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Chapter 37

Even after returning home, Na AhJung’s worry over my brother did not wane. Of course, her worry that I would shoot my brother did go away.

With the rest of her worries intact, she held tightly onto her phone and paced around her room muttering. “What do I do? How do I tell him? Ah, what do I do... Telling him that I’m breaking off the wedding over a text is not right... I have to tell him face to face... Ah, how can I do that?”

Watching Na AhJung while sitting at the tea table, I felt conflicted. She didn’t know the reason behind my brother’s sudden proposal. She only said yes because of the money prospects.

She still doesn’t know that my brother is gay. If I tell her now, will she be less sorry to my brother? Would it be easier to ask to break off the wedding? No. My brother wants to hide this fact, even going through with a fake wedding to cover it up. I can’t just reveal the secret that my brother wants to hide so desperately...

I rubbed my face unable to find the correct answer to this conflict. Na AhJung fell onto her bed.

“Ah, what am I supposed to do?” she screamed into her pillow.

Feeling uncomfortable, I narrowed my eyes. “So, why did you say you were going to do it? I said I would deal with it.”

“No, I have to do it...” Na AhJung sighed.

“You can’t even do it. Your so stubborn,” I said. “You persuaded me not to when I said I would, and now look at you. Do you know how many hours it’s been? Forget it, you stay out of it. I’ll call my brother.”

As if something horrible would happen if I called, Na AhJung jumped up and yelled, “I, I’ll do it! This wedding is between JiKyung and I, so it’s right that I do it. That’s the proper thing to do.”

“It just seems like you’ll get this proper thing done after I’m dead and the funeral’s been held,” I said. “When are you planning to go through with it?”

Na AhJung pouted at my rebuttal. “It’s not like I’ve been at this for days... It’s only been an hour.”

“Just let me do it,” I said.

“No! You can’t! I’m going to do it!” Na AhJung was again showing her stubborn side.

“Are you going to do it right now?” I asked.

“That’s...” Na AhJung hung her head unconfidently.

“You keep trying to convince yourself you can do it, but you can’t say a word,” I said. “How do you act so well with a personality as meek as yours?”

“That’s... When I’m acting, I become somebody else,” she replied. “So, if I think it’s not me, I can do anything.”

“Then think that this is not me this time too and just do it.” I was getting impatient. “Break off the wedding with my brother.”

“It’s not that easy,” Na AhJung replied in exasperation. “Wanting to break off the engagement is such a big truth that I can’t just pretend it’s not me. I’m scared, nervous, and meek...You don’t know how much I thought about this last night. I couldn’t even sleep. I really brought up all my courage for this.”

“You confessed without even sleeping?” I asked.

Na AhJung nodded at my surprise question. Embarrassed, she continued as she twisted the corners of her pillow. “I tried really hard.”

My heart jumped, so I blew my whistle. At the sound, Na AhJung immediately straightened up.

“For someone who tried that hard to gain me, you are not using me.” I turned my chair toward Na AhJung. “You have to come use me. What are you doing?”

I opened my arms wide, but Na AhJung stood in place staring at my chest like she couldn’t believe it.

I blew the whistle again. Na AhJung ran to me without thinking. As she collided into me, I hugged her tightly.

“You spent a lot of energy confessing to me, so I won’t tell you to confess to my brother right now,” I said.

“Really?”

“You need at least one night to think over the confession to my brother,” I replied. “I’ll wait for you just that amount. But, tomorrow you have to do it.”

I slightly pushed away from Na AhJung to look into her eyes. I had hugged her while I was sitting, so our heights were about the same. With my back straight, our eyes were nearly level.

As I made eye contact with her, Na AhJung nodded with her eyes brightening. “I’ll do it tomorrow, I promise.”

“You confess tomorrow,” I said. “Now, we can check out the USB.”

“USB? Oh, that,” Na AhJung replied.

“We’ll check the storyline of the plot and decide if you like it or not,” I said. “That way, we can ask the writer to edit it or continue as is.”

“All right. I can do that right now. I’ll do it.” Na AhJung nodded persuading me to trust her.

When she had stopped nodding, I locked my lips onto hers without having to bend over. I just turned my neck slightly. Maybe because it was a different position from last time, but my heart beat just as it did the first time.

Is it really because of the position?

Curious, I stood up with my lips still locked. Like I did the first time, I had my back bent while my lips caressed hers. Even though the position was the same, my heart beat hard as if it had never felt this way before.

***

As Lee JiHan watched, I sat at the tea table with the laptop in front of me. Taking out the golden USB from my pocket, I connected it to the laptop. I opened the USB file and saw his present to me, the play synopsis.

The synopsis’s first page had the title written in large letters. I read it the title out loud in excitement. “I am against... this wedding?”

What kind of title is that?

I frowned at the strange title.

“Why? You don’t like it?” he asked.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say out loud,” I replied. “Can we ask the writer to change the title?”

“I made the title,” Lee JiHan said.

I flinched at his answer but hurriedly smiled and tried to get around the dangerous situation. “No wonder I felt embarrassed. Oh, every time I think about you, my face gets all red and I get embarrassed. I must have felt your presence in the title. Like an instinct, my soul just felt it...”

“Then, the feeling in your soul will ring throughout the plot,” Lee JiHan said “I also created the plot.”

“Wow! Really?” With anticipation in my eyes, I stared at the monitor and scrolled down the document. I read the storyline out loud.

“33 year old, unknown theater actress, Na AhJung. Extremely young looking, similar to a teenage girl.”

After reading the two sentences, I was so fascinated that I looked up at Lee JiHan. “Is this really about me?”

“I told you yesterday, this play is catered to you exactly. First, finish reading the rest of it,” Lee JiHan calmly said as he pointed to the laptop.

I reverted my attention back to the monitor and continued to read.

“Due to the fact that her facade did not correspond to her actual age, the roles she is able to play as an actress became more and more limited... Wow, chills! I’m in here!”

I looked at Lee JiHan with wide eyes. He smiled contently at my reaction.

“What in the world. This is... It’s not a play, but Na AhJung’s biography?! So! What happens to me?!”

I was curious about the ending, so I looked back at the monitor and read to the end.

“The gay grandson of a millionaire and that woman went into a contract...”

I stopped reciting and froze in shock.

The gay grandson of a millionaire and the woman went into a contract wedding... Why is this sentence here? Is this... Is this the story of me and JiKyung... But, Lee JiHan wrote this story. He told me that it was a play made to fit me exactly... Lee JiHan wrote it... Then, Lee JiHan... Lee JiHan?!

“Ah, you knew?” I stared at Lee JiHan in utter shock.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“That he’s gay!” I shouted.

At this answer, Lee JiHan shot up and yelled. “You know that?!”

“Oh my God, you knew!”

He said my soul would ring with the feeling! This is more like an earthquake, earthquake!

“When? When did you find out?” I asked.

“How about you? When did you know about it?” Lee JiHan replied with the same question.

“I asked you first!”

Losing his patience, Lee JiHan grabbed my shoulder and shook me. “Answer my question! When did you find out?”

When was it? When did I find out?

I scanned over my memory to find the answer to that question. But, it had been several years since I had known, so it was hard to pinpoint the exact time.

“It, it... It’s been such a long time...”

“What did you say?” Lee JiHan stopped shaking me upon hearing my answer.

“It’s, it’s been such a long time that I can’t remember the exact time,” I said. “Anyway, it was a few months after JiKyung came to see my play, so about four years.”

“Four years...” Lee JiHan slumped in his seat with an astounded expression on his face.

“Why, what’s wrong?” I hurriedly stood up and walked toward. Worried, I poked his shoulder. “Uh, pull yourself together. Why are you like this all of a sudden?”

Lee JiHan had no reaction, so I poked him a couple times more. He still remained frozen and unmoving. Suddenly, he woke up from his trance. His eyes widened, and he shot out of his seat.

“How could my brother do this to me!” Lee JiHan yelled at the empty space in front of him. “His blood relative didn’t know! But Na AhJung knew!”

“What?” I was taken by surprise.

“He didn’t say one word to me, but he tells his friend Na AhJung everything?” Lee JiHan clenched his jaw and grinded his teeth.

“Uh, are you upset that I knew this before you did?” I asked.

“Of course! I’m his brother,” Lee JiHan said “And, I’m his only brother! I’m his one and only brother, and you are one of his many friends! How could you know first?”

That’s right, this guy has a brother complex.

I was at a loss for words at my sudden realization.

“I’m going to kill my brother!” Inflamed, Lee JiHan reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He put it up close to his ear. Before long, he shouted into the phone, “How could you do this to me! How could you do this!”

“Ah! Wait!” Before I could stop him, the words had already spilled out of his mouth.

“Why did Na AhJung know that you are gay, when I didn’t? Why?”

“Ahh!”

He must have been unable to hear my screams because Lee JiHan shot out all the secrets like a missile. “Yea! I know everything! That you’re gay! I already knew it! The reason you wanted to get married to Na AhJung was because you were gay!”

It sounded like JiKyung said something on the other side of the phone, but Lee JiHan listened only momentarily.

He started to yell again. “How do I know? Your ex-boyfriend told me! Why? Did you think Na AhJung told me?”

“Ah! Lee JiHan! Calm down! Please!” I shook Lee JiHan’s arms pleading him to stop.

He turned his head to me with a sharp glare. I let go of his arms in fright.

As he glared at me, he continued to talk to Lee JiKyung. “This girl was trying to hide your secret. She only just confessed what she did wrong.”

I looked at Lee JiHan desperately wringing my hands, pleading for him to stop.

Lee JiHan looked at me with his teeth clenched. “Your friendship is really something else!”

I tried to make an excuse. “Look, we’re, we’re not that close. Ah, of course you are more important to JiKyung than I am...”

Lee JiHan put down his phone and shot lasers at me. “Don’t act like you understand another man’s feelings in front of me.”

From brother complex to Othello syndrome. The reason for Lee JiHan’s anger flipped back and forth like flopping fish.

“Oh, no. How could I know JiKyung’s feelings?” I asked. “I don’t know any of it. Really, none.”

“Then, like someone who doesn’t know, stay out of it,” he shot back. “I don’t like you defending my brother. It makes me feel like he’s more important to you.”

JiHan turned his back to me and started to yell into his phone again. “Forget it! I don’t need a brother like you anymore! I don’t need you!”

Oh, what do I have to do to reduce his anger?

I fretted around hopelessly not able to try anything. I was afraid that if I did, I might end up fanning the flames. I just stood behind him, pacing around nervously.

What do I do? What do I do?

Lee JiHan suddenly blurted out the biggest secret of all. “I don’t have to think about your position anymore! I! I’m dating Na AhJung!”

My legs crumbled beneath me. It felt like somewhere an atomic bomb had gone off.

“I’m not saying it just because I’m mad! I’m really dating her! With Na AhJung!” Lee JiHan hung up and turned off his phone.

I looked up at Lee JiHan from the floor. “How could you just say that? I said, I’d do it personally tomorrow. Breaking off the marriage was between me and JiKyung. I asked you to wait...”

Lee JiHan coldly cut me off. “When did I talk about breaking off the marriage?”

“What?”

“I never told my brother about breaking off the marriage,” he said. “I only told him that we are dating. So, I kept my promise. You can tell him that you are breaking it off.”

Wow, sh*t! How could he say such nonsense so logically?

I retorted, “That’s the same thing! If I wasn’t going to break it off, why would I date you? If you told him we were dating, it’s the same as you telling him the marriage is off!”

At my argument, Lee JiHan confidently replied, “Do I have to tell him we aren’t dating when we are?”

“I didn’t tell you to lie, I just didn’t want you to tell him that we were dating,” I said feeling exasperated. “Ah, why did you have to bring it up when he didn’t even ask you? Why?”

“Na AhJung, you never asked me for that favor,” Lee JiHan said in a flat voice. “Don’t mention us dating. That’s the first time I remember you asking me to do that. Why didn’t you ask me before I said it?”

I give up...

There were no words to combat his. No, there were no words to say at all. His nonsensical statements were said in such a logical manner that I started to think that maybe I was the one in the wrong.

Suddenly, the phone on my bed started to ring. Reflexively, I turned around at the sound. I knew it had to be JiKyung, but I couldn’t bear to go pick it up.

Lee JiHan pushed me aside. He went to the bed, grabbed the phone, and turned it off.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“You can’t contact my brother until tomorrow morning,” Lee JiHan said.

“What?”

“Your plan was to confess your intent to break off the marriage tomorrow. So until then, I want my brother to sweat.” Lee JiHan put the phone in his pocket and looked at me coldly in warning. “I will return this to you tomorrow. So, until then, you will not contact my brother. Understand?”

“I understand. I do,” I replied.

“Then, good night. I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” he said. “I’m going to slap my brother, who trusted you more than me, around a bit in my dreams.”

Lee JiHan left my room. I sat frozen in place. He knew his brother was gay. That in itself was a shock. Now, JiKyung knew I was dating his brother. The secrets had exploded out like a bombshell, and I lay tattered from the warzone.

Is this love or war? This warlike dating... Will there be peace tomorrow?