Chapter 5
She didn’t notice his blood, he didn’t notice the small drops of unhealed wounds reflecting the sunlight in her eyes, and they remained unchanged. Both struggling in silence to mend the old and new injuries inflicted by that love they held most dearly in their heart, both failing miserably.
Hye sung slowly walked outside from the kitchen led by the laughter he found oddly familiar but just as he was approaching the table where Angel was sitting with soo jin, a figure caught his attention. Before Hye sung could take a closer look, the figure turned around, head down and shoulders slumped, blending into the backdrop of the busy street. The dejection radiated surprised hye sung and involuntarily he walked over to the door for another glance. When he had drawn near to the still in light swing door, the figure’s back fully vanished and hye sung was left in uncertainty and curiosity. One thing he failed to notice was the smudge of red produced under his foot when walking to Angel’s table. He had stepped on one person’s path in accepting reality.
* * * * *
“Ah! Hye sung oppa!!!”
“Soo jin...nice to see you again...”
Reaching the table and coming up behind Angel, hye sung was greeted with a shout of surprise and happiness from soo jin. It wasn’t a surprise to him because from past experiences when soo jin came to the café hye sung rarely stayed to welcome her. He would always manage to go missing until soo jin leaves. Angel always found this weird but she never enquired as she was the one who consistently displayed her expertise in the field of running away from questions. He must be very good at it now too, after all, he did observe the best in action.
Angel quickly turned around and raised her face upwards to look at hye sung’s face. She was lost, unable to think, she needed someone familiar with her. Hye sung, who was smiling in soo jin’s direction exchanged his cheerful expression for one of worry. One glimpse of Angel’s expression related back to him a thousand words. The loss, the pain, the frustration, it was unmistakable. For the first time she wasn’t holding back and concealing her feelings behind a disguise, everything laid on her face, her eyes speaking out. Something tugged continuously at the back of hye sung’s head, something he was straining to remember, and something that seemed almost critical. No matter what, he just couldn’t place his finger on it.
“Oppa? OPPA!!??”
“Huh? Oh...soo jin...were you saying something?”
“Aish...you and Angel unnie are so weird today. Is anything wrong?”
“Huh? No...of course not...so you were saying?”
Soo jin eyed him suspiciously as he took a seat but she let it pass.
“Oppa, this is Danny, and this is hye sung oppa. He works here with unnie and Danny is my boyfriend.”
After several hand gestures and introductions, soo jin finally settled back down and smiled happily. Unfortunately, her high spirits couldn’t penetrate through the two invisible barriers in front of her.
Boyfriend......but.....Angel said......does....min woo know....?
Hye sung sat there and stared, reminiscence of the stare Angel demonstrated when she had found out. In front of him, Danny sat sipping his coffee and looked at soo jin adoringly. Both neglecting and forgetting the outside world. Suddenly, hye sung’s head jerked towards the door and then back to Angel and then Danny, taking a close look at each. His mind worked furiously, trying to piece together the puzzle and within a few seconds, realisation hit.
He....knows.....he...actually knows.....
Hye sung knew the figure he had seen before exerted a certain familiarity. It was now obvious, thinking back. That outward appearance and outline could only be one person. Lee min woo. Hye sung shook his head and turned to watch Angel, whose eyes never lifted up once to look at soo jin. Instead, they kept tracing the outlines of her cup with uttermost fascination. He couldn’t understand. Her thoughts, her feelings, her mind, they were all mazes he was trapped in. Every time he thought he was close to the end, another turn appears out of no where and complicates things. The mazes were never ending unless he gave up. It was unfortunate he hated giving up, especially when it came to Angel. If giving up was an option in this game, he would have given up a long time ago. A long, long time ago.
* * * * *
Min woo walked out slowly, everything out of mind and out of sight. Only soo jin and her words remained.
My boyfriend....Danny....my boyfriend....love.....boyfriend....Danny...
Min woo agonized over the voices and quickly threw himself into his black Ferrari. Tossing his jacket to the backseat, he rested his head on the steering wheel and tried to think everything over. Little moments throughout his life with soo jin played back in his head and the memories of her smiling face pained him. The smiles after all were no longer for him. Her every expression, every action, every movement were like snap shots stored in his head, except these shots never faded away. The colours always remained at high quality, no rips on the sides, and no creases in the middle. They were all perfect, just like soo jin herself.
I loved you soo jin....I really did....why did you have to do this to me.....I can give you everything you ever wanted and more.....why do you like him...why.....why......you’re supposed to be mine.......I brought you up...I cherished you like a star in my palms....nothing could hurt you when I was around....I made sure of it....what more do you want.....what more???......
Throughout these thoughts, his attention suddenly diverged onto something else.
Funny.....you can be betrayed by the people you trusted most on the same day....could anything hurt more...? Angel...I treated you like my best friend....I confided in you about everything and let you go so close to my inner self it was sometimes threatening...and what do I get for this....I was right at the beginning....I was always right....I shouldn’t have trusted anyone...because look at what has happened....I should have saw this coming.....you betrayed me Angel....why didn’t you tell me? Is it because seeing me locked up in my own little world was somewhat amusing to you? Did you find me funny? Being played around soo jin’s little fingers....I trusted you....but I no longer do.....if you knew...why....didn’t you tell me?? To spare me at least some of this torment....you don’t know how much it hurts...I want to know why....I need to know.....
Punching his fist on the plastic interior of his car, min woo sat up and brushed his hair off his face with a swift action of the hand. He was finished mourning, he wanted answers and he wasn’t going to get them by sitting there. Taking a look at his watch, it was 6.30 pm and in two more hours Angel’s café would be closed and she would be there by herself cleaning. He would approach her then. Min woo set his mind to question Angel and her actions. Her betrayal was just as or maybe even more suffocating than soo jin’s. Angel knew, she knew everything going on in his mind. This thought cut him deeply, he never realised how much he relied on her until now, and it was because of this his anger changed direction and aimed itself at Angel’s heart. Min woo was selfish, he was uneducated. The pain he had just gone through could probably not even add up to one tenth of Angel’s pain and stress over him yet now he was going to unleash his worst side in her face. She was his target, every little amount of anger he hid inside was going to find their way to Angel and she was to take all the blame.
Starting up the car, min woo stepped down hard and remained at constant speed, whizzing through the highways, his hair blowing fiercely in the wind. He wanted to circle around the place and release at least some of his aggression, he didn’t even want to think about what he would cause if he kept on like he did. Taking in the nightlights of
* * * * *
“Oh, look at the time...Danny and I better be going.”
Soo jin stood up and grabbed her jacket all the while talking to Angel and hye sung who both hadn’t moved an inch since soo jin’s startling revelation.
“Oh...ok....well....come again soon....”
Angel smiled weakly whilst gazing at the clock on the other side of the room. 8.20 pm. She would have to start cleaning up soon. Angel received another queer look from soo jin but Angel pretended she didn’t see. Soo jin shrugged at a confused Danny and they walked out together with a last wave of goodbye.
As soon as soo jin was out of sight, Angel slumped back onto the chair and rested on the table with her face in her hands.
“Angel? Are you ok?”
“Leave me alone...”
“Angel...”
“Hye sung....please......just...leave me alone...please.....”
Hye sung sat down to comfort Angel but she couldn’t even lift her face up to look him in the eyes. Maybe she was ashamed, she didn’t understand why but to let hye sung watch her break down like this, she couldn’t bare it.
Hye sung sighed and observed her limp body shaking slightly in the chair, how he longed to pull her close and comfort her yet he couldn’t. Shaking his head, he reached for his own jacket and walked out of the café giving Angel the space she needed. He wanted to talk everything over with her, he knew her so well, if she didn’t get everything out she would start to dwell and lose herself. However, that would be when he came back. Right at this moment nothing could guide her through the misery and thoughts except herself. If she didn’t see through all of this, the light from above the pitch black hole would never reach her eyes, the beautiful eyes that use to sparkle with so much laughter and joy. The eyes she was a proud owner of, before she met him. This was his fault. Lee min woo.
Hye sung stepped outside and walked. He had no destination, no purpose, just a direction, forward. He wanted to lose himself, in this night, this dark and starless night. Looking up, nothing glimmered in the sky.
Angel.....can you see? Even though the clouds are covering our guardian angels tonight....you still have me...I’ll guide you....I’ll lead you.....just....hold out your hand...I beg you......let me help you.....
* * * * *
Angel, sensing the loss of warmth around her, finally lifted her head and looked around at the deserted café, the café that once brought smiles to her lips now looked dead and lifeless. Or was it just her? Was she the one that was lifeless and dead? Taking and deep breath in, she stood up and started to clean up. She was already running behind schedule tonight. With her android like movements and expression, nothing could trigger her awareness for the atmosphere around her, which was why she failed to notice the silhouette leaning against the door frame and peering at her with such disgust. He watched in stealth, in silence, in thought, in calculation. It wouldn’t have been wrong if it was said he wanted her to share his pain. But what he was going to do was much worse. She would allow him to destroy her, in every way possible. She would allow him to play with her emotions, to toy with her heart, to throw away her feelings. Only because she loved him.
Angel, with her back to the door and washing up, suddenly felt a light and cold breeze pass through the room. The hairs on her neck stood up and she quickly turned off the tap. Taking the closest towel, she wiped her hand frantically, wanting to get away from the sink and still she failed to notice the figure now behind her. In an instant, a cold hand grabbed her arm and turned her around with a sudden yank. Her whole body fell towards the person and now they were so close she could barely make out his features. Her breathing quickened its pace and her heart thumped in trepidation. The hand was never loosened from Angel’s arm and by now, the blood was stopped from its circulation and her arm was turning a dark red. He didn’t notice, or he didn’t care. He brought her face up with his other and looked her in the eyes.
Angel froze. Those eyes....
Min woo....what’s wrong.......I’m so....scared....what are you doing....min woo....let...go.....it hurts.....please.....let go of me......
She twisted her arm, she struggled but the grip was as tight as ever. He didn't want her to get away. He wanted her to pay.
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