***
Kim Woojoong arrived a couple minutes later after Chanyeol did.
But, Jiyeon didn’t expect him to be this quiet, his reaction is like he already knew about this. But when she asks, his answer is “she told me nothing”
“I don’t know how to react, I- need sometimes to think. Why she didn’t tell us anything about this. I mean we could find a solution, we could figure it out, we could talk about it, we-” Jiyeon stopped
“I’m with her last night, I even drove her back here. And last night, she said something about her aunt leaving for Canada. And she- also told me a things-to-do when… she’s not around. I barely have time for her these days because of the match-”
“Wait, that’s it. You’re busy with the match, and we’re busy with tests” Jiyeon scoffs, “there. That’s our answer. I should’ve known”
Chanyeol seems confused by Jiyeon’s statement. “What? What do you mean?”
“She didn’t want us to worry about her problems when we already have ours” Woojoong helps Jiyeon to answer Chanyeol’s question.
Jiyeon burst into tears again “I’m really mad right now. But, I can’t really mad at her. It sucks”
Jiyeon can’t stop crying and Chanyeol keeps trying to calm her down, meanwhile, Woojoong seems like he’s thinking about something.
“She- she left you a letter. I- hope you’re not giving up on her, I mean- she loves you. She does. And so do you. P- please don’t give up on her. I’m sure she- wouldn’t. So-” her voice is so weak, she’s shaking.
Chanyeol stood up and walk in his direction, and then hand him a letter. With ‘Kim’ written on its envelope. He gets this terrible feeling as soon as he takes it from Chanyeol.
Jiyeon wonders, why is he so quiet, what’s on his mind. Is he mad?
“Yah, where are you- ” Chanyeol can’t finish his word, even if he did. Woojoong will not hear him- he already left the room without saying a word.
“Dude, where are you going?!” yelled Chanyeol, “don’t be so selfish. It’s not only about you, there are Jiyeon and me too, in case you forget.”
Woojoong turn his back to face Chanyeol, “You don’t understand”
“Look, I know she means a lot to you, and I know you love her, but so do I.” Chanyeol says, “I never want to give up, but yesterday I realize I don’t have to. But, I need to. It might be possible for me to have her, but I will never have her heart because you already did. And I hate you for that”
Woojoong still listening “what I’m trying to say is… whatever is written on that stupid letter is not what she really want to say- you know that. She loved you, dude. And you should be thankful for that. Like Jiyeon already said, I hope you don’t give up on her. She leaves because she doesn’t have a choice.” Chanyeol leaves him standing there alone.
He said what? He loved her? Jiyeon actually can hear it clearly from Catherine’s room without him knowing. It’s weird she didn’t know about Chanyeol’s feeling all these time. She usually knows everything about people around her.
It’s not because she can read mind or anything but because she pays a lot of attention to her surroundings, she observed, so she knew. Catherine once told her to take psychology once she graduates from high school and she thinks that’s a good idea. But, who knows what will she take later?
She doesn’t have a choice. Does she?
***
This morning, 00.02 a.m KST
The flight is about to take off. Catherine chooses to take the window seat, she loves the view of the sky.
She put her earphone and start to play her playlists on shuffle.
You should get some rest for sure. He said. “Goodbye” and she closes her eyes, wishing she’ll wake up when everything’s back to the way it used to. Back to the way she wants it to be.
Washington Dulles Int Airport (IAD), current time.
“I didn’t know that 13 hours flight will be this tiring…..” Catherine walks through the crowd hoping to find an empty seat at waiting room to wait for her brothers to pick her up.
And gotcha!
She put her luggage beside her and lean her head on it. It’s such a big luggage she got there, and there’s a lot of stuff in it, that’s why it’s heavy. Very very heavy.
“Where are they… shouldn’t they supposed to be here already?”
Meanwhile,
“Excuse me I’m sorry to interrupt you, but, Mrs Ralph keeps on calling your cell phone. I think it’s urgent” whisper the girl “it’s been the twentieth time since an hour ago”
“If she calls again-”
The girl showing the phone-screen to him “There, it’s her again”
“I’ll take it, thank you”
“Hello? What is it, mom? I’m in a meeting right now-”
“WHAT MEETING ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Didn’t I already told you to cancel all the schedule for today!? Catherine’s flight arrived an hour ago! She must have been waiting for you two! I can’t believe you let her being at the airport by herself at this kind of hour”
“I-I’ll go now, I’ll pick her up. So, don’t worry. I-I’m sorry”
“I already worried like crazy. Ben is on his way to the office. Wait for him”
“Alright- mom” She hung up the call. He sighed. How could he forget?
Catherine is still waiting for her brothers to come, her Ipod’s battery is about to die. It means that she’ll get bored when it dies.
She doesn’t have any dollars nor a phone to call someone. I mean, she does have a phone but it’s not working here. She should get a new number first. Right?
Its been 2 hours and a half. Where are they?
“Are you sure it’s the terminal, buddy? I mean its quite empty” he looks around to find a sign of people to enlighten him “it’s really-really empty”
“I’m sure. Mom said… Are you even listening to me?”
“No, I’m not listening to you. Sam, look! Isn’t she pretty? She’s so pretty!” he can’t take his eyes off of what he saw. “There, the girl who just came out from the bathroom Sam”
Sighs. “Ben, you’re drunk”
“SAM, I THINK IT’S HER”
Catherine walks straight, back to the waiting room. She’s been here for almost 3 hours now, and it has been the fourth times she’s going to the bathroom. And they’re still not here-
“Hi there, little girl.”
Her heart beats faster, she’s kinda feel triggered. There’s a stranger tailing her after she came out from the toilet. Geez, no, please. Go away. They laugh. Yes, it’s ‘they’ because she’s sure it’s more than one people.
She runs as fast as she can, without even looking back- but, this luggage really slowing her down. WHY ARE THEY RUNNING TOO? WHY ARE THEY COMING AFTER ME?
“Hey no! Wait!” No, no, go away.
She keeps running until she found a… Dead end. There’s no other way, and she’s tired. She can’t keep running.
So, she stopped, looking down and covering her face also, closing her eyes. She’s scared. “No, please don’t hurt me. I got no cash, please let me go”
No answer. These guys said nothing. And then they laugh. Out loud.
“Of course, I’m not going to hurt you, Catherine,” he said. They know my name.
“I’m not a bad guy, or a pervert” he laughs, again. “Sam, can you believe it? she thinks we’re random strangers going after her”
Sam? She opened her eyes, “Ben? Ben! I missed you so much!” she falls into his embrace. Hugging him so tightly.
“Uh- sorry? But it’s not only Ben who came here” the other guy said that Catherine gave him giggles before she comes closer to hug him after she let go of Ben.
“Sam! I miss you, both.”
“Welcome back, Cat.” he ruffles her hair. “Let’s go home, you must be very tired. We owe you a sorry…”
They arrived at the house. A house where these 3 siblings supposed to grow up together, as a whole. A simple house still looks the same as she remembered. A white-brown themed house.
“You guys changed the colour…”
“We… didn’t. We just… renew it? Yeah, it’s the same colour. It’s just… new.” Ben said. He’s still busy with the luggage that Catherine brought. He sighs desperately. “Catherine, it’s so heavy!”
“Oh, I’m sorry! Let me help!”
Sam is busy with the car, he should park it in the basement so it’s just her and Ben outside the house trying to get the luggage in.
They really have a hard situation, before the front door opened.
“Oh! You’re here… Ed! Here. Help with the luggage!” Showing a 25-30 old lady. The lady said, half shouting. After she said that, a Man come out from the house.
“I’ll handle this, Ben. You can get in” says the man.
Ben let him have the heavy luggage, “Come on, Cat. Let’s get inside, I know you’re tired” he leads the way as if she’s new to the area when the truth is she didn’t. She remembers everything.
“So, this is your ‘old room’ still next to mine, and we didn’t change anything on the inside. We just…”
“Re-new it?” She giggles.
Ben raise his eyebrows. “No, we just cleaned it. I mean- we just let them clean it. Nothing changed. If you want it to be ‘re-new’ let me know. Okay?”
She nods. “Alright. Cat… I think I’m going to sleep, I have a morning class tomorrow. Is that… okay?”
“Of course! You look really tired, besides, everything is settled. If I need anything I'll just help myself out. It’s my home. So, I should make myself feel at home.”
He ruffles her hair. “Same old Catherine”
She pushes him away playfully, “Shoo, Ben. You should sleep”
“Hey! Okay, No need to push me!” he laughs, before getting inside his room. “Goodnight, Cat. See you tomorrow, after class.” Says him smiling, then he closes his door.
Tsk. She giggles. God knows how much she missed this. How much she missed them.
“Oh, Catherine, You’re here. Mary already makes some foods downstairs, you should eat something before going to sleep. I’ll tell her to get the bath ready if you want?”
She bites her lower lips. “I…”
Sam raises his eyebrows, this raising-eyebrows is surely something.
“I’ll tell her myself. You can sleep if you want too, it’s pretty late” she stares at him. “And you’re tired, I bet.”
He sighs. “I really am”
“I’ll help myself out, don’t worry about me. You can sleep, Sam. Anyway, you said the food is ready? I’m going downstairs then…” She’s about to go downstairs when he called out her name.
“Goodnight, Cat.”
“Goodnight.”
