[Hellion Brothers: Book #4] Aequor Heart

Chapter 32

Thirty two - Her most regretful moment
(Yojeung's story pt. II)

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"So I was just a trash you picked from a shore?"

"No. No my dear. Please listen to mommy." Seolji calmly said, taking baby steps towards Yojeung.

"Why?" Yojeung's voice broke. "Why did you do this to me?"

"We tried to tell you, sweetheart. Believe me, we did." Kijun replied. "But we just can't. We were scared that it may hurt you. We were scared you might go away from us."

"I can't believe this." She mumbled before she started raising her voice. Something she had never done ever before. "I trusted you! All of you. And this is what I'll get? All this time you were fooling me? How can you do this to me?! How can you fool me for so long? Just how?!"

Angry tears rushed down her cheeks one after another. She never thought that she was being fooled all along. That what she was living for was only an actual lie.

"Listen to me d—"

"NO!" She shouted. "Don't you ever make up another lie to me. I’ve had enough!"

"Please Yojeung. Listen to me."

"So what? So you can brainwash me again?"

"No sweetheart. Please. Just let me explain."

"I'm sorry I can't. Not now."

Yojeung walked out of the house, ignoring their call for her name. She rode her car and drove without knowing where to go. All she wanted to do then was to be as far away from them as possible.

Gab so badly wanted to go and follow her, only that everyone stopped him from doing so. They said she needed space. She just uncovered a painful truth and she needed time for herself. So even though all of him resonated that he should follow and be by her side, he stayed behind.

All throughout the whole day, Yojeung was gone. It was only until the clock said 1 am did she come back home. Since then, she locked herself for a few days.

Everyday, the Lee couple knocked on her door, trying their luck to make her open it and talk to them. But Yojeung was too hurt to open it for the moment.

It was then the forth day since it happened when Yojeung finally opened it for them. Seolji was so happy that she even had tears in her eyes.

"Please forgive us Yojeung. We didn't mean to hurt you."

Yojeung sniffed. "Why didn't you just tell me before?" Her voice cracked. "Then it wouldn't hurt this bad. I thought you were my parents. But all this time I was only being fooled."

"Sweetheart please, listen to me. I may not be your biological mom, but in my heart, you are my daughter. My one and only daughter." Seolji said, wiping away Yojeung's tears.

"My real parents, I want to look for them."

"Yojeung." Seolji started crying. "Please don't leave us. I know what we did was horrible but please don't do this to me. I can't lose you."

"You won't lose me." Yojeung reassured. "I just wanted to know who I really am. And why my parents left me on a shore. I promise you, I'm still your daughter."

Seolji then hugged Yojeung so tight, tears coming out both of their eyes. Soon enough, Kijun joined them both. They both somehow felt relieved that she listened to them and she reassured them about her still being their daughter. The last thing they would ever want to happen was for Yojeung to never treat them as her parents anymore.

Later in the afternoon, Yojeung told them that she was going to leave for a while to go somewhere. They were quite reluctant with the idea specially Seolji. She had this feeling in her heart that said 'Do not let Yojeung go out' so Seolji tried to keep her home. However, Yojeung was persistent. She wanted to come out and have some time alone.

In the end, Seolji just let her go thinking that maybe, she just really need time to absorb the truth. But that didn't stop the feeling inside her asking her to take back her words and make her stay instead.

Yojeung went along the border of their city in which if you go any farther, you would be inside the massive forest that measures in approximately 5 hectares. There was an abandoned building at that border where she went and ran towards the rooftop. It was a place where Gab and Yojeung would hang out before. The scenery from up there was nice and the cool breeze felt amazing that it relaxed her mind. She laid herself down and closed her eyes, reminiscing moments that she can remember.

But she can't remember anything about having any other family or that she was taken from a shore. As far as she knew, she feared getting near the sea so she would never go there but she never understood why.

Now she realized, maybe it was because that was where she was taken. Something might have happened to her there that even if she cannot remember it, the fear in her heart remained.

They said, the mind may forget. But the heart doesn't.

Maybe if she goes to Korea and meets her real family, her heart may remember them. Or her memories may come back if she went to where she went before. By then, she would know who she really is.

A few hours after staying there, she decided to leave but as she was on her way to the car, a familiar silhouette was seen approaching her. She then decided to walk faster.

"Julianne!"

She went in immediately and started her car. The car roared before it started going but was immediately halted when she saw him get in her car although it was already moving.

"WHAT THE HECK GABBIE! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"

"No. I am just a man doing everything I can to make you talk to me." He panted, about to secure his seatbelt when he noticed that Yojeung wasn’t wearing hers. "Gosh. Just how many times do I have to remind you that wearing a seatbelt is a must when driving?"

He took Yojeung's seatbelt and locked it in place before securing his. She just rolled her eyes and decided to restart the car.

"Julianne, please talk to me. I'm sorry." He started the conversation. He always hated it when she never talked to her because he knew that only meant she was mad at him and he never wanted her mad.

"Since when did you learn about it?" Yojeung asked, not taking her eyes off the road. "Tell me."

Gab knew better than to hide it longer. He had to answer her honestly. "Since we are about to start high school."

"That long?!" She exclaimed. "And why didn't you bother ever telling me that? I thought best friends never hide anything to each other? You said I was your best friend!"

"And you always are!" He immediately answered. "But your mom said you didn't know. I don't think I have the right to tell you that. Your mom also asked me a favor to not tell you. They wanted to let you know it from them."

"Why did you all have to hide it from me?" She asked, her voice softened and cracked in the end. She was again in the verge of tears.

"Please don't cry Julianne." Gab reached out to hold her hand, his other hand wiping the tears from her eyes. "Don't cry now, hmm? You know I hate it when I see you cry."

She briefly took a moment to look at Gab in the eye as hers were still in tears. But no one have ever known that that briefly taken moment would end up becoming the moment that Yojeung regrets the most which hunts her in her everyday life.

They were passing a bridge which was barely taken seeing that they were at the border and that it led to the forest. Which also meant wild animals may pass by from time to time. And that was what happened in that brief moment.

Just as Yojeung averted her eyes back to the road, it was too late for her to see the moose blocking the road. She immediately swerved to avoid it. Maybe she should have turned the wheel less. Maybe she should have turned towards the trees instead. Maybe she should have just kept her eyes on the road.

The next thing they knew, they hit the side of the bridge, and the car splashed against the water. A police patrol was fortunately passing by when it happened and so Gab immediately called out for rescue.

"HELP! HELP ME! GABBIE!"

"Shhhh Julianne! Julianne I'm here. I'm here." He hushed as he took her, bringing her to him. He knew very well how Yojeung feared water so much. As he took her panicking self, he noticed a blood dripping her forehead. "You're bleeding."

But his words were unheard as Yojeung's fear was overwhelming her. He soothed her and whispered reassuring words to her in an attempt to calm her down. The water inside the car was already filling up to the waist. As he heard her say she cannot breathe anymore, he can't help but curse as he desperately looked for a way to take them out even if he cannot move too much because one, he had Yojeung in his arms and two, his right leg was actually stuck and was being squeezed by the headboard due to the impact of the car and the side of the bridge.

He heard a few cracking sounds, alerting him. He looked around them only to see that the window on the driver’s seat where Yojeung was once placed was starting to crack. The pressure of the water was causing the already formed cracks to get bigger. He knew too well that soon enough, it will give in. Yojeung was already unconscious in his hands. Somehow, that was how he liked it.

"At least you won't be able to witness this." He whispered.

He switched their positions in which Gab now faced his back from the driver seat, Yojeung completely being cocooned in his arms, and his hand holding her head firmly in his chest. He took a very deep breath and closed his eyes and soon enough, what he anticipated happened.

The window finally broke, filling them in with the seawater hitting them harshly.