<body>
Sunday, February 22, 2009 @ 10:26 AM




The Special

Suggested song: White Lies - DBSK
(http://www.youtube.com/v/vGBAHLu_yJI)
Breathing labored, Junsu reached his shaky hands towards the photograph laid on his table. He had grown old, too old. Even walking is proving to be somewhat stressing for him right now. From his usual routine of visiting his wife weekly, he had to do it fortnightly now. His health may fail him, but he has found a better way of visiting his wife. Instead of being with her body which was buried deeply in earth, he now understood how he could be with her soul. Now, isn’t that much more meaningful?

“Ri In…” his voice quavered slightly as he caressed the photograph. Sometimes he wished he had a photograph of Inhwan - the son whom he was not fated to meet. “Are you taking good care of Inhwan? Is he sick? You’re visiting me in my dreams a lot less frequently now. Don’t tell me you’ve found a new love!” he struggled a joke. His health is really down in the pits. Just talking alone, if he said a sentence too much, it made his breathing difficult. Who would’ve thought that the strong young man would turn out to be so weak now?

Junsu stirred in bed slightly with his eyes tightly shut together. His hands formed a fist over the photograph, slowly twisting it. Slowly, his breathing evened out again, before his fists relaxed and his breathing eventually stopped…

Junsu felt bewildered as he finds himself at the cemetery. Just a moment ago, he was sleeping in the comfort of his bed. Walking forward towards the pool of water, Junsu nearly facedown into the muddy water when he saw his reflection. He looked just as he did seventy years ago, with a wrinkle-free face coupled with a flawless, angelic smile. ‘Am I dead?’ he kept asking the question repeatedly in his head. “Junsu!” he snapped his head up immediately when he heard a faint voice calling for him. Following the direction of the sound, he came face to face with Ri In’s tomb. “Junsu!”

Junsu turned around abruptly. Standing behind him was the lady he had missed day and night since her death. His wife, Jang Ri In. She looked as ravishing as ever. Hiding behind her was a little boy. He peeked at Junsu from behind Ri In, his eyes filled with mischief and curiosity at this man he has never seen before. And yet, it seemed like he has seen this man afterall.
“Ri In…” Junsu felt himself choking on his tears. “Inhwan…”

“Mummy, why does he know my name?” the boy stared at Ri In innocently with his large brown eyes. Ri In smiled and bent down to ruffle her son’s hair. “Inhwan, he is your father. He comes fortnightly to visit you, remember?”
Inhwan’s eyes lit up with delight. He has always been interested in the man who visits him and his mother so frequently. However, he registered his father’s image as a old man who needed help in walking. This young man before him seemed so much like a big brother. Junsu reached a hand towards his son cautiously, afraid of scaring him off. His worries were unneeded, for Inhwan leapt into his embrace.

Hugging Ri In tightly, he lowered his face into her hair, inhaling deeply her scent. “I miss you so much…” he rasped. Ri In’s hands traveled up to his face, stroking it tenderly. He hasn’t changed one bit. He was exactly the same as she has remembered him. Inhwan stood some distance from his parents, wanting to go near but felt that he shouldn’t. Wanting to run off to play, Inhwan turned sharply, tripping over his own feet. “AHH!” he shouted as he fell hard onto the rough surface of the floor.

“Inhwan has to be more careful, understand?” Ri In blew lightly on Inhwan’s slightly scraped palms. Junsu chuckled beside them. Inhwan was just like how he used to be when he was a kid. Tripping over his own feet, and occasionally running into things. Patting Inhwan’s head, Junsu smiled. “Inhwan, be a good boy and take a nap, okay? Daddy has something to say to mummy, and it’ll be better if you sleep instead.” Inhwan nodded his head obediently and crawled onto Ri In’s lap. Circling his arms around her, he rested his head on Ri In’s shoulder. Within seconds, he was asleep. Ri In laid him down on the field, careful to pick up the stones around him. Junsu stood there looking at her the whole time, seeing her motherly actions. He felt his heart thumping hard and fast again. Just like how his heart used to thump hard and fast for her when he first fell in love with her. And he just fell in love with Ri In again. The caring and motherly side of his wife.

“Thank you for waiting for me all these while.” Junsu said simply, following behind Ri In. “And I’m sorry. If not for me, Chloe would never had…”
“I didn’t wait seventy years to hear your apology.” Ri In turned and smiled at him.
“I…” the words Junsu wanted to say to Ri In over the years seemed to vanished all of a sudden. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Ri In initiated a hug. Junsu accepted it gratefully. The hug earlier on wasn’t enough for him. He has been deprived of the hugs for seventy years. Long enough for him to find another to set up a family with - which he didn’t, of course. Slowly, his lip found its way to its partner…

Lying between him and Ri In was Inhwan, peacefully sleeping, just like what his mother is doing at the moment. Junsu felt grateful to be able to reunite with his family even after so long. The reunion was unexpected, but considering how old Junsu was, it is possible for him to leave any minute and join his family in the netherworld. Draping his hand across to pull Inhwan and Ri In closer to him, he closed his eyes and whispered. “Thank you. Thank you for letting us reunite...”

“You’re welcomed.”



back to the TOP / Comments: 0

Welcome

Welcome to REMINISCING-PANDORA. This site was opened on 9 OCT 2007 and has been under the care of xiaoxi ever since it was born.
eyeballs(s) viewing now!




Navigations

Author ProfileUpdatesStories AvailableSubscribeAffiliationAffies' GiftsDownloadables


Disclaimer

Creative Commons License
This Story Blog by xiaoxi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Singapore License.

Read more HERE.


Chatbox

This cbox is only for chatting.
Drop your chapter comments under the comment button at the end of each post (below banner).


[ Chat Full Size ]


Credits

Designer: xiaoxi
Images: Phebs
Hosts: 1 2