Depend On Me

The final push

She slowly moved her head towards his.

"No, Ae-ra, you're with Ken. We're not getting back together. Ken is a good man for you, but remember I will not hesitate to turn on you."

"I understand. Don't worry, I will try everything to make it work."

"I see you're still okay with each other.", a voice coming from the hall said.

Ae-ra quickly made her way out of Leo's arms and into Ken's.

"I had a hard time in my head and when I started crying, he just comforted me."

Leo looked down to his feet and kept silent.

"It's okay Leo. If it was just a comforting hug, there's nothing wrong with that."

His voice sounded more threatening than relieving.

"Anyways, I got breakfast. Leo, can you help me plate?"

"Sure, no problem.", he said still uncomfortable.

Ae-ra's sweet voice mixed between the male ones as she mentioned that she was off to the toilet. Both men nodded and continued with what they were doing. When Ae-ra was out of eye, Ken grabbed Leo's arm. "Don't get too comfortable with her. You've had your chance, now it's mine."

"I know and I won't make a move on her again."

He had never seen Ken this kind of anger in his eyes. It scared him. Ken was always unpredictable those very few times he got truly angry.

"Promise me that you will give me my chance."

"I promise Ken. She is yours, but promise me that you watch out. She can change like the weather and what now seems so sweet, can turn bitter any second."

Ken's eyes changed, a blank expression filled up inside them. He pushed Leo against the wall and said, "I know things didn't work out for you, but don't throw your failed relationship onto mine. I'm not you and I will never be you. Things will not go the same for me. I will make this work."

Leo answered wisely, "I'm not saying it will go wrong, I'm just saying that it could. I would have warned you for any woman, not only my failed relationship."

Ken let go of Leo and like clouds move away from the sun, the mist in his eyes left. "I love her, okay? I just want to try my best for her." Ken's voice had made a complete three-sixty from before. The slight rasp and hollow sound was replaced by bittersweet words. It was as if two sides in his body were fighting for power and the Hyde had won for a moment.

"Hey guys, what are you plainly staring at each other for?"

Lost in thoughts, neither of them had noticed Ae-ra coming back.

"Some thinking time is necessary sometimes.", Ken said smiling. Ae-ra frowned, but decided not to ask further.

After a nice breakfast, Leo stood up from his chair and said, "I should probably get back home. Thank you for letting me stay over."

"No problem, that's why we're friends. Get home safe." Ken smiled and walked with him to the door. Leo waved, while crossing the long road near Ken's house.

It was a greyer day than yesterday, one where the sun was hidden behind layer after layer of clouds. Leo's heart felt heavy. Ken wasn't usually like this and it threw him off. Only three times in the last ten years had he gotten aggressive and they were all against people that had hurt him either physically or mentally. The first time Leo remembered was when a group of boys had hit him in the stomach to test him out. Ken had exploded. None of the boys had ever laid a hand on him again. The second time, someone had called N a useless egotist around Ken, which he definitely regrets to this day. The third was when his previous girlfriend had dumped him for her neighbour. A vase and a light didn't survive the aftermath, but now he just lashed out. Maybe he was afraid history would repeat itself, but Ken was known for not being jealous in his relationships. Maybe he was just mentally drained.

Leo simply didn't know the reason.

He breathed in deep and pushed the thoughts out of his brain. He spotted a park in the distance. It was one he visited often, because of its beautiful lake and flowers. Walking between them cleared his mind, almost as if the flowers and lake dragged the worries out of his body. He took a right into the park. The smell of the flowers slowly crept into his nose, making him the slightest bit more optimistic. Suddenly his phone rang. He got it out of his pocket and saw it was Hongbin's sister.

"Hello?"

"Hi... I forgot to call yesterday... I hope you don't mind."

"To be completely honest, I forgot you would call yesterday. Hongbin did tell me, but with the swimming match and everything else, I forgot. I'm sorry for that."

"No problem, I'm actually quite happy you did so. Now I didn't leave you waiting for nothing. But eh... I called to make an appointment for our dinner. I'm off every day this week, so I'll leave it up to you."

"I am free tonight, tomorrow and then I'm busy for three days. I don't mind the day, for my part it's tonight."

"Okay, then it's tonight. I thought we could go to Boutique Blooming."

Leo nearly dropped his phone. "But... that's one of the most high-end restaurants in Seoul. How did you get a reservation there? There are only six tables!"

"I have some connections, but will you come?"

"Of course, I won't miss out on an opportunity like this. Thank you for inviting me."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you tonight. Well, I'll see you there at seven, okay? Wait... do you have a way of getting there?"

"Yeah, I'll just take a cab to the restaurant. I'll get there, see you tonight."

"Yeah, see you there."

Leo hung up and his mouth dropped open. He couldn't believe he was seriously going to eat in such a high-end place. This was a seriously well-known restaurant and reservations could take up to half a year or more if you were unlucky. All of a sudden the fear settled in; Was there a dress code? What if he didn't like the food? He knew his way around wines pretty well, but this was way fancier than what he had ever been to before, what if he chose something stupid? He focussed his eyes on the screen of his phone again and saw the time: twelve-forty. Enough time to find a suit and read up on wines and Italian cuisine, which the restaurant was known for.

He put his legs to work and came home fast. Quickly he made his way towards his wardrobe. The doors opened to a pile of unorganized clothing. "Shit, the rod gave out again.", he sighed as he saw the mess spilling out onto the floor, "Why do I always forget to fix the damn thing?" He crouched down and picked up the wooden rod that had given him a hard time on a fair amount of occasions. He threw it onto his bed and started spitting through his clothes. After a good quarter, there were three stacks instead of one mess.

He stood up holding a handsome black suit. He grinned to himself as he remembered when he last wore it. It was at his graduation prom from Howon University. He had studied for a broadcast major, not knowing he would end up not using that at all. His sport career and the odd music piece gave him enough money to live with, but it also left a lot of instability. One injury, one physical condition could terminate three-quarters of his income in an instant. What he would do in that case he didn't know. It was something he didn't want to think about, but something he should more often.

The suit was a warm memory to his friends, which he regretted not seeing anymore. A melancholic smile appeared on his face. He plummeted down onto his bed and let the memories flow through his head. Laughs, cries, frustration, everything came back like a tidal surge hitting the coast. It was almost as if he could reach out and go back. There was N and Ravi and his other friends and his teachers and... Ae-ra. She was as beautiful then as she was now. Her long hair hugging her face, while she smiled brightly. There was something irresistible about her. She made you long for her, even if you knew that you shouldn't. She knew exactly how to make you want her and even if you could see through her ways, you would still fall for her. Leo had broken up with her after he found out she was manipulating his every act. His mind had made the decision, but his heart had been aching ever since. She was the only woman he had loved and the only one he wanted to love. His head started its protest again; She is dangerous for you. She can only break your heart. She will just take everything away. She...

However, Leo wasn't listening anymore. His heart had won.