Answer in Sleep

Miss Pariah

When Jiyong woke up, he saw Sandara sitting besides him, holding his hand and gently rubbing his forth finger. He noticed that he had an oxygen mask over his mouth, causing him to wonder if he had not been breathing properly. Sandara, who finally took notice of him, smiled and turned.

"He's awake," she announced in the same soft voice she always had. Jiyong heard footsteps getting louder. His eyes rolled over to Sandara's shoulder, where he saw Seunghyun standing besides her. His friend had his hands folded behind him and smiled.

"Good morning, Jiyong. You finally woke up," Seunghyun commented.

"Bastard," Jiyong muttered. He attempted to remove the mask, but someone else had removed it for him. "What the hell was that for?"

"Well, the original plan was to kidnap you and snatch you back. However, when we saw that the girl was going crazy, we figured that it'd be best to kidnap you some other time," Seunghyun explained shortly.

"Where am I?" Jiyong asked. He already knew where he was, though. The familiar hospital smell lingered below his nose.

"At the hospital near your neighborhood. They're going to do some check ups on you," Seunghyun told him.

"Why am I in the hospital? You could've taken me to other places."

"Like I said, the original plan was to make you sleep and kidnap you. You'd find yourself in a fancy hospital, and that would be your return to our own world."

"I'm not going back."

"Too late. You're already on the headlines," Seunghyun said. He took out his tablet and showed him the latest news. "See? You're famous."

Jiyong gave Seunghyun a dumbfounded look. "You took a picture of me unconscious on a hospital bed? What the heck? What's the story behind all this?"

"The story is that before you disappeared, you got amnesia and didn't know your identity. It's said that Company A has hired people to jump you and to scare you, but they accidentally bashed your head and made you forget a lot of valuable information. Therefore, you've been living in poverty for the last five or so years until you were knocked out again, which caused you to regain your memories back," Seunghyun informed him.

"Dinner is scheduled to be at eight o'clock at that one restaurant you've always loved. I booked the entire weak, so once you're discharged, we'll go immediately," Sandara added, smiling. "Aren't you excited? You're coming back with us!"

Jiyong blinked his eyes. "What about Jieun? How's she doing?"

"Eh. She's fine. Nothing big happened. Her boyfriend has been with her since the moment we told him that she was at the hospital," Seunghyun said.

"Jiho isn't her boyfriend," Jiyong said, clenching his teeth. "Those two haven't even kissed."

"But you two certainly have," Seunghyun muttered. He turned to Sandara. "It was hot. You'll get excited. His kisses are ten times better than the kisses I can give you."

Sandara gave him a faint smile. "I've never kissed any other men yet, so I can't really say much about this."

'Your kisses can never replace any other kisses I will have with other men' is what you're really trying to say, Jiyong thought as if he was conversing with Sandara. He kept quiet, though, and only looked at Sandara stare at Seunghyun with a weak smile.

"Well, time's running out," Seunghyun said. He looked at Jiyong. "The stage has been set. All we need is the charismatic, money-loving Jiyong back."

"But I don't want to go back," Jiyong argued. "I want to stay here."

"For what?" his best friend asked, getting frustrated. "Come on, Jiyong! We've spent so much money and time trying to figure out what you were doing and where you were. You can't possibly tell us to go back without you. Your father would kill me. After all, my family is still indebted to yours."

"Plus, you'll be bombarded with press if you stay here. Can you imagine all the disturbance you'll create for your neighbors?" Sandara bit her bottom lip before continuing. "Don't you think people will judge you if they find out that you're dating a high school student?"

Jiyong's ears turned red. "We're not dating! We're…in a complicated relationship."

"That's exactly what we don't want you to be in," Seunghyun said. "Jiyong, you have no choice. We're cornering you, and we're going to continue cornering you until you agree to come back."

"I'm a grown man. I can think for myself and do what I want. I'm an adult!"

"By age, yeah, but you act nothing like an adult." Seunghyun glowered at him. "You ran away from your family rather than talking it out. Admit it, Jiyong. You don't belong here. You don't belong at working as an employee at a convenience store. You belong with us—the big guys. If you truly think you belong here, you—"

There was a knock on the door. The three looked up and turned their heads towards the door. They spotted the manager coming in, but this time he was wearing a formal suit and had his hair combed. The manager let out a quick sigh, then loosened his tie. He walked over to them, then gave Seunghyun and Sandara a broad smile as they bowed at him.

"Ah, I haven't seen you kids in ages," the manager mumbled. He let out a hearty laugh. "I remember when you three were this small! You were really little and inexperienced." He glanced at Jiyong. "Well, you weren't quite inexperienced. You were actually an expert with everything. A true prodigy, they all said."

"Mr. Kim, the former CEO of a petroleum refining industry that your father had good connections with," Seunghyun explained to Jiyong, who was slowly beginning to recognize the manager's face.

"I remember you," Jiyong said slowly. "You were always standing next to a pale woman. Was she your wife?"

The manager gave him a gentle smile. "Yes, she was."

"Then you stopped coming to my father's parties when the wife stopped coming," Jiyong added.

"She was in the hospital. A disease had fallen upon her health."

"Then there was an accident." Jiyong paused. "What kind of accident was it?"

The manager stopped smiling. "A suicidal accident. She jumped off the roof because living was too painful for her." He let out a small chuckle. "Well, I guess that was my fault, though. I did get into an argument with her right before she jumped. She was asking me to end her suffering, and I told her to do it herself. Who knew that she would actually go ahead and do it?"

No one said a word. All they knew that was the manager must've gone through some hard times. The wrinkles in his hands began to show. He had a very tired expression on his face, which was either from his old age or from his health.

"Now," the manager continued. "Will you two please leave? Oh, and can you ask if Jiyong is allowed to leave the bed for a few moment?"

Sandara and Seunghyun only nodded. They walked away, searching for a nurse who could come to their aid.

When the manager and Jiyong were left alone, the manager walked over to Jiyong's side. The adult looked at Jiyong for a long time, examining his face and his situation. Then, with a shaky sigh, the manager looked down with shame.

"I am sorry that I was not able to tell you about my true identity," the manager said apologetically. "I always meant to tell you, but I wanted to know your motives. I recognized you the moment I saw you step into my store, but I said nothing. Jiyong, you truly understand hard work."

Jiyong wasn't sure what to say. A small blushed of embarrassment touched his cheeks.

"I-It's nothing, really," Jiyong stuttered.

The manager smiled. "Well, I did read the news. So, you're leaving?"

"Unfortunately," Jiyong muttered. He sighed. "I seriously don't want to leave this place…"

"But you will," the manager said. "And once you leave, there's a good chance that you're never coming back."

Jiyong stood still. "I know. I know that if I go, I can't come back here. This place carries a lot of my weakness. I'm too exposed here."

"I don't think you're being very honest with yourself," the manager said.

The nurse (along with Sandara and Seunghyun) came in. The nurse helped Jiyong up and get on his feet, connecting him to a new IV drip. As the nurse helped Jiyong out, the manager turned to Sandara and Seunghyun.

"You two," he started, "please leave us alone."

They stared him, then stared at each other. With a small nod, they obeyed the older man's request and left the room to roam around the hospital. Once the nurse left their side, the manager let Jiyong out of the room and down the halls.

"Where are you taking me?" Jiyong asked after walking around for a few minutes.

"To the devils," the manager answered. By "devil," Jiyong clearly knew that he meant the kids.

His heart pumped against his chest as he felt like he was nearing the classroom. The manager stopped at a certain door, then opened it. Jiyong held his breath before stepping inside as if he was crossing into a world of space.

The first thing his eyes landed on was Jieun's pale complexion. She was still not awake, as Jiyong noticed since the oxygen mask was still over her shoulders. However, he could tell that she had been crying because old tears had stained her cheek.

His eyes rolled over to Jiho, who was soundly sleeping next to Jieun. With his back hunched and his head resting against a small portion of the hospital bed, Jiyong couldn't help but feel a small pang of jealousy stab his heart. The dark circles below Jiho's eyes showed that the little boy had been awake all night, waiting for his precious princess to wake up.

Minah, who was walking around, looked up and noticed Jiyong. She glanced at Jieun for a brief moment as if she was judging her, then looked back at Jiyong while putting an index finger on her lips. The men, nodding, walked inside as Minah grabbed a blanket and draped it across Jiho's shoulders.

"Are you okay?" Minah whispered to Jiyong. He only nodded. She let out a sigh. "Thank goodness. What exactly happened? Seunghyun explained it to me, but I don't believe it."

"What did he say?" Jiyong asked in a quiet voice.

"That she tried to kill herself," Minah said.

Jiyong kept quiet for a few minutes. "It's true."

"Impossible. Why?"

"She believes that I'm leaving."

"Do you think she believes that you're leaving or that she knows that you're leaving?" the manager asked him. Jiyong didn't respond.

Instead, he walked over to Jieun's face and it with his hand. He saw a tear slip out of her eyes, and he quickly brushed it away with his thumb. He stared at her, guilty and in pure agony. 

"This is what I did to a beautiful soul like her," Jiyong mumbled. He bent forward and gently pecked her cheek. Minah's eyes widened and she was about to say something until she looked at the manager's reaction, which he showed none. "I am so sorry, Jieun. I am so, so sorry…"

"Wait, so are you really leaving?" Minah asked nervously.

"I don't know," Jiyong answered with great hesitation.

"Is it that you don't know, or that you don't want to admit it?" the manager asked.

"Manager, I can't even tell what I want for myself. I mean, I thought that things would go right if life wants it like how it is. For five years, life has given me this kind of life, and now it suddenly wants to switch back to my previous life style. I don't want to go back there, sir. I don't want to go back to those dark days." Jiyong sagged his shoulder. "I don't want to lose happiness…"

The manager snorted. "I don't think this is something you want to talk about with me. Come."

Jiyong glanced back at Jieun. "I think I should stay by her side until she wakes up—"

"Nonsense," the manager stated. "She's got that man to comfort her. Let her go, Jiyong, and follow me."

Jiyong made a twisted, unreadable expression. However, he only obeyed, walking behind the manager. He gave one final glance at Jieun before leaving the room.

After the door closed, Minah turned to Jieun. She bit her bottom lip, tempted to say something. She waited a few more minutes, watching to see if Jieun would make any move. When she decided that Jieun was going to continue playing Sleeping Beauty, Minah let out a sigh.

"Was it really a good idea to pretend that you were sleeping?" Minah asked her.

Jieun's eyes slowly opened. More tears began to flood down her eyes. She bit her tongue, trying to suppress her tears and hiccups.

"I…I just don't want him to leave," Jieun whimpered, putting her arm over her eyes. 

"I don't want him to leave, either, Jieun, but people have feet." Minah hit her heels together. "And what do feet do? They walk, either away or to something."

Jieun clenched her teeth and sniffed, continuing to let her tears slide down her cheeks, as Jiho, who was also pretending to sleep, listened to her messy song of despair with his longing, aching soul.

* * *

"Where are we going now?" Jiyong asked his manager. The two were now on the elevator, going up.

"To someone who can lend you his ear," the manager answered vaguely. Jiyong frowned, but quietly followed the manager. 

The elevator doors opened, and the manager quickly led him to one room. Jiyong noticed that the area was strangely quiet, with a few nurses walking up and down the hallways. The manager made a quick turn to the right and opened one door. 

"Who's in this room?" Jiyong asked curiously.

The manager, before stepping inside, forced a smile. "This is my son's room."

The door opened wide and Jiyong could see the room. He noticed several large machines near the corner of the room, which had tubes running in snake-like motions. They were attached to a child—perhaps a teen, or a young adult?—who was lying down on bed, eyes closed and "resting." As much as Jiyong hated to say, the person looked like she was half-robotic and half-human with all the machines and tubes that surrounded her.

"Jiyong, do you remember how I told you that if you ever want to talk to someone, I know of a good person whom you can do that with?" The manager walked over to the sleeping figure. "Well, this is the person."

Jiyong stared at the boy for a bit longer. "Is he sleeping?"

"Unfortunately," the manager muttered. He went over to the boy's feet and began to massage it. "This is my son. He's the second oldest, actually."

"We shouldn't wake him up. We should—" Jiyong noticed the boy's finger twitch, but that just about it. "—go back and let him sleep."

"Oh, my little boy won't wake up. At least, not right now. It'd be a miracle if he did," the manager said. He let out a small sigh. "Jiyong, I have never told you about my family's history, have I?" Jiyong shook his head. "Bring over a chair and listen. I'll explain everything."

The younger man nodded and brought over a stool next to the boy's feet. He continued to watch the manager massage his son's feet, rotating it and pressing onto the skin. He even raised the leg up to as high as it could go, then gently placed his feet down and continued to the massage.

"My wife," the manager started slowly, his eyes on his unconscious son, "had committed suicide, like I had told you. At that time, I thought that money was all our family needed, especially since my wife was so ill. When she passed away, I realized that I had to work even harder because I had three children to raise alone. I thought I was doing the right thing as a father, which was come home occasionally to spend the holidays with them. However, my company was at its peak and I couldn't really get out of work. I told you I had three children, right? My eldest daughter—you haven't heard much about her, right?"

Jiyong nodded. He watched the manager stop smiling and let out a deep, disappointed sigh.

"I failed to be a father figure to her. In her second year of high school, she couldn't take her studies anymore. Apparently, there were classmates who wanted to bring her down, so they did every terrible thing they could do to her." His eyes darkened. "Then, out of the blue, she followed her mother's footsteps. She committed suicide, but she left absolutely nothing. In order to prevent this from happening, I sold the company at an overpriced amount. Fortunately, some fool decided to buy it from me. With the money, I decided to open the very same convenience store and sent my children to the school those devils go to."

"At this point, you only have your second and third child. If I remember correctly, your third child is planning to drop out of school," Jiyong mentioned. He glanced at the boy. "So this must be your second child."

The manager grimaced. "Yes. I thought if I stood close by and was always by his side, it would be okay. I was prioritizing happiness first, so if my boys needed or wanted anything, I was going to give it to them. If it made them happy, they would get it from me. In the end, it was only me who thought that they were happy. Apparently, this child was also getting bullied at school. He wouldn't tell me, but he kept asking to move schools."

"Why didn't you?" Jiyong asked.

"The third child was happy here. He was passionately against moving, so I asked my second child to hold back his desires. He wouldn't tell me the reason why he wanted to move, either, so I couldn't suspect anything. In the end, he followed his mother's and sister's path and committed suicide. However, he only ended up in coma, and for that, I am so grateful that he isn't dead. I've been paying all the medical bills, making sure that he doesn't die." The manager looked down at his hands with a frown. "But I'm running out of money. At the rate I'm going, I only have enough money to pay for three months. After that, they'll probably pull out the plug and I'll never see him again."

Jiyong and the manager kept quiet for a long time. They either stared down at the ground or at the son. After a while, Jiyong cleared his throat.

"I am sorry for everything that has happened to you," Jiyong said quietly.

"Thank you, Jiyong, but I do not want pity from you. I understand the situation you're in. Seunghyun and Sandara told me beforehand. Sometimes, if you want to clear your head, it's best to talk to someone about it and listen to your own words." He looked down at his son. "My boy is the perfect person to talk to in these types of situation."

Jiyong nodded. "Thank you, Manager Kim. I'll…I'll talk to him."

"I'll leave you two alone," the manager said, forcing a smile. "I do believe that I have a store to run."

He let out a loud laugh and left. Jiyong stared at the manager's son for a bit longer. He looked out the window, then let out a sigh.

Did he want to go home in the first place? It was never his intentions to go back. Well, maybe it was. He did plan on going back once Seunghyun and Sandara eloped or something, but that obviously didn't happen. He had always heard how ill his parents were because of his disappearance. If he returned, he'd go back to his normal life.

But then there was those three kids. They needed him. Without him, they were lost, and they've always been lost. They needed him to be there for guidance. Without him, the situation they were in with Chanyeol could've gotten messier. He wasn't strong enough on his own to protect them.

And there was Jieun. His heart dropped as he thought of her. He closed his eyes, preventing his tears from spilling out at the thought of leaving Jieun. Did he love her? Of course he did. Even now, he loves her. She was the only one he wanted to be with, the only replacement…

He didn't dare to finish his thoughts. A replacement? How could he think of Jieun as a replacement? That was an awful thought.

But he really didn't want to leave her side. She made him happy.

In the end, he thought, there are others who also depend on your happiness. He stopped and stared down at the ground. 

"Hey," Jiyong started quietly. His head slowly rose up to look at the boy's face. "You're the manager's son. I'm Jiyong, one of the employees. I, um, just wanted to say that I hope you wake up soon." His face made a twisted expression. "Damn it… I really don't know what to do. A part of me wants to go back because Sandara's right, it's where I belong. However, another part of me wants to stay because there's a girl that I grew to like. She's still in high school, so of course, I'll wait until she matures and finalizes what she wants to do in life, but…" He rubbed his fourth finger. "There's another person waiting for me. I'm supposed to be engaged and married and…" He stopped. "I just don't want to be unhappy."

He looked up, hoping for some kind of response. When he realized that he would get none, he faked a small laugh and looked down at his fingers.

"I'm such an irresponsible guy," he muttered. "Seunghyun is right. Even though I'm an adult in age, I still act like a child." He looked down at the ground with a longing expression. "I don't want to leave, so I'm just going to make a stupid promise here." He took a deep breath. "If you wake up in somewhere in this week, I will go back. If you don't, then I'm going to continue to stay here. So, please…don't wake up."

He turned, glanced at the boy, then walked away.

That week, when a nurse came by the give the manager's son the same treatment he had been getting for years, she noticed something odd about  him. His finger twitched more frequently, and his toes began to curl on his own. Eventually, she noticed that his eyes were slowly beginning to open and his head began to turn. The nurse gasped and rushed to the patient's aid, immediately telling another nurse to call the parents.

News of this miracle had traveled all the way to Jiyong's ears. To his mortifying disappointment, he kept his promise, breaking all the ones he had before. The moment he was discharged, he began to pack, preparing himself for an eternal leave.

* * *

On the day Jieun was discharged (which was the same day as Jiyong was discharged), she was gathering her belongings until she saw Minah and Jiho standing at the door. At first, she had thought they were waiting for her, but realized that they were actually blocking the only exit.

"Do you guys want to say something to me?" Jieun asked, putting her bag down.

"Do you love Jiyong?" Minah asked her out of the blue. Jieun blushed and nodded. "Then give up on him."

Jieun stared at Minah, stunned. "W-What?"

"Give up on him," Minah repeated. "He's a jerk and you don't need someone like him."

"Minah, if this is a joke, stop it. It's not funny," Jieun told her sternly. When she realized that Minah wasn't smiling, her heart fell. "You can't be serious. You were one of my supporters. How can you tell me to just give up?"

"Minah is making a good point," Jiho said, arguing for his friend. "Give up on Jiyong. There's that other girl with him, right?"

"Sandara?" Jieun pressed her lips. "Well, yeah, but—"

"Besides, you're only creating more of a mess," Minah said. She walked towards Jieun and grabbed her shoulders. "Don't you think that this is becoming a bother?"

"What's wrong with you?" Jieun asked in disbelief. "Did something happen?"

"Just… For today, let's not think about Jiyong or anything. Let's go and have fun," Jiho said, trying to change the subject.

"No, Jiho. I'm not going to go there. I want Jieun to give up her feelings before anything else happens," Minah said, standing firmly in front of her.

"Minah, at this rate, she's just going to repeat herself. Let's just go and get lunch or something—"

"I actually wanted to see Jiyong right now and walk home with him. We have a lot of things to talk about," Jieun said.

"Yeah, but that could've been done before when you were pretending to sleep! Jieun, just do me this huge favor and give up on Jiyong," Minah said. "This is seriously wearing me out and I don't want to support you anymore. At least, not when Jiyong has another significant other—"

"I don't want to give up on him," Jieun stated firmly. "I want to continue loving him."

This time, Jiho was the one who tried to convince her to let go of her feelings. He pushed Minah aside and grabbed Jieun's wrist.

"Just give up on him, Jieun!" Jiho exclaimed, raising his voice. His eyes showed a gleam of pain. "Why are you going through all this pain to love him?"

"Because I love him," Jieun replied. "I love him, and—"

"Hic…Hic…"

The two turned and saw Minah crying. Jieun, worried, rushed over to Minah's side as Jiho only stared at the two girls with guilt.

"Minah, are you okay? Did something happen?" Jieun turned to Jiho. "Did something happen?"

Jiho looked at Minah. "Minah, I have to tell her."

"You can't!" Minah exclaimed in between her hiccups. "You…hic…can't!"

"I have to! It's eating me up, and I know that I'm going to feel guilt about this if I don't tell her this right now," Jiho told her.

"What's going on?" Jieun asked again. "Jiho, tell me now."

"Minah…"

"Jiho, don't you dare!" Minah said seriously. "I'm going to stop crying, okay? So please, don't tell…"

"Minah…" Jiho closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." He looked at Jieun. "Jiyong is leaving."

Jieun blinked her eyes. "The hospital? Oh, so I'll just meet him at his house—"

"No. I mean that he's leaving—" Jiho saw Jieun's eyes turn terribly wide. "—for real. He's leaving forever."

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500sunny500
11/14/15: I'm just letting you guys know that the sequel to "Miss Pariah" has been posted. Check the foreword if you want to check out the sequel!

Comments

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UaenaExoticInspirit
#1
Chapter 35: This story is amazing! I read the last chapter with tears in my eyes. This is definitely one of the best fanfics I have ever read. I kinda regret not reading this earlier lol
GreenFlash #2
Chapter 35: While i read this story i thought i was reading a plot for a drama or something. And i really hoped till the end that GD and IU would finally end up as a couple •_•
But i really liked the story. It was really well written and emotional:)
BangMind
#3
Chapter 35: Omg I thought Minah and Jiho would end up together (they had some romantic scenes too ;(
The saddest part was IU and GD :((( the last chapters were kind of rush and I hate how GD depends on other's health condition :/
I hate that last line, too T-T
BangMind
#4
Chapter 24: OMG. this fiction needs more subscribers.
It's so freaking awesome how you painted a beautiful picture with all four beautiful people (but they have flaws, too. which even makes it better and realistic).
I think people tend to read only about their idols, so when you try to tell a lot about Jiho and Minah I think that's why the story doesn't get the population it deserves. (I'm really glad to read though because I'm a fan of all four haha)
This story is going really well. I really love your writing! I love GD's character so much :) and of course the rest three as well.
And get well soon, author-nim? (I saw your status just now ^^)