Min-ho
The door clicks with an almost unreal click.
I stand there watching it close, trying to memorize the sound of Jade's words.
She left me here alone.
I stare at the keys in my hand and still can't believe it.
I've traveled thousands of miles to feel rejected.
I don't know what I expected, but her initial reaction had me fooled.
But it was clear: I'm the past.
And the fact that she ran after that guy doesn't console me.
She didn't tell me who he is or what he represents, but my stomach feels so tight I want to scream.
Maybe it's just hunger, but it's a bad feeling anyway.
I throw my keys on the couch and sink back into the cushions, folding my arms behind my head and closing my eyes.
"What would Ji-Ri say if she heard something like that?"
The phrase comes back to me forcefully.
Ji-Ri.
Sweetness personified.
Always so accommodating, kind, and helpful.
She's incredibly sweet to me, and I know she has a crush on me.
I could have taken advantage of it to really start a relationship with her and get Jade out of my head, but...
Those sea-blue eyes, the killers of my heart, wouldn't let me.
Getting close to another woman seemed almost sacrilegious.
And she rejected me.
Even if not completely...
She didn't reject my kiss. She didn't say she didn't love me.
Nor did she say she had someone else.
She talked about the future.
I jump up and open my eyes.
But the present...
Now I'm here.
And she didn't push me away.
I smile.
A slow, almost idiotic smile. I feel it growing on my face and soul.
I'm at Jade's house.
I'll see her again when she gets back.
And as much as I asked her to help me erase her from my life, I want to be sure she's truly erased me from hers.
I get up and grab my suitcase, going to explore the room she assigned me.
I open the door with curiosity and notice that it's quite large.
I wasn't expecting so much space; I thought it would be little more than a closet.
Instead, it's bright, with a large wrought-iron bed set against the wall, topped by a bookcase full of books and candles.
I like it.
I leave my suitcase and start browsing around, opening the large wooden wardrobe and a bedside table whose drawers are filled with lavender sachets and soaps.
I savor the scent and place one next to the bed.
I open the large window and let the spring air in.
It doesn't smell of flowers or as fresh as home, but it's not cold, so I leave the door open.
I pick up my suitcase, pull out a tracksuit and my toiletries bag, and go find the bathroom.
It's spacious, with a large tub, a chrome-plated shower, and various amenities.
I really need to wash myself, to wash away my tiredness and bad mood.
I open the shower door and find myself faced with a multitude of shelves with countless bottles of soap, shampoo, shower gel, brushes, and... a bra.
Hanging from the handle.
I swallow and pick it up with hesitant hands, feeling like a thief.
It's a pale blue, without underwire or padding.
And it's a size larger than I remembered.
Also because it was hard to forget about breasts like that.
My compatriots should resort to major plastic surgery.
This also shows that Jade has grown up. She's a woman now.
'And he doesn't want to know about you,' a little voice whispers in my head.
I grip the garment in my hands and grit my teeth.
"We'll see!"
I place the underwear on the tub and turn on the shower, slipping under it, cursing the icy spray that hits me.
But I need to wake up.
In every sense.
And prepare a strategy of attack.
Lathering my hair, I start whistling.