Start Again

Chapter Forty-Eight

Joon Soo

Once she pulled away, I blinked a couple of times in order to grasp the situation. A sigh left my mouth. I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Audrey smiled at me then said, "Do you remember now?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What for?"

"Whatever I did that made you like me."

"Why?"

"Because you know that that woman is the only one for me. I understand you like me, but if she was your friend, you shouldn't do this."

"But... Joon Soo, I think you're really mist—"

I held my hand up, cutting her off. "You're a great girl, really. And you're pretty too. But I'm just not the guy for you. There's a woman in my heart and, until I remember her, I cannot even begin to think of moving on. It's not right. So you shouldn't like a guy like me."

With tears in her eyes, she spun around and ran off towards the elevator.

Knowing I should give her space, I walked towards the ledge and looked down. I looked at the skyline for a while, until deciding she had enough time to leave. As I turned to go, a lock caught my attention.

Audrey + Joon Soo.

*

"Joon Soo, this is Kim Hye Ri," Baek Hu said as he sat down across from me. We had agreed to meet at our usual café as an ex-student wanted to get in contact.

"Annyeonghaseyo, Seongsangnim," she said.

"Please, sit."

She sat down. "I must say, it feels weird talking formally to you."

"Why's that?" I asked

"Well, we weren't on a first-name basis or anything, but we had dropped honorifics and formal tone."

"May I ask how we got to that stage?"

"I was your girlfriend's roommate. It was rather weird once I discovered my teacher was dating my roommate, but we ended up hanging out a bit because of her and... you received a lot of insults from me."

"Insults? Why?"

"Because you're a—"

"Nicely, Kim Hye Ri," Baek Hu warned.

"You weren't very nice to her sometimes..."

We went silent for a while and ordered our drinks. They arrived and we were all nearly halfway finished before I thought of a topic.

"Kim Hye Ri-ssi," I started.

"Yes?"

"If you were close with my fiancé, you'd know where she's buried wouldn't you? Can you take me there?"

She sighed and turned to Baek Hu. "Must I really not say anything?"

He nodded.

"What do you mean? What aren't you telling me?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, Park Joon Soo. You can't see her until you remember."

I leaned back in defeat. Why was everyone being so secretive about her? Why couldn't they even tell me her name? This is ridiculous.

"By the way, Park Joon Soo... Can I ask you something?" Kim Hye Ri said.

I sat back up and looked at her. "What is it?"

"Did you... say or do something to upset Audrey yesterday?"

I looked at the table. "Yes. I did."

"What did you do?"

"I turned her down."

"What do you mean 'turned her down'?" Kim Hye Ri asked. "Did she confess?"

"She kissed me. So I took that as a confession."

Kim Hye Ri sighed. "No wonder," she mumbled.

"No wonder what?"

"No wonder she decided to go."

"Go where?"

"Back to Hoju. She came when she heard you were in a car accident, but obviously she's wasting her time. You can't remember her which is why she decided to go."

"When is she leaving?" Baek Hu asked.

"Tomorrow," said Hye Ri. "Midday, at Incheon airport. Terminal 2, gate 4, I believe she said."

Why did my stomach drop at Hye Ri's words? Why did my heart ache after hearing Audrey was leaving?

"Well... this is a little sad now. How about we all get some drinks?" Baek Hu asked.

And so, that night, we went out and drank as much alcohol as we could. After a few hours, a guy turned up claiming to be Hye Ri's boyfriend. He didn't drink, saying he was there to take us all home later. I didn't know exactly why Baek Hu and Hye Ri were drinking, but I was drinking to forget the feelings that were stirring inside me for Audrey. I couldn't like her. I shouldn't. I had someone else I was supposed to keep in my heart. This wasn't right.