She had already written the third letter and attached her name to it. And mailed it. She couldn’t take it back. Though, now she wished she could. She found a quiet park and sat down on its bench. And wept. She mourned the loss of her innocence. She cried because she truly didn’t know what to do. And the one person she had hoped could help her had failed her. Disappointed her.
Were all men cruel at heart? They came off all charming and caring, but when you got to know them, deep down, you found only ashes? The remains of all your dreams they’d burned up.
She sat quietly sobbing on that park bench for a good hour. Or more to the point, a sad hour. She had no idea what to do now.
—
The next day, Jong brought him another letter. He opened it immediately. Now, he had two girls on his mind. The mysterious one who had written these letters and the platinum blond from the coffee shop. The one with the extraordinary eyes. That held such sadness. He still felt awful about yesterday morning. He’d returned to the cafe this morning hoping she’d come back. But he hadn’t seen her. Much to his disappointment.
The letter began abruptly again. No, “Dear Yoongi.”
“I told him I’d move in with him next weekend. It was stupid, I know. But he was winding up, getting angrier and angrier, and I could see the hurricane about to strike me, so I said the one thing I knew would placate him.
“Now I’m terrified of what will happen if I don’t follow through on my promise. He has begun to come over to my apartment with boxes to pack. Last night, he started putting my stuff in them and berating me for not packing faster. I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do.
“Thank you for your VLIVE. I now believe that you’ve read my letters. And that you want to help me. So I’ve signed this letter. But would you really come find me, even if you could? And what could you do anyway? But thank you, Yoongi, for reaching out to me. For caring about me.”
This time it was signed. Shining Star was Anastasia. She had already said she wasn’t from South Korea. But where was she from? And where was she now? Though he searched both the letter and the envelope, he found no return address. He groaned in frustration.
