Structural Damage

Chapter 27 (End) - Sanctuary

I've decided that I'd like to keep it this way ☺ Try to listen Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Willie Nelson and Paula Nelson while reading this chapter. Enjoy 💞

The credits were rolling, Yoon Se Ri sat in the darkened movie theatre, and her emotions were raw. She was initially going to skip seeing the new movie that had just been released, the one directed by Ri Jeong Hyeok. But the buzz surrounding it was incredible. It was not very often that almost every movie critic agreed on how good a film was, but they did agree on this one. They had glowing reviews of the movie itself, but especially for the director. The critics commented on how you could tell he had poured his heart and soul into it and had grown so much from his directorial debut a few years earlier. With all of the wonderful praise for him, there was no way she could miss seeing it. While he wasn't starring in the movie, she could see him throughout it. It was harder to watch than she had anticipated.

Over the last eighteen months, Se Ri had done all she could to put him out of her mind. She had travelled extensively, staying out of Seoul where memories haunted her. She made the conscious effort to not fly through Los Angeles. She didn't want to risk accidentally running into him at the airport. She tried to stay away from him on the internet as well. Not following his agency's Twitter or Instagram account or reading Google alerts for the latest news.

She did know that he had recently filmed two movies after his directorial project was complete. One had already been released, it was a blockbuster movie, and the press tour had put him on Ellen, Kimmel, and Fallon. He travelled to Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin, Beijing, and Seoul within two weeks for the press tour. She saw highlights but couldn't watch the full clips. She did notice that he looked as handsome as ever. The press tour for his directorial piece was already in full swing, and he would be doing return engagements on the talk shows. Jeong Hyeok had also been in the tabloids and entertainment magazines. She was sure he hated that. He had started a relationship with a woman at one of the studios, and it got quite a bit of publicity. They did the red carpet together and had been seen numerous times in public. Each time she saw photos of the two of them, it ripped her heart out. But she thought he looked happy, and it was good to see that he had at least moved on. She just wished she could have done the same.

So it came as a shock when she heard the news that he and his girlfriend had split. The rumour was that she was upset that he wasn't willing to take their relationship to the next level. She was telling anyone who would listen that Jeong Hyeok had commitment issues and enjoyed being a playboy versus settling down. This, of course, became a huge headline on every gossip site and entertainment show. Se Ri had to admit she felt sorry for him. He liked to keep his private life, well, private. It meant that his girlfriend didn't truly know or understand him. At least when her relationship with him ended, no one knew about it. It wasn't in the paper, and it was never on TV. Of course, no one even knew they were dating, but again, that just shows how they were able to keep it quiet. Just exactly the way Jeong Hyeok wanted it.

The lights came up in the theatre, and Se Ri knew she had to leave. She grabbed her purse and made her way out into the bright afternoon sunshine. She had been back in Seoul for a few days and figured with the movie behind her. She should go over to the office and see how things were going. Besides, she had a package that needed to be put together and shipped out. She wanted to try and get it out in today's FedEx pickup if at all possible.

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The house was silent, Jeong Hyeok was enjoying the solitude this morning. It wouldn't be like this all day so he had to enjoy it while he could. He was home in Seoul for a few weeks. And he would really love to spend his vacation time with his family. It's been months and he has been through a lot. He opened up the wall of windows across the back of the house, letting in the fresh air of the morning. He made himself a cup of coffee and was preparing to step out onto the back patio when he heard a truck pull up in the driveway. He stopped and listened for a moment, then heard a knock at his front door. He sat his cup down on the bar then made his way to the door, opening it to find a FedEx delivery man on his porch.