About You: Love & Sacrifice

Longs

"Dad picked up Mom to go back to Korea together, he wants to see you." Hyejin tightened her arms around Jihoon's waist, from behind. "Mom wants to know his future son-in-law, Mas."

"Hm." Jihoon nodded, looked at the link of Hyejin's hand on her stomach and slowly stroked. "Have you forgiven me?"

"I can't be mad at you, I'm afraid."

Jihoon turned his back, staring at Hyejin's sweet face that looked up to steal her dark iris attention.

"I just realized that all this time, I never once said the things I should have said." Hyejin grabbed Jihoon's hand to grasp. "Sorry, the word I never said was Sorry Jihoon. True you said if I didn't want for a second your focus to be gone from me, instead I meant to keep you constrained—but my fear, somehow I was always afraid you were leaving me. Sorry Jihoon."

Jihoon looked pityful, his irises becoming dim as he wanted to grab Hyejin's body and wipe her back. However, Jihoon's doubts were already on the verge of giving up on this relationship. While Hyejin herself was not too sure, but Jihoon's gaze alone made her understand that it was just a twinkle of affection and pity. Hyejin did not know, but she could not see the true love from Jihoon's eyes.

"Oh yeah, I also want to stop by Woojin's apartment today." Hyejin pulled her hand and changed the subject when they felt their situation was awkward and covered up. "But if you have an office schedule, I can do it myself."

"No, just an ordinary team meeting, June can cope." Sela Jihoon was quick which made Hyejin smile widely.

"Well, then can we stop by the bakery first?"

"Uh." Nod the guy. "Why bring him what?"

"Maybe a dessert box and a tequila? Woojin likes tarts." Answer Hyejin. "Then I'll be ready."

The woman went to clean up. Jihoon waited on the living room sofa while checking the employee reports from his thin tablet. During researching those few reports, Jihoon's forehead kept frowning feeling something bad about his heart.

...*****...

Woojin picks up Younha's clothes scattered on the kitchen counter floor and puts them on the chair. She wanders into the fridge with a smile, thinking about the one-night activity that was so passionate, how Younha several times wanted to take control of her body and release the most beautiful de*ahan that Woojin had never heard before. Until Woojin wakes up first, he still finds Younha's beautiful face asleep facing him with her arms still holding him.

Dding up! Ddong!

The man glanced at the wall clock that showed at seven in the morning, he had already relayed a message to an employee that he was not authorized to go to the office today. Not expecting to get guests, rarely anyone comes to his unit because he more often meet colleagues outside. With a careless step, the man stepped up and opened the door and then gasped as he directly met Jihoon, he did not even notice Hyejin smiling at him.

"Good morning, sister Woojin." Sapa Hyejin offered a plastic package containing a desert box and tequila. "Well, you look messy—like having fun. Are we interrupting?"

"Yes, very disturbing." Woojin replied jokingly. "What's coming early in the morning Hyejin-na?"

"Me and Mas Jihoon want to meet Mom, yesterday just came to Korea with dad. But we stopped by here on purpose."

Woojin nodded small.

"So, we're not welcome in, brother?" Hyejin peeked into Woojin's unit because the man had only opened it a little.

"Ah, yes. Come inside."

Woojin opened the door wide, letting two of his closest people in. When turning around after closing the door, Woojin realized that Jihoon was silent while continuing to stare at the blue combination white sneakers near Woojin's shoe rack. The man frowned from feeling familiar with the shoes then looked back at Woojin with one eyebrow raised as if asking. However, Woojin pretends not to know, then steps in first to secure Younha's clothes at the kitchen counter.

"Sit down first, I'll get you a drink." Woojin pointed at his living room.

"Ah, brother Woojin is like anyone. Just relax, brother. No need to bother." Hyejin commented, sitting opposite to Jihoon.

"Are you that serious?" Woojin asked as he poured the juice box into the glass. "Until I see Uncle and Aunt."

"Of course, I was very curious about Mas Jihoon. Maybe we'll talk about marriage, too."

"You guys are so lasting."

"Well be the best, brother."

"But, you will marry Jihoon is it possible to take the hearts of Yeonjun and Seojun? However you will be a family, you must be close and love each other not just his father." Woojin.

Hyejin smiled wryly. "Me and the children can be said to be close, Yeonjun even wanted to call me mother. But at the end of the day we couldn't say hello to each other. Younha forbade Mas Jihoon to meet them. So selfish."

Woojin laughs. "You can't say Younha is selfish Hyejin-na. You should be aware of what you've done to him. The thought of what it's like to be him, you'll definitely understand."

Hyejin was silent for a while, but still did not feel guilty. He already hated Younha too much.

"I'm not on anyone's side." Said Woojin who was confronted to Jihoon.

"Jihoon, are you sure you're going to marry Hyejin? Don't let you hurt her later."

"Sister Woojin don't be weird. Mas Jihoon won't hurt me." Hyejin said anxious.

"I'm sure to marry Hyejin, don't worry." Jihoon smiled faintly.

Woojin nodded, his irises looking straight at Jihoon with a small smile but lifted slightly from the corner of his lips.

"Sister Woojin—"

All eyes were turned on the hoarse voice call from the hallway of the room, the reaction the three of them gave was the same, glaring and half-deadly shocked. Especially Jihoon who felt like he was hit by a load of thousands of tons and then splashed with ice water, his heart ached and hurt when he saw Younha.....

Younha is in a state of chaos, Woojin's shirt on her body and hickey's full naked feet littering her mellow.

Jihoon never knew how heartbroken it was before he sat down with Younha's surprised look there. Seeing the physical condition of the woman as if mocking her who can only miss in silence and away—when she shares her longing with other men.

Jihoon's left limb became the first to step off the sofa, approaching Younha who was also like he was glued to the marble floor with feet that were difficult to move.

Their eye links were completely unbroken, until Jihoon grabbed Younha's wrist carefully to grip tightly. They faced each other and stared at each other in silence. Slowly Younha can smell the masculine scent of her ex-husband which re-awakens the memory.

"Why are you here?" Whisper Jihoon with a pitiful smile full of sadness. "Younha, you don't know the way home?"

Younha began to wake up, while trying to pull her wrist from the clutches of the loathsome man.

"You should have told me if you didn't know the way home, Younha-ya." Beik Jihoon glazed over and then continued his whisper. "I'll drive you."

"Let go of me, Lee Jihoon!!" Younha's frown was angry.

"You must have forgotten your way home, right?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Younha managed to pull his wrist as Jihoon let his guard down. "It's bad to see you again!"

When Younha turned around to go back to Woojin's room, her wrists were grabbed until her small body faced off again as before—Jihoon could feel everything, from the iris and skin touching each other. All those dark memories are back.

Given what he had done to Younha, when the time was up without appreciating all the affection that the woman gave, how to pretend to smile and find a reason to meet the second. How to act as if you care to cover up his bad acting. Until where the day of farewell arrived—Younha has not changed. She took care of Jihoon sincerely as usual without anger or resentment.

They sleep in bed but turn their backs on each other. There was no more whining that Jihoon always heard every night because Younha wanted to hug him until morning. There is no more grumbling from Younha's lips as a lullaby. No more small strokes when Younha wakes up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare, then asks for company to wake up until morning. There are no more funny stories about children that can make tired Jihoon disappear instantly.

Jihoon only felt it now, when everything was bland. He just felt all the little happiness Younha had when they got married and the rest was just suffering that filled his inner self.

All those memories forced Jihoon to come to his senses and reflect on what he had done.

"I'm sorry." Tears fell from Jihoon's netra, for the first time. "I'm sorry."

Younha's slowly swooping brows were soft with teary eyes. Seeing how the man was crying, Younha could not bear to hug him. However, a heart that has been too sick turns all those pity into disgust. His eyeballs rolled to the back of Jihoon's body and immediately sat down with the hateful bead from Hyejin there— who stood towards them and stared at the two bitterly.

"I'm sorry you can't turn back time." Younha's lips twitched. "Even if given the chance to turn back time, I would choose never to see you. I won't want—never to be loved by you. I'm so grateful that time machine doesn't really exist."

"Younha-ya—"

Jihoon's hand loosened slowly, but Younha did not try to pull as before.

"I don't need—"

"My longing." Jihoon shook his head slowly, full of sadness. "You who are not beside me give rise to a black hole that is difficult to heal. I miss you, Younha-ya."

"It means nothing!" Younha pulled his hand. "Think what you've done to me and the kids. All the big things you always thought were small and meaningless. If you've realized—you'll understand why you don't deserve at all to miss your old house. Think of it!"

Younha immediately turned around and walked quickly towards Woojin's room. He was a little dizzy because he was hit by Hangover, he only remembered if he was drunk last night but did not forget what he did with Woojin until he could shift Jihoon's position even for a moment.

While Jihoon was still standing with chaotic thoughts. He was too naive, he should have realized that his longing was the most disgusting thing.

Jihoon only realized that now—he really lost her Younha...

...*****...