Side Story (7) Miracle
After the consultation, I sat at my desk for a while, then wrote a letter, pressing each letter firmly. I wrote about how I'd been doing, how I'd been battling the nightmares, what conclusions I'd reached, and even how much I'd missed her.
As I wrote, the letter became quite thick. The day I sent it, my heart felt so light.
It didn't seem like it would take long for a reply to arrive.
I thought that if I received a letter, I would get a phone call right away, or even if not a phone call, I would get a quick response in some way.
One day, two days, one week, two weeks...
But when I didn't get a reply as I had hoped, I became a little anxious.
What happened...?
With no other choice than to wait, I sent a message to Jeongguk back home on his phone. What should I write... All sorts of things came to mind, but in the end, I simply sent it.
[ How are you..? I was wondering if you received the letter.. ]
There was no reply. I was annoyed by the number 1 that never disappeared.
I called two days later.
[This number is for customer reasons...]
omg...
The number was blocked. I sat there in a daze. Is there any way to contact Jeongguk...? Team Leader Min and Chief Kim Seokjin suddenly came to mind, but my hands were shaking so much I couldn't bring myself to call them.
And the next day, a letter came back with a return stamp. My heart sank, thinking that Jeongguk had forgotten me or was avoiding me.
Has Jungkook forgotten me...? All day, my heart felt like it was sinking into that distant abyss, hardened. Could the three years we'd shared together be ending like this? My vision went black.
After that, the lectures didn't register well. Some days, I even slept late.
""Come on~ Let's go to the special lecture. They say people from outside are coming to listen, so we should go quickly so we can get good seats."
Stephie was nagging me again today, urging me to stay up late. The past few days, I've been feeling down, and Stephie has noticed the change in me and has been working hard to keep me going.
I glanced at my calendar with a blank expression, and saw a special lecture marked "Special Lecture." It was a course called "The Reality of Investigation," and it featured field experiences from detectives who had handled famous cases. I think it was supposed to be taught by an investigator from overseas this time...?
"Okay, I'll get it ready soon."
I answered weakly and stood up. Still, I'd gathered my courage and come here, so I shouldn't have a flat tire.
This class was open to outsiders, so it wasn't held in my usual classroom, but in a large auditorium. I was already a little late, but I got lost and ended up even later than I expected. When I finally found the classroom, it was already packed. The sight of the students surrounding the podium, like the Colosseum, was intimidating. Arriving just a few minutes before the lecture began, we were already full, so we had no choice but to take a corner seat at the very top.
"So I still haven't heard from you..?"
Stephie looked at me with a worried expression. I nodded at her question.
"I guess I was complacent... I only thought about myself.
I never once considered that I might not be able to contact you.
"Because he was always in his place."
"Come on... Cheer up, should we go for a drive this weekend? Takeshi said he wanted to go to the beach... How about we change our mood at a time like this?"
I looked at this kid who wouldn't give up on me even though I was in this situation. After I became discouraged by the fact that I couldn't contact Jungkook, Steph tried to comfort me by suggesting we go to a party or go out on Friday nights. If I kept being depressed like this, wouldn't I lose the friends I had barely made here...?
Because my feelings for Jungkook haven't been resolved, I've been refusing Steph's invitations to go somewhere. Has Jungkook really changed his mind...? My heart ached when I saw the ring still on his finger.
Although I didn't really feel like it, I ended up nodding quietly.
"okay.."
Suddenly, the noisy room became quiet.
The moderator was introducing the person who would be giving the lecture.
""Haejoo, do you know him by any chance? He's from your country."
I looked up and saw the person standing on the podium. He had black hair and a round, white face...
"Hello. Thank you for inviting me to such a great lecture. My name is Jeon Jeong-guk, and I work as an investigator in the violent crimes unit.
I came here to cooperate with the investigation this time, and it's been about two months since I came.
nice to meet you."
The person standing on the podium, receiving applause from the people who came to listen to the lecture, was Jeong-guk.
...!!!
I held my breath and covered my face with my hands.
Yeah, you said you came to see me...
My heart, which had been sinking into the abyss, began to pound and become noisy.
Jungkook looked around the classroom a few times as if looking for someone, then turned on the presentation and began to lecture.
Did he see me in the corner? I couldn't concentrate on the lecture at all. Every single movement he made was captured in my eyes, like a muted video.
. . .
"Haejoo...? How was the lecture?
You listened intently without taking your eyes off me...? You must have been completely absorbed in it, right?"
"Oh, is the lecture over?"
I was sitting there blankly when I realized belatedly that the lecture was over after Stephie spoke.
"Yeah, shall we go to the cafeteria for lunch?
Go and talk about how the lecture was,
Let's also make a plan for how we will move on Saturday"
I still couldn't believe I saw Jungkook. I saw him greeting the host over there, among the people getting up. It felt unreal.
But it's reality. It's there...! Let's move quickly.
""Stephie, let's eat lunch later~ I'll contact you later!"
"Uh...? Okay?"
I left Stephie, who was flustered, and dashed through the crowd. As I ran down from the topmost spot, Jungkook disappeared through the entrance. Damn it, I couldn't miss him!
Why are there so many people here today...? I moved quickly, but leaving wasn't easy. Once outside, the warm sunlight made it hard to keep my eyes open. As my eyes adjusted, I saw Jungkook walking toward the parking lot.
"jungkook jeon...!!!"
He shouted loudly. Hearing the clear, native language in this place where foreign languages were blaring, Jeongguk paused. He looked around, wondering if anyone could see me, still in the crowd.
""Jungkook..!!"
I ran as hard as I could. This time, it seemed like Jungkook had spotted me. He looked at me and gave me a big wave.
""Please do it~~"
He ran like that and was held in Jeongguk's arms.
. . .
"I missed you so much... Jungkook..."
Jungkook hugged me tightly as I jumped in. The warmth of his embrace was still there.
"What happened to you... ㅜㅠ
No matter how much I try to contact you, I can't reach you...
Why is the number blocked.."
With Jungkook in my arms, I wept and let out words of resentment. Jungkook comforted me as I cried, then sat me down on a bench by the parking lot.
""Haejoo, I told you I'd come see you. Don't you trust me, Haejoo?"
Jungkook, who had been talking playfully, put his arm around my shoulder as I continued to cry.
"I... Haejoo, are you okay?"
"It's not okay at all...?
I sent a letter, but it got returned... and there was no contact...
"Ugh, ugh, ugh.."
After crying for so long, I realized how much time had passed. Jungkook, who had been sitting next to me for a while, finally spoke.
"Sorry,
Since I came here suddenly and stayed longer than expected, my mom put my number on hold. I think she blocked my contacts so I couldn't hear from her. We moved our belongings here, providing police housing...
I thought you needed more time since I haven't heard from you..."
"Hey, you bad boy... If you're here, let me know... ㅜㅠ
I thought I'd never see you again..."
I stopped crying and slapped Jungkook on the shoulder with a resentful hand. And when I tried to slap him again, he grabbed my hand.
""You were wearing a ring...?"
Jungkook smiled happily as he looked at the ring on his hand, then opened his hand and showed it to me.
"I'm wearing it too."
Jungkook placed our hands, both with rings on them, side by side and held them tightly.
"I missed you so much, too. I wanted to contact you as soon as I got back, but I couldn't because of the investigation. I just happened to get an offer for a special lecture, and since it was related to the training you were doing, I barely managed to find the time to accept...
If I couldn't see you in class today, I was going to look for you here."
"Even so, it's like that...
What would have happened if I hadn't heard this?"
“Don’t you trust me? I’m a detective in the violent crimes unit.
I can't find you here.."
My heart was pounding like this, but Jeon Jungkook looked so relaxed. Tsk tsk... If I keep doing this, it'll seem like I'm the only one clinging to it... My pride will be hurt.
"Tch, I hate you.
I received a returned letter last weekI thought I lost Jeon Jungkook because I was being selfishHow much heart do you really have.."
"Hmm, did you know that? You're selfish..?"
"Hey, that's not the important thing....."
side-
Jeongguk covered my lips as I was about to let out a sigh of resentment.
"That's why I came, I kept my promise, right...?
You didn't lose me... Jeon Jungkook is here in front of you."
Jeongguk wiped away the tears that were welling up in my eyes with his thumb.
Yeah, this body temperature... Jungkook is right in front of me.
I stretched out both arms and hugged Jeongguk tightly.
We shared a deeper kiss on a bench at the edge of the parking lot. Feeling Jungkook's warmth, my heart, so dark and hardened, seemed to melt away. What was this... Feeling the anguish of the past few days melt away like snow, I felt a pang of irritation.
Still, meeting this child in this unfamiliar land, the shade of the tree over the bench, the buildings shining white in the sunlight, the soft breeze flowing between us as we touched each other - everything felt like a miracle.
And that miracle was so good.