Chapter Fourteen

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“I’m getting back with Joon.”

Ki Kwang stared at Hyun Ah’s guilty face for a short while as the reality of her words hit him. “You’re…?”

“Sorry,” Hyun Ah apologized with her head down.

Ki Kwang stood up in a flash of rage and shouted, “I don’t need you to be sorry! I just want you to stay by my side!”

Hyun Ah held onto Ki Kwang’s hand as she buried her face into Ki Kwang waist. “I’m really sorry Ki Kwang. I know you’ve done a lot for me all this while, but…”

“But what? Why are you so obsessed over my brother? Why is everyone always obsessed with my brother first? He doesn’t even love you! He only loves his first love, Hyo Min!”

Hyun Ah let go of Ki Kwang and looked up to establish eye contact with him. Her eyes were defiant, as if he had just insulted the most important person in her life.

“That’s not true; he told me that he loved me today.”

“And you believed him? After how he had treated you all this while?” Ki Kwang accused.

“You don’t know anything about Joon and I!” Hyun Ah yelled abruptly, surprising Ki Kwang at her sudden lash out.

Ki Kwang scoffed. “All right, do whatever you want. You can run your life the way you like it to be.” He picked up his things and was ready to leave, but Hyun Ah stopped him.

“Wait, I really hope that we can be friends again. I don’t want it to be awkward between us now that… I’ll be dating Joon for real.”

Ki Kwang dropped his bag and pulled Hyun Ah into an embrace. “Please, just let me do this for the last time.”

Hyun Ah resisted initially, but relented after hearing Ki Kwang’s words. Instead, she continued apologizing softly into Ki Kwang’s ear, as he her back longingly and took in her scent again. He never thought that he wouldn’t have a chance to do it anymore again.

Finally, Ki Kwang let go, and forced a smile. “I’d like us to be friends again, too. But first, could you tell me how my brother managed to convince you to go back to him?”

“All right…”

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“Hyun Ah… please… please come back to me,” Joon pleaded.

“It’s too late,” Hyun Ah replied.

“You’ve always wanted me to admit if I was jealous, and now I’m telling you that I really was! You’ve entered my heart before I even knew it,” Joon admitted.

Hyun Ah stared at Joon, speechless at his utterance. He was saying the words she had secretly wanted him to say since a long while ago. All she needed was…

“I love you,” Joon confessed as he held on to Hyun Ah’s hands and locked his eyes on her.

It was too much for Hyun Ah to handle; her instinctive reaction was to throw her arms over Joon into a hug while tears fell out of her eyes.

Joon, too, returned the hug by holding Hyun Ah tighter with his arms.

But it was then that Hyun Ah realized consciously what she was doing and attempted to break the hug. “No, this isn’t right; I’m with Ki Kwang now!”

“No, I’m not going to let you go again!” Joon insisted, grasping Hyun Ah with greater strength.

Finally, Hyun Ah relented as she went limp in Joon’s arms, resting her head on his broad shoulders again. Was it because… she knew the person she wanted to be with was Joon, not Ki Kwang? The embrace with Joon, and the way his arms were locked on her simply reminded her of the days she had with Joon. They weren’t necessarily all happy days, but at least she was satisfied. She was so satisfied to the extent that she didn’t mind spending the rest of the life being Joon’s underground lover.

Joon let go and wiped the tears off Hyun Ah’s cheeks with his thumbs. “Everything will be fine.”

Hyun Ah nodded meekly in reply. Perhaps, if she was with Joon, everything really will be fine.

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“So, just because you couldn’t resist my brother’s advances, you decided to go back to him?” Ki Kwang asked angrily.

“No, that’s not it. It’s just that, when he told me he loved me, I just…”

“I love you, too, Hyun Ah.”

Hyun Ah paused for a while before she made a reply. “I’m really sorry, but I think before we knew it, Joon had a place in my heart that no one could take over, just like what happened to him.”

“I get it.”

“Sorry.”

“No, I really get it. Just leave.”

Ki Kwang looked away and avoided eye contact with Hyun Ah, but he could hear her get up and walk towards the main door, and then the opening and closing of the door that signaled her departure.

Just like that, she walked out of his life again.

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“How was it?” Joon asked when he saw Hyun Ah enter the apartment.

She walked towards him and sat on his lap. “Very bad.”

Joon caressed Hyun Ah’s hair softly as he tried to reassure her, “Don’t worry, we’ll repay him back somehow in the future.”

Hyun Ah pushed Joon’s hand away, to his surprise. “You don’t understand; when my heart was broken, Ki Kwang was the one who pieced it back together. He’d spent so much time and effort on me, but I just trampled on him like that. Just 24 hours ago, I was still with him, we were having dinner together, we kissed and even spent the night together. I can’t just not worry like that.”

Joon felt jealousy rising in him. “You two spent the night together?”

“Just once. Because I was so thankful and touched by the way he treated me.”

“Do you like him?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be here right now,” Hyun Ah reminded him.

“That’s true,” Joon replied.

Hyun Ah got up and said, “Well I’m tired and it’s been a long day. I’ll go take a shower first.”

Joon pulled Hyun Ah’s wrist to stop her, and asked cheekily. “Do you want me to join you?”

“No! I’m tired and I need time to myself,” Hyun Ah replied, albeit with a smile.

“All right, your loss then,” Joon called out to her.

He was glad that Hyun Ah was back in his life again, even though he had stolen her from his brother. But the guilt was quickly lessened when he decided that Ki Kwang had stolen Hyun Ah from him in the first place, and it was only right for him to try and get Hyun Ah back.

Those days without Hyun Ah were full of pain and misery; much more than he’d ever expected. He couldn’t help thinking about her all day long, wishing that she was there beside him. He’d spend all day staring at the door, as if anytime she’ll rush in and throw him an embrace. The only time he’d leave the house was to stock up the booze in the fridge, which often disappeared when he didn’t even remember drinking that much.

Days were like nights, and nights were like days till he couldn’t take it anymore and decided to ask Hyun Ah to meet him again. After losing Hyo Min, at least this time, he could take the matter into his hands and get Hyun Ah back.

“Joon?” Hyun Ah called out from the bedroom.

“Yeah?” Joon replied as he walked in.

The closet door was open and Hyun Ah was staring at him with teary eyes and a smile. “You hung up all my white dresses?”

Joon smiled as he advanced towards her. “You can wear white dresses whenever you want, now. You’re the woman in my life now, and you shouldn’t be restricted to do anything because of my past.”

Hyun Ah pulled Joon into a hug. “Thank you.”

Then, she let go and clasped her nostrils with her fingers. “You smell really bad, you know? I’ve wanted to say this at the restaurant. How many days have you not bathed?”

“I can’t remember, maybe 3 or 4 days?”

“Ew!” Hyun Ah let out, with a laugh.

“C’mon, I’ll give you a nice scrub,” she said as she pulled Joon to the bathroom.

“And I’ll give you a nice scrub too!” Joon said as he suddenly held Hyun Ah up in bridal style, running to the bathroom with a grin.

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“Hyun Ah…”

There she was, running away from him, sometimes turning around and giving him the mysterious smile that he fell in love with. Ki Kwang felt his legs grow weak, but he knew he couldn’t stop running, or Hyun Ah would disappear forever.

Then, he finally caught up with her and grabbed her hand. He tightened the grasp, but he felt Hyun Ah’s struggle to be free. When she couldn’t get free, she started running again. Ki Kwang tried to follow her, but she was too fast for him; because he wouldn’t let go, the speed tripped him and he fell, face first, to the ground.

The smack on his face awoke him with a start.

“Yah, wake up!”

Ki Kwang opened his eyes and saw Doo Joon, and felt Doo Joon’s palm slapping his face.

“What are you trying to do?” Ki Kwang asked as he sat up.

“Because you wouldn’t let go of Ji Hyun’s hand, so I had to wake you up, duh,” Doo Joon replied.

Ki Kwang turned and saw Ji Hyun, who gave him a shy smile and pointed at her wrist.

“Sorry!” He said as he quickly let go. “Why are you two in my room?”

“You were drunk at the bar last night, and the bartender called Ji Hyun to go pick you up, because obviously because you were too heavy and drunk, Ji Hyun had to call me over to pick up your mess,” Doo Joon explained. “PS, you’re in my room, not yours.”

Ki Kwang looked around, and realized Doo Joon was right. He was neither back at home, nor at the apartment he had gotten for Hyun Ah.

“Ji Hyun didn’t trust me enough to put you in my care, if you’re wondering why she’s here. Gosh, I would’ve taken great care of you!” Doo Joon continued, “Which reminds me, I can’t believe you puked all over my living room! If not for the fact that Ji Hyun cleaned it up, I would’ve forced you to clean it up the moment you were awake.”

“Drink some of this hangover soup,” Ji Hyun commented as she brought the bowl to Ki Kwang.

“Thanks,” Ki Kwang replied and Ji Hyun took the empty bowl to the kitchen.

Doo Joon watched her leave, then leaned in to whisper, “I really think she has the hots for you, man. When I threatened to whack you up while you were drunk because you puked everywhere, she immediately said she’ll clean the place up! And when I told her to go home because you’re with me now, she refused and told me to rest instead and she’s better with taking care of people!”

“Well, actually that makes it sound like she has the hots for you. Look, she cleaned up your place for you, and made you rest so you don’t have to overwork your body taking care of me. Isn’t that true?” Ki Kwang refuted.

Doo Joon pursed his lips in consideration. “Hey, maybe you’re right! I’m so good looking after all, won’t be surprised if she likes me. Maybe I’ll date her to show that Ga Yoon who’s boss.”

Ki Kwang lay back in bed and rubbed his temple. “Do whatever you want; I have a damned headache right now.”

“Oh yeah, why were you drinking so heavily last night? Shouldn’t you be spending time with your Hyun Ah?”

Ki Kwang turned away. “Hyun Ah left me for Joon.”

“Oh, that . Well, there are many other trees in the forest! Like Ji Hyun.”

“She’s just my secretary! Plus, Hyun Ah’s not just any tree in the forest.”

“Then steal her back! Like how your brother stole her, you should steal her back!” Doo Joon suggested.

“Thank you for your great suggestion,” Ki Kwang replied sarcastically. “It’s not that easy.”

“So move on,” Doo Joon replied.

Ji Hyun entered the room again. “Mr Lee, do you need me to apply for a day’s leave for you?”

“Yeah, that’ll be good, thanks. I’ll go back to office later in the afternoon.”

“See you later, we’ll be going for work first,” Doo Joon said before he left the room.

When Ki Kwang was left alone again, he vaguely remembered the events of the previous night. How Hyun Ah had told him that she would leave him, how he went to the bar to drink away his unhappiness, how he heard Ji Hyun’s worried voice before he had completely knocked out.

Hyun Ah had left him… the reality sunk in again. He wondered if this was how Joon felt when Hyun Ah left him. But just the other day, they were so happy together. He was so sure that he climbed over the wall Hyun Ah had built around her, but perhaps the throne in her heart was really not for him.

Why hadn’t he met Hyun Ah earlier, much earlier than Joon had met her?

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It was already 3pm by the time Ki Kwang decided to get down from bed and return home to dress for work. His mobile phone was spammed with missed calls from clients and text messages from Ji Hyun.

“Time for reality,” Ki Kwang sighed as he pushed past the door to his office, where Ji Hyun greeted him with a warm smile, as if nothing had happened earlier or the night before.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, is there any urgent matter now?” Ki Kwang asked.

“The representative from Jang Corporation came down today, and made up a fuss when I told him that you weren’t available, and he said that you’ll have to make a trip down to Jang Corporation yourself if you still want to settle the contract,” Ji Hyun answered.

“All right, will do. Anything else?”

“Um… General Manager Mr Lee came to work today and he came by to look for you. He said to inform him if you came down today. Should I?”

Ki Kwang gave a bitter grin. “It’s all right; I’ll look for him myself. You can get back to work.”

Ji Hyun nodded and left.

Joon at work? That was strange, for the fact that firstly, he had just gotten back with Hyun Ah and should be spending all his time with her, especially since Joon barely came for work anyway.

“Come in,” Ki Kwang heard Joon’s voice from inside the room after he knocked on the door.

“Hey,” Ki Kwang greeted as he opened the door.

Joon looked up, and pressed his lips together for a vague smile. “Hey.”

“Heard you were looking for me.”

“Yeah,” Joon said as he stood up and followed Ki Kwang to the lounge couches next to his desk.

“Listen, I’m really sorry about what happened, but I just couldn’t stand losing another loved one after… Hyo Min,” Joon started.

Ki Kwang scoffed. “If you haven’t forgotten about Hyo Min, how dare you continue playing with Hyun Ah’s feelings?”

“I’m not playing with her feelings! This time, I’m serious about Hyun Ah. For Hyo Min, she’ll just be a memory as my first love. I’m sure you remember your first love too, right?”

“Yes, but I definitely love Hyun Ah more than I loved my first love,” Ki Kwang refuted.

“How would you know that that’s not the case for me?” Joon accused. “Look, I don’t really want to quarrel about this. I just wanted to apologise, and hope that this matter won’t hurt our brotherhood.”

Ki Kwang watched his brother angrily, but decided to drop the matter. If he had beaten Joon up, he knew that would only make Hyun Ah hate him, and stay out of his life even as a friend. “If you ever hurt her again, I won’t let her stay by your side forever.”

“I promise that I won’t hurt her this time,” Joon replied.

“So… why are you back at work?” Ki Kwang asked, deciding to change the topic and satisfy his curiosity.

“Getting Hyun Ah back made me realize that I couldn’t live in the past anymore. I couldn’t always spend my free time trying to relive the days I had with Hyo Min, I shouldn’t waste my youth away, and I should come back to reality. And I decided, since I’m serious about Hyun Ah and if I’m going to start a new life and family with her, I need to work hard to earn the money I deserve,” Joon explained. “That’s why I’m back.”

“You really are serious about Hyun Ah, huh.”

“Yes, and I really hope that you could give us your blessings. Both Hyun Ah and I would be really happy to know that you’re happy for us.”

“Not now,” Ki Kwang replied. “One day, maybe, I will give you my blessings. But not now.”

Then, Ki Kwang stood up and left the room, before his jealousy could overtake his rationality. He was jealous, jealous that Hyun Ah was his, and jealous that Joon would always excel him in the workplace. He had lost completely, without any saving grace.

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Hello! Well, aftermath of the problem, so the story became a little slow-paced again. I promise an exciting development in the next or two chapters later!

C/Cs are appreciated!