Yukwon bowed his head and so with the rest. Now, Jiho is the only one looking at me.

“Sorry to bother your meeting, Kim Hana.” He told me. “I know you have a lot of things to do and you have no time for pranks like this.”

I narrowed my eyes on him.

Why does he look sad?

And what is happening?

Why did Yukwon call me telling me that Jiho is hurt?

Jiho walked to me. “I know that you’re having a hard time choosing between us now.” He started as he smiled sadly.

“So, I’m standing here in front of you, trying to tell you to look at the scenario in this hospital.” He told me as he motioned at the busy Emergency room.

He held my shoulders and made me look into the Emergency room scene. I don’t know what he’s trying to say. “Look at the patients.” He told me. “All of them need treatment but the doctors and nurses prioritize the severe ones.”

I looked at a middle-aged lady who’s sitting on a bed with no one to attend to her. She looks fine. I wonder what her problem is. But the doctors seemed to ask her to wait for a few minutes because they all ran to an old unconscious woman. I think she fainted.

But what is Jiho trying to say?

“Hana,” he told me as he exhaled heavily. “Everybody needs attention but you need to choose who needs you more.”

Prioritization.

Is that what he’s trying to tell me?

“I know you are having a hard time choosing between me and Lee Byunghun.” He told me.

I froze for a minute before looking at him. “Jiho,” I called him. Why is he doing this?

He smiled at me. “I know, Hana. I know and I can feel that I am giving you a freaking hard time.  I am. Because I know that you really love him, more than you could ever th-“

I couldn’t bear to hear his next words. What is he trying to tell me? That he’s letting me go?

So I kissed him.

His eyes widened and I smiled at him.

“Stupid.” I told him. He was still looking at me with his shocked expression. “What are you trying to do now?” I asked him.

He looked at me without uttering a word.

“I’ve already chosen, Woo Jiho.” I smiled at him as my heart is beating the fastest. The Woo Jiho way. I held his hands. “And I choose you.” I told him.

He scoffed at me but then he began to smile. “Really?” He asked me and I nodded.

Right then and there. I felt it. L.Joe gives me sparks. But Jiho gives me a freaking missile. I can’t help but feel loved. Sometimes, we’d rather hurt ourselves than hurt the people who loved us with all their life.

 

 

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Last 3 chaps. :) I hope you know my schedule of updates. Thanks. 

Love you all! :)