Sunday, February 22, 2009 @ 10:09 AM
Chapter 22: Jang Ri In AppearsSuggested song/music: River South Canto version - JJ Lin
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w15oBWYa9dQ)
===
“Hankyung, come with me right now!” a middle-aged man burst into Hankyung’s office.
“GM, I’m so sorry… The Director…” Hee Bon rushed in after the man. Hankyung smiled at Hee Bon and waved his hand for her to return to her seat. Tilting his head slightly, he looked at the man with an amused look.
“Hankyung, Madeline called to say that she’s found Ri In!” the man pulled Hankyung up from his seat.
“Aunt Madeline found Ri In? How did she find her?” Hankyung had an avalanche of questions erupting in his mind.
“Ri In got into a car accident, a very bad one. Madeline happened to be the doctor in charge of her.” the man exclaimed excitedly. “Finally, after all these years!”
Hankyung stared intently at his father. He knew perfectly well how much Ri In means to him. But it also hurts him to see that his father is so uptight over a child his lover bore him. Even when his mother died, he did not see this man shed a single tear…
Walking around in circles, Li Yin found herself trapped in this ‘white box’. Regardless which way she went, she would always return to where she’d started off. Tired, she slumped down on the floor, feeling helpless. Just then, something flew past her. Something colorful… “Who are you?!” Li Yin stood up immediately. Turning this way and that, all she could see was white. Endless white. Suddenly, something, or someone, grabbed her by her neck…
“NO!” Ye Seul screamed and jumped up from her position on the couch. Wiping away her perspiration, she scanned the roses scattered on the table and realized she had fallen asleep. She had a nightmare. Li Yin was captured by a clown, a sinister looking one. “But there was also a hint of sadness in his eyes.”
“What sadness?” Yoochun sat down beside Ye Seul and pulled her closer to him. “You’ve been sleeping ever since I got here. Aren’t you going to finish up your flower arrangements and start spending time with me?” Ye Seul rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the roses. Everything seems to be wrong somehow, yet she can’t pinpoint what exactly.
“Are you going to bring Ri In back?” Hankyung tried not to be bothered by the fact his father is so uptight over a lover’s child.
“You know we owe Auntie Zhang. If your mother had not chased her out, she’d still be alive now. The least we can do is to find Ri In and take good care of her now.” the man sighed.
“If you’d been faithful to my mother, perhaps things wouldn’t have turned out this way.” Hankyung said bitterly. “How many lovers did you have?”
“Hankyung, now’s not the time…” Mr Jang frowned. “Let’s just focus on driving to the hospital.”
Stepping out of the airport, Junsu glanced at the new surrounding. Different roads, different people, different culture. This is where he will be staying at for the rest of his life. At least, until he gets his doctorate. Pushing Li Yin to the far back of his mind, he dug out the piece of paper with an address written on it. Looking this way an that, he tried to make out a cab and flung his arm wildly. “Excuse, place here? Drive?” Junsu struggled to form a sentence which makes sense and passed the paper to the driver. The driver smiled at him and nodded his head for Junsu to get on. Gratefully, Junsu pulled the door open and settled in. First, he’d have to make it to the school and then to his dormitory.
“Ri In? You’ve woken up finally.” a doctor hunched over Li Yin’s bed smiled brightly at her. Li Yin could only stare at her, unable to move her body at all.
“Don’t worry, you can’t move because you’re covered in bandages. I’m Madeline, your doctor and also the girlfriend of your father.” the lady who introduced herself as Madeline sat down beside Li Yin.
“My father?” Li Yin spat out the words in her weak voice. The lady nodded and was about to elaborate further when the door opened…
“Ri In! it’s you, I’ve finally found you!” Mr Jang ran over to the confused Li Yin.
“I’m not…” Li Yin found something about the man which is familiar. His eyes, they look the same as hers.
“Hankyung, come talk to your sister!” the man turned and practically dragged the unwilling man over. Li Yin’s pupils grew wide as she recalled him. The man who came to the cake shop and afterwards treated her to ice cream. The one who is also Chinese. “Han Geng?” the man seemed taken aback when she called his Chinese name. Even resorting to shoving his father aside, Hankyung clambered closer to Li Yin to look at her properly. She is completely covered by bandages like a mummy, but he can never forget that pair of eyes. That pair of amber eyes which knew how to dance their way into his heart…
Though shocked, Li Yin understood the man as Mr Jang, her biological father. The doctor is his girlfriend, whilst Hankyung is his son an her stepbrother. “How did you know?” having regained more of her energy, Li Yin wanted answers to how they are so certain about her.
“Don’t worry, I know a beautiful Chinese lady when I meet one. Don’t you know? You look exactly like your mother. It’s difficult not to recognise you when your father brings around the picture of your mother with him all the time. Even though you’re now slightly disfigured, a simple-”
“Disfigured?!” Li Yin managed a strangled scream. “You say I’m disfigured?!”
The doctor has been talking for nearly an hour now, explaining the wonders of a cosmetic surgery. Hankyung kept casting nervous glances at Li Yin while her father seemed to be overly absorbed in his happiness of recovering his daughter. “Junsu.” Li Yin said simply.
“Of course, you haven’t gotten out of the crucial 48 hours yet, you’re life can still be in danger any minute. The many monitors hooked to you are helping you, I’m also here for you, don’t fret.” the doctor continued to ramble on.
“Junsu.” Li Yin repeated again, raising her voice by a minuscule. Hankyung who is sitting closest to her caught the word. “You’re looking for this person?” Li Yin nodded slightly in reply and recited Junsu’s number for him to dial.
back to the TOP / Comments: 0
