Part 4 of Fragrance
philtrum - the line you see from the tip of your upper lip to the tip of your nose
Fragrance
Part 4
Jessica Jung..
Jung…
Sooyeon…
Argh!
Yuri roughly closed her eyes to erase the unwanted thoughts…
D*mn Yuri! It’s been 5 years already! Why can’t you simply forget her?
Because you really don’t want to.
Yuri opened her eyes and stared at the presentation
Because until now, you still have that glimmer of hope that somehow, she’ll come back and give an explanation of everything.
D*mn!
Yuri gritted her teeth, trying hard to refocus her attention back to the meeting.
“Is there… Is there something wrong Miss President?” Mr. Seo, who sits beside Yuri, asked her upon noticing the apparent agitation on the President’s expression.
This sudden question brought Yuri back to reality as the unwanted thoughts were again, shoved at the back of her mind.
Yuri turned to Mr. Seo and gave him a polite smile.
“There’s nothing wrong Mr. Seo.”
The old man gave Yuri one slow nod before turning back his attention to the presenter.
Yuri refocused her thoughts and concentrated on the current presentation.
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
Yuri was busy reading some documents on her desk when she suddenly received a call from her secretary.
Yuri lazily pressed the loud speaker button without turning her eyes away from the files for even a second.
“What is it Gyuri? I said that I don’t want to be disturbed besides, I’ll be leaving in a few minutes.” Yuri told her secretary, her attention still focused on the document she’s reading.
“I’m really sorry Miss Kwon but there is a man here who refuses to leave. He said that you know him and that he really needs to talk to you right now.” The secretary’s voice was obviously worried.
“Who did he say he is?” Yuri inquired, still half listening to her secretary.
“He said he is Mr. Kim Jaejoong of the Kim Enterprise.”
Yuri stopped midway into flipping a page and just stared at the intercom that connects her to her secretary.
“Miss Kwon? Should I let him in?”
Yuri still stared at the intercom, her brain trying to process what she was feeling at the moment. She tried to speak but no voice came out.
“Miss Kwon?”
She inhaled a lung full of air, trying to calm herself, before speaking.
“Yes. Please let him in.”
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
Jaejoong slowly made his way towards Yuri’s desk, all the while carefully picking out the words he would be saying.
Jaejoong stood in front of Yuri, giving the latter a polite smile.
“Good afternoon Miss Kwon.”
Yuri slowly gave back the smile. She looks composed and unmoved by the man’s presence although her eyes tell another story. For you could clearly see the hatred, passionately burning in her eyes.
“Good afternoon Mr. Kim Jaejoong. This is a pleasant surprise. What may this important thing be that it cannot simply wait for another day to be discussed?” Yuri’s voice was calm and control albeit, you can still hear the tell-tale sign of hostility in it.
“You need to know the truth..”
Jaejoong sighed, as if wanting to already remove a burden from his chest.
Yuri narrowed her eyes upon hearing Jaejoong’s words.
“Truth? About what exactly Mr….”Yuri tried to say but was quickly cut off by Jaejoong.
“Sooyeon’s back.”
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
A girl with an auburn hair was kneeling in front an Elephant’s ear plant. She has her eyes closed and was smelling the freshly picked Alocasia she was holding with her right hand. She was inside her greenhouse, and around her were different kinds of flowering plants, some bearing flowers already. The greenhouse was divided into several sections, some sections reserved for plants who were in need of a particular kind of climate to bear flowers. The greenhouse was situated at the back of a certain mansion whose owner is the aforementioned girl.
Suddenly, soft footsteps were heard on the loam soil behind the auburn haired girl. This caused the girl to open her eyes and focus her attention to nearing person. The footsteps slowly halted, just a few meters from her. The auburn haired girl caught the whiff of kiwi and involuntarily smiled. She knows that scent all too well.
“Sooyeon.”
The auburn haired girl slowly stood up and faced the bearer of the voice. She held up the flower that she was holding and spoke in a rather controlled voice.
“This is an Alocasia Yuri. You told me before that it could only be found in countries with tropical climates. But look, they managed to grow one here… inside this greenhouse.”
Yuri blinked a few times, trying to hold back her tears.
“How…” Yuri’s voice was faltering, revealing the fact that she was now in the verge of crying. “How have you been?”
Sooyeon smiled, enjoying the fact that this time, she was not remembering but was actually hearing her lover’s voice.
“I’m good.”
Yuri smiled a sad smile upon seeing Sooyeon’s joyful smile.
“How do I look like Sooyeon?” Yuri asked, her smile slowly breaking.
“Ow… You’re still as beautiful as always. Long black hair, a tanned skin glowing with life, eyes as black and mysterious as the night, a perfect nose, not too sharp nor too flat, a long philtrum that accentuates your beauty and soft strawberry colored lips…”
Before Sooyeon could finish what she was saying, a pair of tears slid down Yuri’s cheeks and a seconds after, the girl was already silently sobbing.
“Why? Why didn’t you tell me Sooyeon?...” Yuri bit her lower lip, trying to steady her voice.
Sooyeon just smiled as her hand searched for the sensing stick that was leaning on the garden chair beside her.
“Why didn’t you tell me… you lost your sight because of the accident?” Yuri burst into tears as Jaejoong’s words a while ago echoed in her head.
Sooyeon lost her eye sight because of the accident.
She asked me for help, she said she wanted to be the one who would pay for her own operation.
She wanted to bring back her love and respect for herself so that she could give all her love to you.
She doesn’t want to be a burden, or a leech feeding off your money.
She wanted to provide for her family.
She wanted to be worthy of your love.
Now she has a stable means of income, she has paid me full for the money I lent her and she would have her operation soon…
She has her self-respect back…
But she doesn't know… if you still want her back.
Sooyeon held the sensing stick as she slowly took a seat on the garden chair.
“So that rascal told you.” Sooyeon let out a small laugh. “I told him, not until after my operation.” She shook her head, a sad smile still on her lips.
“Why?” Yuri took fast steps towards Sooyeon and slowly cupped the latter’s face with her right hand.
“I don’t want you to pity me. I don’t want to fully lose my self-respect because of you tending on me, day and night. I don’t want to be the one pulling you down. I don’t want you to feed my family and provide all their needs because I could no longer do that. I want to be the one to pay for my operation.” Sooyeon looked down as tears slowly slid down her cheeks. “I know it may sound selfish… but I can’t give you what I don’t have Yuri. I can’t love you when I hate myself…”
Sooyeon bit her lower lip.
“Now I can tell your father and the whole world that I am worthy of your love…”
*Flashback*
Mr. Lee and Mr. Kwon entered the room only to find a hysterical Sooyeon.
“Someone please open the lights!”
Mr. Kwon and Mr. Lee exchanged glances upon hearing what Sooyeon said.
“But Miss. Jung, the lights are on.”
“No! Open the lights! I can’t see anything! Please open the lights!” Sooyeon shouted as tears continually stream down her cheeks.
~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~
Sooyeon was now calmly sitting on her bed as Mr. Kwon stood leaning on the wall, staring at her. Sooyeon’s face was expressionless.
“Mr. Kwon, can I ask you a favor?”
“What is it Sooyeon?” Mr. Kwon straightened up upon hearing Sooyeon suddenly speak.
“Can you arrange for this not to be known by anybody connected to Yuri?” Sooyeon’s voice was hard and filled with anger.
Mr. Kwon furrowed her brow, surprised at Sooyeon’s request.
“Yes I can. But what for?”
Sooyeon gnashed her teeth, suppressing the anger boiling inside her.
“I don’t want Yuri to know about my condition.”
Mr. Kwon stared at Sooyeon because of what he heard.
“Why?”
Sooyeon’s face suddenly looked really sad and exhausted.
“Pleas Mr. Kwon. I don’t want Yuri to feel pity for me. I was not worthy of her love before, what more of my state now?”
“But my daughter…” Mr. Kwon said but was abruptly cut off my Sooyeon.
“This is my decision Mr. Kwon. Please. I want to be able to love your daughter back.”
*End of flashback*
“But now.. I don’t know if you still want me back?”
Yuri then slowly touched Sooyeon’s chin and lifted it so that the latter is now facing her.
“You will always be the only I’ll ever love… come what may… my angel.”
Yuri leaned down and captured Sooyeon’s lips with her own, conveying her answer to Sooyeon’s question with the long awaited kiss.
Author’s Note:
You can’t give what you don’t have.
At the start of this story, Sooyeon was a simple girl, working on a café that Yuri’s father own. She fends off for her family and never even once did she ask Yuri to buy her or her family anything because she doesn’t want to look like she’s taking advantage of her girlfriend’s wealth. She doesn’t see herself as someone worthy of a person as perfect as Yuri but she loved the girl so much that she just did her best to make her happy. That was before the accident. After the accident, Sooyeon lost her sight. She was devastated. If before, she looked at herself unworthy of such a perfect girl, now, she perceived herself as a rug in front of Kwon Yuri. She lost her sight so that means, she could no longer work and earn a living for her family. She felt utterly useless. And it even pained her more to think that yuri would be taking all the burden on her shoulders. Knowing Yuri, she was quite sure that the girl would fuss over her day and night, would provide for her family and would pay for her operation. Things she doesn’t want to happen. She hates herself, fate and the world. Right there and then, she made a decision. She would prove to herself that she’s not useless, that she can do something, that she would not be a burden and that she is worthy of Kwon Yuri’s love. She asked Jaejoong for help because she knows that it would be the only way for Yuri not to look for her. She had to earn money and look for a donor hence, the 5 year gap.
and the Alocasia in the green house symbolizes the things that may seem impossible but are actually possible if you strive for it...
If you have a question or something.. feel free to ask hehe… But please post the comments on ssf...