[.Chapter IX.]

Originally Published On: Dec 20, 2009

The Man With Dark Piercing Eyes
♥

He was in the same position, same spot and same condition he had been since he first placed himself on the bed and started reading her letters. All alone in his mom’s bedroom, his sister and mother had left him be with his feelings, he was reading each and every letter carefully. Taking in every detailed information Bom had given him, he wanted to feel her pain, her sadness, her grief of her life without him. He wanted to be one with her like before, always knowing what each other was thinking, feelings as if they were bonded together like one.

“Dear Ji Yong,

I had a dream about you today. I dreamt that we were together in a beautiful place, oh Ji Yong, it was so beautiful. There were trees and flowers everywhere, the grass were green, the sun and the wind worked together to give such a beautiful atmosphere in the place. There were butterflies everywhere, remember how you took me to a garden one day and there were all these beautiful butterflies? Well they were like those; they flew around us like they were protecting us, shielding us from the rest of the world…”

Park Bom, you were the only butterfly I ever needed. I would have been content with life without any other butterflies in the world except you. You are my one and only butterfly.

“You and I were holding hands, laughing and loving and looking into each other’s eyes. We didn’t worry about anything else, we were happy just the two of us. Then I found myself awake in this lonely place again, I wanted to just go back to sleep and dream about you forever, Ji Yong-ah. But I think I’m being punished for the sins I’ve committed, I don’t deserve to be loved by you…”

Baby, please don’t say that, don’t think that. Why would you even believe such a thing? Park Bom, just please tell me what happened, I’ll understand, I promise.

“No matter how much you are probably wishing at the moment for me to tell you why I left, I can’t do that. I don’t know if I ever can. It already hurts me too much to even think for a second if I told you. No, I can’t.

I love you,

Ji Yong”

______________________________

Bom was rushing to get ready; she was already an hour and a half late for physical training. She really did forget that there was one today; it was because all the girls had a schedule before it that no one got to mention it to her before time.

“Aigoo,” Bom cried out, she was going to be in big trouble today, instead of making her run for two miles, she’ll probably have to do ten. “Aigoo!”

She took her big bag and quickly and messily put on her shoes. Bom darted out the door making sure the door was locked and ran to the exit door to get on the car and leave. As she made it outside she didn’t find the car or her driver. She impatiently took out her cell phone; her trainer wouldn’t have it if she was any second later.

“Aish, please pick up, Ajusshi,” Park Bom whispered through the phone as it rang loudly in her ears.

“Bom-ah!” a loud voice from an old man came through the phone.

“Ajusshi! Where are you? I thought you’d be here soon? I’m already late! Aigoo!” Bom cried out.

“Mianhaeyo, Bom-ah! I was also running late and traffic is hell right now!” her driver said apologetically. “I’ll be there in ten minutes top!”

“Okay, please do hurry!”

“I will!” they hung up as Bom went back inside the building, and sat on the couch in the front office. She sat there lying comfortably on the seat, already lost in her own little world as she tried to wait patiently for her ride.

Her mind drifted off to the past weekend she had with Ji Yong, it couldn’t have been any better. They had their own free time together and decided to go to the rooftop at night while bringing a blanket with them so they would be able to lay there for hours just in each other’s arms. Lately everything has been so great in their relationship. They were happy secretly dating although their company knew about them, everyone was happy for them, even Chae Rin.

Chae Rin had been accepting the fact that Bom and Ji Yong were going out. Bom knew that Chae Rin still has not completely accepted it, but the fact that she really was trying and waiting for that time until she could be purely happy for the couple without her feeling bad for herself, made Bom happy. Guilt that had been trapped inside her was slowly becoming free, Bom smiled at the thought of one day she and Ji Yong would be completely happy together.

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder; she was taken aback by the unexpected touch as she turned her body to look who the person was. Her eyes grew, her body became still and her breathing stop. She couldn’t believe who she was seeing right now. Could it be him? Her face grew pale as he gave her a smile that had Bom feeling a rush of chills down her spine.

“No, it can’t…” Bom wasn’t even aware that she said those words aloud as she continued to stare with fear in her eyes.

“Oh, but it is,” the guy in front of her replied back giving her a nasty smirk that Bom had seen thousands of times before.

She couldn’t reply, she was so scared and she knew that he knew of how afraid she was at the moment.

“I’ve missed you, Bom,” he moved in front of her now keeping very closed distance to her. “I can’t believe that you ever escaped from me.”

The man was so close to her that she could smell his strong scent that smelled of smoke and cigarette. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply breathing in her scent.

“F*ck, it’s been way too long, Bom,” he slowly opened his eyes to look at her hard seriously meaning every single word that came out of his mouth. “I would say, let’s catch up with the old times, but there’s people around.”

Bom’s heart beat was rapidly pounding, she was afraid that he would be able to hear it. No, she couldn’t let this man know how afraid she was, she couldn’t. She got up from her seat and pushed him roughly away from her.

“I don’t know why you’re here, but don’t ever come near me anymore,” she sternly said quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear their conversation. He just laughed.

“We both know why I’m here, my little darling,” he started to walk a little closer, but Bom took her stand and didn’t move an inch, but he suddenly stopped. “Oh, look, I think my time is up, it seems like your little ride is here already.”

Bom heard the ringing of her phone, but she didn’t budge to look at it or get it, she kept her eyes on the man in front of her afraid to turn away for just a second.

“I’ll be back my little darling,” he walked towards her so slowly as he past her their arms touched that had Bom shivering all over body. She was frozen, she was in shock her body hot and sweating as she felt like she was going to faint any moment. No one came to ask her if she was okay though, the few people inside the room were all too busy doing something to even have noticed what had happened earlier.

“Bom!” she heard a shout from behind. “Bom! Hurry and get in the car!”

She couldn’t move an inch, until finally her driver was in front of her telling her to hurry and move it. She didn’t look at him, and didn’t respond to a word he said.

“No, I can’t,” she whispered as she moved her head back and forth disapprovingly. She started to walk slowly back to her apartment room. The driver just shouted after her asking where she was going.

Bom just continued to walk towards their apartment, she was gone from the world at the moment as she couldn’t believe what just happened, who she just saw, it was him, definitely him.

“Why?” she whispered as she finally made it outside the door. She didn’t bother trying to get in; she just fell slowly on the ground with her back on the door as she whimpered in pain.

______________________________

The girls came back exhausted after a long day of practice. They had to work extra hard since their Unnie was not there, but even more that the fact that she didn’t make a notice that she would not be able to making it to practice today.

2NE1, along with their manager, came walking upstairs to the apartment, when they stopped their tracks to find Bom lying on the ground helpless. All the girls shrieked as they came running towards their Unnie with great worry.

“Bom!” Dara shook her as forceful as she could to see if she would wake up. There was still no budge from Bom.

“Unnie! Wake up!” Minjy shouted worriedly, what had happened to their Unnie?

Chae Rin looked worriedly at Bom as she helped Dara shaking her, and then finally scooping up her head gently and placed it on her lap. “Bommie Unnie, wake up.”

The manager was already calling someone for help, as Bom slowly opened her eyes to see the girls staring at her with fear and worry in their eyes.

“Unnie!” all of them said in unison as they all tried to hug Bom at the same time. Bom stayed quiet and breathe in deeply to calm her own state of mind.

“What happened?” Dara asked confused.

“Why were you outside?” Minjy added.

“Most of all, you weren’t awake,” Chae Rin asked seriously. “Unnie, it doesn’t seem like you to be sleeping outside the door and not go to practice.”

Bom stayed quiet still, looked down for a moment, but quickly looked up at the girls in the eyes one by one and said, “I’m sorry I missed practice today, I was feeling really sick and I had a huge headache. I was already late and Ajusshi wasn’t here yet, and by the time he got here, I was feeling worse than ever. “

They looked at her with worry in their eyes, and even the manager had stopped talking on the phone already to listen to what she was saying.

“I was feeling so sick that I felt like I was going to faint any moment, so I decided to go back to the apartment, but as I was going in, I couldn’t make it, I couldn’t handle it. I’m sorry,” Bom looked down as she was about to tear up and her throat was already beginning to dry like she was about to cry.

She didn’t lie. That was what technically what had happened. While she saw him, she felt sick and afraid; she couldn’t stand on her own ground and fight him. Instead she had left him take control of her. She couldn’t tell the girls about him. It was something she never discusses with anyone; it was a part of her life she would not rather go back to. She would rather die than go back to it, to him.

“Aigoo, Bommie! Why didn’t you tell us you were feeling this sick?” the manager questioned her upset but still worried, as she unlocked the door so the girls could finally go inside their apartment.

The girls helped Bommie up gently as they could and led her inside the apartment into her bedroom to place her on the bed where she could take a rest.

As the manager closed the door, she didn’t notice the shadow secretly showing at the far end of the hallway. A tall person with a cap on was hiding on the turn of the girls’ hallway; he exhaled to find that Bom was going in.

“My darling, I’ll get you back soon,” he breathe out quietly that even a person standing so close to him would not have known what he said. “Just wait.” He walked away slowly as his eyes dilated and the corners of his lips curling up to form a little smile.