[NOTICE: This is the book 2 of Slowmotion. I advise to read that book first before reading this. So you can understand the whole story and avoid any spoilers.]
Love or career?
What would you choose?
--------------
This is a back story before Treasur...
I immediately went to our dorm after the monthly evaluation ended because the security said that Lou ran outside. She doesn't have anywhere to go so I figured that she's going there. I opened the door and called her repeatedly. I went to our room and saw her packing her clothes like a mad man.
"Jimin, what are you doing?" I asked but she didn't respond or stop.
"Jimin, stop!" I said out of frustration as I tried to stop her from packing her things but she's too strong for me to stop.
"LOUISE!" I shouted while I'm holding her wrists.
She stopped moving and slowly lost her strength. I released her and she used her hands to stop herself from falling. She didn't say or do anything until she started crying.
"Jimin, what happened?" I asked as I began to feel in the urge of crying too.
"Yedam left me." She answered silently but enough for me to hear.
"What?" I asked out shocked.
"Yedam!.... left me, Minji." She yelled as she faced me while crying.
"W-Why?" I asked.
"For his career." She answered.
I was taken aback because I've been thinking about this since Lou mentioned it, that Yedam might leave her because of his career. I didn't say anything and let her cry.
"I don't know if did or said something wrong. What am I lacking?" She ranted while crying.
"He said he won't leave me and I will be with him until he becomes successful. He said he will propose to me someday with the most romantic proposal and every woman will be jealous of me." She added.
"He lied. He played me. I hate him for all of that." She said. " I thought he loves me. I thought... He's the one."
"Then don't leave. Show him that you can go on without him." I said, trying to encourage her.
"I can't... I can't go on without him." She replied as she looked at me. "That is why... I'm leaving." As she continued packing again.
"I don't understand." I asked out of confusion.
"I can't go on without him and seeing him around is not going to help me. I have to get away from him to be strong." She explained while moving hastily.
She closed her suitcase even though she was not finished packing everything.
"Where are you going? You don't know anyone here." I said as she stood up.
"I flew here alone without knowing Korean and anyone in here. I can do it again. I'll go anywhere... anywhere that is far from Yedam." She responded and started walking but I held her wrist.
"What about me?" I asked hastily and she stopped moving. "Can you stay for me?" I plead as I started crying.
She looked at me for a couple of seconds as her face softened.
"I'm sorry, Minji. I have to think of myself first starting from now on. We'll meet again, someday." She apologized. "And good luck with Jihoon." She added before she left.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
~~~~~ Lou left a week ago and hasn't gotten in touch with anyone since. I became increasingly lonely because I no longer have my best friend. I lost two of my closest friends, it hurts but like they've said, it's part of growing up. It does not help at all that I am now alone in my room. Although Lou is no longer there, I still get out of bed in the morning and climb up to her bed to wake her up.
I had my AirPods on when I got to the company, but then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turn to see who it is, and it's an elderly woman who appears to be in her 40s.
"Yes, Ma'am?" I asked as I removed my AirPods.
"You're Yang Minji, right?" She asked and I answered her then asked her if she needed anything.
"You must've forgotten about me since it's been almost 2 years since the last time you saw me." She said which made me more confused. "I'm Jihoon's Mom." She introduced.
"Ah, Ma'am. How are you? I'm sorry I didn't recognize you." I apologized and bowed down.
I suddenly realised how long it has been since Jihoon accidentally smashed the door on my head. Funny, it felt like as if it was just a month ago.
"It's okay it's okay." She said while smiling warmly.
"Do you need Jihoon? I can call him now." I asked.
"No, I just need to give him something but it's a surprise. Follow me." She said and I followed her to the couch in the lobby.
We both sat between a small box that was nicely wrapped.
"Give this to him. I made it for him." She said as she handed me the box.
"If you don't mind me asking, Ma'am. What is it?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Ah, It's a knitted scarf and vest." She answered.
"You see, when he left YG, the world turned against him, even me. He struggled to find jobs and always being discriminated against by our neighbours and the people he worked with because he didn't finish high school. I know that he felt embarrassed and hurt because, at his age, he doesn't have any plan for his future." She started telling me the story.
My eyes started glistening as I learned what Jihoon has been through this last year.
"But I didn't comfort him instead, I treat him harshly because I hate myself for not supporting him before to be an Idol, maybe that's why he never tells me his problems because of the barrier that I've created. He probably thinks that he's alone in his fight."
A tear escaped from my eye and I quickly wiped it.
"That's why I promised myself and Jihoon that I will support him 100% this time. I told him that I'm so proud of him." She said as she caressed the box in my hands. "I'm sorry if I bothered you too much. You must be busy."
I bowed to her before slowly walking away but then I got curious about something.
"Ma'am, how did you know that I train here now? And why did you asked me to give this to Jihoon when you probably know his teammates?" I asked and turned around to face her.
"Oh, he mentioned you a lot before whenever he went home drunk. He keeps calling your name and told me that he's really happy that you chose to train with him." She answered. "It seems my son really like you." She said and I smiled as I held my tears because Jihoon still thinking about me when he's already suffering.
I went to the restroom and released the tears that I've been holding. Love or career?
After I met Jihoon's mother and learned what he had been through, I don't want him to face the same thing again. I realized that I'm the one who caused him that. I hurt him and broke his trust in me. If I had been just honest with him, the story would be probably different.
I'm sorry, Jihoon.
Suddenly, my phone rang and it was Soobin. I don't know if I should answer it in the middle of my break down because I don't want him to think about me in the middle of his schedule. I quickly wiped my tears and fixed my throat before answering it.
"Soobin! What's up?" I answered enthusiastically.
"Minji! I have good news for you. Don't be shock okay?" He said and I said okay.
"You won the competition. You won the scholarship to study fashion in Paris!" He announced enthusiastically.
I didn't react the same way he did. I started crying again as I held my sobbing.
"Yah, aren't you happy? Your hard work finally paid off." He asked.
"Are you crying? Why? Because you can't take the scholarship?"
"No." I answered and fixed my throat. "Is it hard to learn Paris' language?" I asked and chuckled.
