Ji pyeong's POV
"Ah, who is that?" I sigh as water runs down my head from the shower. The doorbell rings. I wipe the residual soap out of my eye as the doorbell continues to ring.
"Jeez I can't shower in peace." I sigh as I wrap a towel loosely around my lower body.
"Coming. Coming." I say as I make my way to the door.
"Dal mi?!" I exclaim in shock as I see her standing at the door. I'm suddenly aware of how naked I am, standing before her.
Dal mi gasps and covers her eyes as the worst possible thing happens.
I exclaim loudly in horror as the loosely wrapped towel falls to the floor.
~
"You can open your eyes now." I say as I inch out to the living room, where Dal mi is. I made sure I was fully clothed this time.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were in the shower." Dal mi says shyly and I laugh softly.
"I thought you'd be celebrating with your team tonight?" I ask. Dal mi doesn't say a word. She reaches out and touches my forehead.
"That's weird..." She says.
"Why?" I ask.
"Dong cheon said you were on sick leave. But you don't look sick to me..." Dal mi says, puzzled.
"Ah, this Dong cheon...I'm going to kill him." I mutter under my breathe
"Ji pyeong," Dal mi asks me. "Are you feeling alright? Why weren't you at Demo Day today?" Her eyes search me.
I feel a heaviness weigh over my chest like a grey cloud.
"Dal mi ah," I start.
"Hmm?""Am I too harsh? Am I too critical when I give feedback?" I ask slowly. Dal mi pauses for a while and thinks.
"You asked me last time whether I wanted to hear facts or a future with hopes and dreams." Dal mi say. "I'd choose facts anytime."
"Why do you suddenly ask?" Dal mi says and moves closer to me.
I put my hands to my face, covering my face. There's a plethora of emotions that I can't understand... regret... denial... shame...
"Ji pyeong ah," Dal mi's tone softens when she realises that something is wrong. "What's wrong?" She asks, slowly drawing my hands away from my face.
Dal mi's POV
As I peel Ji Pyeong's hands away from his face, my heart shatters into a million pieces as I see his eyes puffy and red. He looks down with watery eyes.
"What's wrong, Ji Pyeong ah?" I ask more desperately now as I pull him closer to me.
"Dal mi..." His voice shakes. "I... I... killed someone." He says words that I can't believe.
"What? What do you mean?" I ask, horrified.
Ji pyeong breathes heavily.
"Someone killed himself... He committed suicide... because..." Ji pyeong can barely force out the words. "... because I told him his company would never succeed." Ji pyeong's voice cracks.
Ji pyeong's cheek rests against my shoulder and I hold him tightly as he shakes in my arms.
"It's not your fault." I say, feeling my own voice turn hoarse.
Each crack and cry in his voice is like a needle pricking my skin.
"It's not your fault." I comfort him. "You were just doing your job. You were just doing what they asked for. They asked you for your advice, they asked you for your opinion." I whisper.
I've always seen Ji pyeong as someone very calm and put together. He's like a rock, nothing could hit him, hurt him. But tonight, as I held him in my arms, I saw a new side of him. The part of him that can get hurt and injured. I try desperately to stand in between this soft side of him and all the harsh accusations that come hurtling at him like spears.
The grey clouds start to clear and a heavy sense of fatigue hovers over Ji pyeong. I watch him fall into a restless sleep on the couch. There's a hint of a frown in his forehead even as he sleeps tonight.
I sit on the floor, by the side the couch, stroking his hair and waking up every time he makes the slightest sound.
Eventually, his chest rises and falls at a steady state, telling me that he sleeps more peacefully.
I cover him with a blanket.
Lying on the floor, I look up at him.
I watch him sleep that night until weariness pulls me into unconsciousness.
YOU ARE READING
In Another Life: Han Ji Pyeong's Happy Ending (Start Up)
FanficSeo Dal mi appears to have found Nam Do san - the boy who wrote her those letters for all those years. But Dal mi can't help but feel the stark lack of chemistry between them. The Nam Do san that stands in front of her lacks the warmth and tendernes...