Its been 10 years since Ye Jin's mom remarried to a nice man with a son. Unfortunately never once Hyun Bin, her step brother wanted to meet Ye Jin and her mom as his new family.
Ye Jin was okay with that until they accidentally laid eyes on each ot...
"Did... Did he hurt you?" Gong Yoo hesitantly asked, looking at Ye Jin's face searching for an answer. But the girl just looked down, refusing to meet his eyes.
Gong Yoo hated feeling helpless like this. He really wanted to help Ye Jin to heal her wounds and get rid of her sadness... But he was afraid that his questions would revive Ye Jin's memories of the bad things she experienced here.
What if Hyun Bin was rough and hurt her body...?
What if.. What if Ye Jin became pregnant as a result of his actions? He felt horrible even when he only think about that possibility. But Gong Yoo didn't dare to voice his worries. He was afraid that if he said it out loud, it would become real.
"Do you want oppa to take you to the doctor...?" He offered, but responded with another shake of her head. "You look pale, when was the last time you ate...? Don't make yourself sick...."
Ye Jin just sobbed in his arms.
"Ye Jin... Promise me, whatever problems you're having, tell oppa...!" Gong Yoo stroked the head of the girl who was still crying in his arms, "If you need anything, tell oppa...! Don't ever keep your problems to yourself, you hear me?
The girl cried even harder, "I'm embarrassed, oppa... I'm damaged now...!"
"No! Don't talk like that!" Gong Yoo held Ye Jin's shoulders, looking down trying to look at the girl's eyes seriously, "You are much more valuable than what happened in your past!"
Ye Jin wanted to believe those words. But right now it's hard to feel optimistic. Her parents and Gong Yoo oppa's mother had probably started to suspect something was wrong with her, and Ye Jin didn't know how to answer when they started asking questions.
"We will fix this situation together... Oppa promise to always be there for you no matter what happens..."
***
Hyun Bin paced in front of his father's contractor office. It's Sunday, and it's already 8 p.m., but Hyun Bin knows his father is working late at the office at the moment.
"Bin..! What are you doing here?" his father's voice suddenly called just as Hyun Bin turned to leave. Hyun Bin has almost decided that going to his father for advice was not a good idea.
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Hyun Bin walked to his father, the smile on his face indicated that he hadn't find out about what he did to Ye Jin. "I... Just happen to passed by around here, appa." he lied.
"Would you like me to take you home then?" asked his father, "appa has just finished working."
Hyun Bin nodded silently.
"Who were you fighting with?" His dad glanced at Hyun Bin's bruised lips from the rearview mirror after they got into the car.
"its nothing.. Just a playful row between friends." Hyun Bin answered briefly.
His father shrugged, okay if you don't want to talk about it.
"Appa looks much healthier." Hyun Bin commented. His father started the car engine and proceed to drive down the highway.
"Thanks to you. Thanks to Ye Jin and his mother too." replied his father smiling.
Hyun Bin's heart stopped for a moment when he heard Ye Jin's name being mentioned.
"Uhm... How are they appa...?" he asked trying to sound indifferent.
"They're fine, it's just that Ye Jin doesn't seem to be feeling well since yesterday." His dad frowned worriedly, "Appa is busy working late today but luckily your cousin Gong Yoo has came back from Busan, so maybe he took Ye Jin to the doctor already."
Hyun Bin swallowed hard. If Gong Yoo decided to tell what he did, he will be finished. Well, it looks like he really deserves punishment for his actions, Hyun Bin thought bitterly.
"Appa..." Hyun Bin contemplated whether he should just confess to his father or not, "I've made a very big mistake..."
His father glanced at Hyun Bin worriedly, "what's wrong, are you in trouble with the law, Bin?"
"No.. Uhm, not yet...." Hyun Bin lowered his head not daring to see his father's reaction, "I can't tell now because this matter involves other people..."
"You need Appa's help? Just tell me, you need money? Back up...?"
"No, that's not it appa..." Hyun Bin tried to explain, "I just don't know who else to tell or ask for advice on this..."
His father breathed a sigh of relief, "just tell me, appa will try to help as best I can"
"I want to apologize and show my regret, but I'm not sure that person will forgive me..." Hyun Bin tried to explain briefly.
"Hmmm... May I know how big the mistake was?"
“Umm, no… Not now.” Hyun Bin shook his head quickly.
His father seemed to be carefully thinking for the answer as he looked straight at the road ahead. "Then all you can do is try to convey your apologies as best you can." "What you need to remember is that you can't force that person to forgive you." he continued.
"But I can't live in peace until they forgive me, appa..." he answered with a frown.
"You remember when you were still angry at Appa?" His father smiled and reminded him, "Would you appreciate it if Appa forced you to forgive Appa?"
Hyun Bin shook his head slowly.
"Therefore be patient in your efforts. Give space and time for that person to heal their wound." his father advised wisely.
"If possible, make sure they know that you're always there whenever they changed their mind, that's if you're really serious about fixing your mistake." his father added.
"But I'm not sure if they still want to see me again." Hyun Bin admitted sadly.
"Well then this is a difficult situation, son." his father shook his head in concern.
"Let's just say, if there is a chance to apologize, then do it." His father glanced at Hyun Bin's reaction, "but if there's really no chance, then focus on improving yourself."
"That way if the opportunity suddenly comes, you can show that you are really serious about trying to be a better person." he added.
Hyun Bin's gaze stared ahead, trying to digest his father's advice.
"If your mistake was that serious, don't make things worse. And remember, it's not the person's duty to relieve you from the burden of guilt."
"Because what you should be focused on is prioritizing the feelings of the people you've hurt, not your own."
Hyun Bin lowered his head to measure the depth of the wound he had inflicted on Ye Jin. It seemed a little impossible to mend a relationship with her now.
"You can try, can't you?" his father encouraged him.
"I'll try, appa. Thank you for the advice," he replied with a sad smile.
"Haish... No need to thank me, your appa will always be there for you." his father said, pleased that Hyun Bin had finally opened up to him.
Hyun Bin hoped Ye Jin isn't as stubborn as he was. Because if it took Hyun Bin 10 years to open up to his father, he doesn't know how long it would take for Ye Jin to forgive his mistakes.
