Chapter 8

Yuri practically fell onto the two-seater of her sofa & bawled her heart out. She couldn’t believe that it actually happened. All these days of taking care of Yunho were soon to be over because she would have to give him up to Tiffany. She loved Tiffany as a sister & knew that she was going to take good care of him but she still couldn’t give up the fact that she loved him so.

Whimpering between her choked sobs, she promised herself that she had to be strong. She had to be strong for Yunho & everybody who had supported her like Haewon. She had to do something about it though because she couldn’t bear to see Yunho, her love, with someone else.

Trying to take her mind off of all her problems, she tried to do all the normal things that she normally did. Grabbing the key, she went downstairs to clear the mail from her mailbox. Skimming through the different letter, she haphazardly dropped the junk mail in the dustbin near her. One letter caught her attention though as she stared at it hard, unable to believe that she actually received a letter from them.

Tiffany walked up to the door of Jeongsu’s apartment & then turned around momentarily, deciding it was best not to see him. As she was about to walk away, Jeongsu opened his front door to empty the trash & realized that Tiffany was standing there. He looked at her intently, emotions overwhelming & even though no words were exchanged, both of them knew exactly what the other was feeling.

After what seemed like hours to the both of them, Jeongsu said to her politely, “Come in.” Nodding meekly, she stepped into the apartment after him. Both of them was engulfed in the awkward silence, looking away from each others eyes until Tiffany, who couldn’t hold back anymore, ran into Jeongsu’s embrace, sniffling. Smoothing her hair, Jeongsu was caught in a sudden loss of what to do. Her overwhelming emotions flew out of nowhere, giving him no warning whatsoever. Pulling her away from him gently, he asked her lovingly, “What’s wrong, Fany?” She just shook her head & continued sobbing. How could she? How could she tell him what was going on?

She looked up at him & had a guilty look flashing in her eyes. She hung her head low as she whispered to him gently & softly, “Let’s break up.” Jeongsu immediately pulled away from her & looked at her with a mixture of shock & anger & asked her spitefully, “What did you say?”

Tiffany looked away from him. He grabbed her shoulders & shook it slightly, startling her. Jeongsu was normally seen to be an aggressive person but never did he do such a thing to her, “I said, let’s break up.” She replied, repeating the first line. He stared into her eyes, utterly disappointed. Losing his cool, he began to throw things around the house, making Tiffany jumped in fright. Picking up a vase, Jeongsu was about to throw it when Tiffany intervened.

With the pair of sad eyes staring at him, he couldn’t help but put down the vase & looked at her painfully, asking “Why?” She tried to get the words out of but nothing seemed to come out. She motioned for him to sit down & told him everything Yuri told her. His thick brow furrowed & he took Tiffany’s hand in his.

“Are you sure there is a person like this in the world?! She is just too bloody nice! Oh, damn it! What can I say?! But Fany, are you helping them by doing this?! I mean, for all you know, if Yunho knows the truth, he may regret it all his life!” Jeongsu exclaimed, still in a state of shock upon hearing that touching story.

“I know Jeongsu Oppa, I know, but I promised her that I would take care of him & I also swore secrecy to all this, promising not to tell Yunho. How can I let her down? How can I?” She asked incredulously, & the both of them were caught in the sea of hesitation. Painfully, Jeongsu told Tiffany, “I guess that’s the best thing to do now, at least be by his side for the time being until somehow, Yuri comes to her senses & decided to tell him.” Jeongsu knew that he would regret this decision forever but he couldn’t be selfish when Yuri could be so selfless.

Pressing his heart-shaped lips onto hers, he told her finally, “Goodbye, Tiffany.” Before heading towards the room, his eyes b in tears.

Opening the letter slowly & neatly, Yuri did a little prayer. Opening the letter abruptly, she skimmed through the contents. She had been accepted. She felt tears clouding her eyes as she felt a surge of happiness bolt through her. Her dream college, she had gotten a place but seconds later, the dilemma struck her again.

Was this the letter for her to say goodbye to everyone? To Yunho?

The acceptance letter welcoming her to the college of her dreams was so overwhelming. It is definitely a dream come true. It meant so much to her, to see her efforts being rewarded, the feelings were just so complexed, Yuri knew that wherever her mother was, looking down on her, blessing her, she was proud, proud of her daughter, never giving up & forever working hard. Yuri had waited so long for this day to come, there was a time when the only goal in her life was to go to Harvard, that was the dream that she lived by, that was what kept her going after the death of her mother but that was all before she met Yunho, from that day at the coffee shop, Yuri could sense her life changing, it was the major turning point. Though she never lost sight of that dream of going to college, Yuri realized that there was someone else more important in her life & suddenly, her life didn’t revolve around getting the best marks in school but rather Yunho & his well-being. That was the dilemma, could she possibly let go & say goodbye to the person that she loved so much, the person that managed to brighten her day & most of all, gave her hope?

The decision was hard, it was impossible, she had to choose between her future & lover, ‘But why am I so blind? Yunho Oppa doesn’t love me, he’s never looked at me the way he’s looked at Tiffany, to him, I’m a mere friend, a friend, they say that love can conquer all, love can make you give up everything in your life but what about friendship? Is friendship enough to make me stay?’ Vicki asked herself.

Tiffany was left there, standing all by herself as she watched Jeongsu turned away from her, walking further & further away from her. She didn’t know what to do but the warmth of that kiss & the passion in his lips still lingered on her light pink lips. Tiffany felt tears flood her eyes, blurring her vision. She so desperately wanted to call him back, to take back the words she said but a promise is a promise, she can’t let Yuri down nor can she let Yunho down but deep down, Tiffany knew that she has let Jeongsu down. She knew his love for her, yet she made the decision to break up with him. For what? For an instant, even Tiffany didn’t have the answer, slowly, Tiffany made her way to the door & taking in a deep breath, she opened it & walked out. Each step she took, she was further & further away from Jeongsu, the love of her life, away from her happiness & the most important person in her life, ‘I will be back Oppa, I promise. I love you. I will always love you.’ Tiffany vowed, as she wiped away the salty tears running down her face.

In the hospital room, Yunho wasn’t totally oblivious to the drama that was taking place around him. Even though he was unaware of the tough decisions people were making for his sake. He was aware that Tiffany had a boyfriend, he has learnt that there was another person in her life, that she loved more than him, afterall, they were only best friends.

*Flashback*

As Tiffany waved goodbye to Yunho, she left the room. All night, Yunho was trying to confess his feelings to her but somehow, he could never find the right opportunity. Though he was conscious of the way that Tiffany would change the subject everytime he brought about the topic about whether she had a boyfriend or what her relations were with Jeongsu but Yunho just brushed it away, yet, when the night was over, Yunho still didn’t get to say what he wanted to say, ‘There’s always more time.’ He told himself.

When Tiffany left, Yunho walked to his window & looked out. He would often do this, watch Tiffany walk out of the hospital gate. It brought a sense of pleasure to him, hard to explain, yet true.

That night, however, rather than waiting outside the gates for Tiffany, Jeongsu decided to wait inside the gardens. When he saw Tiffany coming out, he immediately called out her name.

“Hey, Fany.”

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Tiffany’s face broke out into a smile. Waving to Jeongsu, she fastened her pace, “What are you doing here?” She asked, smiling brightly.

“To see you, of course.” Jeongsu replied huskily, as he circled his arms around Tiffany’s slender waist. Before she could even reply, he bent down & kissed her gently on the cheek then moving over to her pink lips. Finding his kisses totally irresistible, Tiffany kissed him back until they were totally absorbed in a world of their own. Finally, pulling away, Tiffany looked around them, “Thank god it’s dark!” She exclaimed, with a tinge of red in her face. She had never done such a thing in public before.

“Why so shy?” Jeongsu joked, as he held her hand.

“Come on, let’s go. I don’t want people to see since it’s the hospital grounds after all.” Tiffany muttered, still quite embarrassed but luckily, no one was around.

Together, hand in hand, they walked towards the gates with Tiffany snuggled close to Jeongsu & leaned her head on his shoulders.

What Tiffany & Jeongsu doesn’t know was that someone was watching them from above. Yunho, from his window, witnessed everything. He was shocked to say the least. Standing there by the window, his mind went blank. He didn’t know what to think, ‘Jeongsu & Tiffany. Tiffany & Jeongsu, they.’ Yunho finally realized. She has been hiding the truth from him all this time.

Yunho concluded that Tiffany was just trying not to hurt him but what she doesn’t know is that it’s more painful finding out the truth like he did. Like a zombie, Yunho walked towards his bed. He wanted to forget everything that he just saw, he wished it was all a dream but no, that was reality & as much as he hated it & was hurt by it, Yunho knew he must come to terms with the fact that Tiffany was already taken.

*End of Flashback*

Remembering the night was like a painful stab in Yunho’s heart. Closing his eyes, he tried to get rid of the picture of Tiffany & Jeongsu kissing but as hard as he tried, they just wouldn’t go away, rather they were clearer & more vivid than before. The way she circled her arms around his neck, the way his lips touched hers. Yunho almost felt like screaming but a knocked on the door disrupted his thoughts, “Come in.” He muttered. Yuri slowly walked into the room, forcing a smile on her face. She greeted Yunho & walked to his bedside & began to tidy up the magazines. She went to the window & closed the window & pulled the curtains closed. Everyone of her moves were like the day before. It’s now become a routine for her but Yunho was too absorbed in his thoughts to see her gestures.

“So, how have you been?” Yuri asked, breaking the silence.

“Okay. Can I ask you a question, Yuri?” Yunho asked, his face in a serious expression.

Yuri nodded as she sat down next to him.

“Do you know what it feels like to be in love?” Yunho asked, looking into Yuri’s eyes, “But yet, you don’t know how to tell them, afraid that you might ruin their perfect world? It’s like you are afraid to break the friendship you have now but still want to go that extra step in your relationship? Do you know what I mean?”

Yuri nodded, “It’s hard because you don’t want to lose what you have now but you still want them to know how you are feeling but remember, love isn’t meant to be selfish. For those that you truly love, their happiness comes above all. If they are happy then that’s the most important thing of all.” Yuri replied, ‘As long as you are happy, I’m happy.’ She thought.

“But do you know how much it hurts to not be able to tell the person you love that you love them, that’s more painful than any injury can ever causes?” Yunho confided his feelings to Yuri. Somehow, he felt comfortable telling her this. When she’s around, Yunho doesn’t feel any pressure. Yuri was like his confident, he could pour his heart out to her.

“I think I know what you are talking about but I believe if you are destined to love someone, you will be together. Love is something that can’t be forced. There’s just no way of forcing someone to love you. A relationship based on force or obligation isn’t love. Love comes from the heart not the head. You don’t love because it’s the right thing to do, you love because someone has captured your heart.” Yuri explained, as she looked into Yunho’s eyes. Any moment now, Yuri felt like she was going to burst into tears, ‘No, I can’t. I mustn’t have Yunho Oppa love me out of obligation.’

Everyone of Yuri’s words made senses. Yunho was amazed with the girl in front of him. Her words were so true, she was so right. She seemed so calm in what she had to say, yet passionate. It almost sent his heart racing. Never before had he seen this side of Yuri. To him, she was always the sweet, gentle & kind girl but never did he realize that there was so much more behind what meets the eye. Her passion about love & thoughts on love made him realize something, ‘If Tiffany & I are meant to be, we will be.’

“Did I say something wrong?” Yuri asked, as Yunho was just staring at her. The silence made her feel awkward & vulnerable.

“No, you are so right. I never realized these things before. You showed me a whole new perspective to love.” Yunho remarked, with admiration in his eyes.

Blushing at the compliment, Yuri looked down at her michael kors chronograph mini bradshaw white & rose gold-tone stainless steel bracelet watch, “It’s getting late. You had better get your rest. Take care Oppa & remember the best thing in this world is to love & be loved in return. What’s yours will always be there. What’s not will never be so don’t force love, it comes naturally. Hope you get better soon. Goodbye Oppa, take care of yourself.” Yuri said, as she walked towards the door, tears shimmering in her eyes.

Closing the door behind her, Yuri allowed the pool of tears to flow.

A/N: since tomorrow night i will be busy, i won't be able to update when i come home from work so i'm doing double updates today ^^

- butt3rflyl0v3r