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Chapter 12: A Blast from the Past – January 25 – 29, 2022

One night a couple of weeks later, as the two of them cooked dinner together, Yunseok asked her a question that had long been plaguing him.

“Heejin, why did you move in with me?

She heaved a deep sigh.  “Things were getting worse at home.  My appa was beginning to attempt to control my every waking moment.  It’s been getting steadily worse since I moved back from Seoul a little over a year ago.  The night you dropped me at home, after we went apartment shopping, he read me the riot act for an hour and told me he expected me to be home before sunset each night.  I’m twenty-three years old!  Then he told me that because my car was being so problematic he would just loan out one of his cars and drivers to me.  But I think he really wanted to keep tabs on me.  He’s also been hinting at marrying me off to the son of one of his oldest friends.”  

She shuddered as she thought of Beopdung.  She had never liked him.  He had been her brother’s best friend for years.  And he was a player.  She’d seen him use many girls.  She was determined that she would not be one of the girls on that long list.  She wanted nothing to do with him.  She certainly didn’t want to be married to such a man.

“When I failed to connect with any of the boys at the ball I threw for Hobi and Minsu, my appa began to grow impatient with me.  I led him to believe the ball was an attempt on my part to find a husband.  But, of course, that wasn’t my aim at all.”

“You don’t want to marry the guy he picked out for you?”

She shuddered.  “Not in my worst nightmare.”

His eyebrows flew high.  “He’s that bad?”

“Worse,” she muttered.

“Why don’t you just tell your appa your concerns?” he asked casually.

She turned to stare at him.

“I’m afraid of my appa,” she whispered.

Startled, Yunseok turned his head to glance down at her.  “What?”

“My appa is sometimes a very scary man.”

She had found the courage to leave home, but she never would have if not for Yunseok and the safe harbor with which he had provided her.

Yunseok furrowed his brow.  “He is?”  

This might explain the fragility he had sensed in her.  Something deeper than just neglect.

She nodded.  “I didn’t test him much, so usually his hostility wasn’t directed at me.  But my brother…” she shuddered.  “They’ve had some tremendous fights in recent years.  Especially when one or both of them are drunk.  And it’s all been so much worse of late…”

Yunseok had no idea what to say to her.  “I am so sorry, Heejin.  I was clueless.”

“Of course, you were.  I never said anything.  I’ve never spoken of these things to anyone.  Not even Minyeon.”

Yunseok’s heart broke for her.  He came from such a loving family.  He couldn’t imagine growing up as she had.  Even his stepfather was a wonderful person.

“Heejin.” 

He paused.  He didn’t want to ask this question.  He wasn’t even sure that he really wanted an answer to it.  But if she could live it, the least he could do was hear it. 

“Has your appa ever abused you?  Physically?”        

As her eyes met his, no words were necessary.  His heart felt crushed under the weight of the sorrow he read there. 

“Often?”

“For a season of my life.  Until I learned how to appease him.” 

He had never abused her as badly as he’d damaged her brother.  She winced as she recalled the times she’d witnessed those beatings.  She’d taken to fleeing to her bedroom, bolting the door, and hiding under her bed during such episodes.

“Did he strike you when you told him you were quitting work and moving out?”

“No,” she responded quietly.  “It was the strangest thing.  I expected him to.  But he seemed satisfied simply knowing I would no longer be his responsibility.  I told you he never wanted me.”

Suddenly, her face crumpled.  Yunseok dropped the knife he was holding and pulled her into his arms. 

“I want you, Heejin.  I want you,” he whispered the words over and over to her as his lips brushed the top of her head and his arms cradled her close to his heart.  He had the sinking feeling that he and Heejin had a lot of work to do before they would have unearthed all the hurt her family had caused her.

––

A month after Heejin moved out, her eomma began to miss her terribly.  Her husband had been out of town for a whole week.  And he would be gone for another week still.  She picked up her phone and called her daughter.

“Heejin.  Are you ready to come home?” were the first words out of her mouth.

“I am never coming home, Eomma.  I have found a refuge here with Seok.”

“Is he your boyfriend?” she asked her daughter.

“Yes.”

“Are you sleeping with him?”  Her question was greeted by silence.  So her mother continued, “I slept with your appa before I married him.  And look where that got me.”

“Seok is nothing like Appa!” Heejin cried out passionately.  “He’s tender and sweet and protective.  Seok would never lay a hand on me!”

Her mother winced.  They’d both had the bruises to prove that she couldn’t say such a thing about her husband.

“I want to see you.  I’d like to meet your boyfriend.  Would you…would you both come for dinner on Saturday night?  Appa won’t be here.  He’s out of town for a while…”

“Are you sure?  You’re positive he won’t be home?”

“He won’t be.”

“What about Eunho?”

Her eomma shrugged.  “You know I don’t control that boy.”

“Eomma, he‘s hardly a boy.  He’s twenty-eight years old!”  Heejin sighed.  “We can’t come this week.  We’re going out with Seok’s sister and her husband.”

“Bring them!  Bring them all to dinner.  Please.  I miss you.  I’ll work around your schedule.  We can set dinner at any time you want.”

Heejin heaved a mammoth sigh.  She didn’t want to set foot in that house ever again.  But she did miss her mother.  “I’ll talk to Seok and Yuni and get back to you, Eomma.”

––

Yunyeong felt her heart pick up speed as Jungkook pulled into the long driveway.  It couldn’t be.  It wasn’t possible.  She took a deep breath to steady herself.  Her eyes fluttered shut, and she concentrated on her breathing as too many echoes overwhelmed her.   She hadn’t set foot in this house for six years.  She had absolutely no desire to ever again step past those front doors.  But…surely, this house must have been sold sometime in the intervening years.  Right?  This home belonged to Heejin’s parents now.

A few moments later, Jungkook opened her door.  They made their way to the home’s impressive double doors.  But Yunyeong was trembling with every step.

Distracted by the grandeur of the house before them, Jungkook didn’t notice her distress.  Instead, he verbalized his wonder, “Wow.  Just exactly how rich are Heejin’s parents?”

But Yunyeong didn’t respond to him, so he answered himself, “As rich as Croesus, if this house is anything to judge by.”

Jungkook knocked on the door.  A moment later, a butler opened it.  Yunyeong sighed with relief when she didn’t recognize him.  He ushered them into the foyer.  But before he could direct them anywhere else, a sweet voice sounded from the staircase above them.

“Hi!  Welcome to my parents’ house.” 

They all looked up to see Heejin barreling down the steps towards them.  As her foot touched the bottom step, a booming voice sounded from behind her.

“Heej, who are all these people?”

That voice reverberated on the inside of Yunyeong.  She stood rooted to the spot.  Petrified.   Unable to tear her eyes away from the tall, young man descending the stairs behind Heejin.  A moment later, he came to stand next to his sister.  He towered over her.  His powerful physique exuded strength and something else.  Something menacing.

Jungkook felt his wife tense and was instantly on alert.  

“Yuni, what’s the matter?” he bent to whisper in her ear.

But before she could answer, the young man’s eyes slid her way, and he jumped.  Jungkook saw it out of the corner of his eye.  

“Yunyeong!” The man followed up his astounded expression with a sharp word.

Heejin glanced at her brother.  “You know Yunyeong?” she asked, surprised.

He nodded, then a sickly smile swamped his face.  “She was once my girlfriend.”

Jungkook’s eyes grew wide as saucers.  Yunyeong’s husband took one long look at the man before turning his head to peer into Yuni’s frozen face again.  As understanding dawned, his hands balled into fists. 

“Then you and I need to speak outside,” Jungkook replied quietly.  

Eunho glanced at him.  The man beside Yunyeong had a cool expression in his eyes that, for some reason, chilled him to the bone.  But he ignored his response and queried carelessly, “Who are you?”

“I’m Yunyeong’s husband,” Jungkook breathed.  “I’m here to collect on the debt you owe her.”

Heejin’s brow furrowed.  “Debt?”  She glanced sharply at her brother.  “Eunho?  What is he talking about?  You owe Yuni a debt?”

“He does.  A debt of honor,” Jungkook clarified.

But Yunyeong reached out and slid her fingers along his.  As her hand wrapped around his own, she whispered.  “It’s all right, Kookie.  It looks to me like he already paid it.”

Jungkook’s eyes flew to meet hers.  “What do you mean?”

She leaned up to whisper in his ear.  “Can’t you see that his lip is messed up?  He used to be quite handsome.  Someone has stolen the beauty from his lower lip.”

Jungkook’s eyes traced the scar under Eunho’s lower lip.  “What happened to your lip?” he asked.

Heejin’s eyes studied her brother’s chin for a moment.  “Yes.  Eunho, you never would tell me how you got that nasty injury.  What happened?”

Eunho’s face transformed into a mask of rage for a moment as his eyes burned hotly into Jungkook’s.  “It was nothing, Heejin.  I tripped down some stairs and bit through my lip.”

“What a nasty accident,” Jungkook murmured in a deadly tone.  “You’d best be careful the same accident doesn’t befall your upper lip.”

Eunho paled as he read the serious intent in Jungkook’s eyes.  He cleared his throat.  “Heej, I need to be going.  I’m supposed to meet some friends tonight.”

She glanced up at him and sighed with relief.  “You’re not staying for dinner?”

Eunho strategically avoided everyone else’s gaze.  “I am not.  You’ll be just fine without me.  Believe me.  You do not want me here.”  With those mysterious words, he headed for the door.

As it closed behind him, she glanced at her guests.  “I am so sorry.  My brother has always been a bit of a wild one.  It’s hard to get him to commit to anything that doesn’t involve wine and women.”  

Then she met Yunyeong’s eyes again.  “When did you date my brother?”

Through frozen lips, Yunyeong responded, “Six years ago.”

“Ah, that explains it.  I must have been away at school then.”  She smiled at Yunyeong,

Just then, Yunseok appeared in the foyer.  He had walked through the door as Eunho departed. 

Yunseok took one look at Yunyeong’s pale face and queried, “Yuni?  What’s wrong?”

Jungkook met his eyes.  But it was Yunyeong who spoke.  “As it turns out, Seokie, I know Heejin’s brother,” she whispered.

Confused, he questioned her.  “What?”

“He was my first boyfriend.”  Her eyes met his as she spoke those five fateful words. 

His eyes widened and flew to Heejin’s.

“What?  What is it?” Heejin asked.  She had felt all the air just get sucked out of the room, but she didn’t understand why.

Yunseok and Jungkook both glanced at Yunyeong.  This was her secret.  Neither of them was going to spill it.

Yunyeong turned her eyes towards Heejin and swallowed.  Then her eyes left Heejin’s face to travel across the foyer and up the staircase. 

“Come with me,” she responded to Heejin. 

Then Yunyeong began to climb the stairs. 

Heejin looked at Yunseok.  “Where is she going?”

“Let’s follow her and find out.”

—

Yunyeong grasped her courage with both hands.  Eunho had ripped away her maidenhead on a night six long years ago, leaving her forever scarred.  And scared.  Or so she had thought.  But an odd thing had happened to her as she’d faced him in the foyer a few moments ago.  And gazed at a face that wasn’t nearly as handsome as she’d remembered it being. 

It wasn’t just because he had a scar now either.  The years had not been kind to him.  He had grown harder.  She could tell by the steel in his glare.  And something else that hovered around his mouth.  But seeing that scar had made her realize something else.  Eunho had not escaped unscathed.  Every single vile act that he committed further damaged his own soul.  It left scars on his heart.  He was simply so hardhearted that he hadn’t noticed.  But perhaps one of these days he would.  Maybe something would occur to wake him up to the awful state of his own soul. 

As she walked down the hallway towards his room, she suddenly wondered what had to happen to a boy to turn him into a monster.  What secrets hid within these walls?  What, besides her own pain, had they witnessed over the years?  She shuddered as she contemplated the possibilities.  And an odd thing happened to her tender heart. She had a sudden vision of a tiny boy cowering before a violent man.  And she wondered if such a scenario had ever played itself out in Eunho’s life.  Was there a reason that he had become so awful?

She stopped outside of his bedroom door.  She reached for the knob and turned it before entering a room she had once sworn she would never set foot inside of ever again.  But as she stepped over the threshold, she discovered that this room had lost its power over her.  As had the man who had robbed her of her virginity here.  She walked over to his bed after flipping the light switch to turn on the overhead lamp.   

Heejin had followed her.  As had Yunyeong’s brother and husband.  She was well-protected in this room now, Yunyeong realized.  She glanced at the bed for a moment before turning to look at them all.

“Why are we in my brother’s room?” Heejin asked.

“Because I wanted you to see the place where Eunho raped me when I was sixteen.  The last time I saw him.”

Heejin’s mouth fell open.  She stared blankly at Yunyeong for a moment.  But then a sudden memory flashed before her.  Something she’d rather not remember. 

She’d once had a friend, Bitdasom, who had come to spend the night when she’d been fourteen.  That friend had never returned to her house.  Heejin had, in fact, had several girlfriends who had stayed overnight only once and then had never spoken to her again.  It was the truth she hadn’t told Yunseok.  The secret that was too dark to reveal.

Now she recalled that Bitdasom had been lying in her bed in the middle of the night crying.  Heejin had awoken to the sound of her friend sobbing sometime after three in the morning.  She had asked her what was wrong.  Now she remembered her reply.  A response she had shoved way down to the bottom of her memory bank.  She didn’t want it disturbing any of her own echoes.

But now Bitdasom’s words reverberated, bouncing off the walls of the hallways of her memory, “Your brother grabbed me when I walked down to the bathroom.  He came from out of nowhere.  He was kissing me.  And running his hands all over me.” 

She had clearly been terrified.  Lying, shaking like a leaf, in Heejin’s bed.

Heejin had been mortified.  Frozen.  She hadn’t known what to say.  She hadn’t been willing to admit that she had once awoken to his hands on her.  Slipping under her shirt.  It had happened only once.  She’d always made sure to lock her door each night after that.  But it was the reason she’d asked her mother if she could go to a boarding school in Seoul for high school.  She’d stayed there for college too.  And locked her bedroom door every night since she’d returned to Busan.  Until she’d moved in with Yunseok, an honorable man.

She had never told Yunseok that her brother’s presence in her appa’s house was the driving force behind her choosing to move in with him.  As soon as she’d seen the locks on the doors at his apartment, she’d believed she would be safer with a stranger than in her own house with her brother.  Or with her appa.  Minyeon’s death wasn’t the only nightmare that haunted her dreams.  However, she’d found a respite from all her storms.  Yunseok had been kinder to her in the first hours they’d spent together than the men of her own family had been in over twenty years.

The odd thing was that when she’d moved home over a year ago, she had begun to sleep with a can of pepper spray under her pillow.  In addition to locking her bedroom door.  She had marveled that Yunseok seemed to be able to read her mind.  Oddly enough, his seemingly supernatural sensitivity to her greatest fear was what had made her feel secure in his presence.

She still didn’t trust her brother.  She remembered his cruelty as a child.  On more than one occasion he had shoved her into a wall when his temper had gotten the best of him.  He’d even hit her a few times.  She had learned to avoid him at a very early age.  She was still avoiding him.  And Yunyeong had just reminded her of all the reasons she had fled from this house at fifteen.  She’d run all the way to Seoul to evade her brother and her appa.  She had only been sorry that she’d had to come back.

Yunyeong, Yunseok, and Jungkook were all staring at Heejin.  She was standing at the foot of her brother’s bed like one in a trance.  Her mouth was hanging open, but her eyes were glazed over.  She appeared to be peering into a time none of them could see.

“Heejin?” Yunseok questioned her quietly.  “Are you all right?”

She blinked suddenly and responded, “You’re right, Yuni.  This house is horrible.  Let’s leave it.  Right now.”

Yunyeong stared at her in astonishment.  “What about your eomma?”

“We’ll invite her out to dinner with us.”

But Yunseok wasn’t satisfied with this conversation.  It was as though she hadn’t heard his sister.  Or she had ignored her. 

“Heejin.  Did you hear what Yuni said about your brother?”

However, Yunseok soon realized he’d been wrong.  He watched in consternation as tears pooled in Heejin’s eyes.  She nodded her head, and several teardrops cascaded down her cheeks. 

“I am so sorry you experienced that, Yuni.”  Her eyes met the younger girl’s.  “My brother is horrid.  Just horrid.”

With those words, she dashed out of his room and back down the hallway before taking the stairs two at a time.  Meanwhile, the other three still stood in Eunho’s bedroom.  They were all staring at each other.

“He did something to her,” Yunyeong murmured. 

Yunseok swallowed and bobbed his head.  He had the same feeling.

Jungkook glanced sharply at his wife.  “What makes you think so?”

“She wasn’t surprised.”

“Not even remotely,” Yunseok responded.

And then he remembered something Heejin had said once.  That, after spending just one night at her house, all her school friends had deserted her.  Did her brother have a long history of abusing his sister and her friends?  Had he raped Heejin? 

Yunseok felt sick to his stomach.  What if the girl he loved was so much more broken than she’d ever let him believe?