Chapter 24

Meanwhile, Jaejoong came back from the gents and walked towards their table. He only saw Norah who was grinning and looking outside. “Norah, where are Linda and Micky?” Jaejoong asked.

Norah smiled up to him and answered, “Ah, they went off.”

Jaejoong widened his eyes in shock. “What? Left? Why?” he asked and quickly rushed out.

Unfortunately, he saw Micky’s car pulling out from the parking lot and leaving the restaurant. Jaejoong glared at the leaving car furiously. He felt a tug on his left hand. “Come on, let’s continue to eat. I explain to you inside,” Norah said, gently.

Jaejoong trudged back to his seat with a heavy heart. Norah looked at him, studying his unhappy expression. “Jaejoong, do you like Linda?” she asked.

Jaejoong who was drinking water, choked on it. He put down his glass harshly. “What? Me? Like that violent girl? No way!” Jaejoong denied vehemently.

Norah chuckled upon his reaction. “Whoa! Relax! There is no need to deny that bad,” Norah said, amused.

Jaejoong just glared at her. “Anyway, you do not need to worry. Micky likes her, ah no, loves her and I have a feeling that Linda has feelings for him too,” Norah said, looking at Jaejoong’s reaction while she said it.

Jaejoong felt a sour taste in his mouth and a sinking feeling in his stomach. “Micky loves her? Wh…why..why are you telling me this?” Jaejoong stammered.

Norah shrugged. “Why do you care so much about her? They are supposed to be spending time together but why did you invite yourself in?” she asked.

Jaejoong looked at her, speechless. “Wait a minute. Micky is your husband. Why are you encouraging him to be with another woman?” Jaejoong asked, not knowing about the fake marriage.

Norah smiled sadly. “We do not love each other. We are forced to marry each other against our will,” she answered, softly.

Jaejoong felt sorry for them. They ate in silence, each thinking about their own fate. Jaejoong offered to pay the dinner and drove Norah home which Norah agreed as it was late.

During the car ride home, Jaejoong made small talks with Norah. “Are you in love with anybody before you got married?” he asked.

Norah smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I was and still do,” she answered.

“Does he know that you still love him?” Jaejong asked.

Norah shrugged. “You have not met him yet?” Jaejoong asked.

“No, I have not. I am not as courageous as Micky,” Norah smiled.

Jaejoong fell silent. His heart ached weirdly whenever he heard about Micky and Linda.  “Hey, what are you thinking about?” Norah asked, curiously as he had fell silent suddenly.

“Huh? Ahh.. Nothing,” he said.

“Linda is a very nice girl. She is a happy-go-lucky girl even though her brother can be a pain most of the times,” Norah said.

Jaejoong chuckled. “Yeah, Yunho-sshi is very protective towards his sister,” he agreed.

Norah began to tell him about Linda and Jaejoong asked more questions about Linda and Yunho. “How does it feels like to work with Linda?” Norah asked.

Jaejoong smiled widely. Norah could see a twinkle in his eyes. Ahh… he is in love with Linda, Norah smiled to herself.

“She is funny and caring towards the children. The children love her too. Do you know that the boys in her class are fiercely overprotective towards her? They all bullied me,” Jaejoong complained to Norah.

Norah laughed. “You looked radiant when you are talking about Linda,” she commented, teasing him.

Jaejoong blushed. “See! You are blushing! Are you sure you only treat Linda as a friend and nothing more?” Norah .

Jaejoong glared at her. “Of course! She is just a friend. She helped me a lot during my mission,” he said.

“Hmm… so you are fine if Linda is with Micky?” she asked.

Jaejoong was taken aback by the question. His heart ached again. “Hey.. hey.. why do you keep asking me this question?” he asked, stammering.

“Hmm… No need to answer me. Do your heart ache when you hear me talk about Micky and Linda together? Do you feel like always protecting Linda, always wanting Linda around you? And lastly, do you feel like grabbing Linda and hold her in your arms, away from Micky? If all your answer is yes, then you are head over heels in love with her,” Norah said.

Jaejoong kept quiet. “Why are you doing this? Aren’t you supposed to be supporting Micky and not me?” he asked.

“Ah! Stop here! This is my house. Thank you, Jaejoong,” she said as she unbuckled her seat belt.

Jaejoong watched her alight. Norah motioned with her hands to wind down the car window. Jaejoong wound the window down. “I just do not want anyone to feel the pain of not being with the one you love. Linda is a dear friend of mine and she had went through a lot of hardships. I want the best guy for her, someone who can love and cherish her. The guy may be you or he may be Micky, I do not know. But, if you truly love her, you should fight for her. Same goes for Micky,” Norah said.

Jaejoong smiled at her. “Thank you, Norah. You should be fighting for your love one too,” he said.

Norah laughed. “I will, don’t worry,” she chuckled and stepped back.

Jaejoong watched her enter her house and drove off. While he was driving home, he thought about what Norah had told him. He thought of all the times that he spend with Linda from the time they first met till the dinner they had that evening. When he arrived home, he realized that he had a huge smile on his face. “I do love her,” he whispered, admitting his feelings finally.