“Um.” Yoongi glanced at his watch. And made a decision to lie to her. “I didn’t realize how late it is. I’m supposed to be meeting a friend in a half hour. Can we do this another time?”
He wasn’t meeting her eyes anymore. He was lying. She could feel it. She felt the weight of his false words crushing her heart. He didn’t want to play for her.
“Hey,” she spoke softly. “It’s okay. You don’t have to lie to me to make me feel better. I get it. You don’t want to play for me. And I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do. Especially for me.” She’d stressed anything and me extra hard.
She pulled her hand away from his and rubbed her forehead. “Look. You’re right. It’s getting late. I have to work in the morning. I need some sleep. I’ll…see you…around.”
She tried so hard not to let her voice break on the last word, but it followed her heart. Which he had just shattered. She couldn’t trust a guy who would lie to her. No matter how sweet he was. Or how many kind things he’d done for her.
She walked towards his door.
“Nari.”
It was just a breath. She couldn’t even be sure that she’d heard him clearly. But she didn’t turn around to find out.
Helplessly, Yoongi watched her walk out the door.
Then he ambled out to his kitchen and got rip-roaring drunk. Those three bottles of wine on his counter came in quite handy that night.
—
He waited three days to visit the company. He filled out the job application. And spoke with the head of the Human Resources department. Who instantly fell in love with him. He was hired on the spot. They needed someone to work in the mailroom immediately.
He explained that he had a month of school left, but that he could work a full shift every evening until he graduated. Then he could spend his summer working whatever hours they required. This was agreed to.
He sighed. He and his piano were suffering a breakup. At least for a little while anyway.
—
She packed the final box. The last item Nari set on the top was the pair of shoes he’d bought her. She’d never worn them after their first date. But she just couldn’t bring herself to toss them. She sighed as she closed the box. Those shoes would always remind her that, for a short season of her life, a sweet boy named Yoongi had been the soul of kindness to her.
—
Nari surveyed her apartment. Not hers anymore. She’d packed everything up. Her appa had helped her to carry all her boxes down to the moving van. She was going home.
As she stood in her apartment staring at the room that used to house her bed, hot tears began to slide down her cheeks. She’d almost gotten her first kiss in that room.
Yoongi had lain in her bed and sobbed like his whole heart was breaking. She wondered if he was still crying like that. Or if he’d drunk the three bottles of wine instead. Just so that he didn’t have to feel the pain.
She hadn’t seen him since that night. Three weeks ago. She hadn’t heard from him either. He had simply disappeared.
Now, it was her turn.
“Nari,” her appa’s soft voice sounded behind her. “It’s time to go.”
She reached up and brushed her tears away before turning towards him. “I know.”
She was so lonely. It was a hundred times worse now. Since she’d met Yoongi. And left Yoongi. She was hoping that moving back in with her parents would brighten her spirits. And chase the loneliness away.
Her appa studied her face. “What’s wrong?”
Her eyes met his. “I know you didn’t like Yoongi, Appa, but no man has ever been as good to me as he was.”
He frowned. “Not even me?”
She glanced up at him. “You’re my appa. You don’t count. And there is one big difference between you and Yoongi.”
“What’s that?”
“He would never make me the price of his working with someone else.”
Ouch.
That little dart had sunk all the way down into the bottom of his heart.
“You think I should work with his appa.”
“I think that we entered into a family squabble, and Yoongi chose to act immaturely that night to wreak vengeance on his appa. He wanted to embarrass him so that he would stop trying to force Yoongi to marry a girl he didn’t love. He had no idea that I was the girl they were setting him up with. Had he known, he would have acted quite differently.”
“Still, I question his character. He should have more honor for his appa than that.”
She sighed. “Yes. I agree. He does have a bit of an anger problem. Which he tries to medicate with wine. It’s not ideal.”
“It’s so much less than ideal.” He sighed. “I don’t want to see you brokenhearted. I would rather see you married to a good man you didn’t love – a man who would treat you right – than to see you chained to an abusive drunk who had the ability to rip your heart out.”
She stared into his eyes. “I know you love me, Appa. It’s just…I thought Yoongi did too. But, I guess, I guess I was wrong!” she gasped as she ran out of the apartment.
She didn’t want to see it ever again. Too many memories. From just one night.
