Chapter 65
You Said Remember Me II
/ / / / /
Changmin woke up by the time his parents dropped in. It looked like they were ready to stay the whole day. His mother had brought cartons of food, his dad carrying the other half.
“Are you feeling better?” his mother questioned walking over.
“Of course,” Changmin answered, his eyes swiveling around the room for anyone that might have come with them. “I’m getting released in a few days.”
“Your mother was so worried she didn’t sleep properly last night,” his father yawned as he sat down the cartons of food on the counter. “Because of her I’m lacking sleep.”
His mother grimaced at his father.
“Has the doctor come by? Did he say anything? You won’t get any infections, will you?” his mother pried on.
“Mom, you already asked all that yesterday,” Changmin told with a bored voice.
“Did the doctor come by, though?” his father interjected.
Changmin glanced at him, “Not yet. I’m not in critical condition so he won’t be stopping by every half hour. And I’m not going to die. I just…got into an accident, you know?”
“Oh…if only Yuri could catch those ers who did this to you…” his mother gritted her teeth.
“ers?” Changmin repeated with a frown.
“Isn’t that what happened? A gang cornered you and took your money while they shot you,” his mother propelled.
Confused swept his mind clean of any other kind of wonderment before he understood. Yuri, of course, had told them a small harmless lie. Who knew what would happen if they actually knew what happened. They’d probably drag him back home and have him transferred to another hospital while cutting his contact off from Donghae, Victoria, and Nana.
On the other hand, his mother had actually said ‘ers’.
Changmin just chuckled.
“What?” his mother asked.
Changmin shook his head. His mother often withdrew herself from swearing and even through his 20 something years of living with them he’d rarely heard her swear. She was a strict Christian who withheld from saying the utter ugly words that belonged only to the devil. But ers…
Changmin laughed again.
“What’s so funny?” his mother asked with a kind of demand in her voice before she turned to her husband. “Honey, what’s Changmin laughing about?”
His father just simply shrugged.
After a few minutes Changmin finally calmed down.
“Where’s Yuri?” Changmin questioned.
“She’s going to go to work before stopping by,” his mother answered.
It was the usual, typical Yuri. Of course, she wouldn’t come by till attending her respectable duties.
/ / / / /
When Victoria and Donghae climbed down the steps they spotted Yuri in the kitchen finishing up her usual routine of cleaning.
Victoria rubbed the back of her head while glancing around, “Where are your parents?”
“They’ve gone to the hospital.”
“So early in the morning?” Donghae wondered.
Yuri nodded, “Changmin’s the only child. They’ve always been worried about him.”
“Like you,” Victoria wanted to add but kept the comment to herself. Instead she said, “You drink coffee? I didn’t know that.”
Yuri glanced down at the coffee mug sitting beside her and almost laughed.
“No, I don’t,” Yuri replied and nodded toward it, “I told Changmin’s mom you two were expecting and she woke up early to brew this herbal medicine. She says it’s supposed to be good for both you and the baby.”
“Hmm…really?” Donghae asked. “What about me?”
“You don’t need anything,” Victoria edged her elbow into his ribs. “I should tell her ‘thanks’ when she returns.”
Yuri smiled.
“Lets have breakfast.” she suggested pouring the food she’d cooked onto a plate.
“You’re not visiting Changmin?” Victoria wondered.
“I will after work,” Yuri explained.
/ / / / /
After folding up her mat and blanket she walked toward the door. Opening it quietly she peered out to find Eunhyuk sitting on the deck with his legs dangling down the edge. The noisy rain was still falling and perhaps it had been doing so all night. A wisp of cold air brushed her face when she stepped out closing the door behind her.
Sitting beside Eunhyuk she handed him his sweater.
“Thanks,” she quietly said.
“It’s ok, you wear it,” he refused her offer, “you’re probably going to catch a cold if you don’t wear something warm.”
Nana glanced at her thin long sleeved shirt and slipped his sweater back on. She would have gone back inside to retrieve one of her own, but she didn’t have one. In their deep moment of stilled silence she focused on her legs which she swung back and forth gently.
“Donghae was in love with Victoria the moment he found her in Seoul,” Eunhyuk quietly told, “his job from investigating the death of her friends transformed into a job of protecting her. Victoria gave in when another friend of hers died and they started dating. He messed up midway, though, and swung over to my sister’s side. I messed up there as well.”
His obvious sad tone rung with regret. Nana didn’t miss it.
“Victoria is pitiful, I was very sympathetic toward her, and wanted to keep her from getting hurt. It was maybe guilt that made me do what I did,” Eunhyuk prodded on, “I played into a relationship with Victoria in hopes that Donghae would realize he didn’t need to give up on her in order to fulfill a duty that wasn’t meant for him. The few things that happened between Victoria and I…they come back flying to me once in a while. I left myself hanging when I shouldn’t have. So, this has bothered me recently and I can’t talk to either of them about it. You were right and that’s why I got angry.”
Nana listened intently, being careful not to miss a word coming from him. He was talking to her. Eunhyuk was actually talking to her.
“I am in love with her…to a point, but it’s not going any further than that. Not to the point where I actually want to take her away. I’m not that kind of a loser. I’m not ridiculous. What would they think of me? Would I even be a friend anymore?”
Eunhyuk sighed a pitiful laugh that couldn’t even be considered a laugh. Nana stared at him.
“Why are you…” she started but Eunhyuk cut her off.
“That’s why you can’t play this game with Changmin,” Eunhyuk’s jaw tightened. “You’re going to be the one left hanging.”
He turned to meet her stare.
“Why? It’s not like I’m intending to grow intimate with him…”
Changmin had appeared in her dream and they’d kissed.
Nana shut up.
“Maybe you don’t intend to,” Eunhyuk stated, “but you want to.”
Shivers crept up Nana’s arms and transitioned into deep goosebumps. Her mind denied it, but her heart felt otherwise.
“Changmin is just a friend…” however the intensity of the look in Eunhyuk’s eyes seemed to say something else. It was as if he knew that she secretly had teeny feelings for Changmin.
“Having emotions for a friend is something you grow over in a friendship,” Nana bit back. “It happens sometimes, but the feelings don’t stay forever.”
His eyes grew stern. Nana began sweating and her fingers clawed into the sleeves of his sweater. It smelled…so much like him. That was really off topic, so Nana forced the thoughts away. Concentrating back on the matter at hand, she knew what his stare meant.
“I know…” Nana shifted away from his gaze, “that Changmin likes Yuri, but he’s so desperate to get her with you.”
“Exactly,” Eunhyuk agreed, “which is why I’m not going to play into your hands because Yuri cares for him as much as he does her.”
What was happening? Something within her was sinking toward rock bottom. Why?
“Nana, don’t get yourself hurt. It’s not worth it.”
“Then you? What about you?”
She turned back to his hazy gaze and could feel something tingle inside. There was something about him that was overly warm. Was it the way she was staring at him? Or did it have something to do with the way he was looking at her?
She thought she’d seen Changmin last night and they’d kissed…
“Victoria is my friend. I’m going to keep it that way. It can’t be any more clear than that. Donghae isn’t around all the time either because of his job, so she feels lonely some times. She’s been alone all her life and can’t help but feel insecure when no one’s around. Keeping her company doesn’t mean the feelings I have will transpire into something more. I won’t let it.” was all he said before turning away.
She thought she saw him blush again.
/ / / / /
Yuri dropped her head between her arms and rubbed both sides of her head with both hands. It didn’t matter at the moment that she was ruining the hair she’d straightened that morning. As they fell messily by the sides of her face she could only grit her teeth and take exhale a loud sigh full of frustrations.
First, the interrogation just a few days ago had first slapped her in the face with Eunhyuk announcing that he and Nana were an item. In the next moment, Changmin was lying in the hospital with a bullet that had flown into his shoulder. Not only that those were the most important matters to her at hand, she’d lied to his parents as well. Yuri was always against lying. She didn’t like lying especially when it included doing it to the elders. But there had been absolutely no choice.
Although the guilt was small, it was still heavily pressing her from the back of her mind. Everything was pressing her from the back of her damn mind.
Eunhyuk’s lie should have hit her harder than she thought of it, but why did it seem like it was decreasing by the minute while she was too concerned head over heels for stupid Changmin? Also to say Changmin was currently binding himself to Nana.
Nana…
The thought about that girl with Eunhyuk and Changmin made Yuri uncomfortable.
Why was she caring so much for that damn airhead she’d grown up with? Why was that small attraction to Eunhyuk still there, but seemed to matter less and less now? What was going through her spiky brain?
The knock on the door made her throw her head up.
It was the officer who had interviewed both Nana and Eunhyuk.
He tossed a manila folder onto her desk and she shifted her eyes down to stare at it before returning his hard stare.
“Is that any way to treat me?” Yuri questioned stiffly.
The officer snorted, “You better start digging into their backgrounds.”
Yuri’s eyebrows furrowed deeply so that they almost met her eyes.
“We haven’t finished our business with the two from the other day,” he explained with arms over his chest.
“What do you mean?” Yuri asked.
“Hell, do you think we’d really let the only suspects in this case scenario off just like that?” he snapped his fingers. “Find out their addresses.”
The bulky officer started for the door and grabbed the knob.
“Wait,” Yuri shot up from her desk, “what does this mean? Have you found other clues?”
“Get moving on the case, Sherriff,” he slightly twisted his head back before walking out.
/ / / / /
After a quiet breakfast in a shabby restaurant nearby they stepped back outside. The rain hadn’t let off.
“I’m going to go to the hospital and check up on Changmin,” Nana told when Eunhyuk started back toward the inn.
“His parents are there.” Eunhyuk said matter of factly.
Nana knew he was correct but she felt an urge just to go talk to the guy.
“He might be bored,” Nana added. “I’ll come back…later.”
“Alright,” Eunhyuk nodded.
Nana hesitated for a moment wondering if she should say goodbye or if she should just turn around and walk away. In the end, she did the latter.
The walk to the hospital was really short. As promised, the inn was really near that three story building.
Patients and visitors were scrounging the lobby when Nana made her way in. No matter how cold it was outside at least it didn’t feel so cold inside. She walked toward the elevator and got on pressing the button to Changmin’s floor.
Would he be talking to his parents? Would they even be there? How would she greet them when she met them…again? Or had Changmin told them anything about her?
The thoughts dissipated when the elevators doors slid open and she stepped out. A man in his 50’s walked by wheeling along a pole carrying his IV bag. When he passed she turned and headed for Changmin’s room.
It was quiet when she first opened the door, but the smell of tasty food was apparent to her nose. No voices were heard and she opened the door wide stepping in. Changmin was lying on the bed looking bored just as she’d expected.
When he spotted her he smiled.
“Hey!” he greeted enthusiastically.
“Hey.” she calmly waved.
“I was wondering where you were,” he said grinning now before it disappeared. “Who’s sweater is that? Looks kind of loose on you.”
That was only when she realized she was still wearing Eunhyuk’s sweater, the one he’d told her to wear so she wouldn’t get sick. Nana felt heat overcome her body and wondered if her face was red at all.
“Ah…it’s Eunhyuk’s.” she nervously belled out.
Changmin cocked an eyebrow, “Did you have a good sleep?”
Nana slowly nodded recalling last night’s dream. The weird dream.
“Where are your parents?” she questioned glancing at the containers of food.
“They went out to buy some fruits or whatever,” Changmin easily answered. “Come sit.”
Nana edged her way over and sat down on the chair.
“Eunhyuk…I haven’t really gotten to know him,” Changmin spoke, “is he very promising?”
Nana glanced at him softly and turned her eyes away. The conversation she’d had with Eunhyuk earlier was still smoky clear. She nodded, however.
“Changmin, you won’t regret it if Yuri gets together with Eunhyuk, will you? There’s no chance of you feeling any kind of regret, is there?” Nana pondered.
Changmin looked at her tenderly before nodding.
Nana ran a hand up her face into her hair and smiled with her eyes closed. It looked like she was going to be the one left hanging after all. Leaning her head down against the sheets she turned to look at him and returned a smile.
The longer she looked at the Changmin the more she felt her insides swarm. Changmin had appeared in her dream last night…
A dark long tunnel transitioned in front of her and she was slowly trudging her way through it. She could imagine puddles beneath her feet as she neared the end. Nana’s mind busied itself with recalling the dream wondering why it felt so real before Eunhyuk’s face appeared.
***Sorry guys, for the lack of updates. I'm suddenly struggling with classes, and am even having trouble fitting in my social life -__- But here's an update!
spring semester ends this friday and i'm off for summer break :D i'll get back on track with YSRMII
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