Love In The Ice

#19: Why?

Jaejoong (wearily): *YAWN*

Jaejoong woke up and without even opening his eyes, he turned over on the bed and leaned forward, wanting to plant a kiss on Jaein's lips, like he always did when they were in Singapore to wake her up. But he realised that Jaein was not in bed like usual. He opened his eyes and searched the hotel room. She was no where to be found.

Jaejoong: Jaeinnie... eodiseo? (where are you?)

There was no response. He got up and went towards the toilet. The only place where she could be. It was empty. He looked for his handphone and dialled her number. There was no response too.

He started getting dressed while continuing to call her. Then he noticed something on the dresser. He went over and held it up.

There was "To: Jaejoong" written on it. He opened it up, written in Jaein's handwriting was the text below...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Jaejoong,

It was a pleasure to finally meet your parents. And they were indeed wonderful parents... For someone as perfect as you.

I value kinship more than anything in the world. So I don't wish to be the source of any discord in your family. I hope that you'd listen to your parents and respect their wishes. They are after all your parents, and you owe them your very existence.

Just let me be a part of the distant past for you, and go forth and look for someone better, and more suitable for you.

Wishing you the best in your future endeavours.

Love,

Jaein

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

6 years later...

A group of kindergarten kids were playing in the nearby playground while waiting for their parents to fetch them home, and some parents were bringing their kids home.

Jaejoong had already graduated and started working as CEO in his parents' company for the past year. Their company was expanding their businesses to Japan and Jaejoong was sent there to negotiate the business plans. He had just finished another long and tiring meeting and decided to take a slow stroll in the nearby park before going for dinner and retiring for the day.

Jaejoong was sitting on a bench and staring at his handphone at the only photo he took together with Jaein in Singapore. He had always wanted to take photos with Jaein when they were together to record the moments they shared together, but she was always reluctant to do so. As secretly deep down, she always felt that she looked too plain beside him, and it made the photos look bad. This photo was the only one he managed as she just woke up when he snapped it in bed with her in his arms. He was planting a kiss on her cheeks, when she awoke smiling at him. His eyes slightly melancholic, as his finger rubbed across Jaein's smiling face gently.

He had never forgotten her. How could he forget his first love so easily? He had opened his heart out to her and her alone. No one else could replace her or refill the emptiness she left in his heart. And no matter what his parents did to try to matchmake him with other girls of equal standing with him. He took no interest in them. He could not even make himself like them. At all. They were too spoilt and plastic, or too clingy and bimbo-tic. They were nowhere close to what Jaein was like.

Jaejoong: Mianeyo... I didn't listen to you... I'm still...

A ball rolled over to Jaejoong's feet and he picked it up. A small boy ran over to him shortly after.