Chapter 33. Paradox

Everyone is searching for a place

That can take away the sorrow and loneliness

So for you, that place is here

Don’t be afraid, don’t hesitate anymore

Because I’ll protect you 

~ love in the ice (dbsk) 

“Why do you need to bug me so early in the morning?”

Yong Hwa walked towards the other direction as if he was playing tag with Shin Hye. Pain was raking madly in his skull and it was her worst timing ever. He opened the fridge and looked for something to take aside from the remaining bottle of whiskey he carelessly deposited there after last night.

“Really, Yong Hwa, never in my wildest dream have I thought that it was her! I mean, alright, I thought you were just crushing on each other--”

“Crushing on each other? Spare me!” He uttered hopelessly with a piqued tone, “Shin Hye, we're not teenagers anymore for that term! And please, will you go home and leave me in peace?”

“Oh, man! How could you hide such important story from me?” She continued unfazed, as if she was doing some monologue, “Good thing Fany Unnie called...”

“She called you?” Yonghwa paused for a moment. His sister was at it again-- his glorious divine intervention, what a paradox! “Aish! That nosy ajumma!” He continued mumbling while squeezing some left-over lemon on a glass then poured in a tablespoonful of honey.

“Oh, yeah. Well, she just told me to watch over Seo Hyun while she is still out of the country 'cause knowing you and your susceptibility to violence lately--”

“Susceptibility to violence? What the hell is wrong with Nuna?” He grumbled while gulping his mixture of binge-free concoction. Anyway, this crazy woman in front of him must be elaborating the story.

“Yeah, yeah...” she waved a hand making him stop talking, “And so I got so curious why I needed to watch over your, err, assistant.” Shin Hye hopped on the tall stool and rested her chin on her hand, “So she told me the whole story and oh, you had such a drama with your... err, assistant.”

“Stop teasing me...” he grunted yet again with a warning tone but regretted looking at her for she was wearing that wicked smile, “Go home, Park Shin Hye!”

“Not until you tell me that you still love your, err, assistant.” She sweetly smiled and puckered her lips as he took in the remaining liquid.

“Ya, stop it! I'm getting annoyed hearing you call her my err, assistant.” He turned and pushed the faucet on and let the pressure of water gushing out clean the glass.

“Okay, how do you want me to address her then? Your, err, ex-girlfriend? Or your, err, love?”

Yong Hwa turned, keeping a straight face. Seriously, Geun Suk deserved an award. “Shut up, go bug someone else! You're annoying and you're pissing me off!”

“Aigoooo... well then,” she tailed behind him when he walked towards the living room fumbling over the TV remote. Lunging on the sofa, Shin Hye watched as Yong Hwa jumped from channel to channel as she unconsciously played with her choker, “I have a proposal for you.”

“I'm telling you, I'm not hearing it,” Yong Hwa squeezed his eyes shut before turning off the TV.

“Well, it seemed like ex-girlfriend-love-of-your-life-personal-assistant still has her heart for you.”

“Whatever...” he rolled his eyes then focused on her when he realized what she just said, “How could you even say that?”

“I'm a girl too... girls read girls. And she's one easy girl to read.” Shin Hye playfully winked, “Oh my gosh! I have the perfect idea!”

“Idea? Oh no you don't,” He grimaced and raised his hand in surrender, “Your idea is not welcome here! And ya, don't ever dare play my sister's side-kick.”

“Oh come on, we will be doing this for both of you!” Shin Hye laughed as she tagged along while he walked towards the open balcony.

“What you can do for both of us right now--” he stopped dead on his track and put a finger on her forehead with an evil smile, “Is to leave me and Seo Hyun alone...”

“Yeah, right. Anyway, I'm still going to tell you my plan.” She rolled her eyes and s her arm on his.

“Aish! Stop it, leave me alone, will you?” Yong Hwa gently pushed her away and sprinted back to the living room. He badly needed a Shin Hye repellant.

“Okay, but still...” pouting her lips, she went ahead of him and stopped him from walking further, “I think she's jealous of me. I think and I know that you know that she might be assuming that we are a couple and you are the one I will marry.” Shin Hye snickered as Yong Hwa appeared to be listening to her-- finally, “But we will use that to your advantage. From that we can confirm if she's still in love with you too.”

“In love with me too? How the hell did you know that I'm still in love with her?” He pushed her off his way. The woman must really start a hobby or something.

“Stupid question, Jung Yong Hwa. It shows.”

“Whatever...” he slumped on the sofa and remembered the way she cried on the phone after what happened to them. He doesn't really want to see her get hurt again especially because of him so he softly whispered, “Just leave Seo Hyun alone. I don't need to confirm anything from her.”

“If you can make me...Merong!!!”

The hard-headed woman finally slipped off his apartment and left him with his own misery. He has been thinking about it. Why not just tell her that Shin Hye was nothing but a dear friend to him? What would it make him then if she was not really jealous since she has her own boyfriend? What if he was not the one she was talking about last night?

It couldn’t be. He could very well tell by the way she kissed him back. It was still there, the same old feeling he had when he was kissing her before. What if it was just him?

“Aish!” He groaned out loud. He must push those thoughts aside first and do what was needed to be done so he reached out for his phone and stared at it for a couple of seconds making sure he was not holding the private one.

Besides, this was more important than his raging hormones.

~~~

“You know what?”

“You love me, I know that for a fact...”

“How did you know?”

“Silly...”

The curtain danced for the wind has been chasing it back and forth creeping into the open window of her room. Seo Hyun has been watching it for a couple of minutes already after waking up. Funny, but those little scenes seemed to be engraved in her mind and the thought could always bring that silly smile from her. He used to be that hopeless romantic, a practiced charmer, saying all those sappy lines that other girls would love to hear but would always made her cringe before. Somehow, she was missing them now. The way he would look at her as if nobody was around, the tenderness of his voice when he talks to her, his lingering touches on her hand, and, especially the way he would kiss her.

She put a finger on her lips remembering the kiss they just shared yesterday-- has it been yesterday? It seemed like seconds ago. Whatever it meant to him will always remain as a mystery for she can never ask him why he did that. Was it even safe to assume now that he was having second thoughts on his impending marriage? Or it was just another hallucination on her part? But that kiss, it was something she remembered from before. The feeling was obviously there but he was getting married and, to put it simply, he just cheated on Shin Hye through her. Engaged men don't go around kissing other girls-- worst, kissing their ex-girlfriends.

“Oh... god!” She muttered out loud as she untangled the sheets off her body and placed a hand on her face. “Stupid Seo Ju Hyun for loving Jung Yong Hwa... aigooo!”

The message alert pulled her off from her reverie so she reached for her phone and read the message. She needed confirmation on what she was reading.

'Order me three dozens of pink roses and personally deliver them to the address I will be sending you. Don't be late.'

“Just what I need, Director Jung,” she complained and threw her phone on the bed as another message came, probably the address of the place he was talking about. Isn't it clear to him that she just resigned? And after what happened to them just the night before, how could she ever face him again? The thought just made her more furious.

“Fine! But this will be the last thing I will do and it's all over!”

After almost two hours she found herself inside a taxi clutching those annoying flowers. How could he even make her deliver those flowers to his girlfriend? He has gone overboard with that request-- no, it was not a request but an order. He did not even buy her flowers when they were together. The sudden thought made her sad, more than angry. This Park Shin Hye must really be a special girl for him. Her shoulders dropped as she put a finger on a tiny petal.

Pink roses, three dozens, how romantic it was...

Seo Hyun paid the taxi driver and juggled with the flowers on her hand as she got off the car then she looked up to see the welcome sign. It was a hospital. Is Ms. Park sick? She wondered and just realized that the address he gave was that of a hospital not an apartment building like she thought a while back. Standing tall, she decided to deliver the flowers and go back to the office to file her official resignation. “Fine, rub it on my face, Jung Yong Hwa. This will be your last act of torture.”

The medical institution seemed classy as the interiors and those people silently hurrying on their way or busy doing their work suggested. She stopped by the information desk to get the right direction and got in the elevator to the floor the man said. She got in to a big lobby and walked across the glassed pathway heading towards an almost empty hall of doors leading to the rooms. If she was right, Ms. Park might be the one she would be delivering the flowers to and it made her wonder what happened to her. Finally, she reached the door with the gold numbers hanging on it. Knocking softly, it opened after just a few seconds and she was surprised to see him standing at the threshold looking all sweaty as if he has been doing some physical exercise.

“You're here... come in...”

Yong Hwa said without giving her any other reaction as he moved to the side and gave her way. She entered the private room, into a small waiting area where she could hear some faint voices from the other door across from where she stood but she could not really see the source of those voices. He walked over to her side, held on lightly to her elbow and took the flowers.

“Here...”

He mumbled as she followed behind, obviously confused on where she was until she stopped by the door to see two nurses-- a man and a woman, and that familiar man on the bed crying out loud. It seemed like she was frozen in sight as the on-going conversation finally became clearer to her.

“NO! I DON'T WANT TO DRINK THAT! YOU ARE POISONING ME!”

“THEY'RE NOT POISON, THEY'RE YOUR MEDICINE!”

Yong Hwa shouted back obviously losing patience when he emerged from another corner she did not notice and walked towards the bed. She remained there, winding and unwinding her fingers together, unsure if she should stay or leave as the four people seemed to be in a struggle.

“Hey... I'm sorry...” Yong Hwa walked towards her and guided her by the elbow again to make her come closer to the bed. “This happens a lot of times, don't be scared.”

She nodded but she felt so lightheaded as the insides of her chest seemed to pound so hard and she could feel herself almost trembling from the sight.

“Maybe you should sit first,” he said again forcing a smile and wiping the sweat from his forehead, “We will be done--”

“I... I think I should leave,” she replied still fixated by the sight over Yonghwa’s shoulder as the old man was making that crying sound and the nurses were still convincing him to take the little glass they were holding. Suddenly, the man looked straight to her and went quiet. The room went silent as the two of them stared at each other and she tried hard to stop herself from holding on to the old man's gaze.

“She...” the man on the bed said as the nurses turned towards them, “I want her to give me that.”

Yong Hwa turned to their father, “Abeoji, she is not a nurse.”

“THEN I WILL NOT TAKE IT!”

He shouted again and Yong Hwa could do nothing but smiled gently at her and shook his head, “I'm so sorry if I would be asking too much, but can you?”

Her hair seemed to rise on their roots as they locked gazes. It must be the gentlest stare he has ever given her after eight years of separation. Her goosebumps intensified as he touched her arm again, walking her closer to the bed. Seo Hyun was in a trance as she walked along and took the medicine glass from the nurse and slowly offered it to the man on the bed. She was barely breathing as his father took it from her and gulped it carefully, frowning a little until she handed him some pills from the same nurse. He took them in hurriedly and she carefully guided his hand towards the glass of water. The old man, thankfully, stopped looking at her and laid himself down after drinking. Seo Hyun could not really understand what was happening.

Yong Hwa smiled, watching her every careful movement. His plan must be working as her father took his medicines without much effort and has lain in bed facing the other direction. The nurses excused themselves as Seo Hyun remained standing there with the glass in her hand. He walked to stand beside her and took the glass, “Thank you. He can be very stubborn and today he has the tick.” Seo Hyun turned to him with the same confused expression. Oh, how he wanted to grab her and take him in his arms again. But he needed to get hold of himself. This was something very important for him to just ruin the moment with his own longing.

“I...” she shut her eyes tight before turning away from the bed, “I must leave...”

“Who are you?”

The voice made her shift her gaze back to him and regretted doing so. The old man was looking straight into her eyes as if getting into her very soul.

Yong Hwa smiled gently at him and answered, “She's--”

“And who are you? What are you two doing in my room?”

Yong Hwa shook his head suppressing a laugh and sat on his bedside while Seo Hyun remained standing, obviously dazzled by what was happening, “I'm Jung Yong Hwa, abeoji... that's the ninth time you asked me that today.”

“It is?” The old man looked confused as ever and Yong Hwa nodded in confirmation, “You're Hwang Suk Min's son, aren't you?”

“Yes, abeoji...” he nodded and looked at Seo Hyun who was slowly looking less tensed.

“Ahhh... my dear friend, she is...” Hi Jun looked up with that gentle curve in his own lips before looking at him again, “How is your mother now?”

“She died already just like my father,” he grinned then looked up to her, “That's the ninth time I t