Coming Back Home

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

That week, Yejin was bracing herself for her next round of treatment. Her 3rd to be exact. Having gone through it before didn't make it any easier. In fact, she was dreading it. And so, she found herself grabbing her sneakers and letting her feet take over her head.

For the past year, she has discovered that taking a walk helped slow her thoughts. Feeling her feet move over hard concrete and then grass and then tracking how it moves across space...Eventually walking became running and she discovered this (sort-of) glee that would inhabit her mood and she would then give in to the urge to walk faster and then run and run and run.

For the past days, she admits that aside from the dread that came with the upcoming chemo, her thoughts ran back to the conversation she had with Bin as they drove home from his mom's place.

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RECENT PAST: FEW DAYS AGO

"That turned out quite well for you, Bin.." Yejin broke the silence as they were driving home from their Eomma's place.

"Ha!!! You don't get to gloat Jinnie. From what I remember, we both got served .." Bin replied.

They looked at each other, and broke into laughter, which went on for quite some time, trailing off then restarting again. The kind of laugh that they haven't allowed themselves to have for a very long time.

"Oh gosh Bin, I can't believe we're in our 30s and still being scolded by your mother."

"At this age, we're still messing it up, I guess." His laughter quiets down and he softly added while looking at her, "I messed it up, especially with you."

Yejin holds his gaze and reminds him to look on the road.

"No, maybe Eomma was right. We may have both messed up." She says.

"Still.... I disappointed you. I'm disappointed with myself."

"Now is not the right time to talk about us, Bin. You just broke up with your girlfriend and I'm in the middle of a life and death situation." Yejin said jokingly.

"Don't you want to ask what happened?"

Yejin held his gaze and this made him go on...

"I just manned up and admitted it was a mistake. Getting together with her was a mistake."

"I must have missed all the signs Bin. I thought you and Sora looked like you were about to get more serious."

"Did it seem so? I've always had doubts before but I treated it as just an annoying fly living rent free in my head."

Silence ensued as Yejin tried to absorb what Bin just said.

"And if you don't mind me asking, how about you and Gil? Were you so sure about him?"

Yejin pondered more, now somehow forced to face her own questions. " I did like him. He made me laugh and I liked the attention. I didn't quite think about having a future with him, now that you ask me about it. Maybe because he came after our divorce and of course, at that point, I didn't want to entertain the thought of being someone's wife again...." She carefully looked at Bin, who winced at her statement. Yejin then added, "No offense meant Binnie".

"None taken. I deserved that." He chuckled. Bin took a deep breath, as if bracing himself, and continued. "There is another reason why I broke up with Sora."

As Bin was driving up the garage, he held off until he expertly parked the car just before they were about to enter the garage. He turned off the engine, faced Yejin and said, "I broke up with Sora because I want to make sure that from now on, there will not be a single thing that will keep me from being with you. And no, I know how that brain of yours works. It is not just because you are sick right now. I want you to have no doubt in your mind that you have me. There is nowhere else I want to be than beside you."