Linger - Part 7
Part 7
On the return journey from the lighthouse, the silence engulfing the two entities inside the car was so thick that one could almost slice through it with a knife.
Jessica hated how the silence seemed to amplify her guilt even further, as she ruminated on the question Yuri had asked her after they had locked lips at the lighthouse...Where do we go from here, unnie?...
She recalled the expectant, then crestfallen, look on Yuri's face when she'd dodged from giving an answer altogether by simply pretending to be enraptured by the stunning view of the sunrise, raving nonstop about it instead. She wished she could've come up with an appropriate answer there and then, and nip things in the bud. Even a 'sorry, I shouldn't have allowed that to happen' would have sufficed to allay the awkward situation somewhat. But now that she actually had a quiet moment to stop and ponder over the incident, she thought it plausible that perhaps somewhere deep in her subconscious, she had wanted it to happen, although she had yet to figure out why.
That was me thinking with my ass. Totally irrational behaviour on my part. Why the hell did I go kiss her for? Now I feel like a paedophile.
Disgusted with herself, she took her eyes off the road to steal a quick glance at Yuri. The girl had her right leg drawn up and tucked under her left thigh, her body positioned in an angle where her right shoulder was slumped against the passenger seat. Her head was turned towards the window and she had her back to Jessica. She had been in that position from the moment she had plonked herself down and fastened her seatbelt. Expertise in reading body language wasn't necessary for Jessica to detect Yuri's reluctance to make small talk, or to even look at her.
It's just as well.
.
*
The Kwons lived in a modest apartment above the garage, accessible by a flight of stairs by the side of the building.
"Well, thank you for sacrificing your sleep to take me out to the lighthouse." Jessica had just pulled up in front of the garage. "The sunrise was awesome."
"My pleasure." Yuri tried not to make that sound stiff but somehow, it still came out that way. As she opened the door to get out, Jessica restrained her by grasping her arm. "Yes, unnie?"
"Look, kid, what happened at the lighthouse...." ... I need to get this over and done with. Jessica scratched her head as she grappled for the right words. "Don't read too much into it? It was just -fun, on my part, that is. So...uhm...can we just leave it there?"
"Sure. It never happened," Yuri scoffed, trying to make light of the situation when she had never felt more bitter. "It was just fun, I know right?"
"I - I must say you're a pretty damn good kisser," Jessica made a feeble attempt at a joke. God, this sounds so wrong. What am I saying? "Now, go wow some lucky boy- girl- your own age and break a few hearts."
"Right, I'll do that...unnie."
Jessica squirmed at Yuri's added emphasis on unnie.
*
After Jessica's car had turned around the corner, Yuri tore up the stairs to her home at top speed. She burst into her bedroom, and flung herself onto her bed. She was breathless, panting from the physical assertion, her heart thumping against her chest -just like it had when Jessica was kissing her at the lighthouse. She ran a finger over her lips.
You think of me as a kid; you even call me 'kid'.... but yet, you kissed me...with so much want and longing. You drove your tongue into my mouth. You sucked and bit at my lips, sending me into some kind of friggin' tizzy....and then you tell me not to read too much into it. Really? Was it all just fun to you?
For the entire duration of their kiss, Yuri was almost sure Jessica hadn't been thinking of her as a child. But yet, a moment that was so sacred, romantic and sensual-to Yuri, at least-had turned into a debacle instead.
Yuri rolled about in her bed, kicking and groaning. She then took her frustration out on her pillow, pummelling it repeatedly.
Take that! And that! And that! Stupid Jung woman!
Kwon Yuri had just had her first taste of unrequited love.
*
She needed to work on that final draft to chapter 10, so, after a quick shower, Jessica plunged straight into her writing again.
Whenever her mind was overrun with unnecessary thoughts- at this juncture, unnecessary thoughts would equate to why she had foolishly kissed Kwon Yuri at the lighthouse amidst that goddamn sunrise -work became an outlet, a means of forgetting worrisome issues that had been plaguing her. It was a means to an end.
But that means to an end was soon put to an end when Tiffany Hwang called, disrupting her work flow.
Jessica stopped typing. "What now, Tiff? I'm busy." She glanced up at the wall clock. "It's 8:30 on a Sunday morning. You don't usually get out of bed till noon on Sundays."
Tiffany was seated at a table in a kitchen with sunlight streaming in through the windows; wafting around her was the inviting smell of her breakfast frying in a pan.
"I stayed over at a friend's place and it wouldn't be polite to wake up at noon when the poor man got up early just to fix me breakfast."
"Ah, a man friendddd. That figures. But if you're calling just so you can gloat to my face that someone is fixing you breakfast while my tummy hadn't had a morsel since dinnner last night, then please hang up and let me get back to work."
"Think of this as a courtesy call." Tiffany lifted her face long enough for her man friend to plant a kiss on her cheek when he placed a platter of bacon, eggs and sausages before her.
"Courtesy calls do not exist between us, Tiff. What is it?"
"Promise you won't hang up on me?"
Jessica could sense Tiffany's hesitation even when she couldn't see her. She removed her glasses, kneading her forehead. "Why do I not have a good feeling about this?"
"This could count as an act of disloyalty towards you, but Taeyeon is also my friend..." Tiffany paused, wondering if she'd done the right thing calling Jessica. "But I can't not inform you that I'll be attending her and Jeff Park's engagement party this evening."
"Laughing out loud. The Kim-Park engagement hoo-ha has been circulating long enough over the tabloids and media and floating around the social circuits.... SO, I see it's finally happening," Jessica couldn't keep the bitterness out of her tone, then softening a bit, "Of course you should go, Tiff. Don't let crap that happened between us stop you from attending your other best friend's engagement party."
"Heads up...she's invited you as well. Just thought you should know."
"Not driving 4-and-a-half hours just to see my ex getting engaged to some man in her crass bid to please her old man." I guess I'll never know the dirt that goes on behind these chaebol families and I have no wish to.
"Thought so. Anyway, not that I'm taking sides or anything but I know she's not feeling good about this either. God, she was so drunk the last time we met up."
"Leave her be, Tiff. She's a lot stronger than we think. She'll get over it and adapt to her new life as Jeff Park's fiancee, bride-to-be." Jessica fought hard to keep her emotions in check. "Just to show that I'm over her, would you be a dear and help me pick out a suitable gift?"
You sold yourself out, Taeyeon, but still, I wish you well because I would want you to be happy...always.
*
At a ballroom of a 5-star hotel in downtown Seoul, an engagement party with 300 guests and free flow of champagne was in full swing.
Taeyeon spotted Tiffany standing with a small group of friends at the far corner.
Turning to her new fiance, she excused herself, "Jeff, there's Tiffany. I'll just go mingle and catch up for a bit, all right?"
"Sure, hon, but don't take too long." 5-foot-6, 38-year-old, bespectacled Jeff smiled; his forehead with its receding hairline had never seemed as protruding or as shiny to Taeyeon till now. "There are some business associates of mine that I want you to meet."
"I'll be back in a few," she promised, her body stiffening somewhat when her fiance leaned in to peck her on the lips.
Jostling her way through the guests, stopping every now and then to greet a familiar face, Taeyeon was almost nearing Tiffany and her clique when she heard her friend saying in that loudspeaker voice of hers, "Who? Jessica? Oh, she's hiding out in YulSoo, working furiously on her new novel. Tight deadline, you understand?"
Taeyeon immediately put her thinking cap on....
YulSoo? Tiffany's family vacation bungalow?
*
It had been more than a week since the lighthouse incident.
Yuri was hanging with Sooyoung outside the 7-Eleven several doors down from the restaurant.
"Jessica mentioned you when I delivered dinner to her place last night." Sooyoung was out to bait Yuri, searching her friend's face for some kind of reaction. Disappointed when there was none, she stuffed a handful of chips into her mouth.
"Since when did you get to be on first-name terms with the Jung woman?" Yuri asked sullenly. It was the green-eyed monster in her.
Making dinner deliveries to Jessica Jung almost every night, Sooyoung had since become friendly with the woman, and had made it her mission to feed her best friend with information about her. In fact, Yuri was awestruck to learn that Jessica had pursued her higher education overseas and was a writer by profession, and that she wrote using her Korean name, Jung Soo Yeon.
Ignoring Yuri, Sooyoung asked, "Don't you even want to know what she said?"
"Why does it sound as if you're baiting me?"
"I always said you were sharp."
Yuri rolled her eyes but chose to remain silent.
"She said she hadn't seen you since you took her to the lighthouse," Sooyoung nattered on. "Incidentally, did something happen the last time you were there with her? I've been asking you this like forever and- "
"For the umpteenth time, Sooyoung, N.O. Nooo!"
Yuri's defensiveness each time that question was broached, finally confirmed Sooyoung's suspicion. Hmm. Something did happen but tight-lipped Kwon Yul is tight-lipped.
"Sheesh. Didn't mean to raise your hackles." And quickly changing the subject, she fibbed, "Anyway, Jessica wanted to know if you're still taking her to see the fireflies?"
"Since you're so friendly with her, on first-name terms and all, why don't you take her instead?" Yuri was still in that sullen tone.
"Ugh, no way. The mosquitoes will eat me alive."
"Maybe this time they'll recognise those two permanent mosquito bumps on your chest, take pity on you-hopefully- and leave you alone?"
"Was that my best friend who just took digs at my not so well-endowed chest?" Sooyoung narrowed her eyes till they were mere slits."This calls for revenge." She dug her phone out of her pocket and Yuri soon heard her talking to someone. "Hey, Jessica. Yuri said she'll take you to seek out those little, glowing critters. When? The kid asks if tonight's fine with you?" When Yuri gave her that horrified, what-the-fuck look and tried to snatch the phone from her, Sooyoung jabbed her in the gut with her elbow which sent her doubling over in agony, holding her stomach and groaning in pain. "Great. She'll swing by your place at 10, then. Wear something warm. She'll take you on two wheels."
"Choi Sooyoung, you vengeful, vindictive, piece of- "
Sooyoung calmly stuffed a handful of chips into her BFF's mouth before she could utter the expletive. "I'm creating an opportunity for you, oh foolish one. I can't bear to see you moping around like some lovesick puppy." She thrust her scooter keys into Yuri's hand. "I can't get you a white horse, so, my white scooter will have to do. Now, go, Sir Yuri. Your fair maiden awaits you."
*
Ending her conversation with Sooyoung, Jessica stared at her phone in puzzlement. After the kissing fiasco at the lighthouse, she didn't think Kwon Yuri would even dare come within 100 meters of her.
What was that all about? She did seem rather mad at me the other day, so, why the sudden invitation to see the fireflies?
Writing-wise, she hadn't been able to come up with anything substantial that night and thought maybe the fireflies would offer her a brief respite of sorts.
Picking up and looking thoughtfully at the pack of gum Yuri had left her the day she had come to mow the lawn, a lopsided smile graced her face.
Yep. I'll see you in a few, young'un. I'm really puzzled as to why I'm feeling the way I am....but damn it, you'd better not bring those not-so-young-n-innocent lips of yours anywhere near me because there's no telling what I might do to you. God knows being held for statutory rape is definitely not on my agenda!
*tbc
A/N: Some drama brewing... Next update, maybe?