His Reason to Live - Hwang Inyeop Short Story

Chapter 8: Our Story

"Pervert!" She said which made both of us chuckle. We both stared at each other and I always had this urge to touch her face so I lifted my hand and cupped her cheek. She always smiles whenever I do this.

"I won't leave you, Dindy," I sincerely said, which made her close her eyes and lean her cheek on my palm.

Dindy...

I always call her that and I remember her being annoyed whenever somebody else calls her by that nickname. Memories now come flashing back in my mind. Beautiful memories of my childhood to teen years with her and it makes me so pissed that I forgot these beautiful moments.

"You were never separated, In-yeop. You were always together. All the memories she had with you are here in this room. That is the reason why she doesn't want this room to be occupied by others." I heard the nun say.

"I..." I cleared my throat as my tears threatened to fall. "I want to see what's inside." I said. The nun got the message and gave my hand a light squeeze before leaving me. My hands are shaking as I turn the knob of the door. I search for the light switch and as soon as light fills the room, pictures of our childhood welcome me which are posted on a huge cork board. The cork board is mounted on the wall in front of the door.

My feet automatically made its way to the pictures. Tears start to stream down my cheeks as I reminisce my happy days with her while staring at our pictures pinned on the board. I carefully touched one of the pictures with my fingers and a smile formed my lips. We are making silly faces in this picture, our faces covered with icing. I remember this was my birthday.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday happy birthday... Happy birthday, pervert!" She sang as she held the cake using both of her hands.

"When will you stop calling me a pervert?" I scratched the back of my head.

"Only when you stop being a pervert," she laughs. All the other orphans and the nuns laugh as well. "Come on! My hands are getting tired. Make a wish."

I rolled my eyes at her being impatient. I closed my eyes and made a wish. When I opened them, I blew the candles and all of them clapped.

"You didn't have to do this," I said and I can't help not to smile.

"Sandy insisted on doing this," old gramps, one of the caretaker of the orphanage, said. "She said you'll pout all day if we won't surprise you."

"Well, it's true, gramps," she said as she linked her arms with old gramps. "I forgot to greet him last year and it only made him look like a sulking frog all day."

"Sulking frog?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Uh-huh. An ugly, sulking frog," she slowly said, giving emphasis in every word she said.

"I see. An ugly, sulking frog," I said, repeating every word she said as I went near the cake she placed on the table. I scooped a handful of cake, tasted it, then looked at her with a huge grin on my face.

"Don't you dare!" She said as she hid behind old gramps. Old gramps ran away from the scene, leaving Sandy exposed. "Gramps!" She called gramps and is about to run as well but I immediately wrapped my arm around her neck light enough to get a hold of her.

She immediately covered her face. "I'm sorry. I was just kidding," she looked at the nuns, asking for help.

"You did this to yourself, Sandy," they all laugh.

"I guess so, too, Dindy. You did this to yourself." And with that, we had a cake fight.

I clench my fist as my vision blurry from too much crying. I can't believe those memories were washed out of my head. Those were the only beautiful memories I had in my whole life. No wonder why I feel like everything is so f**ked up because I can't remember any reason why I should still go on with my life. She's that reason. She's my everything.

"You two filled up this orphanage with happiness," I turn around and see old gramps. He was the old man we saw sweeping in front of the orphanage the day Dindy and I went here. He now has difficulty in walking and uses a cane to balance himself. "You brought happiness into each other's' life and it was felt in every corner of this orphanage."

I took long strides towards him and gave him a tight hug. "I'm sorry." I wept. "I'm sorry I did not recognize you."

He hugged me as well and stroked my back. "It's okay. At least you remember me now." He pulled away from the hug and cupped my cheeks with his rough palms. "Look at you! You're not the baby In-yeop I knew before." He said and it made both of us laugh.

"She never has forgotten you, In-yeop. All the things that you left, she placed them here in your room. When you left, she always stays in this room at night and I always hear her cry whenever I pass this hallway. She misses you dearly." He held my hand and gave it a light squeeze. "I witnessed how her world crumbled when you left, In-yeop."

With that sentence, I bawled once again, not minding whether I am in front of someone. Never in my life have I cried like this. I always tell myself that I have to be strong, that others have to see that I am strong and that is the reason why I always give others a deadpan expression. Even though I have faced a lot of hardships in life, nothing has made me cry a single tear.

"Go," I heard Gramps said as he gave my hand a light squeeze once again. "I believe she's waiting for you right now."