CHAPTER 25
Another month passed and everything was already going well for Ellie and Micky.
While Jaejoong felt like he was being tortured every time Ellie entered his mind. Somehow he still couldn’t stop himself from feeling regret and envy. Micky has been taking good care of Ellie and he was very thankful for this. But it was still bringing him pain and he couldn’t deny this.
Today was one of those days that he wanted to just fade away so he could no longer feel the loneliness and pain. It was Lena’s birthday… the same day that he lost her….
Micky and Ellie had gone out early in the morning to celebrate. And it was already passed 10pm, but Micky still hasn’t returned.
Jaejoong suddenly decided to go out and take a stroll. He needed to take a break and he wanted to forget even for just a short while.
“Where are you going?” Yunho asked as soon as he saw Jaejoong walk out of his room.
“I am going out for a while,” Jaejoong quickly replied with a low voice.
“It’s late. Would you like us to go with you? Maybe you can use some company?” Xiah asked with concern.
Jaejoong quickly smiled and tried to hide the sadness in his eyes. “I am fine. Don’t worry. I will just take a walk.”
“But hyung, don’t you think…” Max was about to say something else when Yunho suddenly stopped him.
“Let him go…. He needs some time to be alone… Go, just don’t forget to take your phone. Just in case, you need us,” Yunho said with a smile.
“Thank you,” Jaejoong uttered before finally leaving their apartment. Minutes passed….
Jaejoong was now wondering the streets without any specific destination. He felt like he just wanted to walk and walk until the night passed and it was already a new day. He couldn’t stand seeing Micky or Ellie happy in each other’s company. So he decided to leave the apartment before they returned.
“What do I do now?” he started to ask himself.
“How about we go and eat ice cream?” A girl’s voice said.
Jaejoong quickly turned around, quite surprised. It was then he realized that the girl who talked was a girl that was also walking behind him, together with her boyfriend.
Jaejoong couldn’t help but smile. “Ice cream… Lena likes ice cream so much that even if she’s sick she would still request for one,” he suddenly thought. It was then he quickly shook his head as if to erase Lena’s memory from his mind. He needed to forget, even for a few hours… He needed to forget or else he would go crazy.
He quickly went inside a bar. And within minutes, he was already drowning himself in a bottle of whisky. One… two… three… he continuously kept on pouring himself more and more just to keep himself occupied. He needed to leave the memories behind. He didn’t have the heart to remember everything again.
It was already passed 2am…
Jaejoong looked at his watch and smiled. The horrible day has passed… He’s free… He quickly took out a large amount of money and placed it on the cashier’s counter. He knew it was more than enough to cover for everything he drank. He then quickly left the bar and strolled the streets again with a smile on his face. Somehow he was already feeling the effect of the large amount of liquor that he had taken in.
“Strange… I don’t get drunk so easily… So why is it I am feeling so light-headed?” he asked himself.
He then stopped and started to look around. He was now standing in front of a very familiar place. Again he looked around, but not a single person was in sight. It was like the entire place was deserted.
“Where am I?” he asked himself again as he tried to think hard. The place he was looking at was very familiar yet he couldn’t really remember where or what was the name of the place.
He continued to walk…. He walked and walked until…
He suddenly heard a scream… He quickly rushed to where the scream came from… And as soon as he saw where the scream came from, he immediately froze…. The same scene…. The same maddening scene was being replayed in front of him…
Lying helpless on the ground was Lena. Her clothes were already torn and a young man was already touching her while the other men were just watching and laughing…
Again he saw the tears that were falling from Lena’s eyes. A small piece of cloth was stuffed into her mouth so she could no longer make any sound. He knew he needed to help…
He immediately rushed to her side. But as he tried to grab the guy that on top of Lena, his hands just passed straight through the guy’s body. He tried to grab the guy again, but his hands just continued to pass through the man’s body. It was like he was trying to hold on to a ghost.
He continuously tried to stop the guy from molesting Lena. But everything he did was useless. The young man just kept on touching her greedily. While the other guys around them were just watching and laughing.
Jaejoong screamed. Everything was driving him mad. It was happening again.
Then… the young man started to rape Lena. Jaejoong felt like he wanted to kill the man in front of him… And he also wanted to kill himself… He was the main reason why this horrible thing happened…
The man continued to rape Lena. And after he was finished, his friends took turns in raping Lena…. over and over again.
Jaejoong cried. It was the only thing he could do.
Suddenly everything became black…
**********************
“Are you all right?” a girl’s voice asked.
Jaejoong slowly opened his eyes…. ‘Was he dreaming’….
Somehow he couldn’t believe it… standing in front of him was the woman he had been dreaming of and waiting for…
“Lena, is it really you? Happy Birthday…. I didn’t mean to forget about your birthday…. I… I…” Jaejoong suddenly cried.”I didn’t mean to forget your birthday… I know I was a fool… Forgive me… Please I am begging you…” he said with a low voice. He was still drunk. And the effect of the alcohol he took was too much that he unexpectedly fell into a deep sleep again.
The woman somehow froze… She was confused on what to do next… Just a few minutes passed….
“Do you think you can help me to get him into the taxi?” the woman asked the taxi driver and another man that she hired to help her get the unconscious Jaejoong into the taxi.
The old man unconsciously scratched his head as if confused. “Are you sure you want to take this man home with you? I mean… do you know him? You do know it’s not safe to bring home strangers, don’t you?” the man said with concern.
The girl nodded. “Don’t worry. I know what I am doing…”
The other man just smiled. “Hey, as long as you’re paying us… No problem with me…. Just make sure you don’t get caught with whatever you’re planning,” he said with a naughty look in his eyes.
The woman didn’t even bother to look at the other man. “Just do what I am asking you and you don’t have to worry about the money. I assure you, you will be very satisfied with what I am going to give you.”
*****************************
Within minutes…
“Where should I take you now?” the taxi driver asked the woman.
“To the most expensive hotel…” the woman quickly replied. Somehow the woman didn’t even care about what the old man was thinking… She just continued to look at Jaejoong.
As the taxi headed to its destination, Jaejoong continued to dream about Lena…
Half an hour later….
The taxi driver shook his head as he took one last look at Jaejoong, who was being carried by two assistants of the hotel. Then he again stared at the mysterious woman before she finally disappeared along with Jaejoong. “Poor guy! He would surely be shocked once he wakes up…” the old man thought. Then he started to scratch his head again. “But that’s weird, how come she took him to the most expensive hotel? And honestly if I were him… he’s quite lucky… Imagine being picked up by a young and beautiful woman. That’s like a dream come true for some men… Strange… really strange,” he uttered to himself.
CHAPTER 27
Muko, Micky and the other DBSK boys were already happily talking in the living room when the door bell suddenly rang.
“I’ll get it,” Jaejoong said as he quickly got up and went straight to the door. The smile on his face immediately vanished after he saw the person standing outside their apartment.
“What are you doing here?” he asked with a rough tone in his voice. Nan Hee just looked at him with a blank expression on her face. She was trying to act like she wasn’t affected by Jaejoong’s cold reaction.
“Is Micky here? I need to talk to him,” She said with an equally cold reaction.
Jaejoong’s eyes were instantly drawn to the child that Nan Hee was holding. And instantly his heart pounded very hard. “This is totally going to be a big trouble,” he immediately thought to himself.
Nan Hee followed Jaejoong’s stare. And she instantly knew that he was looking at her daughter. “Is Micky here? I need to talk to him,” she repeated with a more serious tone in her voice.
Jaejoong was somehow stunned and couldn’t say anything else. So he just nodded. He was about to say something, but Nan Hee already pushed the door open and just walked passed by him as if he wasn’t there.
Jaejoong quickly followed her. He even tried to block her way, but somehow he couldn’t really push her away because she was holding the baby.
“Move away! I need to talk to him,” Nan Hee said with a high tone.
“Look… Why don’t you just talk to him another day? This isn’t the right time,” Jaejoong tried to reason with her.
“No! I need to talk to him now,” she replied with a loud voice. She then rushed to the living where all the other DBSK boys and Muko were.
Everyone was shocked the moment Nan Hee appeared with the baby in her arms. Xiah, Max and U-Know suddenly had a strange feeling after seeing the child. They couldn’t help but exchange glances with each other. Somehow they were asking each other what to do next.
The smile on Micky’s lips easily disappeared after he saw Nan Hee. And somehow his temper immediately rose. “What are you doing here Nan Hee?” he angrily uttered.
Nan Hee looked straight at Micky. She was now matching the cold stare that he was giving her. “We need to talk,” she replied with an air of arrogance.
“Talk? Talk about what?” Micky asked with a mocking smile.
Nan Hee smiled as well. “We need to talk about… your child,” she replied with an evil smile.
Micky felt like he instantly ran out of air to breathe. “My child? Are you joking? Don’t play games with me Nan Hee. If you’re going to play dirty, I suggest you get out now before I lose my temper,” he said with rage.
“Do I look like I am joking? Look at the child Micky. Look at her closely. See any resemblance? She’s your child. You can do DNA testing for all I care. But reality will still be the same. She’s your child. You can’t escape it,” Nan Hee said with a raised voice.
Muko who was just sitting beside Micky was now watching everything with different emotions filling her heart. It was like she wanted to cry right at that moment. But she knew it would be embarrassing if she did that. So she just silently watched and listened to everything that was happening while her heart was slowly being crushed.
“Are you really going crazy? You disappear for two years and then you suddenly appear with a child and you expect me to believe everything you say? Get out! I don’t want to hear your lies,” Micky shouted as he suddenly stood up.
“No! I have been trying so hard to raise this child alone ever since we separated… from my pregnancy to my giving birth to her and until she was growing up…. I did those things all by myself… Now it’s time for you to share the load. You should also have some responsibility in bringing her up,” Nan Hee said with a raised voice as well.
Muko felt like her tears were about to fall any minute. She then stood up. “I think I should go,” she said with a low voice.
Micky quickly looked at his wife. “Muko, please don’t believe this woman. She’s lying. Don’t go. If there’s someone who should leave, it’s her,” he said as he held his wife’s hand. “Leave Nan Hee. I don’t want any trouble. So just take that child and disappear like what you did years ago.”
Nan Hee felt like she was fighting against a wall. Micky’s heart was already closed to her and especially to their child. “You’re a monster!” she hissed.
“Get out!” Micky shouted again.
And as soon as he shouted the child in Nan Hee’s arms started to cry.
Somehow Micky couldn’t help but stop and stare. Something inside of him was somehow being concerned about the child. “Impossible,” he quickly said to himself after the thought entered his mind that maybe the child was truly his daughter.
The baby continued to cry and somehow no matter what Nan Hee did, the baby just continued to cry louder and louder.
“See what you did? You made our daughter upset… You’re a totally useless father,” Nan Hee said with anger in her eyes.
“What I did? Maybe it is your own fault…. How can you possibly think of putting a child into one of your games? Why? Is the real father of that child a poor guy that you suddenly ditched him so you can run after me instead? If you’re thinking I would easily fall for your tricks. I suggest you think twice before you continue,” Micky said as if mocking Nan Hee.
Nan Hee couldn’t control her tears any longer. “You’re a total monster! I never thought you would do this to me and our daughter. You don’t want to accept her? Fine! I will just put your child in an orphanage somewhere. Maybe someday when she grows up, she can then find you again and make you pay for your carelessness. Look, I am not kidding when I said I couldn’t support her anymore. If I could I wouldn’t be here,” she said with tears already running down her cheeks.
Muko couldn’t stand what she was seeing. She slowly walked to Nan Hee.
Micky and the other DBSK boys were surprised.
“Muko,” Micky uttered with concern. Somehow he didn’t know what was running in his wife’s mind.
Face to face…. Muko stared at Nan Hee. Then she looked closely at the child that was still crying. Her heart was instantly crushed. She already knew the truth.
“Let me have the child while you and Micky talk… in a civil manner,” she then softly said to Nan Hee.
Nan Hee was shocked. She never expected Muko to act in such a manner.
When she approached her, somehow she was expecting Muko to get mad with her. She never expected that Micky’s wife would still have some control after all that had happened.
“No, what if…” Nan Hee tried to say…
Muko smiled. “Don’t worry. I am not an evil person. No matter what happened between you and Micky…. I am out of it. It happened when I wasn’t in his life. And I am not the kind of person that would do something bad to a defenseless child. I love children. I would never do anything bad…. Please believe me.” Nan Hee could feel that Muko was saying the truth. Her daughter continued to cry. And she was already really getting tired of hearing her cry. She slowly handed her daughter to Muko.
“Muko, what are you doing?” Micky asked in disbelief.
Muko immediately turned to face Micky with the child in her arms now. “Micky, please… do this for me…. Can you please try to talk with Nan Hee in a calm manner? I really believe you should talk with her… Please,” she said with a firm tone in her voice.
Jaejoong, XIah, Max and Yunho couldn’t help but admire Muko. They never expected her to act in such an unbelievable manner. She still managed to maintain her composure and was acting in such a very lady like manner. She was truly one of a kind. Now they knew why she was also fit to be a nun. She had a heart and a character that was both pure.
“But Muko,” Micky tried to protest.
Muko tried to smile even if she felt horrible inside. “We will just be in the kitchen while you guys talk. I am going to feed the baby… Jaejoong, Yunho, Max, Xiah… do you think you guys can assist me?”
Jaejoong immediately nodded. “Yes, let’s go to the kitchen and just leave them alone while they talk.”
A few minutes passed, Muko was now busy feeding the baby in her arms… “You’re such a beautiful baby… You look just like your mother and… father,” somehow the last word got stuck in Muko’s throat. And unexpectedly, a tear rolled down her cheek.
The other DBSK boys who were just silently watching couldn’t help but feel pity for Muko. They never expected that this kind of problem would appear just when things were already getting better for their friend and Muko.
Back in the living room… a different story was starting to unfold.
CHAPTER 37
“What are we doing here Norman?” Fate asked. She was now looking at a large mansion with a breathtaking view. It had a large and captivating garden that easily caught Fate’s interest.
Norman quickly took Fate’s hand and carefully guided her into the garden. “I want you see this place… before we get married so you will know I am not that bad. I had this place fully designed according to your liking. I knew you loved flowers and you liked having a large garden. So I specifically had this made just for you,” he said with a smile.
Fate looked around at the garden she was in. The place was totally beautiful. And Norman was right. The entire garden was really according to her taste. And somehow she couldn’t help but feel touched with Norman’s gesture.
“Thank you for thinking about what I would like… but…” she suddenly stopped talking. She quickly decided not to continue what was on her mind. She didn’t want to hurt him.
Norman saw the mixed emotions on Fate’s face. “You know, maybe you can start learning to treat me like a friend again. I really don’t mean any harm. I know I have been selfish and arrogant and I even went to extreme methods just to get close to you. But I only did it because I love you. And now that we’re getting married… maybe we should start from the very beginning. Let’s just forget about everything. Let’s pretend we haven’t encountered those problems that are separating us now. Let’s pretend to be friends…”
Fate sighed. She knew Norman had a point. It was useless to keep on fighting. She had already agreed. And somehow she was thinking that it was really for everyone’s good that she just let go and accept everything. She should forget about Max and try to move on with her new life. She didn’t deserve him in the first place. And trying to hold on to him and to his memories would only hurt her more and would eventually cause more trouble for Max.
She then remembered her baby. “My poor baby,” she uttered in her mind. “I hope you’re happy wherever you are… “
Norman noticed the sudden change in Fate’s mood. “You’re thinking about your baby again. Please just stop. Your baby is already in a good place. You should just let her rest in peace. Don’t try to keep on holding to her memory to the point that it’s already disturbing your life. I am sorry. But I just don’t want to see you go through another depression mode again. I am just concerned about you.”
Fate smiled. “Thank you. I know what you’re saying is right. And don’t worry, I think I already learned how to let go of my baby. But you really can’t blame me if every now and then I still remember her. There are times I would just wonder if things turned out differently and she was born… I was thinking what she would look like, or would she be a girl like I always imagined her to be or a boy, and I also I can’t stop but daydream that I am playing with her. I am carrying her in my arms and singing her a lullaby.”
“You know, there is still a chance that you can bear another child. We can go to another country and ask for other doctors’ opinions. You don’t have to stop just because a few doctors said you will never have a child again. We can look for more doctors who can take care of you… Maybe they can help you and maybe they can cure you,” Norman said with a serious tone. He was now telling everything that was on his mind.
Fate looked straight at Norman. “Why is it that I feel like you’re acting strange today? What is happening? Why have you changed again? Just a few days ago, you were the man I hated the most. And now, honestly… I am starting to see you like the way I use to. You’re acting like the same old Norman I used to know before. I know I should be happy, but I am really confused. Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?”
Norman lightly laughed. “Shouldn’t you be happy that I am being nice again? Let’s just say, I am just letting you see the real me for the last time.”
“Last time? What do you mean?” Fate asked curiously.
Norman instantly looked away. “Nothing… Just forget about what I said.”
*****************************
“Max, they are already here in Japan,” Michael said as he sat down with a glass of wine in his hands. They were in his hotel room, together with the other DBSK boys.
“What are you planning to do now?” Micky quickly asked Max.
Max then looked at his friend and shook his head. “Honestly I don’t know. The only thing I know is that I will do everything just to have her back. I will certainly do everything I can to stop her wedding with Norman,” he answered seriously.
“You should think fast Max, their wedding is just a few days away. Right now, I am really confused on why Norman actually let you have a chance to have Fate back. I mean, he could have chosen to have their wedding somewhere else… somewhere far from you. And to think, he said himself that he’s allowing you to try and win her back is really quite strange to me. Is it just me or is Norman getting soft?” Yunho voiced out his opinion.
“Yunho’s right. Norman is really acting weird. But at least it is to your advantage. You just have to think of a way to win back Fate again and everything should be okay,” Micky added.
“By the way, Michael… have you found out anything from the people that you sent out to investigate?” Jaejoong asked.
“That’s the main reason why I called you guys… I needed to tell you about what I learned,” Michael answered with a serious tone in his voice.
“What is it?” Max quickly asked.
“Based on what I learned, it seems Norman made a bet with some of his buddies. And the bet involves Fate,” Michael started to tell everything he knew.
“It involves Fate? How?” Xiah asked.
“Well Norman and his friends made a bet on whether Norman will get Fate as his girlfriend or not. But since Fate and Max’s relationship came out, Norman lost on his bet. But now that his wedding to Fate is already announced and all, it seems his bet with his friends finally turned. Based on what I heard, his friends already returned the money they got from him and already paid him the amount they agreed upon,” Michael continued.
“So you’re saying Norman is just marrying Fate because of a stupid bet? Is that it? How can he be so heartless?” Jaejoong asked, quite mad.
Michael nodded his head and continued. “It’s not only about the money. I already talked to one of his friends. And they already told me something quite important. Just like what I thought, Norman is really in love with Fate. And he didn’t really care about the bet… At first, it was just a game to him. But as time moved on, he became really serious with her. Norman’s friend also told me that Norman didn’t really accept the money they owed him because of the bet. Somehow he decided to just drop the bet deal.”
“So he’s actually being nice now huh?” Xiah asked.
“Nice? I don’t think so. His friend also told me something interesting. It seems that during one of their drinking sessions. Norman made the mistake of telling his friends on how he actually got Fate to agree to their wedding…” Michael finally revealed.
“What? How?” Max asked.
Michael drew in a deep breath before finally speaking. “Norman blackmailed Fate. He told her that if she didn’t marry him, he will leak a news about Max and Fate’s unfortunate incident. He also said that the news about Max’s cruelty to Fate that resulted to the death of their baby will surely destroy Max’s career. This threat made Fate immediately say yes to his wedding proposal,” Michael said.
“Why that totally no good…” Max uttered with so much anger. Jaejoong quickly tapped his friend’s shoulder as if to calm him down. “Relax, Max. Being angry now, won’t do any good. What you have to do now is find a way to free Fate from Norman.”
“What a totally evil man. Imagine using blackmail, just to get a girl,” Micky uttered as he continuously shook his head in disapproval.
“I will surely get Fate back. I will never let him have her… I would die first before that happens,” Max uttered.
“Well do you have any plans on how to do it?” Xiah asked curiously.
Max’s face suddenly dimmed. Somehow he didn’t like the idea that was running in his mind. But he knew it was the only way… A sacrifice had to be made….
