Midnight Tales | ✔

24

Jaehyun

"Min Seok got here and stayed here for days. As a person who spent a very long time alone, I was very happy to finally meet someone new. Min Seok was a funny one, he would always make me laugh. He was a kind person but above all, he was one curious man"

She pushed herself up to sit and folded her knees before her. "He was curious of this place, of that house, of me. So he stayed here for days to know more about this reality. Unfortunately, the longer he stayed, the bigger my feelings grew for him. I fell in love with Min Seok" she smiled then turned to the lake before us. "Sadly, I was the only one who fell in love"

I frown at her in confusion. It was obvious that my grandfather sent me her because he cares a lot about her. He's in love with her that he didn't love another, even the person he was married to.

"But I thought—"

"That he's in love with me? No" Soyoung scoffed. "He only saw me as someone important to him like a sister. He never fell in love with me because he's already in love with Kang Eun Oh"

Mr. Kang?!

Your grandfather and I are very close. Such youthful days, it's just sad now that I won't be able to see him again.

That was how he got here in Gangwon-do. Not because he's visiting a friend, but because he's visiting his lover. That's why he couldn't stay here because he needs to go back where his lover is.

"I told him about my feelings, but he denied me and I understood because Kang Eun Oh has been with him from the start. He was the sole reason why Min Seok got here in the first place. So I understood and accepted it" She said and hugged her knees, laying her head on them. "But Min Seok was still important to me, and I don't want to be alone in this place anymore so I still asked for him to come, even though he couldn't repay my feelings, I'm contented to just see him every day. And he did, he still came back, still treated me the same and I was really happy. Then suddenly, after his second visit, he never came back again"

Because he had to marry my grandmother, a person who he doesn't even love. Because a relationship like theirs—of Mr. Kang and my grandfather—was still not accepted and was judged by the society during that time. But unlike Jung Min Seok, Mr. Kang did not marry.

You can never despise a person who only wants to love Jaehyun

I was mistaken all along. He did not cheat nor forced things for his own good. My grandfather never had a choice and Soyoung... none of it was her fault. She did nothing wrong but love a man who couldn't love her back. 

"I actually lied"

Soyoung turned to me. I looked away, afraid to meet her eyes. "My grandfather was never happy with my grandma, he never even loved her. I lied because I thought you were the reason behind it. I just found out you've done nothing wrong. I'm sorry"

Silence settled over us.

Sighing, Soyoung stood up and dusted off her dress as she looked toward the lake. Eyes squinting. "Do you swim Jaehyun?"

"Huh?"

She turned to me and smiled. "I asked if you swim"

"Uh yes—"

I wasn't able to finish what I was saying as Soyoung suddenly pulled me up and pushed me to the lake with her.