by Con Template
Standing beside a black Jaguar car was Tae Hyun. His cold eyes were firmly solidified on her. There was no love in them. There was only hurt, disbelief, rage, and unfathomable pain.
It was then that she knew the end had come.
He heard.
Kwon Tae Hyun had heard everything.
“Remember the stories you’ve heard of all the legends that fell from grace.”
24: The Silence of Paris
Before the changing of tides, there is always silence.
A long foreboding silence that chills the flow of blood, a prolonged silence that steals breaths, and an ominous silence that promises a flood unlike any other once the calm clears.
Such unbearable silence hovered like rain clouds over Yoori and Tae Hyun.
The ticking clock of life seemingly froze in its position while her eyes latched onto his. The cold night bit at her skin, yet it offered no distraction to Yoori, for the bigger chill she experienced was from Tae Hyun’s stare. It was a damning moment for her.
There was no doubt in her mind that Tae Hyun had heard everything Ji Hoon said about Soo Jin killing his mother.
The stunned silence deriving from Tae Hyun wouldn’t merit any other possibility than the fact that he came just in time to hear Ji Hoon announce that his mother’s death was not a suicide, but a murder. He couldn’t have come any moment before that because if so, he would’ve gone in and saved her immediately. No, Yoori thought in pained realization. By how he was acting, she could envision Tae Hyun driving past the limits of acceleration to get to her. She could envision him running out of the car, ready and willing to kill Ji Hoon once and for all—until he heard those unspeakable words.
She remembered Ji Hoon’s smile before he ran out from the opposite side of the building, away from where Tae Hyun stood, and she now understood why Ji Hoon smiled.
He knew.
He knew all along that Tae Hyun had arrived. That was why he said all those things. He wanted to destroy Yoori, and what better way to destroy her than by ripping Tae Hyun away from her—the one strong anchor holding her to the soils of life?
Her stomach twisted in violent motions. She agonized over the fact that Ji Hoon had not only managed to betray her, but the disgusting bastard also managed to put an ax through the one good thing in her life. He wanted to tear her from Tae Hyun. If he couldn’t do it by wooing her, then he would do it by spilling out Soo Jin’s dirty secret.
Yoori withered where she stood, never hating being in her own skin more. She regretted it so much. She should’ve listened to Tae Hyun and stayed in the apartment, but she was stupid and reckless. Now both of them were paying for her careless mistake.
Tae Hyun.
Her aggrieved eyes searched his.
A million different emotions flickered in his dazed eyes. The most prominent of emotions were pain, anger, and disbelief.
The sight tore at Yoori’s insides.
She had never seen Tae Hyun, with all the glory that surrounded him as the King of Serpents, so helpless. It pained her because she could feel the hurt emitting from him, as well as the anger coursing out of him. It was only when she felt the fury prevail over the hurt did Yoori’s heart crack. There was no love in his eyes, not even a flicker. He was angry. He was so angry with her.
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Tae Hyun. I didn’t know . . .
She parted her lips to speak. Her apprehensive silence was eclipsed by the sound of Kang Min’s groans. Instantaneously, Yoori was brought to reality when she recalled that she was still holding on to Kang Min who was still in excruciating pain.
Snapping out of his stupor after hearing Kang Min’s groans, the heat (and arguably hate) in Tae Hyun’s eyes transformed into alarm when he finally processed the scene before him: Yoori carrying an injured Kang Min who was badly assaulted and needed to be hospitalized immediately.
Tae Hyun ran over to them without saying anything to her. He relieved Kang Min from Yoori’s shoulder and lifted Kang Min’s numb arm over his own shoulder. In a matter of seconds, Tae Hyun was beside his Jaguar and was already carefully stuffing Kang Min into the passenger seat.
They had no time to deal with their mess; they had more important life and death matters to tend to.
Though she received no invitation to enter Tae Hyun’s car, a frazzled and worried Yoori didn’t think twice about waiting for permission. She instinctively jumped into the backseat of the car to help watch Kang Min from the back.
The velocity of the Jaguar picked up in unmatchable speed. Within seconds, they were zooming past the blurs of the city lights.
Her eyes lingering on Tae Hyun, Yoori did well to keep Kang Min awake by speaking to him and asking him innocuous questions about Hae Jin. It was the only subject that brought life to Kang Min’s tired eyes. While she spoke to him, she prayed for the fates to spare Kang Min’s life. She prayed for Kang Min’s life, and she prayed for Tae Hyun to just look at her, speak to her even if it were just to scream at her. She simply wanted him to acknowledge her. Being ignored by Tae Hyun never merited any good outcomes. Yoori feared his silence only equated to his contemplation about leaving her.
The thought tormented her.
Please . . . just talk to me, she begged in her mind, wanting some sort of confirmation that he would at least open himself to her instead of shutting her out.
The silent request fell on fate’s deaf ears.
He did not speak to her.
He did not speak to her when the paramedics wheeled Kang Min into the emergency room. He did not acknowledge her when he used his connections to get Kang Min the best doctor in Seoul. He did not talk to her when Hae Jin, Jae Won, and Chae Young came rushing into the hospital (Hae Jin in tears while Jae Won and Chae Young were as pale as ghosts). He did not look at her as he took Jae Won to the side and explained to him everything that pertained to why Kang Min was hurt, and who was the one who orchestrated Chae Young’s rape. He did not stand by her while Yoori and Chae Young comforted Hae Jin or while Jae Won brooded in anger, worrying dearly for his brother’s life. The whole time, as the three of them refused to tell Hae Jin and Chae Young how Kang Min got hurt (in fear of Hae Jin acting rash or Chae Young being pulled into things that would take away from her recovery), Tae Hyun did not speak or deign to cast his gaze in Yoori’s direction.
It was as if he was already ready to kick her out of his life and move on.
Momentary reprieve washed over Yoori when the doctor finally came out hours later and informed them that although Kang Min was badly hurt, his body was still resilient. As long as he rested in the hospital for several days and took it easy, he was going to be fine.
Sighs of relief swam into the air.
It didn’t take long for Hae Jin, Jae Won, and Chae Young to rush into Kang Min’s hospital room once he was able to have visitors. This act left Yoori and Tae Hyun alone with nothing but silence emitting from their clamped lips.
The hall was busy with hospital workers, yet the liveliness of the hall was nothing but faded background noise to Yoori. All that garnered her attention was Tae Hyun. His eyes were staring at an undetected area of the floor tiles, his mind clearly in a deep contemplation mode. He still wouldn’t look at her.
Their time together in the morning, when they hung out and did normal, heartwarming couple activities, seemed like a lifetime ago. The warm memories only acted as salt to the wound that was elongating in Yoori’s heart.
Though she didn’t exactly know what to say to Tae Hyun (what could you really say when your boyfriend finds out that it was you who killed his mother?), Yoori was desperate enough to hear his voice that she was willing to say anything to have him talk to her again.
“Tae Hyun—”
The glare that was cast in her direction was what caused her breath to still in her constricted chest.
Yoori clamped her lips shut, taken aback by the emotions reveling in his eyes.
There was an indisputable potency of rage, betrayal, and hurt that materialized i
n the warm brown eyes that used to hold so much love and adoration for her. The way he looked at her cut her like scalding knives. His eyes said it all: he did not want to talk to her or hear her voice. The only thing he wanted was to get far away from her, and he did just that.
He turned on his heels and walked away, leaving a dejected Yoori to stare helplessly at his back. He turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.
Every part of Yoori’s body screamed at her, shouted at her to chase after him. Her heart jumped in her chest as if willing her to follow him so they wouldn't lose him. Alas, the bigger part of her rationale knew that although it saddened her to have him treat her like this, she also understood that he had every right to be angry with her. He had every right to want to distance himself from her. How could she expect him to absorb the fact that in her past life, she was the one who murdered his mother? Someone he loved so much that he would’ve given anything to introduce Yoori to her?
Yoori weakly folded her arms across her chest to keep from crying. She succumbed to the weakening of her legs and allowed her back to hit the wall behind her. It went against the well-being of her desperate heart to let him walk away, but for Yoori, it was Tae Hyun’s well-being that mattered more than hers. He needed time to himself; he needed time to take in all of this. All she could do was wait for him to come back to her and pray the time he had to himself would work in her favor instead of against her.
Yoori waited for him to come home that night. He didn’t, and a part of her strength cracked. She waited the day after while visiting Kang Min. He still didn’t come, and she felt her willpower grow fainter. She waited the week after when Kang Min, much to everyone’s relief, was finally released from the hospital. Tae Hyun still didn’t appear, and she felt her heart whimper in torture. Yoori waited and waited for two weeks, her abating soul hanging on by mere strings. She wasn’t mentally strong to begin with, and the punishment she received from Tae Hyun was slowly pushing her over the edge of desperation. She was in the process of falling over the edge when the door to their bedroom finally clicked open.
Yoori lifted her head up and felt the world vibrate with colors and jump to life when she saw him.
“Hi,” Yoori said briskly, standing up from the bed. She inattentively straightened her black silk blouse over her faded blue jeans. Even subconsciously, she wanted to look good for him. It had been two weeks since she had seen him, and she didn’t want to appear unkempt.
She wore a timid smile on her face while conflicted emotions surged through her like a freight train. On one hand, she was miserable after all that had taken place in her life, but on the other hand, she couldn’t feel more elated to finally see Tae Hyun standing before her. After two weeks of no contact, only hearing about how he was doing through the brothers, he was finally with her, and Yoori couldn’t help but feel satisfied with his presence.
Her weary eyes scanned him greedily, soaking in the very image of the man who stole every inch of her once stubborn heart.
Tae Hyun was dressed in a tuxedo with a black bow tie, looking like the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. He looked like he owned the world. And as she recalled, that particular night was finally Ju Won’s 65th birthday. If everything went according to plan, then Tae Hyun would undoubtedly own the world before the night was over.
Judging by the time, Yoori gathered that Tae Hyun was late. This fact alone was what sent shivers down her spine.
Her gaze reached his eyes. She did not miss the severity of his silent gaze on her.
There was a dangerous presence to him, one that Yoori had never encountered and one that pained her to encounter. They stood close, yet he was distant. There was love in her eyes, yet his eyes were indifferent, stagnant of emotions that she couldn’t decipher. He was cold to her, and it hurt her beyond all measures. However, it didn’t dissuade her from wanting to hold on to him. Despite all the obstacles that were in her path, she did not want to give up on the one amazing thing in her life. She did not want to give up Tae Hyun.
“Are you going to Ju Won’s birthday right now?” she asked dimly, nervously playing with her fingers. She knew the answer, but all she cared about was getting him to talk to her. She missed his presence, his voice, his warmth, and him.
Fortunately for Yoori, Tae Hyun was willing to talk, but unfortunately for her, the conversation went straight into the topic that she was afraid of.
“That night,” he began steadily, showing no emotions in his dark eyes. His tone was business-like, detached. “When I was with you in the bathtub, you held on to me and asked me not to fault you for the things Soo Jin did in the past. You knew then that she killed my mother, didn’t you?”
The foundation of the little strength she stood on fractured under his question. How he asked this and how he looked at her, every part of her knew then that this was going to be the start of the worst conversation she would ever have in her life.
Swallowing uncomfortably, refusing to allow any tears to form in her eyes, Yoori stared at his impassive eyes and said, “I . . . I had a suspicion that she did, but I didn’t know for sure until Ji Hoon told—”
“Why didn’t you say anything to me?” he cut her off, not even remotely interested in what her excuse was. It was evident he was reminded of how he found out this information when she mentioned Ji Hoon’s name; this recollection only made him angrier. “For the days that followed,” he persisted scornfully, hints of fire blazing in his eyes, “all those times where I stayed by your side, held on to you, embraced you, and took care of you . . . you didn’t deign it was necessary to let me know that there was a possibility that Soo Jin had something to do with my mother’s death?”
“I wanted to tell you two weeks ago,” Yoori responded in a quiet voice, wilting like a dying rose under the wrath of the unforgiving sun. Little by little, her hope that he would understand her quandary faded. She had never felt so small and vulnerable when she stood next to him. But now, as he towered over her, his strong body emanating so much power and control, she truly felt like she was in the presence of a God, not her silly and teasing boyfriend who gave her piggyback rides in the park and berated her for making a cute fat kid cry.
“When we were walking in the street, I wanted to tell you after you mentioned your parents and how you would’ve loved to introduce me to them . . . I wanted to tell you then . . .”
“But you didn’t,” he finished for her. “You didn’t tell me anything. Instead, you waited it out until I found out everything from the one bastard I hate the most. I was at my wit’s end, worried for my girlfriend’s safety, and before I could even run into the bar, I had to casually find out that the girl who I was willing to give up my life for . . . was actually the one who took my mother’s life?”
The control on her strength faded when he broke her with this.
“I’m sorry . . .” Yoori apologized sorrowfully, knowing that Tae Hyun had every right in the world to be angry with her. He had every right in the world to be tired of her and hate her.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I wish I listened to you. I wish I stayed in the apartment. I wish it was me who told you instead of that heartless bastard.” Her voice suppressed the tears that were fighting to get past the lump in her throat. “I didn’t know how to tell you, Tae Hyun. How was I supposed to tell you something like this? How was I supposed to gather up the courage to tell you that I think I had something to do with your mother’s death?” She inhaled painfully. “I was afraid . . . I was afraid of losing you.”
There was no empathy in his eyes for her dilemma, and he made no effort to assure her that she wasn’t going to lose him. It appeared that over the course of the last two weeks, Tae Hyun had already concluded that there wasn’t anything Yoori could say to excuse her from her faults—or Soo Jin’s faults. This fact alone chafed like coals to her skin. She couldn’t help but take a step forward, her desolate eyes imploring his cold ones for a sense of warmness. He wasn’t looking at her like she was Yoori; he was lo
oking at her like she was Soo Jin, and this realization was the breaking point for her.
“You told me once that Soo Jin and I are completely different people and that you don’t see us as the same person, that what she did has no reflection on me . . .” She gazed at him despairingly, wondering how it was possible that the eyes that used to gaze at her with so much love could be so cold and hateful. “Do you not remember saying that to me?”
Tae Hyun shook his head to himself, smirking but never once allowing any warmth to seep into his eyes.
“I’ve been telling myself that for the past two weeks,” he told her, his handsome face morphing into a look of hurt. “Yet the memory of my mother, lying dead in the bathtub overshadows any justification I could make.”
He eyed her, erasing the once pained expression on his face with resolution.
“I can’t be with you,” he went on uncaringly, leaving Yoori to press her hands into her stomach to mitigate the pain that was beginning to unravel in the core of her gut. Like cancer, the pain was spreading everywhere . . .
“I can’t be with the one who took part in helping to destroy my family, and I can’t be with the one who killed my mother.” His face was now paled with unreadable emotions. “I owe my parents—my mother—too much to put my needs above my respect and love for her. The simple fact that I’m doing what I’m about to do is already spitting on her grave. I can’t do more than that.”
Yoori’s lips trembled while puzzlement filled her gaze. “Do what?”
What was he about to do?
And at last, a speck of emotion flickered in Tae Hyun’s eyes. “I kicked Kang Min and Jae Won out of the gang.”
Her eyes widened with incredulity. “What?”
“They’re out of the gang,” he repeated simply. There were finally pained emotions in his eyes and she knew that the emotions he felt weren’t due to kicking the brothers out of his gang.
“Why?”
Tae Hyun stared at her poignantly. “. . . You will leave the country tonight.”