Chapter 20: If You Love Her...

[Sierra’s POV]

I ran… I ran as fast as I could as Jae Wook lead me down the street away from our school gates. I should’ve pulled away, I should’ve let him go, and went with Han Kyung, but my legs told me otherwise. We ran for 2 blocks, 3 blocks, 5 blocks down the road, and finally, he slowed down.

“Kwaench’ana?” he panted when we stopped.

I nodded wordlessly as I bent over, panting from the exercise.

After a few minutes, he took my hand again, and led me into an ice cream shop a few steps away.

“Osseo-oseyo!” the perky waitress greeted us as we walked in.

We were ushered to a cozy booth in a secluded corner. Jae Wook slid into the booth and pulled me down to sit beside him.

“We have a couple special today,” the waitress announced in her perky voice as she set down the menu in front of us. “Would you like to try that, or would you like something else?”

“We’ll have the special,” Jae Wook quickly said before she could continue.

“Okay,” she smiled, flashing her pearly whites at us. “Be right back.”

As soon as the waitress disappeared, Jae Wook turned to me, and grinned.

“Another minute, and I’d have stuffed a sock in her mouth,” he said.

I started giggling, and he started laughing. We stifled our laughter as the waitress approached again to set down our ‘couple sundae’.

“Anything else you would like?” she asked.

“No, thank you,” Jae Wook managed to say whilst holding back his laughter, and she bobbed her head before walking away.

Music: M - Sometimes

We laughed some more after she left, and then came to an abrupt silence. As bad as this may sound, this was one of the things Jae Wook and I shared… we had the same wavelength when it came to our thoughts. We realized that on many occasions, we were actually thinking about the same things, and at this moment, we were both thinking about Han Kyung.

Instead of talking about it, he chose the other way… evasion. He picked up the long dessert spoon and started digging into the sundae, as if he were starving.

“Jae Wook-ah,” I said softly.

“Try it,” he said and quickly held a spoonful of sundae in front of my lips.

I looked at him, and at the spoonful of melting ice cream in front of me. I decided I’d evade the topic with him just for now, and opened my mouth to allow him to feed me.

[Han Kyung’s POV]

“Find them,” I said to Ryeo Wook as I slammed my fist on the top of the car.

“Ye,” he bowed, and walked off to call up the boys to start searching for Sierra and Jae Wook.

I watched her run with him, down the street, away from me. I’d expected her to brush him off and come to me, but instead, she ran with him.

“Hyung,” one of my other boys came up with me with Hee Chul firmly grasped by his collar.

“Where did they go?” I asked him.

“How would I know?” Hee Chul replied.

“You know… I really don’t want to mess up your pretty face, so it would help if you told me now… where did that loser take Sierra to?” I asked again.

“I hardly know the guy. How would I know?” he said. “And you should know I’d give anything to make sure my face stays pretty,” he added for good measure.

I may not be able to tell if Sierra had been lying to me since I was blind to all her faults, but I was a good judge of character when it came to everyone else. I could tell that Hee Chul was telling the truth.

“If you see the 2 of them, that is, if my men actually fail to find them,” I said, “tell them that I’m not letting this one slide. You get me?”

Hee Chul nodded vigorously, and I signaled my men to let him go.

Music: M - AM 07:05

The scene replayed in my mind again and again. I should have moved before him. I should have known that Sierra would still be weak since we’ve just gotten back together. The idea of killing that vermin is burning in my mind at the moment, but I can’t. If I kill him, Sierra will never be able to forget him.

What surprised me was how determined he was. All the guys I’ve dealt with in the past gave up easily. This could only mean one thing; he was genuinely in love with Sierra, or perhaps the thought of marrying into her wealthy family is driving him. He’s poor, and his family is heavily in debt. It could be an all or nothing situation for him. Do I really have to kill him?

“Oppa…” a foreign female voice interrupted my thoughts.

I turned to my left and realized that Eunice was still in the car. My father had insisted that I take her along with me for the day and showed her the sights. I had planned for her to meet Sierra so that she could go back and tell her father that his plan for merger will fail, but instead, I lost Sierra.

“Do you mind if I take you home now? It’s been a rough day,” I said, politely.

“Sure,” she replied timidly. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” I said.

“Was that your girlfriend?” she asked.

Her voice was shaking as she asked me. I guess I’ve pretty much scared her with that entire gang business scene earlier. Maybe that would’ve changed her mind about us.

“Yea,” I said. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s alright,” she said.

“You know it’s not going to work out,” I said.

“Huh?”

“You and me…” I added.

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“Isn’t that why you’ve moved here? Your father is planning to marry you off, into my family.”

“He never mentioned it,” she said.

This was a surprise. So she really is an innocent. She didn’t even know that her father was planning to barter her off to secure his business. Now I feel sorry for her.

“Why do you think he’s sending you here for your studies?”

“My father is moving his offices to Seoul, my whole family is moving to Seoul,” she said.

“To be closer to your future in-laws,” I smirked. “If you don’t believe me, go home and ask your daddy.”

“You seem like a nice person, oppa,” Eunice said, “but why do you act like this?”

“Act like what?” I asked.

“Cold, and rude.”

“I’m sorry if I don’t meet your standards of politeness, but this is how we talk in a mob.”

“Mob?” she said, confused.

“My father heads a mob,” I said. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know that either?”

“You shouldn’t make such jokes about your father,” she said.

“I assure you I am not joking,” I said, looking at her straight on.

She looked at me for awhile, studying my expression, as if she could gain some sort of enlightenment from doing that.

“Please take me home,” she said.

“I’m already doing that,” I pointed out.

“Good,” she replied, and sat back, crossing her arms defensively.

So the rose had thorns too.

[Sierra’s POV]

We finished the sundae, and we’re now just sitting there, staring at the glass. I tried again…

“Jae Wook-ah,” I said.

“Please stay with me,” he said softly.

He wasn’t looking at me. He spoke the words as he fiddled with the dessert spoon in the glass.

“Jae Wook,” I pleaded softly.

“I can find a way out of this,” he said. “We can be together and nothing will happen to you, I promise you.”

“How?”

“I can’t tell you now, but give me time, I’ll fix this for us?” he said.

He was now looking at me; his eyes pleading me to hang on and stick it out with him. I’m confused now. I have feelings for Jae Wook, and a life with him would be less complicated than a life with Han Kyung, but part of me was still attached to Han Kyung, and I find it hard to believe that we could get out of this situation unscathed. Maybe I should never have gotten together with Jae Wook.

“Do you know how crazy you sound now?” I said to him. “What could you possibly do to fix this? Han Kyung will have his way no matter what, and you’re going to suffer if you continue this fight.”

“I have the means to continue,” he said.

“You’re being so cryptic, Jae Wook,” I said. “What is it that you’re going to use against Han Kyung?”

“I can’t tell you now, but I promise to tell you once I have it. Just promise me, Sierra. Promise me that you won’t go back to him.”

“I can’t,” I said, as I got up slowly.

Music: M - One Last Cry

I had had enough of this madness. If he wasn’t thinking for himself, I will have to think for him, and for me.

“Kajima,” he said, holding onto my hand.

“Please…” I said, pulling my hand away as I stepped away from the booth, “just come to terms with our situation. I want us to both survive. I can’t bear it if anything should happen to you because of me. Please leave me alone, for your own sake.”

I turned and walked away, out of the shop. I could hear him call my name as I did, but I didn’t turn back. I couldn’t turn back anymore. Running off with him had been a big mistake today. From now on, no more mistakes… not if I want us all to survive.

I walked out of the shop and walked right into Ryeo Wook.

“Hyung-su,” he bowed.

“Take me to Han Kyung,” I said.

“Ne,” he bowed again.

“Leave Jae Wook here,” I said, looking him in the eye as I did. “Or I won’t come with you.”

“Ne,” he replied, and motioned for me to follow him.

“Let’s go,” he called out to the rest of the guys.

“But we have not found him,” one of them said.

“We’ve found hyung-su, let’s go,” he said.

The guys immediately gathered and they too bowed to me.

“Let’s go,” I said to Ryeo Wook.

I have never gotten used to this bowing and men being at my beck and call, but I suppose I will have to, since it’s been they’re way all this time. I still don’t know how things will end for me and Han Kyung, since his father obviously did not give us his blessings. I’m praying hard that Han Kyung has a plan.