OUR KIND OF STORY

CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3

You know its love when you've been saying goodbye for how many times but still you're not ready...

Additional Characters

Kim Jin Ae – 25 years old

She's Maren's best friend, beautiful and sophisticated. They run the restaurant together. A really good friend to Maren, she's aware of her friend's pain and understands very well.

Her family background is no joke; let's insert the word "Chaebol" then. But she left her home and lived together with Maren in an apartment they rented together.

MAREN's POV

I woke up as my phone alarmed at 5 AM. I am fully awake and now I am preparing to jog for a little time.

I jogged during weekdays only since we open the restaurant at 9 am, unlike weekends we have to open early at 8 am.

I stretched myself out and do some warm ups before jogging. Jin Ae is unaware, her beauty rest must contain with 8 hours of sleeping.

"bami doemyeon eogimeobsi

chajaoneun i neukkimi

waenji wonmangseureowo

gwaenhi tto jeonhwa georeo bwa

neodo nawa gateun maeumilkka bwa"

I just put my headset on and played "Sentimental by Winner" as I started to jog. That's right I am sentimental, I am always.

There's already people around, some are starting to open their stores and cleaning around. It is cold since it's early in the morning but these people don't mind a thing. They work hard and do their duties well.

I feel good and inspired as I looked around; it makes me want to work hard as well.

Then, I suddenly stop jogging when I feel someone tried to put my jacket's hood in my head. I looked back to check but that person just passed through me and continue to jog.

I smiled right after I guess who that person is.

"Min Jae-yah!" I called for him. That's right I know that person. He's Timothy's cousin and is younger than me. He works part-time at my restaurant because he's bored.

"Ya! Wait for me..." I called him again.

"Noona, you're slow." He said and smiled at me.

This kid is very cheerful and is very kind just like Timothy. It looks like "Kindness" runs to their bloodline.

"Noona, let me hold your hand so we can jog together without you being left behind..." He suggested and was laughing.

"Ani, gwaenchana. I am not slow okay?"

"Arraseoyong!" He smiled at me and his hand doing "V" sign in the top of his forehead.

I patted his head, his smile is like sunshine. I suddenly miss someone, someone who used to smile like this even he's annoyed already.

"Noona, Kaja!" He said and we started to jog again.

We jogged for more than an hour and we sweat a lot. I feel refreshed and hyped up, we seated in a bench to rest ourselves. We talked happily and our eyes looked around like we're observing the people.

At the moment, I was drinking the bottled water he bought for me when I suddenly feel the atmosphere around us become serious. I looked at him and wait for him to speak up.

"Noona, did Aunt talked to you already?" He asked me.

"Talked about what?" He was talking about Timothy's mom.

"Oh, never mind."

"Yah!?"

"I don't think I have the right to tell you because I just also heard about it. Anyway, it's not new... You've heard it many times though..." He looked at me and as his face turned very serious.

"Mwoyah..." My chest begins to ache. Yeah, I think I know it already.

"Let's just hope and pray that Aunt and Samcheon will change their mind again..." He said to me slowly.

I heard him blew a big sigh. It looks like it's stressing him a lot. He's been trying to deal with it too and I understand that feeling very well. It feels so heavy inside. That thought made me very sensitive.

"I will talk to them. I have to go..." I stood up and walked. I just left him like that.

No, please no! I know they're having a hard time; of course they're his parents and he's their only son and child. But not now, I am not ready...

"Jin – Ae, I have to go to the hospital." I said to her when I arrived home and saw her preparing breakfast.

"Eh, already?"

"Yeah, so please take care of the restaurant. I will go there immediately right after."

"Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know..." I entered the bathroom and wash myself.

I can feel the water in my body. I hope it will wash my pain away just like how it washes the dirt away from my body.

The pain I feel inside starts to create some tears in my eyes. That pain is killing me, it feels like a knife stabbing me in slow motion again and again. It makes me hard to breathe like a bird been squeezed by both hands for a long time and not letting it go and breathe. It hurts me like no ending...

How could such thought hurt me like this...? I let myself cry for a long time. I embraced myself like it's the only way to ease the pain.

"Yah? Gwaenchana?" Jin-Ae called me from the outside and even knocked the bathroom door.

I didn't make any sound; I embraced myself more and just continue crying silently. It took me few minutes to calm myself.

I don't know what will happen today, I don't know how to convince his parents again. It made me sadder and hopeless. Not now...

"Hey, eat breakfast even just a little..." Jin-Ae said to me.

"Ani, gwaenchana..." I put my shoes on already and leave. I feel like I am out of time so I left home immediately. I didn't even put any make up on.

I feel empty since I heard it from Minjae. It was so sudden; he was just smiling this morning when he approached me.

We really can't guess or tell what's inside from someone's head until they talk about it. I was dumbfounded.

I took my mobile phone out in my pocket to call Minjae.

"Yah? Eodiya?" I asked him when he answered the phone.

"I am already here in the hospital..."

"You're so early; I was just about to ask you to come with me."

"Auntie called the family she said she's going to announce something..."

"What is it?" I asked him as my heart suddenly beat faster and heavily.

"I don't know, we're just waiting for them... They're still on their way."

"Okay, I am on my way too..." No, no, no please. My head's been saying no since then. I am about to cry again, I am just holding myself not to.

How I wish the taxi will fly to the hospital, I want to get there as soon as possible but the traffic's been annoying. We're stuck for more than 10 minutes already.

Why does it take so long? It feels like forever. I am being impatient. I don't want to miss a thing in the hospital. My head is filled with thoughts of negativity; I will stop them...

I am not ready for goodbyes...

My knee's weakened as I saw the door of Timmy's room. The hallway is very quiet, I am the only one standing there and no one is around.

My sweat is all over my face and is very cold. My hand is shaking as I reach the door knob to open the door. I can't hear anything from inside.

"Maren, wasseo?" I heard a voice from behind. It's Timothy's mom with his father in the other side. They just arrived also.

"Are you okay?" His father asked me.

I didn't say a thing; I just let my tears flow. I started to cry when I saw them. My feeling's overflowing. I can't utter any words, I become muted.

"I am sorry dear..." Her mom hugged me tightly as she understands my grief.

"It looked like you knew already..." His father started to talk about it.

"You see, it's not an easy decision... We're having a hard time too just like you."

"I understand fully but..." I can't continue what I'm about to say, I can't find any right words to speak. It hurts me more when I try to open my mouth, I ended up crying.

"Let's get inside okay...? Calm yourself."

They lead me inside the room and right there I saw Timothy's relatives. I guess they're there to hear Aunt's words too. They looked so down just like me, it made me feel so weak even more.

"Noona, are you okay?" Minjae asked and come to me immediately as he saw me.

He held my shoulders and stand beside me. He supported me and let me lean to his body. He knows I am weak.

The room is filled with silence and it feels so cold, I can only feel Minjae's warm in my back. Everyone is waiting for Timothy's parents to speak.

I lift my head up to look for his parents but my hearts squeezed to see them both crying already in silent. They're trying to be strong but I guess they can't hold it anymore.

One year and seven months, we didn't see any improvement in Timothy's situation. He's right there lying in that bed, sleeping soundly every day. I begin to question myself of what we're expecting from him.

"Can't we wait for him even in just a little time?" I speak to them bravely.

I am holding my tears again to make them see how serious I am. I know that they made up their minds already but just maybe...

"For sure Timothy's fighting his situation also... can't we wait for him?" I only said what's inside my head.

His parents looked away from me, unable to answer me. They can't look to my eyes, they just zipped their mouth. I knew it already, a "no" is a "no" and we have to say goodbye to Timothy already.

"So when is the day?" I asked them straightly.

"Tomorrow..." His father looked at me and answered.

I can't hold my tears anymore and turn around. I break down and cry. I don't have any strength to argue and stand to what I wanted to tell them to make them stop and change their minds.

I'm crying crazily inside while my biting my lower lip in order not to make any sound. Their words caused a stinging pain to my chest.

Everyone in the room is crying in silent too. They're trying to accept the sad news that we just heard. So this time is different, it hurts a lot.

Minjae comforted me and patted my back slowly, again and again to calm me from crying. I can hear his heavy breathing; he's holding the pain too and I know everyone in the room too.

We spent a lot of time just to calm ourselves. The pain didn't go away and I still can't accept it. I can't still believe that it is happening and is coming very soon.

"Are you sure you're going back to restaurant now?" Minjae asked me while we're walking out from the hospital.

"Yes, maybe..." I am not sure with myself.

"Ani. You're not..." He said as he looked at me. He grabbed my hand and we walked together.

"Where are we going?" I asked him shortly.

"Let's go somewhere where our foot takes us..." He answered simply. He's still holding my hand while we're walking around.

I feel numb and speechless so I just let him be. My eyes were already swollen from crying, my chest is still hurting.

We seated in a bench for a moment as we feel a little exhausted from walking. I didn't notice how many minutes we walked together.

"Noona, drink this..." He offered the bottled water the bought.

I accept it and drink immediately. I feel so thirsty suddenly. I can feel Minjae staring at me for a long time.

"Ah wae?" I asked him.

"Geunyang... "He answered me and did not talk again.

"Jin-Ae's mad right now. What do you think?" I suddenly asked him again.

"I don't think so. Jin-Ae noona understands you very well..."

"Ah Geurae? That's sweet."

"Nado, I mean I understand you too... very well." He said to me seriously.

"Arraseo, I know you do. Gomawo, ok?"

"When you get home, don't listen to songs that will make you sad." He suggested.

"Mwoya!? What are saying?"

"Geunyang. I have the feeling that you will definitely listen to them..." He mumbled and turned his back from me.

"I don't understand what you're saying..."

"Are you not hungry?"

I want to say that I am not but my tummy spoke to him first. Looks like my tummy have its own will. I didn't say a thing and just keep my mouth shut.

"Let's go?" He offered his hand to me.

"Where are we going this time?"

"It's just right there." He points his finger to the other side of the street. It is a small restaurant but it looked cozy and nice.

"Noona, you're not going to survive this day if your tummy is empty..." He insisted.

He's right. Today, after we have known their decisions, we are trying so hard to brighten up our mood. But it looks like it won't change a thing since it's really depressing.

We can't change the fact that they made a decision already. Tomorrow's going to be more depressing since it's the day we will say goodbye to him.

"Yah, Minjae-yah... Why are they being so impatient?" I said to him while crying. I am drunk already. I drink only few glasses of soju but it already taken me over.

"Yah, Minjae-yah... It hurts me so much. Eotteokke? Jeongmal appa! Eottrokke? Huh?" I kept on asking him many questions while crying.

"Yah Minjae-yah, are you ready for tomorrow? Honestly, I am not. It's making me crazy." He's in front of me and is just looking at me.

"Yah Minjae-yah, it's killing me... jeongmal." I just keep on crying.

I want to stop the time and not make it work again. The pain that I've been feeling feels like no ending.

"Yah Noona... No matter what happen I will always be next to you." He pats my head while I'm crying.

"Be strong, you're not alone." He said.

"Is she drunk already?" Jin-Ae just came and joined us. Minjae contacted her for sure.

"Maybe..." he just answered her shortly.

"So tell me, what happened?" She asked him again and sat beside me.

I lean myself above the table, I feel tired and I closed my eyes. I wonder what our tomorrow will be like...

MinJae's POV

"She's knocked out already..." I told Jin-Ae noona when I saw Maren closed her eyes.

"Oh my goodness..."

"Should we go home already?" I asked her after her reaction.

"Yah! I just came and you asked to go home already...?"

"Well, I don't want to but look at Maren noona... Can we just really continue with her being like that?" I asked her again.

Jin-Ae noona hesitated at first but agree with me in the end. I can't stand myself seeing Maren noona being like this. She looked so wasted and in pain.

Somehow I felt relieved when Maren noona cried and come to me. At least she let her feelings out especially during the time of despair.

"Yah hyung... Your time is coming. Are you not going to make any miracle?" I asked him while he's lying in bed. I went back to hospital right after I send the two ladies to their home. Hyung's parents were just here but I told him to get some rest and let me take care of hyung tonight.

"Are you really going to leave us already?" I asked again. "I mean you see, Maren noona is hurting a lot and now she feels like dying."

I sat in the chair beside his bed. I am not drunk, I drink a little but I am fully aware of what I am saying. And I know I will not get any response from him, it's just that it annoys me a lot seeing everyone so down and in pain because of him.

His father used to smile so sweetly to everyone and his mother laugh so loud before. Everyone likes them very much because they're nice and kind. But now, all we could see is the pain that is being drawn to their faces. They never smile since Hyung become like this; they are just quiet and reserved.

Maren noona too, her smiles become fake too often. Sometimes, I can't figure out which is real and not. Everyone around us were affected by this situation.

"Should I start taking care of Maren noona then?" I said it without thinking. I am surprised too.

"Don't worry hyung, it's not like that." Somehow it made me confused.

I like her but not that kind of like. I am amazed by her personality and attitude. She looks quiet and fragile but she's the opposite. She can do many things not just for herself but also for the others.

Hyung said that she's really very difficult to deal with. Especially how they first met and all, he said he was caught off guard by her.

I just remembered when hyung was just new here in Korea, he talked a lot about her. We become so curious about her then because of that. He really likes her a lot.

"That's why hyung..." I talked to him again.

"Please don't give up or else she will be taken away by someone..."

I am still hoping a miracle for tomorrow. It hurt us so badly, this situation is no joke. I am thinking what will happen to his parents after tomorrow, will they be able to survive the sadness and the pain?

And Maren noona too? What will happen to her? Though Jin-Ae noona is with her doesn't mean she's gonna be fine...

She's all alone now..

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