Runaways

Chapter 24

Yoenjun's POV

Talking to my sister broke my heart. I have tried to be okay with this whole situation but now that I have spoken to her, I wanna go home so bad, kneel before my parents and apologize and the only thing that has kept me from running home is the promise.

I made a promise to Mr. P and it's a promise I intend to keep.

But at what price? How far am I really willing to go to keep this promise? To want Liam to be happy just this once, how far am I willing to compromise myself?

Myself...

I think I lost that right to talk just about myself the moment I said, 'I do'. I don't have the right to make choices just for myself now. Not anymore anyways.

I take a deep breath and dial Carl's number. He answers on its fourth ring.

"Did you marry?" That's how he answers the phone.

"Yes," I whisper. I hear him take a deep sigh before he continues.

"I don't know what to say to you child."

"I know." I look away as if he is standing right in front of me.

"Are you okay though, happy?" He questions.

"Yes Carls, I am okay. How is everyone, my parents mostly, how are they?" I ask, trying to not let my voice break.

"Truth or lies?"

The truth." I utter. "How mad is mom and dad?" I ask.

"Honestly, I think they have disowned you kid." He responses.

My heart stops for a second. It does that heartbeat-skip thingie and I just pretend that I am okay.

"Did you tell them anything?" I continue to inquire, trying to ignore the fact that my heart was now beating out of my chest.

"No. I just let them know that you came here and you left at noon. I never implied that you left with a man, but I did say you left with a friend I thought you knew because if they started to dig, they would know that I knew and I had to make it sound plausible." He explains.

"That's okay, you did well. Thank you, Carls. What you did, means everything to me." I sincerely try to express my gratitude.

"When are you going home, child?"

"I don't know," I answer in all sincerity. " I will go home when I think I can face my parents."

"It's not about just facing them June, you are married now, they should know your husband, bond with him, have a relationship with him, a good one at that." He explains.

"How will they do all of that when they didn't even know I would just choose a random guy? I'm not saying I entirely regret my choice to marry, but it wasn't an ideal way to do it." I rationalize.

"But it has happened June, and now you have to take it as is, and make do with what you have. You married a man you don't know much about and quite frankly, that's okay. That's how arranged marriages work anyway, take it as that. Explain what you have to your parents, and I'm not saying they are gonna be happy with the choice that you made, but you have made that choice and now it's time to take on the consequences of your decision. Your decision yesterday came with sacrifices. And the sacrifices now need to be taken, you understand?"

"Yes, I do." Following him.

"Good, now choose, your parents or your husband?" He queries.

"My parents." I counter confidently.

"Wrong answer, your husband. Your job or your husband?" He proceeds.

I stand up trying to rationalize this. J mean, my job was my everything.

"My job?" I retort skeptical.

"No, wrong answer again. Your husband. Yoonie or your husband?" He presses.

Now I felt like this was a trick question. On any given day, I would choose Yoonie, without a doubt. But I feel at this moment, I think I should choose Liam.

"Liam?" I mutter, not sure if I should choose him at all.

"Exactly, your husband. Choose him, every single time. When you are scared, when you are confused, when you are hurting, or whatever, you choose him, in front of people and never question that, you understand?"

"I don't, but okay. Choose my husband," I nod in understanding, "over my family, over work, over everything else. But why again?" I question.

"Because you and he are one. Those are the vows you took in front of the priest. To love and to care for till death do you part. That's how it's supposed to be. So choose him, every time. You get it, kid?" He expands his explanation.

"I do." I smile, silently happy that I had this conversation with him. "Thank you, Carls."

"It's okay kid. Or shall I say, Mrs. Liam?" He chuckles.

"Yes, you are permitted to do so." I grin, finally taking a seat on my bed again. My mood was now better compared to when I started talking to him.

"Good, now do good by your husband and dont give up on having tried everything, you hear me kid?" I nod, forgetting that it's not a video call.

"You remember my motto?" He inquires.

"Live without regret," I respond.

"Exactly kid, do just that. Live without having to regret anything in this life. Make sure you do what you have to, and in doing so, no matter what happens, you will not hold to the past, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," I whisper.

In a way when Carls said that, it was like permission to do whatever I wanted when I wanted. It may have not come from my parents, but it was the kind of advice I needed at the moment to get the courage to do what I needed to do to save both my and my sister's marriage.

It was the right type of motivation, pushing me in the right direction, to do something a little bit crazy to make me happy, even if it's for a second.

****
Mr. Kim's POV (Junie's dad)

"Where are they?" I raise a question.

"Sir, they are at Watergate Hotel in separate rooms next to each other." My P. I informs me.

"What is Junie thinking?" I think out loud, massaging my temples in frustration, thinking out loud.

"Who is the man she is traversing with?" I continue to inquire, pouring myself a drink.

"Liam Nicolai Preobrazhensky. He was set to marry Miss Katya Petrova but ran away saying he was married. He met Miss Junie at Carlos Bar and they pretty much stayed there the whole time. But before 5 p.m, they went to court and they got married." The more I was hearing this, the more my head was hurting.

How could Junie be so stupid?

All of this was for what, so she could prove a point, to who? Why was it important that Yoongi marry Nicolas and her, a total stranger? And why did Carlos not call us when Junie showed up? Although I had spoken to him, was it all that he knew? That this Nicolai kid was a friend as he claimed?

As all these questions continue building up in my head, I felt myself being lightheaded and dizzy. The last thing I remembered was falling, knowing fully well that this was the last time any of my kids caused me this much pain.

*****
Well, I know I was not expected here, especially on a Friday. But hello everybody. Welcome to another chapter of happiness, confusion, and beauty.

Hope this chapter is crazy normal and you love just about everything spoken about her.

I loves you.