Healing Sunshine

Chapter 14.1 - A Song of Brief Parting

He absolutely could not let himself draw closer again.

Jungkook felt that his whole mood and his entire state were terrible, utterly terrible.

All of his plans had been wholly overturned. That type of agitated feeling that arose from uncertainty had driven him somewhat mad. In the most terrible of states, he had done something he had not even thought about doing. He had long since already thought through all the plans. After she finished registering for the exam, he would walk around with her on that campus. He did not have any doubts at all regarding Lalisa's abilities to get into that university. In fact, after she mentioned that she wanted to register for the foreign small languages program, he had even already begun to get in contact with his friend who was a professor there. He had acted according to his own habits and planned out her future life for her.

He had been too eager, and using all his connections and abilities, he had thrown his heart and mind into arranging these things for her.

Yet, he dared not tell her that in one week, he would be leaving China.

His destination was Afghanistan.

The American-British coalition had already initiated Operation Snipe in Afghanistan, and the American and Afghan allied troops had begun a hunt in the southeastern mountain areas of Afghanistan. Up to this point, out of the ethnic Chinese media organizations, the only ones who had gone into that area were from Hong Kong. He needed to fight for this, to try to find some opportunities, perhaps give up his current job and join one of the media bodies that could enter there.

But right now, right this moment, right here, he first needed to resolve his own personal relationship issues.

In the spill of the entrance hallway's light, Jungkook, wearing that pair of gold, wire-framed glasses, let his gaze collide with hers. Lalisa's eyes were reddened, and her tears were still tumbling down. She did not dare move as she looked at Jungkook—through those thin glasses lenses, she looked at him.

Those few seconds of contact between them had seemed like a hallucination.

So inconceivable.

Like a taboo that could not be spoken about nor asked about.

He could see that old injury on her wrist. So many matters, big and small, had come one upon the other at that time. He had wanted to make sure everything was handled carefully and properly. But he had overlooked this one thing. That night, in the darkness, he had asked her, "Is the injury on your hand serious?"

Lalisa had answered him, "It doesn't hurt that much." Three months had passed and the scab had already disappeared, but this long scar had been left in its place.

He could watch as artillery shells came hurtling down in front of him and destroyed everything to smitheerens and then, without looking back or any vacillation, rush forward with the camera operator to see the immediate devastation of war. But he did not want to see traces of anything bad left on Lalisa. There was error in this thinking. Every person will inevitably experience injustice. No one will have a completely smooth-sailing life. There are only those same few types of setbacks, and only after you have experienced them can you know how to deal with them. It is merely a matter of sooner or later.

Merely sooner or later.

But reasoning and emotions are always in conflict. This feeling is very subtle and somewhat wearing on a person.

"I'm sorry, Lili." His voice had been repressed within his throat for too long, to the extent that it was slightly hoarse.

Husky, doting, and also tender.