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jiyeon froze on her spot, hands curling up into a fist.
how could she forget?
"it's obvious that you no longer have any interests on our son." mrs. kang looked disappointed as she and her husband stood up and was ready to leave.
"you must be joking. i-i could never forget that
date—"
"oh but you did jiyeon. i guess we had too high hopes on you. minjun loved you very much, how could you possibly just toss him aside this quick?"
she looked down, fighting back the tears that were about to fall from her eyes. what could have made her fail to recall his birthday? just because she focused on someone else during one day, she's already in deep trouble?
"there must be a misunderstanding her mr. and mrs. kang. i-it slipped my mind the last second!" jiyeon deeply apologized, even approaching the two who looked at her with devastation.
"it's all that boy's fault! i told you to avoid him. bravo! kang jiyeon has failed us one more time!" her father butted in, mocking a loud applause.
"dad, please stay out of this—"
"boy? jiyeon, are you not telling us something?"
the girl's pulse went higher, she was anxious and cautious to the point that she can no longer keep her eyes dry the very next moment.
"yes there is, but—"
"i think we've heard enough..." mr. kang spoke, leading his wife to the door.
"you family must discuss this before you drag us in. all we want was your loyalty towards our son jiyeon, was it really too much to ask?"
and the door loudly slammed shut.
"nice going jiyeon!" the elder scolded, deeply staring at the poor girl who couldn't even look back up.
the room was hot and tense. their helpers were hiding behind their own quarters, scared that they might get fired if ever they try to defend on any side.
"it wasn't my intention to forget..." her mouth managed to speak up tough not meeting her father's eyes.
"where is the man? i will beat the crap out of him—"
"DAD STOP!" jiyeon screeched, holding tightly on the man's wrist, making sure he does not get out of the house.
"YOU'RE NOT HEARING YOURSELF JIYEON! ever since you've met jungwon you've been fucking yourself up just like before."
"HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!"
"CORRECTION. HE HAD EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THIS."
the man and the daughter remained shouting at each other, her mother trying to pull back his husband to avoid hurting jiyeon who looks like she does not give a damn about one single scratch.
"we forgave you jiyeon...you didn't even bother to attend your own boyfriend's funeral. now you're just here, checking up on some guy you saw at your school? why does it have to end up this way? WHY? JUST WHY?!"
"BECAUSE I LIKE HIM GOD DAMN IT!"
jiyeon's dad stood aback, shock about three specific words that came out of her own daughter's mouth.
"you like him...?"
her mom finally spoke, also surprised about what she had said. the idea of jiyeon making a new friend was fine, but liking him romantically? that was too much to swallow in.
"i like him mom. if only you two try to get to know him, you'd understand why i can't keep prioritizing minjun knowing that he's no longer with me and he's no longer the person making my heart beat ways i'd never think it would."
"you can't simply just date someone else. minjun's parents put their faith in you. they gave you an offer of a lifetime, they gave you comfort when you needed it. they literally treated you as their daughter despite you killing their son!"
jiyeon wanted to slap her father right on that exact moment. the phrase 'you killing their son' made her shatter into pieces inside.
"did it ever occur to you that i never wanted those things from them? i wanted them to hate me. i wanted to make myself feel the pain i gave to them. i never asked all of you to pamper me as your fucking baby!"
SLAP
jiyeon brought her hand up to where it stung. her cheek immediately turning red.
"did it ever occur to you that i was in pain too?"
"obviously not. you already found a replacement in a span of two years." her father brought up, rubbing his palm.
she finally faced them in disbelief. her own parents, no longer giving her the faith she clearly wanted. the fact that they never asked her part of the story yet were so quick to judge.
"of course you'd say that. i'm a doll you puppet towards other people anyways. after all, i was never considered as your little girl who just wanted trust and love." jiyeon painfully laughed, locking herself in her room.
the lass let herself slip down the floor, hugging herself and sobbed harder. if it was easy, she would've been happy with someone else, but then again, she never had a proper goodbye with her first love.
"what was i thinking juggling two boys in my mind." she laughed at herself in pity, standing up to rest at her window.
though it was dark, the scenery of their small garden managed to make herself calm down. all she wanted was to say how she felt towards jungwon, but they had a deal.
"10 more days..."
that very night when he understood her side of the accident, she knew he was sincere. he was the only person who knew of that untold story. but when he never treated her differently after that, something inside her felt different.
"hey, i know you're listening to me." jiyeon looked up to the sky, directing her message to one specific person.
"kang minjun, i know you're there."
she wasn't going crazy. she only figured that minjun was guarding her even from her room, the only time she could feel his presence talking back to her.
"it's been chaotic here, can't believe i actually thought i could handle this mess." she started talking to the air, not caring if the neighbors start to look at her with concern.
"how are you up there? it's been a while since i talked to you, school has been a hectic now— you know with all that homework, and projects, and...reputation i guess." she joked, fiddling with her fingers.
"sorry i haven't visited your grave, i know it's been two years and i never payed one day talking to your actual gravestone. i bet it's very fancy, i know your parents gave you the best place to rest on."
"i just want you to know that i'm very sorry up until now, i am nowhere near to forgiving myself, you especially, don't deserve this."
"but i have a question."
jiyeon leaned her head against the window pane. suddenly, a butterfly went passing by. it continued to fly around her window, she knew who it immediately was.
"hi, so you're really interested in my question aren't you?"
the small thing remained to stay in front of her, the glass was the only thing separating them.
"i like someone new."
"i know it's sudden but i couldn't help it. he's nice, he's caring and he prioritizes my feelings before saying something that might make me feel bad about myself...
...if only you were here to meet him. he's perfect just like you. damn it, if only i could say the words to you personally all this pain would disappear in a snap." she groaned, eyes locked towards the butterfly.
"we started talking because it was a bet, until things just suddenly felt too real. i'm not sure if he likes me, but if he ever did i just want you to know that i'm willing to be with him— it's just that the problem is,
is you. i can't just manage to think that i broke a promise i made with your parents. they had trust in me that i would never let anyone take me from you...but is that what you want for me?"
"who knows how long i'll stay in this world? me having no one to grow old with, is that what you're telling me to expect?"
"i love you minjun, i really do, but– ah never mind." she paused standing up to go get a glass of water.
she took a peek if her parents were around before fully opening the door. once there were no sight of them, she silently went to the kitchen.
the glass on her hands was currently being filled by water, she stared at it deeply with no emotion pasted on her face.
"you are in no rights to see that guy anymore."
jiyeon flinched. she slowly turned around to see her mother with a face she's never seen from her before.
"mom? what did you just say?"
the elder looked at her in shame. "i might agree with your father on this one. mr. and mrs. kang are devastated with your decision jiyeon. it pains me to think that you could easily just let go of their son for someone you just met in less than a month."
the girl carelessly drops the glass on the floor, the water causing a tiny flood.
"jiyeon–"
"i can't believe you mom. you were the only one left on my side. now you're just going to betray me like that?"
jiyeon couldn't help but feel angry, she shoved her mother aside, she goes to the door and exits the house, walking very far away from that place.
the place was already dark. it was almost a quarter to midnight. as badly as she wanted to scream, people were already sleeping.
she hated how she was trapped.
she hated how she was forbidden to see the man that makes her happy the most.
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