Another Day, Another Shot

Worthy of Your Love

it's not all rainbows 🌈 and unicorns 🦄 in Wonder Land 🎡 after all...

PROMPT: Cha Mi-jo came back for Gu Seo-jin.

WORTHY OF YOUR LOVE

Gu Seo-jin thought what he and Cha Mi-jo had was a true connection – something real. Well, he thought wrong.

They went on dates. They shared hobbies and interests. They met each other's friends. They laughed with each other. They had inside jokes. They comfort each other. Heck, they even slept together on their first date (or was it second?) They were always there for each other. They were each other's person – each other's missing half.

The point was, Seo-jin was already deep into their relationship. If you could even call it that. And with the pace they were at, he thought Mi-jo was, too. But he was wrong.

~ Dinner ~

Seo-jin had a bad day, and he thought it would get better because he's going to be spending time with Mi-jo. Again, he was wrong.

"I'm going to the States, and spend my Sabbatical Leave there," Mi-jo suddenly dropped a huge bomb on Seo-jin. During a supposedly romantic dinner. Talk about cliché.

The moment those words came out of Mi-jo's mouth, Seo-jin dropped his chopsticks, and took a huge gulp of his wine.

"No worries! I can visit you there. We can go sightseeing," Seo-jin said, even when his voice faltered.

Seo-jin was a confident man, but at that moment, he wasn't sure where they stood. He wasn't sure about himself anymore. That unsettled him so much.

"No." One word answer that shattered everything for Seo-jin.

"I'm gonna take a rest. I want a clean slate when I go there," Mi-jo simply said, shutting down Seo-jin's plans of going there with her. There was more to it, but she didn't delve deeper anymore. 'The less he knows, the better,' she thought.

Seo-jin had no right to react the way he wanted to because they weren't exclusively dating. He wasn't Mi-jo's boyfriend. He can't do anything about it. "Okay," was the only thing he could say.

~ One year later ~

The first thing Cha Mi-jo did when she got back from the States was to buy a ticket to Wonder Group's annual festival event. She still hadn't decided whether she'd meet Seo-jin or just leave immediately after the event.

One thing's for sure. Mi-jo still loved Seo-jin. She never stopped. But she also knew she hurt him so much. She wanted to believe they still had a chance, that he could forgive her for leaving him so suddenly. He didn't deserve that, and she'd make up for it for as long as she could.

The show was beautiful. Not that Mi-jo expected anything less. But what really caught her attention was Seo-jin. He was standing beside the stage in all his CEO glory. He's still handsome as ever, but there was something new about him. Coldness.

Seo-jin became even more workaholic after Mi-jo left. He needed something to occupy his mind, instead of wallowing in misery and thinking too much about why she left him.

What Mi-jo wanted was to bring back Seo-jin's warmth. She wanted to be the one to bring back the smile on his face. To do that, she gathered the courage to wait for him once the show finished. She stayed by the entrance, and waited for him to come out.

Mi-jo spotted him. Her heart was beating so fast, she felt like it was gonna pop out of her chest any second then. That was until she had the guts to utter his name out loud, "Seo-jin."

Seo-jin didn't think he'd ever hear that voice again. Her voice. Mi-jo's voice. The same one that shared hilarious stories with him. The same one that made jokes, which made him laugh. The same one that voiced out frustrations regarding nosy clinic customers. The same one that threw out words of affirmation about her celebrity crush. But most of all, the same one that broke his heart a year ago.

Seo-jin stopped walking to look at where the voice came from. He looked at Mi-jo. She was really there in flesh right in front of him. And she's more beautiful than ever. He wanted nothing more than to just run to her, hug her so tight, and never let her go. But through her eyes, he was reminded of their hurt.

"Hi," Mi-jo greeted Seo-jin. "Can we talk?"

"Follow me," Seo-jin answered. They went back to his office. To say the elevator ride was awkward was an understatement. It was beyond awkward.

Once settled inside the office, Mi-jo asked. "How are you, Seo Jin-ssi?"

"Don't waste my time anymore, Cha Mi Jo-ssi. What do you want?" Seo-jin said. He wanted to hurt Mi-jo as much as she hurt him. She took all his harsh words and tone, because what she did to him was worse anyway. She deserved his anger and lashing out.

"I'm sorry," was all Mi-jo could say.

"That's all you have to say? You left me. You didn't want me. THAT HURT. SO FUCKING MUCH," Seo-jin finally voiced out what he wanted to say to Mi-jo for the past year he was alone.

"What more do you want me to say, Seo Jin-ah?" Mi-jo asked, at a loss for more words he was asking of her. "I just want an explanation so we can both move on with our lives. Just like what you wanted before, I want a clean slate now."

"I wanted to be someone you might fall in love with. Someone worthy of your love! I was afraid you wouldn't love the real me," Mi-jo whispered the last part. "I needed to find myself so I could be a better person for you. How can I commit myself to you if I wasn't complete myself?"

Mi-jo needed to find herself, because despite her loving family, amazing friends, and Seo-jin in her life, she was still missing something within herself. That's what being abandoned and adopted could do to someone. Always second guessing themselves. Always waiting for people to leave them. Always being not good enough.

Mi-jo wanted to be whole for Seo-jin, so they could have a chance for a better future for the both of them when they decide to pursue a serious relationship. A lifetime commitment.

"I could've been there for you during those dark times if you just let me," Seo-jin said. "But you didn't."

"You wanted me to fall in love with you? You wanted to be worthy of my love? You're afraid I won't love the real you? THAT'S RIDICULOUS!" Seo-jin can't believe Mi-jo's words. "Because I did fall in love with you. I loved you."

"Already in the past tense, Seo Jin-ah," Mi-jo asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't know if I can fall in love with you again, Mi Jo-ah," Seo-jin answered honestly. "But there will always be a part of me that will love you as a person I once cherished. As a person who was once part of my life."

Mi-jo hoped she could still change Seo-jin's mind. "I will make you fall in love with me again."

"Good luck with that."