Recurring Memory

Chapter II

"Those people... Those people are trying to take you away from me."

"Eon Jin... Why are you doing this?"

"You'll understand why... But please for now, just run away with me."

She didn't look back, thinking that he understood what she was going through and that he was just behind her. But she ran too swift that she was gone from his sight in split second.

Just like how it was in her dream, she was running on an endless circle. The forest was dark, foggy and even daunting. She knew she had to run away. She was running as fast as she could because she knew someone was chasing her.

She only did realize that Tae Pyung wasn't next to her when she slipped and fell off the cliff, causing her to scrape her knees. She paused, despite the aching. It was nothing but a real déjà vu. She has dreamt about it. Everything was quite the same.

"Tae Pyung!" she yelled while helping herself to get up. She cried for his name as loud as she could but the sound of raindrops touching the ground made it extra difficult for her to be heard.

She was in trouble, she knew. The park was too big for her, and she was never familiar with the place. She needed him. She looked from her left to her right, from her front to her behind but she found no one. She started whispering her desperate prayers for Tae Pyung to show up and save her from where she was. She also felt the need to secure him.

After less than thirty hours upon returning back to each other's arms, she lost him again. No one could ever paint the despair she was feeling. The frustrations only made her cry in the middle of nowhere; in the middle of the woods like a lost girl.

"Tae Pyung, please. Hear me out..." She repeated the same chants over and over while trying to find her way back.

She felt extremely lost until someone finally was calling her name... She had a hope that she was hearing Tae Pyung's voice, only to get disappointed by the fact that it wasn't him who was calling for her. She was playing hide and seek with those people trying to catch her.

"Son Eon Jin..."

"Son Eon Jin..."

The rain poured even harder. The cold winds began to blow. She was getting exhausted and yet, she still was trying her best to trail back her track.

The voices calling her became louder. While trying to find her way back to the yellow scarf tied on a branch of a tree, she dreadfully avoided the siren and the people looking for her. Her priority was to find Tae Pyung or else she could be losing him again the way she lost him nineteen days ago.

A bright light hit her face, making her eyes close. The brightness of the light was enough to illuminate the place where she was standing.

"Eon Jin, it's me, Gong Hyo Jin... Hello?"

"Ms. Son Eon Jin..."

"Stop chasing me, please. I need to find Tae Pyung." She almost fell on her bleeding knee as she covered both her ears with her palms. "Stay away from me."

Standing about ten meters away from her was Gong Hyo Jin and two cops behind her.

"Eon Jin, let's stop this, shall we?"

Little did Eon Jin know, it has been almost three hours since she had been running back and forth.

"Don't come near me..." She yelled.

But still, Hyo Jin took some steps.

"Stop blaming yourself for the things beyond your control." Hyo Jin was thanking the skies in silence for the rain because the rain actually covered up her tears.

"I am trying to fix my mistakes here. So I will not let anyone ruin my plans and make me miserable again."

Hyo Jin took a step or two more. Son Eon Jin's wit told her to run for her life. She found it as an opportunity to escape them. Eventually, she succeeded. It was one of the few moments when Eon Jin was able to prove that God answers prayers because aside from she has lost Hyo Jin and the cops' way, she found the yellow scarf at the downside of the park.

However, there was no Tae Pyung around.

No visible signs of him.

As promised, she stood by the tree and waited for him to come. She trusted that he will find his way back like how she did in the forest and like how he did after being gone for eighteen days.

Until she heard some familiar footsteps coming near her. The familiarity of the sound of these steps made her feel calm.

And her senses were right. It was Kim Tae Pyung – wounded and bruised.

She went near him and welcomed him with a warm embrace. Kim Tae Pyung did nothing. It was a surprise to her that he didn't reciprocate the affection she had given.

Her husband pushed her lightly so she'd pull out from the hug.

"Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Eon Jin..."

"Hmmm?"

"Surrender yourself. Let me go."