Lost Identity

Chapter 39

She sighed heavily a few times, and said softly, "I'm sorry guys!", touching her temple with her hand, and started to walk towards the door. Jishin asked her, "Where are you going?". Without stopping or turning, she replied, "The hotel" and left. They were somewhat worried and guilty about what they had just done. Levi said, staring blankly at the door, "I don't think it was a good idea after all". Jiho took a wise step and called a ward boy of that hotel and told him to keep an eye on her.

At the hotel. She entered her room and threw off her coat. She called the room service to send her a salad dish and a bottle of white wine. After she had finished with her dinner, she went up to the terrace of the hotel building with a pack of cigarettes. She was pretty tipsy by the time she got up. Meanwhile, downstairs, Mr. Marino had called her for some reason, but she forgot to take her cell phone with her, so it kept ringing in her room, and he got anxious and came over to her door and kept knocking. Just then, the ward boy arrived to take back the plates from her room, and learnt that she was not responding and informed Jiho about all this. Jiho rushed over and somehow convinced Mr. Marino and sent him back to his room, and they told the ward boy to unlock the door using the master key. They went in but found the room to be empty, just a coat was lying cold at the edge of the bed and an empty wine bottle on the floor. He immediately turned to face the ward boy, who got agitated, and said, lowering his head, "Sir, she asked for it. How can I deny that!". Jiho didn't scold him, 'cause he knew that it wasn't his fault anyway. They exited the room, and Jiho, after pacing through the hallway for a while, went up to the terrace as well. There, she was lying on a bench, one leg resting on the other, smoking. He walked up to her, and hovered on her to get her attention. Seeing him, she sprang up and shifted to give him space to sit. They didn't talk at first, but Jiho raised his hand to ask for a cigarette and both smoked silently. He was losing his patience and finally spoke, "What was that back there?". She replied after a while with a broken voice, "I....just want to...forget about this day.. I... I just wish I could obliterate it from all the years I have left in my life". He remained silent until she came out even more. "I really wish I could see her...(started sobbing quietly) one last time! Please! (crying, tears rolling down, wetting her cheeks)... I wanna tell her just...how much I miss her and, I am really sorry for being a discarded useless tool...(clenching her fists and frowning) they created me to be a tool and I.. I couldn't prove them wrong..". He then said, putting an assuring hand on her shoulder, "You need to move on from your past, Joanne. You need to learn to let go of them..". Shaking her head, "I need closure!". She suddenly grabbed his arm tightly, hugging it, and said, crying, "Hel.. Help me, please! I can't..." and she collapsed.