The car was moving swiftly on the road as it neared nine pm at night. Garam was on his way back. The person who had been sitting in the passenger seat was no longer there. The silence inside the car felt both comforting and heavy to him.
His eyes kept drifting away from the road to the lock screen of his phone, where a wallpaper photo from his childhood was displayed. In it were a boy and a girl. His gaze lingered on the girl wearing a cat ear hairband.
I did the right thing he murmured.
I can't move only on my hatred it won't take me anywhere. Yes I did the right thing.... but.... Why it still defys me. He banged his hands on the steering, knuckles turning white.
"In all the times you remembered her… did I ever appear?...Did Gyu ever appear.. Beomgyu?"
"Do you miss her that much?"
Garam traces his fingers over the girl's face in the photo, as if trying to feel her.
"Does she still come to you that strongly?" Gyu's voice echoed in the back of his mind.
Yes… she does come to his mind. A lot. She still does… but.....
"In those remnants of her did I ever cross your mind. Did Gyu... beomgyu ever come to your mind.... even for a flicker of a second."
Garam clenched his teeth. That was the real problem.
The sister he used to remembered so clearly, he could never tell from her face whether it was truly belongs to her's or not. He no more remember her actual face. Whenever he looked closely, all he saw was Gyu. Beomgyu. So he stopped searching for the face. It was enough that the image in his mind felt like his sister, and that he still vaguely remembered what she was like.
A name lit up on his phone. He answered the call.
"Where are you?" a girl's voice asked.
"Why?"
"Why???" she repeated, surprised. Then, in a sarcastic tone she shot back, "You asked me to be there yourself and now ask Why?I'm alone here… I don't understand anything… Come pick me up," she growled.
"What are you on about?" He rubbed his palm over his face.
"I'm at the airport and no taxi is going toward your village!"
Garam took a deep breath. "Why did you call me specifically?" He drew another steadying breath, trying to calm his mind.
"If I had Gyu's number, I would've called her. But because of you, she can't even come here… You don't let her," she said bitterly.
Her, garam mind instantly clicked with the sound, she didn't know what she's going to uncover.
"I'm dying to meet her and you won't even give me her number." she laid down all her complaints but hearing nothing she exhaled sharply. "Am I just supposed to stand here talking to you forever? Or will you actually do something?"
Garam listened in silence.
When no reply came, she snapped, "Is there anyone else for me in this village besides you? Of course I'd call you! Who else?"
"I'm busy…" He wasn't in the mood to go back there right now.
"You were the one who told me a few days ago to come here… to see Gyu… and now you won't even come pick me up. Here I was excited to finally surprise her," she said with a fake pout. Then her voice softened a little.
"Ahh... leaving a helpless girl alone in the middle of the road… if something happens to her, who'll take responsibility? It's dark and it's raining too." she said in a weary tone but got cut back.
"You're not helpless," Garam spat seriously emphasizing each word, running a hand through his hair.
By now Gyu's flight must have already left, he thought, glancing at his watch.
"Fine, don't come… I'll talk to Aunty," she huffed and was about to hang up but garam cut her in between.
"…I'm coming."
A sharp high pitch squealed sound came out of the phone speaker with the following words "Bring Gyu along with you and don't tell her"
---
Rainwater was rushing rapidly down the hillside. Everywhere was silent. The only sound breaking the quiet of the house standing somewhat apart in a corner of this wilderness was the raindrops tapping on its wooden roof.
Hyeon sat on the balcony, holding the coffee cup on the table in front of him. Nala sat across from him. Both were silent.
Hyeon's eyes were on Nala. He wanted to say something to her. Ever since Ijeung's secret had come out, he had wanted to apologize… and there were so many other things he needed to tell her... to ask her. Since that day, conversation between them had nearly stopped and it was Hyeon who had started the silence. Nala understood he needed space to process the truth, so she hadn't pushed. Now the atmosphere was a little awkward.
He set the coffee down and cleared his throat. Once he had her attention, he said,
"We need to talk."
"About what?" Nala asked placing her cup down in her palm.
"I apologize… I accused you of all sorts of things without knowing…" This time his voice was low and deep, his eyes lowered. Then he looked at her.
"But you could have told me… Why didn't you tell me?"
"Let's just forget what happened, Hyeon," she said, trying to brush it aside but Hyeon held her gaze to keep going.
"It was our fault too… but what difference does it make now? It doesn't lessen the love for Ijeung," Nala said averting her eyes.
"Yes… it doesn't, but.." He fell quiet for a moment. Should he ask her again why she didn't trust him enough? She hadn't told him the last time either.
"You still haven't answered my question… Why didn't you tell me… that he is Laila's son?" Nala's face tightened slightly, then softened.
"Do you remember the state we were in when we first got together?"
Hyeon nodded. How could he ever forget?
That day would always stay with him... the day he lost Laila. The day he couldn't even pull her under his umbrella in the rain, when he had been forced to watch her leave before his eyes… when he had to fulfill her final wish. He had been forced to run, taking Nala with him.
He hadn't known Nala then. Their meetings had been limited to one or two chance encounters and a simple hello.
Nala began to speak. "Laila's people were after her child with everything they had. They wanted the child alive. If anyone found out somehow, it would have been dangerous… I didn't want to take that risk…" she then looked at him.
"You loved Laila. For her sake you chose me… but Laila is my sister. How could I let Laila's death go to vain like that…"
"All our medical lines, the industry, the companies... everything was in Laila's hands… After her, it would have gone to her children… and that filthy old man knew that…"
"He knew that if he could somehow get his hands on the child, everything would become his," she said through clenched teeth.
"And that old man was after you," Hyeon said. There was a bitterness in his voice.
Nala grew a little quieter.
The old geezer knew he couldn't have Laila easier so he came for Nala and to save Nala Laila offered herself.
Just then, Hyeon's phone rang and his eyes suddenly hardened.
"Right now…? You're coming here?!" he said into the phone. Panic was written all over his face.
"What happened?" Nala asked seeing his clenched jaws.
"He found out!" Hyeon said, shocked.