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Chapter 7: Moving On – August 13 – 17, 2019

After Yunyeong had cried a river of tears, Jungkook led her over to the couch.  He sat down and pulled her into his lap.  He wrapped his arms around her and just held her for a long time.  She rested her head against his shoulder and eventually fell asleep.  She’d spent most of the night tossing and turning.

Jungkook had been sitting there for over a half hour reveling in the feel of her in his arms while he questioned how best he could help her heal when he caught sight of Yunseong out of the corner of his eye.  She was sneaking down the hallway into the space between the living room and the kitchen.

He cleared his throat.  She glanced his way and winced.  But he could tell by the look in her eye and the tear stains on her cheeks that she had overheard their conversation.

“She thought you were gone,” he whispered.

She nodded.  “I was supposed to be.  Originally, I was going to head over to Tae’s this morning.”

His eyes probed hers.  “Why didn’t you?”

She shrugged.  “He’s not that into me, you know?”  She was trying to act nonchalant, but he could see that she was hurting.

“I’m sorry. He’s just blind, you know?” His lips quirked, but the result wasn’t quite a smile.

She nodded.  But her lips couldn’t seem to grab any joy either.  Suddenly, her face crumpled.  

“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered forlornly.  “I had no idea she’d been so used!  Why didn’t she tell me?”  She began to sob.  “My twin sister!  I should have known.  I’m supposed to have a sixth sense for my twin, right?  So how could I have been so blind?  So ignorant?  She’s been suffering in silence for three years.”  

Her eyes delved into his.  “Thank God for you, Jungkook.  I’m so glad you approached me that day at the cafe.  Perhaps the whole reason I met Tae was so that you could help my sister.”

Her eyes were so sad.

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook whispered.  “Tae has always been a little blind when it comes to girls.”

“It’s all right.  Plenty of other fish in the sea, right?”

But her eyes betrayed her.  However, her lips carried on the charade.

“Do you have any other friends you could introduce me to?”

Jungkook smiled.  “Well, there is Jin, but he’s three years older than Tae.”

“A man.  Perfect.  I’m done with little boys!  Baby, indeed!” she spit out bitterly.

Jungkook frowned.  “Baby?”

An annoyed look crossed her face.  “Tae told me I’m a baby yesterday.  In front of your Gran!  The boy is so irritating sometimes!”

Jungkook blinked.  “Wanna double date with me and Yuni on Friday night?  I could bring Jin with me.”

“What’s he like?”

“He’s funny.  Smart.  Kind.  Great with kids.  He’s a preschool teacher.”

“He sounds…interesting.  Yeah.  Sure.  Why not?  What have I got to lose?”

Jungkook smiled.  “Wanna go anywhere in particular?”

“Out for ice cream.”

“Sounds good.  Hopefully, Yuni will agree.”

Finally, her lips curved into a smile.  “She will.  She loves ice cream.”

—

Yunseong didn’t come over as planned.  She didn’t even text him.  Not at all.  Not even once the whole day.  Tae received no invitation to play MIRᴙOR at her house.  As he lounged around the pool waiting for her to text, he found himself growing restless. 

Why wasn’t she talking to him?  Just because he’d called her a baby?

He finally gave up and headed to his room to play a video game by himself.  

But it just wasn’t the same.  He was bored without her commentary punctuating the pauses.  He missed making cookies with her.  And feeding her popcorn.  And listening to her babble on about whatever insignificant thing was happening in her life.

He spent the whole day lonely.  She never came over.  She never called.  She never texted.  She didn’t even respond when he finally gave in and texted her.

It appeared she was really angry with him.  

Tae sighed.  He had no idea what to do about it.  So he did nothing.

—

Yunseong lay in her bed and hugged her pillow as silent tears stole down her cheeks.  She felt just awful about Yuni.  But her heart was also still hurting over Tae.  She had decided the best route to go was just simply a clean break.  She would put him out of her head.  And her heart.

It was time to move on.  Hopefully, Jin would turn out to be just the antidote her heart needed.  A living doll.  A sweet guy who would appreciate her and find her ravishingly beautiful.  Someone who could help her forget Tae.  And his soft lips.

––

Yunseong wasn’t even a little nervous.  She supposed it was because she really didn’t care if Jin liked her or not.  She missed Tae.  But Tae clearly didn’t care about her.  He hadn’t even bothered to text her all week long.  Not even when she had failed to show up at his house on Tuesday morning.  Clearly, he was moving on without her.  Or, maybe, he was just stuck back in the past without her.  Either way, Tae was without her.  And it seemed to suit him just fine.

—

Yunseong had taken the opportunity this week to spend some one-on-one time with her sister.  She hadn’t wanted there to be any secrets between them.  So after Jungkook had headed home on Monday night, Yunseong had rapped on her sister’s door.  

“Can I come in?”

“Okay,” Yunyeong had responded in a muffled voice.

Yunseong had opened the door and slipped into her twin’s room.  “Oh, Yuni!  Why didn’t you tell me?  At least, I could have given you a hug!”

Yunyeong had glanced up at her with a frozen face.  She’d felt a chill wind blowing through her soul in that moment.  “What are you talking about?”

“I was here this morning when you told Jungkook.  I heard most of it.”

A tremor passed over Yunyeong’s face.  She closed her eyes.  “I didn’t want you to know.”

“Why?” Stricken, Yunseong threw herself down on the bed next to her sister and reached for her hands.  “Why not, Yuni?”

“You’ll never see me the same way again.  None of you.  Not Kookie.  Not you.”  She sounded so mournful.  “I’m now defined by what happened to me.  By one poor choice.”

“What are you talking about?  Kookie adores you!  He doesn’t care one whit about your past!  I mean, outside of wanting to see you overcome it.  And I just feel bad that I didn’t know.  That I couldn’t help you.  That you walked through the last three years alone.  And all those times I tried to interest you in another guy…I am so sorry, Yuni!”

Her sister lifted sad eyes to hers as she shook her head.  “It’s okay.  It wasn’t your fault.  I didn’t want you to know.  I still don’t want anyone to know.  I just felt like I owed Kookie something…after all he did for me.”

“Yuni, you know it wasn’t your fault…right?”

Her sister’s eyes found hers.  “But it was.  I went with him willingly.  I let him undress me.  I…I just lacked the courage to go through with it.”

“It wasn’t courage you lacked.  You were making the right choice after making several ones that compromised you.  But if he had been a worthy man, he would have left you alone and handed you back your clothes.  The man did not exercise any self-control.  He abused you.  That is not your fault.  Your heart instinctively knew he wasn’t safe.”

“But if I just hadn’t gone with him!” she mourned.

“I know.  And I’m so sorry it happened.  But, please, forgive yourself.  I can’t watch you punishing yourself, Yuni!  I can’t take it.  I want to see you happy. Please.  Forget Eunho.  Be happy with Kookie.  Embrace him.  He obviously loves you so much.”

Yunyeong stared at her sister.  “You’re really not disappointed in me?”

Yunseong shook her head.  “I love you, Yuni!  I just want to see you happy!  And I really think that – if you let him – Jungkook could make you happy.”

Now that he knew the truth…and he was still here…perhaps, perhaps he could.

—

“Wanna hang out and play MIRᴙOR tonight?” Tae texted Jungkook on Friday night.

“Sorry, can’t.  Got a double date with Yuni.”

“A double date?  With whom?”

“Jin and Yunseong.”

Tae stared at his phone.  Yunseong was going on a date with Jin now?  How many guys was she going to run through?  

Angry, he tossed his phone down on his bed.  He was just hungry, that was all.  Nothing a turtle sundae at his favorite ice cream parlor wouldn’t fix.  He hadn’t eaten much all week.  He’d lazed around feeling sorry for himself.  

First, Eunji had deserted him for Namjoon.  Then, Jungkook had left him to build Yunyeong a garden.  And now, Yunseong had left him for Jin.  But…he couldn’t really be mad at her, could he?  She wasn’t his girlfriend.  He didn’t own her.  They were, in fact, just barely friends.  So, why was he so upset?

He grabbed his car keys and headed out the door.  Time to drown his sorrows in hot fudge and caramel syrup.  

—

Tae had finished eating half his sundae when he heard the bell over the door jingle for the umpteenth time.  He wasn’t sure why, after ignoring that tinkling sound dozens of times, he looked up this time.  Maybe it was her voice he recognized?  She was laughing as she stepped into the ice cream parlor.  And gazing up at Jin like he had just hung the moon.

All that ice cream turned into a rock in the pit of Tae’s stomach.  And a lump in the back of his throat.  His eyes grappled for the nearest exit.  But, alas!  The only way out was through the doorway she’d just entered by.

He had several options.  He could sit here and hope they didn’t see him.  He could move to a table near the restrooms and make sure he was seated with his back towards them.  He could try to sneak out the door while they ordered; though that shrieking bell would probably just give him away.  Or he could hide in the restroom for the next hour.  

But he couldn’t even move a muscle.  As his eyes traced the lovely shape of Yunseong’s sweet face, he sat frozen.  Unable to think.  Unable to move.  She was truly beautiful.  How had he not noticed before?

Her honey hair was flowing in a straight curtain down past her waist.  Her emerald eyes were alight with laughter as she enjoyed something Jin was saying.  She was gazing up at him, happiness flooding her countenance.  She’d acted similarly the night Jungkook had gone to the movies with them.  Why was she so free and easy with Tae’s friends but not with him?  

She’d never looked that excited to be with him.  Her laughter didn’t flow as easily in his presence either.  Yet, of them all, she knew him the best.  Didn’t she?  So why did she seem more ill at ease with him than with Jungkook or Jin?

Just then, she glanced his way, and her clear, green eyes pierced him.  The animation fled her face.  It was as though someone had wiped her countenance free of all emotion.  He was facing a blank slate.  He hated it when her face went slack like that.  

Yunseong was anything but bland.  So why was she hiding every feeling from him now?  Her effusiveness was one of the things he loved about her.  And her transparency.  She’d always told it to him like it was.  

When he’d been breaking his heart over Eunji, Yunseong had gazed sternly at him, and admonished him.  

“Tae, you’re every bit as wonderful as your brother.  If Eunji picked him, it’s just because someone better for you is out there waiting in the wings.  Someone who will adore you.  Someone who is waiting for you to be ready for her to appear.  But when your heart has healed, the right girl will be here.  Waiting for you to notice her.”

Then she had smiled that sweet smile at him before throwing a gummy worm at his head.  He’d reached up and caught it without his eyes ever leaving hers.  Then he’d devoured it in three healthy chews.  

Tae was here.  Just one night.  She had wanted just one night in which she didn’t think of him.  Not once.  So what had the infuriating boy done?  He’d come to the ice cream parlor ahead of her.  Just as though he’d known she’d be here.  Had he intended to ruin her date?

Her eyes fenced with his for a moment, but then she turned towards Jungkook.  

“Did you tell Tae where we were going?” she hissed.

Jungkook knew her well enough.  He recognized the distress in her voice.  He shook his head.  

“No.  I didn’t tell him.”  

His eyes traveled to Tae’s.  For a moment, he stared at his best friend.  

Then, Tae stood up and grabbed his sundae.  He headed towards the door.  Turning his eyes away from them.  Jungkook wanted to shake him.  He glanced down at Yuni.

“I’ll be right back,” he whispered.  Then, he followed Tae outside.

Tae was already three stores away by the time Jungkook caught up with him.  “You’d better do something about it now.”  The words slipped from his mouth.

Tae turned around.  “What?”

“If you like Yunseong, you’d better tell her.  Tonight.  Before she moves on to someone else.”

Tae frowned.  “Yunseong clearly enjoys Jin’s company.”

“That’s because he’s nice to her.  You could be nice to her too.”

Tae stared off into the distance. “We’re just friends.  She’s not that comfortable around me.  She talks a mile a minute with you.  She laughs at Jin’s jokes.  But around me, she just…isn’t the same,” he finished lamely.

“So, why do you think that is?”

Tae shrugged as he stared at his feet.  He wished he could give his darling, little dog a hug right now.

“It’s because she’s in love with you, Tae.”

His eyes lifted to contact Jungkook’s sympathetic ones.

“But I’m not in love with her.”

“Aren’t you?” Jungkook scrunched up his nose.  “Not even a little?”

Tae just stared at him.

“I don’t want to see you wait too long.  There is definitely the potential for her and Jin to become fast friends.  And maybe something more.  It would be a shame if you miss your chance.”

Tae stared out at the passing traffic.  “I love Eunji.”

Jungkook wanted to shake him.  “You can’t have Eunji!  I don’t think you love her at all.  I think you really like Yunseong.”  He paused.  “But you’re afraid.”

Tae’s eyes collided with his.  “Afraid?  Of what?”

“Of being rejected again.  Of being hurt.  Again.”  Jungkook inhaled sharply.  “So, instead, you’re hurting Yunseong.”

“What?” Tae drew his eyebrows down over his nose.

“That girl has been breaking her heart over you for two months, Tae.  But…I think she’s given up.  Did she ever text you this week?”

Tae shook his head.  “No.  She didn’t even answer the text I sent her on Monday.”

“And you just gave up, didn’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t text her again?”

Tae shook his head.

“She’s not going to tell you that you broke her heart, Tae.  It’s not her style.  She’ll act mad at you instead.”

Tae released a long breath.  “Too much drama.”

“Too much bother, you mean.  Whatever, man.  I tried to intervene.  I’m going to encourage her to find someone else to be happy with.  She is an amazing girl, and she deserves the best.  If you’re not going to be kind to her, then I’ll encourage her to date Jin if she likes him.”

Tae felt stung.  His eyes grappled with Jungkook’s for a moment.  Then he shrugged.  

“See you around, Jungkookie.”  Then Tae headed for home.  He really needed that hug from Yeontan now.