Jiwoo's POV
This tank building is so damn awesome. Aiding to the stars in the night sky, we have a breeze today. Everything is so soothing. So perfect for a first proper meetup.
How I found this building, well, that's not a story. I just came back for a reason and it mesmerized me so much that I could not bring myself to do anything.
Every Friday, I come here. And cry. A lot. Only once it happened that I did not. when V sir came here on my invitation.
And maybe tonight it will be a second time that I don't cry.
Because of him, again.
I am standing behind the joke for a boundary, looking down. It is pretty high.
Will it hurt if I just fall down?
Oh no!! I should not be thinking about this. NO!
I quickly move a bit away from the ledge.
There are footsteps behind me.
It's him.
He is wearing a maroon sweatshirt and black casual pants and has a bit of messy hair covering his forehead completely.
"You could have just pushed me down if you wanted to kill me," I say.
"Huh?"
"Why put on this getup?" I smile widely.
Something in the confession this evening has eased up the aura between us. I find it easier to open my mouth now.
"You could have directly called me handsome..." He returns me that rectangular smile.
And...silence.
Like what exactly are we supposed to do?
We just sit down by the wall, a bit nearer than the last time.
I can smell his scent. It's so good.
"I know..." He says, suddenly.
"Huh?"
"I know, that I smell good." He smiles at me teasingly.
Here we go again. Let me just not think anything...
"It won't help. Now that I am by your side, I am sure you can't stop thinking." Opens his mouth again!
You want to play huh?
"Now that you have said it, I guess you will be fine if I put my head on your shoulder." I return the tease. "I can smell you better this way."
He is a bit surprised at my words.
"Yah! You could have directly done that! Why tease?"
I shrug. "Just, playing along."
We start laughing.
"So aren't you really going to do that?" He asks after some time.
"Do what?"
He points to me and then to his shoulder.
Damn...I was joking.
It will be weird...but nice as well, right?
I move closer and rest my head on his shoulder.
A strange tingling sensation runs through me. I can feel him tense at my touch.
I haven't ever done this sort of skinship. I guess I will ease up with time. And so will he.
"Jiwoo..." He calls a few minutes later.
"Hmm?"
"What will you call me?"
"Huh?"
"My friends call me Tae, students call me V, what will you call me? I won't like you still saying Professor V, at least when we are not in class."
I sit up straight, looking at him. Is he expecting me to give him a nickname or something?
If that is the case, let's think properly.
After a moment, I say "Taehyung. I will call you Taehyung."
He also sits up straight at this looking amused and confused at the same time. "Of all the wide array of nicknames possible, you choose to call me by my real name?"
"Yes," I say, feeling confident in my voice. "Taehyung...that is your identity. That is what your parents wanted you to be called. I know, nicknames are a way of showing your affection, but I would like to put all my affection in your name."
He shakes his head and smiles at me again. "I was right in assuming you to be different. This is why I love you."
Sir...Um...Taehyung, please stop saying that. I'll start blushing now.
"May ask you something?" He says.
"Yeah..."
"Since when? When did know that you love me?"
I point to the teardrop pendant bracelet on his hand. "Since the day, I decided to make that."
He raises his hand to my head and gently drags it back to his shoulder.
Closing my eyes as I rest my head, I ask "And you?"
I can hear the smile in his voice. "Almost three years ago."
"Three years ago? But we never met then?"
"All the other professors have only heard about it. I was the only one, fortunate enough to witness it."
"What?"
"The bravery of a girl. That day, a smart girl had dragged a boy all the way from his class to the front gate of the building. The whole scene was justified. I support the girl. She did the right thing. And that was the precise moment..."
He is smiling to himself as he recounts the worst fight of my life. I know it's not his fault.
"So you are in love with me after witnessing the worst mistake of my life?"
"What do you mean?" He is startled at my sudden change of voice from happy to well, tonelessness.
Maybe, I should let it out. Maybe, I should tell him.
Maybe, there won't be a second time that I don't cry here.
"My mother was a beautiful lady. But the disease took it almost away from her. We used to visit her at the hospital. At times, she used to move her fingers to her hair. But then realize, they aren't there. We used to laugh at it. She used to laugh along with us. It was a month before my 14th birthday, blood cancer finally engulfed her, relieving her of her pain."
We lost her. My brother took immense care of me while he himself was devasted. I was always a short-tempered girl. After my mother's demise, I became a bit violent. I used to get into a lot of fights at school. My brother used to calm me down, reason with me. Over time, my outbursts decreased. But I still got into fights occasionally.
I entered college. A complete semester passed in peace. And then, one day, my friend cried her eyes out because some boy molested her. I could not control my anger and did what I could. Everyone around agreed that I did the right thing. But it cost me fatally.
Three days after that incident, I received a call from my brother asking me to return home at once. His voice was quivering over the call. If he had called me back, something was seriously wrong. I went back to Hanam. My brother took me directly to a hospital.
Dad's body lay lifeless on one of the beds. He died on Friday. My brother told me, he was shot in an encounter. The doctor was our family friend. He had refused to let my brother into the room unless I showed up.
We went in. No matter what I do, I can't drive out that image from my head. When the doctor lowered the sheets from my father's body, we saw it.
Written across his chest in permanent marker was a message.
Don't know about me, but you surely paid more than you could afford, Miss All So Brave.
In an instant, I knew who it was.
I knew what I had done.
My legs gave up and I slumped down crying bitterly.
I don't remember when and how I came back home. We held his funeral.
And that was the last time my brother had talked to me.
They got to know what happened at the college. The doctor had found a note in my dad's pocket and handed it to my brother.
A detailed description of the incident, of which we were bearing consequences.
My brother did not listen to me. Hyun-Ah, his wife, heard my side. She also felt that I was right. She tried to reason with my brother.
They fought.
I ran out of the house. I did not want them to fight because of me. I just packed up the next day and came back.
I don't go home during the holidays.
I can't face my brother who accuses me of the reason for us being orphaned.
I can't face the guilt that my temper led to my father's death.
I came back to the college and that Friday night went to the tank building for the first time after we found Eunmi there.
It was pretty high. How easy it would be for my brother if I just jump down and put an end to his anguish.
I was walking towards the ledge not conscious of the step that I was taking.
My phone rang. It was Sungho.
He yelled at me as soon as I picked up. He could see me from his hostel top and called when he realized what I was about to do.
He made me promise I won't do anything stupid ever again.
***
I realise that I had been speaking for a long time and that the tears had already wet my face and Taehyung's shoulders. He had been listening silently all this time.
"I think he is watching me from there." I point towards the sky. "My dad. So I come here to see him. So I like looking at the stars."
"You knew Lee did that. What happened then? Between you and him?" He asks.
"If I tell you, will you get scared and leave me?" I look into his eyes to find conviction in them.
"No, I won't." He replies.
"I told Sungho everything. All 7 of them gathered. They...they beat him to the point of unconsciousness. Lee never returned to college because he is in a coma."
Taehyung looks shocked. "But then that would have increased your problem all the more."
"No, there was another group of boys who gladly took the responsibility for the incident. They publicly announced it. So our name got cleared."
He is still shocked.
I move away from him. He will not love me anymore, I guess.
What a beautiful one-day love story!
Taehyung's POV
I never thought this small fragile body was holding and going through so much pain.
I realize suddenly that she has removed her head and is inching away.
Oh! She thinks I will hate her. No.
I am aghast. All this happened and none of the faculty know anything about anything.
Her brother hasn't talked to her because of one brave step she took. One right thing she did.
Seems like, the world is unfair to all good people.
She has moved a hand's distance away.
No!
I won't let her go. I turn towards her. She is already looking at me with fear and tears in her eyes.
I sort of leap forward and hug her.
Her hand isn't firmly placed. We lose balance, topple down and I land on top of her.
If the position that we are in is weird, LET IT BE. I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT IT!
I sit up and pull her into my chest.
She is a bit surprised by my actions but hugs me back. She is crying, tears streaming down her beautiful face faster than before.
"Shhh... it's okay...everything will be fine...I am here... it's fine."
I try to calm her down, whispering those words in her ears and rubbing her back.
"Y-you don't l-love me a-anymore, r-right?" She says.
"Why won't I? I still love you. No. I love you even more, now that I know how strong and brave you are."
We stay like that for a long time, sitting there, hugging each other.
I see, she has her head in the crook of my neck. She has fallen asleep.
I don't want to wake her up. But I can't leave her here either. I take her phone out of her pocket and text Sungho to tell others that she is fine and might not return to the dorm and they need not worry.
Because I am with her.
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A/n: Hey guys! Pretty long chapter. Longest I have written till now. I just hope you like it. If you do, please let me know. Thank you for reading.
Love you all!