Million Dollar Girls : If Love Lasts... | MiChaeng, DahMo, SaTzu, 2Yeon Book 2

19) Meet Me There

Wednesday
2:35 pm

"Mh-hm, just meet me there. Don't worry, we aren't having plans." Chaeyoung ended the phone call.
She told Jihyo she would be off jogging around Han River not knowing that she would actually meet with Irene again.
Chaeyoung believed that she was near to the truth, she wasn't sure if her family secret would end, but she knew she will soon get there.

The park was mostly empty, populated with a few couples and joggers. There she saw Irene waving to her.
"So, why did you ask me to be here?"
.
.
.
"Okay, so what's the assignment again?" Dahyun questioned as her face scrunched up.
"To plan a business report, where you not listening?" Tzuyu scoffed.
"Sorry, I'm just wondering where Chaeyoung is."
Dahyun checked her phone, the messages she sent were read but that was all.
"Did you call?"
"I called before, she said she'll be out... but she didn't say how long." With a puzzled discretion she closed her phone.

"She has left us without any notice. Remember when she injured?" Tzuyu looked at Dahyun.
"I don't think that nail story was true."
"What do you think it is then?" Dahyun seemed very curious.
"I don't know, she's probably keeping something a secret. Maybe it was a knife." Tzuyu chuckled as her friend hit her.

"Don't joke about that. It looked very serious."
"You could ask her." Tzuyu said.
"...I guess."
Tzuyu started to pack her things.
"Well, I've got too much work... I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya."

She exited her house happily, not knowing the future had in store for her.
.
.
"You brought me here because you want to talk about the past?" Irene questioned once again, even to Chaeyoung it did sound odd.
They were on the old bench that they always sat on when they were kids.
"Yeah. Thought we could catch up since we're on this path together to find out our families secret. Plus, it may trigger something." Chaeyoung explained, she grabbed Irene's arm and pulled her up.

"Where are we going?"
"We're walking around, that's what we always did as kids."
Irene saw the young girl smile, in a way she was different from her past self. Her smile was precious as a child and yet she felt that something was wrong as she saw it.
Now, Chaeyoung looked very happy in a way that she saw no sadness neither in her eyes or smile.

"I wasn't particularly a kid, I was just your babysitter for a while." Irene laughed.
"Well, you acted like a kid up until you left."

It's been 12 years since the Son's car accident, like the new said, the only survivor was Chaeyoung, the now new heir to the company. Chaeyoung hoped that Irene would come back for her, but she didn't, not until she called her this year.
"You were like my second family." Chaeyoung said, "You were the sister I wished I had, we always hung out and I would always cry for no reason."

Irene laughed, "You were always missing your parents, I remember holding you like a baby when they first left you alone."
The two were getting along just enough for Chaeyoung to speak even more.
"To be honest, I'm not mad at you anymore. It was not your fault if you moved houses... I was lonely and I didn't know Jihyo too well, I needed someone who I trusted."

Irene noticed the change of tone, she felt guilty for leaving her without a goodbye. She desperately wanted to see her, but her parents disallowed her.
For what reason? She didn't know.

Chaeyoung hadn't realised, but she was talking for quite a while, she thought she was boring Irene, but she kept an interested style to her. It felt liberating from all the stress and secrets she kept the whole time. Her friends wouldn't understand... still she turned to the person who left her. She couldn't understand why she opened up, maybe because they were ending this family secret together and maybe they just wanted to mend the broken bond. Just then, her phone rang.

It was from Mina. She paused for a moment and let the call end.
"Are you going to respond?"
Chaeyoung shook her head and stayed quiet.

Surely enough, Irene was next to be honest.
"Funny you mentioned second family." She sighed heavily.
"When I was 18 years old I didn't go to Uni, so I became a helper at a school that my parents owned so I was always welcomed by staff. And there I met a friendly bunch of girls, they were soon to be quite close." Suddenly, she stopped.

It was heavy memory that she forgotten until now.
"I took care of them like they were my sisters until I... had to go... away again." Irene grew silent.
Chaeyoung appreciated her honesty, she rubbed her back just to make her feel better.

Once again, her phone rang.
It was Mina.
She stood up and did not pick up for a few seconds and then she did just as if when in the corner of her eyes she saw the noticeable figure standing afar.
As if she had seen a ghost, Chaeyoung hoped it wasn't Mina.

She was wrong.