¡ TW : DEATH !
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The sky cried.
Jake stood meters away from Siyeon. Many people who greeted her adoptive parents obscured his vision of her. He immediately noticed how they would glance at Haeseong afterward, who sat by a far corner looking down, showing no signs of willingness to interact with anyone. Terribly so, Jake understood what the man was going through because he, too, was suffering from whatever grief there was that swallowed them two.
His parents, Hana included, stayed by his side. His cousin clung her arm to his, pressing her head by his upper arm, making it known to him that she was there. Indeed, Hana's constant reminder of her presence had comforted him even in the slightest, yet the longing he felt, the anger that flowed through his veins, and the regret that dawdled over his mind weren't by any means subdued.
The hypocrisy could be seen at center stage with Jo Hangyeol and Shin Minseo, both acting as though they were grieving over a death they had caused. Everyone was under the pretense that this was their last act of familial love, throwing an overly grand funeral for a daughter they never once loved. Unbeknownst to all, there wouldn't be a funeral to throw if not for their mistreatment of Siyeon.
Jake wondered how Haeseong felt at that moment, knowing that his parents were the reason he lost the sister he cherished the most.
"Haeseong, it's your turn for a eulogy." Minseo convinced her son, who took a while to obey his mother. The center stage was replaced by a Haeseong, who looked far better than before, bringing relief and sadness to Jake, whose eyes followed the older.
"You okay, Jake?" Hana asked once the new owner of Siyeon's heart stood at the front, preparing to speak his eulogy.
He looked in her direction and forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." He answered, yet that response seemed inadequate to convince the latter that he genuinely was okay, which could be observed by the expression change on her face.
A simple worried look transformed into an even more concerned one.
They both fixed their posture when Haeseong began to speak, and neither of them could look at the man for so long, constantly reminded of the girl who was forced to sacrifice everything for him. "I remember years ago when Siyeon asked me to go outside because the weather was beautiful, and she wanted to go on a walk, but no one would accompany her. I-I couldn't say yes because I was sick, so instead, she stayed there by my side, reading to me anatomy books that she found by my study desk until it was too dark for her to go outside. I was so sorry that she couldn't do what she wanted because I was sick, but she insisted... because she knew I'd do the same for her."
"My... sister has always been that kind of person. Siyeon loved unconditionally." Haeseong's eyes subtly landed on Jake, whose visions had turned watery almost immediately. "She deserved all the happiness in the world, and I will forever wish she was granted more time. I am comforted, though, that during her last moments, she knew she was loved by her family and her closest friends. So... thank you for loving Siyeon."
Haeseong spoke only to one person during that eulogy, and even without saying who the recipient of his gratitude was, Jake knew it was him. To his side, Hana finally sobbed after keeping her tears inside for over half an hour since they arrived. His arm slithered to her shoulders, rubbing her head softly as he also stopped himself from doing the same. If a time comes when Jake is asked what the most challenging thing he has ever had to do was, he knows what the answer would be in a heartbeat.
The hardest thing he had to do was watch the love of his life slowly descend to the ground, constantly reminding him that he would no longer be given a chance to see her or the future they could've had if fate had been a little kinder to the two. He couldn't help but wander off to his train of thoughts that distracted him from the horrible reality he was currently facing, surprisingly landing on random memories of his youth, circling his infatuation with Hyejin to a growing friendship with Siyeon.
Hyejin has been keeping her distance, never finding the right words to say to him, especially since she had to keep Siyeon's secret, even after knowing fully how desperate Jake was to learn it. Yet Jake couldn't find it in him to be angry at her or feel anything remotely similar to that; instead, he felt relieved that she had kept Siyeon's secret, that she completely understood Siyeon's secret was never hers to tell. His grip on the umbrella tightened when he realized the funeral had finally ended and that the casket was now lower than it had ever been in the ground. Hana was already being forced to go home by his uncle, who spared him a greeting as an acknowledgment to his nephew before looking back at his daughter, who was clearly reluctant to leave Jake behind.
"I'll be fine, Hana," Jake assured her.
"I'll call someone to pick you up. Auntie and uncle are going to be joining dad after all." Hana says, referring to his parents, who busily conversed with his uncle. "Call me if you need me, okay? You're not going to go through this alone."
"Thank you, Hana." He smiles genuinely.
His parents asked him first if he was ready to leave, but immediately, he answered with a no. The two quickly understood, and both gave him a hug before joining Hana and his uncle, who made their way to the cars parked not too far away from the newly-dug grave. The premises began to clear until two people were left, and it took over a minute for the other to muster up the courage to approach Jake. The rain was slowly coming to a halt, gradually shifting to a shower after a horrid downpour that suffocated him more than he already was throughout the ceremony.
"I figured you'd stay," Haeseong says, giving him a flat smile that he mirrors. "I have something for you which had already proven its use to me." He fishes for something in his bag for a while before pulling out a notebook. "Here. She gave it to me before the surgery and said to give it to you once I was done learning about her truth."
Jake hesitatingly accepted it. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to save her."
"You don't have to apologize for that. We weren't going to save her, no matter how hard we tried." Haeseong sighed, looking up at the dark sky which shadowed the rest of the world. "You loved her more than anyone ever has; that's more than enough for me."
"I never got the chance to tell her that I did."
"She knew, Jake." Haeseong corrects him. "Even during her last moments, I'm sure she knew."
That would have to be enough. Jake convinced himself. At least she knew.
"You recovered fast. It's only been two weeks since you had your transplant." Jake comments on Haeseong's healthy appearance. "Your sister would've been relieved to know you're doing great now."
"I'm still on bed rest. I just threw a hissy fit so I could go here." He chuckles. "I'm sure she would be scolding me for attending her funeral instead of resting as my parents suggested." Jake couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled Siyeon's caring nature.
"Siyeon told me you're planning to be a lawyer. Is that true?" Haeseong shifts the topic to another path which is now seemingly focused on Jake.
"Yeah, it's not like I have a choice." He answered, pertaining to his parents, who expected him to chase after the same profession they had studied. It never was once an issue to Jake anyway, not since he found the job quite interesting after observing his parents practice it for years.
"If that's the case, you have to get better quickly. Stop mourning tomorrow, Jake, because I need your help in the future." The other abruptly says to Jake, who, for a second, is caught off guard by the direction of their conversation.
"What do you mean?"
"We couldn't save Siyeon, but we can avenge her." Haeseong looked at him with his blazing eyes. "I can't look at my parents the same way anymore, and I will never find it in me to be okay with what they did to her. I need to stop them, and for that to happen, I need your help."
"You have to study harder than you've ever had. Make a name for yourself among lawyers. Only then can we take down my parents and bring justice to my sister."
A wave of anger towards her adoptive parents intensifies as Haeseong expresses his indignation also, and following that is a determination to perform what is being asked of him by the latter. For so long, he looked at his future profession in dim light, only ever seeming trivial and never enough to pour his heart out completely. Yet this time, a dream that was handed to him now truly became his own, especially after learning that it was the only way he could avenge Siyeon's unjust death.
"Wouldn't your future be compromised if we take down your parents?"
"I'll make a name for myself first. I'm starting med school next year. Once I'm standing on my own two feet, then we'll make our move. So let's not waste any time, Jake. We have to get better tomorrow."
"Right, let's do this. I can't keep crying about her, and this time I'll make sure I won't fail. Never again." He says, and Haeseong gives him a nod as he extends his right hand to Jake.
Jake gladly shook it, sealing a plan meant to be executed years from now, a project which could cost them everything if not done right. The people they wanted to take down were people who have enough money to sway the law to their side, and no one knows how bad their following actions could be if they were left to roam free after doing what they did to Siyeon.
The two men stayed there for a while, with Jake's eyes gazing only at the ground and Haeseong's roaming around the place, only ever stopping when his sight caught someone familiar. Jake felt a soft nudge on his arm, stealing his attention from Siyeon to the other, who stared somewhere afar.
Glancing in his direction, Haeseong pointed at something. "Looks like your ride is here."
Quickly, he recalls Hana telling him that she'd call a ride for him, and since earlier, he expected to see any of his friends, particularly Heeseung, who was the closest to his cousin at the moment. Yet much to his surprise, the person who stood far from him, looking at him with a gaze he couldn't quite discern because of the vast distance between them, had not crossed his mind in the slightest. Hyejin wore a black dress, refusing to walk any closer than where she already was.
"So I'll see you?" Jake looked back at Haeseong, who couldn't help but smile.
"I'll see you." Haeseong waves his hand.
Giving Siyeon one final glance, his gaze traveled to the sky before muttering something under his breath. "Goodbye, Siyeon. Until our next meeting."
Finally, he turned his back, heading towards Hyejin, who looked at him in the same manner everyone had. Concern painted all over her, finding it difficult to force a smile on her face, especially since she was one of the very few people who knew the truth. For a while, Jake wondered why of all his friends, Hana decided to choose Hyejin, but now he understood what differentiated her from those he considered his brothers.
There was no way to explain the comfort his childhood best friend had brought him.
"Hey." Hyejin broke the silence between them when he was mere steps away from her. "Hana called me."
"I know." He smiled. "You wore a black dress."
"I was going to go here, but I hesitated." She admits. "I still feel like I'm also to blame for what happened to her. I knew what was happening, and I only blackmailed her for your benefit instead of doing something about it."
"You tried to stop her, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but probably not as good as you did." The guilt lingered on her tone, and Jake grabbed her free hand, surprising her for a second before she instantly relaxed.
"Stop painting yourself like a bad person, Hyejin. The only people to blame today are her adoptive parents. They are the only ones who need to pay." His jaw clenched in anger, similar to how he always does when he's forced to listen to a conversation that paints them in a good light.
"Their time will come. I know you'll make sure of it." Hyejin says, now successfully forcing a smile on her face. "And I'm here throughout the way, no matter how much justice costs."
Suddenly, the sky stopped crying. The sun, which had hidden since early this morning, finally blessed the world with its radiance, its rays almost immediately hitting their faces, prompting them to close the umbrellas they had been holding since earlier. The dark skies are painted with a familiar blue shade as the clouds turn white, and the dark ones gradually move away from their premise. Jake looked back to Siyeon, where Haeseong no longer stood, and somehow another smile appeared on his face as he looked back at Hyejin.
"Let's go? It looks like Siyeon's finally happy wherever she is."
"Yeah, let's go."
As the two drove off, a book closes.
And another reopens.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE :
see you all in book two !!!
thank you everyone so much for reading afterglow, i look forward to seeing you all also at the continuation of this book :>>
proceed to next chapter for my thank you notes! <3