You're My Target

Chapter 38

Troy sat down at a place he hadnt been in awhile. The place he used to eat at with Boram. He quietly ate the hamburger in front of him. While eating he never looked up from his plate. His eyes fixated while he chewed through his burger.

"everything okay today?" the friendly mustached owner asked him.

"sure. the burgers great too by the way." troy said though his voice lacked all enthusiasm. he handed the man what he owed for the meal.

"come back again soon. and bring your cute friend." he told troy. troy nodded slightly and waved as he walked off down the street. he kept his face tucked in the collar of his jacket, to shield it from the incoming wind. he walked blankly, but with purpose, until he arrived outside of a familiar gated apartment complex. he took his face out of his jacket collar and stared through the gate for awhile. he was reluctant to go inside. he chewed on the inside of his lip as he debated with himself, until finally forcing himself to go in. He walked to a door he had been to before... and knocked. the door opened and eunjung greeted him with a smile.

"good morning troy." she said softly.

"hey." he answered barely looking up at her.

"no groceries this time?" she asked with a chuckle

"no... not this time." he answered.

"so what brings you all the way over here out of the blue?" she asked.

"can I.. come in?" he asked.

"of course, of course, come on." she said allowing him through the door."whats up? whats on your mind?" eunjung asked him following him as he walked over to her couch and sat down in it.

"hwayoung is ok, not sure if you know yet. she was at my place earlier." troy told her.

"thats good. i knew she would be ok though." eunjung smiled. troy sat silently in eunjungs couch. Eunjung waited for him to say something else.
"sooo... did you walk all the way here just to tell me that?" she asked.

"no, i just needed to talk to someone." troy sighed.

"well, ok. im listening..." eunjung reminded him, urging him to spit it out. "whats bothering you?"

"everything." troy muttered.

"everything?" she repeated "im not quite sure i understand.. like being away from home? are you homesick?"

"just all this... everything. Jang, Jun, Hwayoung, Areum, Soyeon... you." troy put his face in his hands.

"me??" eunjung said surprised. "what about me?"

"no. see, i dont mean you bother me." troy tried to explain.

"well, what then." she said a little upset.'

'would i have come to you if you bothered me like that?" troy reasoned.

"maybe, i dont know, youre not making sense Troy." eunjung said getting frustrated.

"i know! i cant make sense of it myself. i dont know what to do." troy complained.

"about what??" eunjung was only getting more confused.

"im just, sorry." troy told her.

"you havent done anything wrong troy. i just wish you would ... explain your feelings clearer. maybe i could help you." eunjung said, she put her hand on his back gently as she sat beside him.

"do you ever wish you could, like, go back to a certain point in time. Do it all over again?" troy said looking over to her.

"mmm sometimes." eunjung pondered.

"well, it seems like my life is full of those times." troy confessed.

"is this about Jang? what hwayoung was talking about last night?" eunjung asked. Troy didnt answer, but he didnt have to.
"i guess everyone is so concerned with how i feel when she says stuff like that, they forget it impacts you as well." eunjung thought out loud. "but troy, you cant be upset about Jang. not now. not after helping me through it all this time. Just remember everything you said to me. thats what helped me."

"you kinda have a point" troy half smiled. "i just, regret what happened. i still wish i could have done things differently."

"no troy. you cant keep dragging that guilt along with you. especially if its something you had no control over." she told him, she shook his shoulder.

"but i.." troy tried to explain.

"no buts!" she scolded him. "you just have to learn from those times. or think about what youve gained instead of lost"

"gained? you mean like character?" troy asked.

"i cant answer it for you." eunjung said consoling him. "maybe you learned something from those times."

"it doesnt feel like i have." "well maybe you just havent realized it yet troy." she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and leaned on him.

"maybe there isnt anything to realize." he said coldly. "maybe i shouldnt have ever come here."

"troy, you are a great person. you are smart and helpful and caring... and i personally am grateful that you came into my life. cause if you hadnt, i dont know where id be right now. youve done so much for me. thank you." she hugged him tightly. Troy pushed the guilt inside him down. it felt like it wanted to bust right through him, like a balloon.

"well, thank you." he forced himself to say. "can i ask you about hwayoung?"

"feeling better?" she asked.

"a little. thanks." he forced a smile.

"then sure ask away!" eunjung said with a lighter heart.

"what do you make of the things she says?" he asked her.

"you mean like, the devil man, dont you." she said quietly.

"yes. she seems to think that the devil man is in some way involved with Jang and how he died." troy said.

"i thought you didnt believe in this stuff, where is this coming from all of a sudden?" she asked him concerned.

"im just curious about what you think of it." he reassured her.

"well, based on everything youve told me, and what his parents said were on the report, i dont think the devil man had anything to do with it." eunjung said confidently

"because he doesnt exist." troy added.

"well, i didnt say that." eunjung said suddenly, susprising troy.

"you believe there is a devil man?" troy said shocked.

"yea. why is that a problem?" eunjung asked.

"but you just said yourself that he wasnt involved..." troy said confused trying to understand her.

"just because he wasnt involved in that one event doesnt mean he doesnt totally exist, troy. i mean. what if Areum's fairy tales from back home are true. what if there is some kind of magic, or power or force out there. people said they saw it that day Jang died. its possible." eunjung explained.

"were you always this open to the idea of the devil man existing?" he asked.

"at first i was just still very hurt by the loss of Jang. but ive had time to... reflect and realize some things." eunjung placed her hand on troys hand. "just like you will realize what you have to. "

troy let out a small chuckle.
"you know what Eunjung." he smirked. "youre probably right."

"just remember what you have. your friends. you have Soyeon. and most importantly..." troy looked at eunjung skeptically. " most importantly, you have me." eunjung grinned.

"you took that page from Borams book." he said pushing her playfully.

"well i mean it troy. we're all here for you." she said pushing him back.

"thank you. and actually im kind of glad to hear you say that you believe in the devil man." troy admitted.

"even though you dont believe in him?" she asked unsure.

"not for me. but for hwayoung. i really cant explain it." troy smiled.

"youre a complex guy." eunjung told him.

"a puzzle you will never solve." he smiled. "im glad i came.

"me too. you should come more often." eunjung said

"maybe." troy replied, knowing full well soyeon had asked him to cut down on his eunjung time.

"just, next time, bring food." eunjung said jokingly.

"another page from Borams book." troy and eunjung laughed together."i should be going though, i got some things to take care of." he said reluctantly. "but thanks again. i do feel better.."

"anytime." eunjung said putting her arms out.

 Troy stepped to her and hugged her back."ill see you later ok?"

"yea. ok." she replied.

"later." he said as he walked out eunjungs door.