My Only Comfort

Twenty One

"Oh noona." Soohyun was waiting for the lift to his apartment when his sister called.
"You're coming back for mom's birthday right?"
"Mmm, I'm bringing Tae Oh over too." His eyes looked up to the number running down.
"I'm thinking of inviting some of her friends too since its her 60th. What do you think?"
"She would love that." He smiled at the thought.
"Oh, did you invite Jiwon?"
His eyes went to his feet.
"We're not really on talking terms right now. Unless its about Tae Oh." He murmurs before hearing Ji Hyun sighed over the line.
"Right..what was I even thinking when I thought the two of you will finally get over that phase."
Sohhyun relieved a small sigh too as his eyes diverted across the lobby and saw a familiar figure.
Ji Hyun went on to rant about the food and all the other stuff for their mother's birthday party as Soohyun walked over across the lobby, his sister's voice fading in the background.
"Noona, I'll call you back." He hung up on her.

His eyes were not playing tricks. It was raining heavily outside and not to mention the wind but Yea Ji was standing right outside his apartment building. Again in her bright extravagant outfit, anyone could tell it was her. He could tell she was freezing by how she was rubbing her arms.

Their eyes met.

(Flashback)

"Where are you?" Her voice beamed through the line. "I'm still in office. Have you left?" He asked, phone on loudspeaker whilst his eyes remained on his laptop screen, fingers typing away. "Guess where I am?" She sounded cheeky.

"Where?" He responded before a knock came to his office door. "Come in." He instructed and had Yea Ji peeking in with a bright smile. "I'm here!" She cheered.

Soohyun smiled. He stopped everything that he was doing to walk over to her. "Why are you here? I thought we agreed to meet at the restaurant? What if I already left?" He asked concerned, taking hold everything that she was carrying in her hands and leading her into his office.

He placed the paper bags onto the coffee table across his office before turning to look at her. She circled her arms around his neck with a wide smile while he placed his hand on the back of her waist. "I wanted to surprise you. Happy birthday cutie!" She wished him before going in for a kiss.

(/end of flashback)

Soohyun let her in to his apartment. Lend her some of his clothes for her to change before the two sat across each other in the living room. He himself had changed from his work clothes.

"How long were you waiting for me?" He asked sliding over the warm tea he made for her.
"For a while." She answered shortly and muttering a small thank you for the drink.
"What were you going to do if I don't turn up?"
"I'll continue to wait."
Contrary to her usual confident aura, tonight she seem solemn unlike the Yea Ji he knew from the past weeks.
"So you're going to freeze outside until I come out?" He continued to ask.
"I was wrong." She admitted instead of responding to his question. "I acted out of jealousy. I don't usually react if its other women because I know you won't even bat an eye but not her." Yea Ji added.
Soohyun sighed.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?" He asked catching her rather offguard with his question.
"W-what do you mean?" She stuttered.
"Ani, why are we doing this to ourselves?" He shook his head.

Sensing where the conversation was going, Yea Ji began to panic internally.
"You're not breaking up with me. You can't"
"We already did, didn't we?" Soohyun hated to rub it in but he has had enough.
"You said we were going to talk about this when you return. So let's talk. Let's end this. For real." He added.

Tears automatically fall down her cheeks.

"I know we've been really close over the years. You don't have to tell me and I don't even have to remember to know." He said seeing all her traces over his belongings and even home with his own eyes. "I appreciate the time that you were by my side in my lowest point. I also appreciate that you stood by me even now. But I really don't want to you to hurt yourself anymore when I know from within that I could never reciprocate my feelings for you. So, lets just end this thing between us." Soohyun did not hit any bush, he was just direct to the point. He had enough. And on top of everything he knew the only real feelings he had was for Jiwon alone.

Yea Ji's began to laugh as tears continued to run down her cheeks.
"It's her again." She mentioned.
"Are you sure you lost your memories? Because why are you repeating the exact same words you told me months ago?" She spat sharply while her eyes betrayed her. He definitely broke her from within.

"What does that woman have that I don't?! Never once in that four years she came to look for you! You were at the verge of ruining your own life because of that damn woman! And now what? She reappears and you're just going to crawl back to her?!" Yea Ji did not hesitate to let her thoughts out.

"Wait or is it because she has your child?" She scoffed. "I can give you a child too! Just tell me!" She screamed.

"Yea Ji, stop."

"No I'm not done yet!" She stood up, eyes full of resentment. "I took care of you. You continued to live because I was there. Why -

"You knew for a fact it has always been her." He cuts her in. She literally felt like he jabbed her straight to her heart.

"I'm sorry." He apologised. "I can't afford to pretend that I'm okay with us when I'm not." He shook his head.

More tears run down Yea Ji's eyes.

"Did those 3 years mean nothing to you at all?" Her voice broke. "Ani, let me at least just be here until your memories come back. I'm sure it will and when it does, you'll realise your feelings for me."

Soohyun shook her head. "You know well thats not it."

The brutal truth broke Yea Ji bad.