| ** ~Chapter 13~ ~Trust the warmth inside, Can you feel my love alive, Like yesterday, Like nothing happened today. And please don't tell me why.. Even though you turn around like this, I won't ask the reason why you left me. It probably wasn't easy for you to tell me this. I thought about how hard it must've been for you. It's just that at the sight of my sad tears, You might stop turning around And embrace me with your love that will no longer be, So I am afraid of that. *So baby, trust the warmth inside, Can you feel my love alive, Like yesterday, Like nothing happened today. And please don't tell me why.. Even though you turn around like this, I won't ask the reason why you left me.~ ~J~ ‘Yesterday’ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (The abandoned warehouse.) “Park over there.” Ally said to Minwoo. They got out of the car and walked towards the group of people hanging outside the warehouse. “Hey babe, how about you lose you boyfriend and hang with a real man.” One of the guys said to Ally. “Well I don’t know. See I need a real man and I think you’re just not man enough for me.” Ally replied as she grabs him and punched him. The guy caught of guard fell to the ground. “Hey bitch, what do you think you’re doing? That’s my boy you just punched.” A girl said as she walked towards them. “Oh was it? You see I just wanted to see if he was man enough for me.” She said to the girl. “Sorry, not man enough as you can see.” The girl got mad and threw a punch at Ally but missed. Ally grabbed her and kicked her in her stomach causing her to fall to the ground also. “Who’s next?” Ally asked the others who were now standing around Ally and Minwoo. “Enough!” A voice from behind called. The gang made an opening to the mysterious voice could get through. “Who do you think you are coming here and starting trouble with us?” The guy said as he walked closer to see them. “Name’s Ally and I’m looking for someone.” Ally responded. “Ally?” The guys asked as he got closer to them. “Is it really you?” “Jung?” Ally said when she saw his face. “Yeah, in the flesh.” He replied. “What are you doing in Korea? Why aren’t you at home with your parents?” “I live here now.” Ally replied. “My folks are dead so I decided to move on. I can see you’re still the same except for that scar on your face.” “The price you have to pay for things in life.” He replied. “So who are you looking for?” “I came here to see some girl name Minyoung. I hear she hangs around here.” Ally answered. “That bitch, yeah she hangs around here. She thinks she rules this area just because she’s Johnny’s girl.” Jung replied. “That’s right. How is Johnny anyways?” Ally asked. “Still the same I guess.” Jung replied. “He’s really gonna be surprised to see you here.” “Well are you gonna take me to them or am I gonna have to do this the hard way?” Ally said. “Right this way.” Jung said as he led them inside the warehouse. “So who’s the pretty boy?” He asked. “Pretty boy?” Minwoo said. “This is Woo. He’s a friend.” Ally replied motioning Minwoo not to say anything. “Nice to meet you Woo.” Jung answered. “So how did you meet Ally here?” “Look, this isn’t time for chit chat. We met, and that’s the end of it.” Ally replied. “Still the same I can see. Just with a different look.” Jung muttered. “Well here it is.” He said to them as they stood in front of a door. “They’re in there, but we’re not allowed in unless he calls us.” Jung said as he went to sit on the couch next to the door. “Have a seat.” “No thanks Jung.” Ally replied as she grabbed the door handle. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” Jung said as he got up. “I told you no one’s allowed in there unless told.” “Look Jung, I ain’t got time to wait around for Johnny boy to call you.” Ally said as she flung the door open to find Minyoung kissing Johnny. “Hey bitch! Who do you think you are? No one is allowed in here unless they’re told to.” Minyoung said as she got up to see who opened the door. “Hello Minyoung.” Ally said as she came face to face with Minyoung. “You, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be by you’re friends bedside.” Minyoung said with a smile on her face. Just then Ally punched her in the eye giving her a black eye. “Oww… How dare you!” Minyoung said while getting off the ground. “What’s all this about.” A voice said from where Minyoung appeared. “Johnny, what no hello?” Ally said. “Ally?” Johnny said as he walked towards her. “Is it really you? I can’t believe you’re here.” “Look, cut the crap. I’m here on business.” “Johnny, don’t you see what she did to me.” Minyoung said in a whining voice. “Out Minyoung.” “But Johnny?” “I said out. I deal with you later.” He said to her as she walked out of the room sobbing. “I can’t believe it’s really you.” Johnny said. “How you been?” “Look Johnny, as much as I’d love to talk about old times I ain’t got the time.” “So what are you here for?” He asked her. “I just came here to tell Minyoung to lay off my friends. She’s got no business messing with my girl and Charlie.” “Oh, that. I didn’t know Amy was your friend.” “You mean you knew about this?” Ally said in a shocked voice. “Look I found out after it happened. I swear. How is she?” “She almost died if that makes you feel any better.” Ally replied. “How could you allow this to happen? Charlie’s your brother and you go and do this to him.” “Look, I’m sorry. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Johnny replied. “Thanks but no thanks.” “So I heard about you’re parents. I’m sorry.” “I don’t need your sympathy.” Ally said to him. “Look, my business here is done. Let’s go.” “Wait!” Johnny said to them as they turned around to face him again. “Who’s the pretty boy?” “Name’s Woo.” Minwoo replied. “Woo, huh.” Johnny said while staring into Minwoo’s eyes. “So Woo, how’d you manage to her keep her on such a long leash?” “Look Johnny, ain’t no one keeping me on a leash. Woo’s just a friend.” Ally responded. “Alright, I’m backing off. Just one thing Woo.” “What?” Minwoo said to him. “You take care of her. She may not know it but I can see that you care about her. If anything happens to her I’m comin’ after you.” Johnny said to him. “Enough with the threats Johnny.” Ally said to him as she turned around towards the door. “Ally?” “What now Johnny?” “I still love you. I never stopped.” Johnny said to her. “Huh, that’s so funny.” She said as she turned to him and got in his face. “Bastard, you could you say that to me.” “Look at this Woo, a guy tells her he loves her and she calls you a bastard.” “That’s cause you are a bastard.” Ally said to him. “You don’t love me, if you did you would of never have left me and Charlie back there.” “Oh come on Ally. That was years ago. Get over it.” “Get over it! Get over it! Johnny you left us to die! How am I supposed to get over it?” “Look, I didn’t’ leave you to die. If I knew you wouldn’t have made it I would of never left you there.” “Liar! Did you know that I have to drag Charlie’s dead carcass out of there! He was basically declared dead by the doctors!” Ally now had tears streaming down her face. “And worst. How could you come back the next day and drag him out of that hospital without even telling me!” “Ally, I had to do what I had to do.” “You bastard. You left without even telling me. After all we’ve been through you took Charlie and ran! And you tell me you love me!” “This is what I say about your love.” Ally said to him while pointing her middle finger at Johnny. “So don’t tell me you love me. That’s not love!” “What did you want me to do? I confessed my love to you and you blew me off. I couldn’t stay. So I left.” Johnny said to her. “I knew things couldn’t’ go back to normal after that night. You broke my heart Ally.” “Heart! What heart! You have no heart. Anyone who leaves their brother and friend to die has no heart.” Ally said to him as she grabbed Minwoo’s hand and walked out of the warehouse. Minyoung was waiting outside when she saw Ally and Minwoo come out with tears in her eyes. “Oh… is little Ally crying?” She said to Ally who was now in her face. “I told you bitch. Don’t mess with me.” In rage Ally went at her and started hitting and kicking her. “Ally no!” Minwoo said as he ran to her trying to break it up. Jung was holding Minyoung who now had blood all over her face while Minwoo was trying his best to hold Ally back who was still cussing at Minyoung. “Ally! Ally! Enough!” Minwoo said to her while holding her back. “Alright, alright!” Ally said to him as he let go of her. “I’ll stop.” “Ha, ha. See I told you bitch, you can’t do shit.” Minyoung said to Ally. Ally grabbed her by her shirt and said to her, “You’re lucky I’m not the same girl as I was back then. If you come near Amy or Charlie again I swear I’ll finish what I’ve started.” She said to her as she dropped her on the ground and walked to the car with Minwoo following behind. They got into the car and drove off back to the hospital in silence. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Chapter 14~ You repeated your style of playing me and telling lies So different from what I see in your eyes And when they become dim and hard, close your eyes, You do my love You are fun You fulfill my sadness with momentary pleasure Flowing on my face Wake me up with the sadness of my love, anger, hatred Yo! Left. Escaped this time and left! Is it alright to walk up to you now? Why are you turning around? You disappear from me without a sound It is better to return when our love is only short When it gives us time to part I want that. I want you to feel the pain that I have felt Until the memories from you fade Lies which you told remain in my mind Now I'll forget my memories of you How could you be... why did you leave? ~Shinhwa~ ‘Egotism’ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Minwoo, what are you doing? Why did you stop?” Ally asked. “Look Ally, I know I promised not to judge your actions but what just happened back there?” “Look Minwoo, it’s over now. Just drive.” Ally responded while wiping the blood from her lip. “No, We’re not going anywhere until I get some answers.” Minwoo replied in an angry tone. “Ally, I’m worried about you. Back there, who was that?” “I’m fine! Everything’s fine. You don’t have to worry about me, I’m a big girl now. I can take care of myself.” “Why? Why are you doing this to yourself?” Minwoo said to her with a sad look on his face. “Why are you hurting yourself?” “How can you say that?” Ally said to him with tears flowing from her eyes. “Look Minwoo, I know you want me to open up to you. I know you wanna take all my worries away and just make it all better. But you can’t, I can’t… I can’t do this anymore.” Ally couldn’t contain all the pain she held inside and broke down in front of Minwoo. “Why? What did I do to deserve all of this pain?” “Please Ally, let me help you.” Minwoo said to her. “Why won’t you let me help you?” “Because… It hurts too much. The scars are too deep. I can’t afford to hurt you in the process.” “You’re hurting me now. Right now by not letting me in.” Minwoo said to her with tears flowing from his eyes. “Don’t you see, that it hurt me to see you hurt? Let me take away all the pain.” “Alright, I owe you that much.” Ally replied. “But first, I wanna see Amy. After that I’ll tell you everything.” Minwoo started the engine again and they drove off to the hospital. (Amy’s Room.) ‘She’s finally asleep.’ Charlie thought to himself as he walked out of the room. “Ally? Lord please watch after her. She’s been through enough pain in her life. Please make sure she’s safe.” “Charlie!” “Ally! Thank god you’re back.” Charlie said. “How is she?” Minwoo asked. “She finally fell asleep.” Charlie replied. “Ally, you’re bleeding! What happened to you?” “I’ll live.” She replied. “Look, it’s all taken care of. Minyoung won’t be bothering you or Amy anymore.” “What did you do?” Charlie said with a shocked look on his face. “Nothing stupid if that’s what you’re thinking.” “Well it’s not gonna do you any good hanging around here. Why don’t you go home and rest yourself. From the way you look you need it more than I do.” Charlie said to her. “Minwoo, why don’t you take her home? I’m gonna stay here overnight.” “Charlie’s right Ally.” “Alright, I’m not gonna argue this time. I think I’ve done enough arguing today.” Ally said to Minwoo. “Be sure to call me when she wakes up.” “I will.” “Hey Charlie?” “Yeah Ally?” “About what I said earlier. I’m sorry. I can see it in your eyes that you love her. I’m proud of you, you’ve come a long way.” “Thanks Ally. You’ve come a long way also.” Minwoo and Ally turned around leaving Charlie with Amy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Chapter 15~ ~See you ain’t seen but half of me, no lie should have known by that wild in you eyes You the type excited by danger Well look at here- I ain’t no stranger to them things that get in a player’s way Everything I got, that’s how I’m standing here today Take care of things people look up to Now it’s on you We can do this any way you want Show the world we ballin’ or go heart to heart~ ~Shinhwa~ ‘Wild Eyes’ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Amy’s House.) “Come in.” Ally said to Minwoo as they walked into the house. “Make yourself comfortable, it’s gonna be a long night. I’m gonna get out of these clothes and then I’ll be out.” Minwoo sat down on the couch while Ally went to her room to change. She came out 5 minutes later and sat down next to Minwoo on the couch. The room fell silent. “I don’t know where to start.” Ally said to him in a soft voice. “Well how about you tell me how you met Johnny?” Minwoo asked. “Alright.” Ally said. ~ I was 14 at the time. I was coming home from school. I was really pissed because of something someone said to me. I don’t remember what it was. Anyways my parents were having marital problems at the time so I didn’t really wanna go home and hear them arguing. So that’s just what I did. I didn’t go home. I just sort of wandered off and before I knew it the sun was setting in the sky and I was lost. I had no idea where I wandered off to. ‘Great Ally, now how are you gonna explain this to mom and dad.’ Anyways I started walking faster and faster. I was scared, but more of what my parents were gonna say to me when I got home. And that’s when it happened… ~ Minwoo could see tears streaming down Ally’s face. He could see that she was hurting inside but he couldn’t stop her. He knew that the only way she was gonna get through this was to face it. ~ Anyways, it happened so quick I never saw them coming. They grabbed me and dragged me into an empty alley. There were three of them. Two of them were holding me down while the other was punching me. I was so scared, because I knew what was going to happen next. I just closed my eyes and prayed that it was quick. I wanted to die right there and then. And that’s when I met him. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” He walked towards them and got in their faces. “Mind your own business man.” One of the guys said to him and then he turned around and ripped my shirt. “This is my business.” Johnny said to them. Anyways, he ended up beating the crap out of them. After they ran off I fainted. I woke up in his room. And that’s when I remembered what had happened. I was so scared that I grabbed my things but as I was about to leave he walked in the room. “So you’re finally awake.” I was so scared, I just dropped my things on the floor and started crying. “Now come on, stop crying. I hate it when girls cry.” He said to me while he picked up my things from the floor. “Where am I?” I asked him. “This is my room. I brought you in after you fainted. What were you doing hanging around a place like that anyways?” He asked me as he handed me a piece of toast. “I got lost.” I replied as I at the toast. “Look, I’m not gonna hurt you.” He said to me. And then he introduced himself. “I’m Johnny. What’s your name?” “Ally.” I replied back. “Ally huh? It’s a pretty name. So Ally, how old are you?” “I don’t think it’s something you should know.” “Alright, you’re right. Look, here’s the phone. You can call your parents. I pretty sure they’re worried to death by now. I brought you some breakfast. When you feel like talking I’ll be downstairs.” And then he left. I called my parents but no one answered. So I ate the breakfast he brought me. I debated if I should go downstairs or climb out the window. I grabbed my things and decided to get it over with. So I went downstairs. “So you finally decided to come down.” He said to me. “I couldn’t climb out of your window. The tree branch wasn’t strong enough.” I answered back. “Did you call your parents?” He asked me. “Yeah, I just told them that I spent the night over a friend’s house. Thank you.” “For what?” “For saving my life. You didn’t have to but you did. You could of just left me there but you didn’t and then after I fainted you took me into your house and took care of me.” I started crying again. “Look, it was nothing. You can keep the shirt, my brother wont miss it. Besides it looks better on you than it did on him.” He said to me with a smile on his face. “Well you ready to go?” “Huh? Go where?” I asked him. “Go home. Isn’t that what you want? I’ll drive you home. Just let me grab my keys.” And so he drove me home. “So this is where you live? Nice place.” “Thanks again Johnny.” I said to him as I got out of the car. “Hey Ally.” He said to me. “If you want I can teach you a few moves to defend yourself.” And that’s how I learned how to fight. I got home to find there was no one there. My parents didn’t even know I was gone the whole night. I went straight to my room and fell asleep on my bed. Everyday after school we would meet by this little grocery store one block down from my school. And everyday after school I learned how to defend myself for two hours. That’s all we did. He never told me about who he was and his family. I never told him about who I was or my family. ~ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Chapter 16~ ~tell me it isn't a dream.. that i'm breathing rite now. like a mirror, i saw right through you.. the bright light inside of you from now on, in my life i won't be feeble anymore forever is the limit where we'll be together and you're by my side.. 'True Love' my love is 'True Heart' i have faith i'll protect our truthful love even if i let your hand slip, don't have any worries. have you forgotten we walk together as one it gives me strength when you trust in me. forever is the limit where we'll be together and you're by my side.. 'True Love' my love is 'True Heart' i have faith i'll protect our truthful love~ ~Fin.K.L.~ ‘True Love’ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~ A month after the incident life went back to normal for me or at least I thought it did. My parents worked out their differences and we went back to being the perfect family. I never told about what had happened to me that night or about Johnny. We were a family again, I didn’t want anything to break it up. I still trained with Johnny after school, I just lied to my parents and told them that I was playing sports or I was in some sort of after school club. They were proud of me. Anyways, one day after school ended I went to meet Johnny at the corner store like I always did but this time he wasn’t there. “Maybe he’s late.” I said to myself. And so I waited there for him. 15 minutes went by and still no Johnny. Half and hour later I saw a boy my age come towards me wearing Johnny’s clothes but it wasn’t Johnny. He introduced himself as Charlie, Johnny’s younger brother. I knew who he was. Charlie Huang Nam. He had a really bad reputation around school. Everyone was afraid of him. No one ever messed with him because they knew that his older brother would come after them. And so that’s how I found out who Johnny was. Charlie told me that Johnny had some business to take care of and that he wasn’t gonna be able to make it. He told me that he would fill in for Johnny. And that’s how I got to know Charlie. The three of us ended hanging out together, we were inseparable. People at school started staring at me. My friends began to question me. “Ally, are you crazy? Why are you hanging with Charlie?” I just ignored them. I didn’t mind that they had a bad rep because if it weren’t for Johnny I wouldn’t be here today. Rumors began spreading and eventually my friends weren’t my friends anymore. They were afraid of me. And so I began hanging with Charlie and his friends. I never liked them, they did things without thinking but Charlie and Johnny were different. At first their friends didn’t accept me but as time went by I just became one of them. Two years passed by and I finally got to know who the real Johnny and Charlie were. By that time their little group of friends grew into a gang. People were afraid of us. Once in a while they would start trouble but I just stood there and watched. I never really got involved in their stupid decisions. Johnny and Charlie understood and they were cool with that. Besides they didn’t want me to get involved. One time Johnny told me that even though he did dumb things sometimes, he would never hurt me. He told me I was different from the others. I was the only one who truly understood him and Charlie. I saw him from a different light ever since that day. He became my best fiend. And Charlie was like a brother to me. I confided everything to them and they in turns did the same. Anyways, when I turned 17 things went downhill. Johnny got himself into some bad things. I blame Jung for it, he always messed with Johnny’s mind. I never understood why Johnny would allow him to talk him into doing some dumb and dangerous things. Charlie also. One night Johnny asked me to meet him at this fancy restaurant. I was surprised at how well he groomed himself. We finished out dinner and then we decided to take a walk at the park across the restaurant. That’s when it happened. We were sitting down on a bench that was facing the lake. Watching the full moon shine bright up in the sky. He took my hand and told me that I cared for me. He told me that I wasn’t like any other girl he had ever met. I knew where this was going and I tried to stop him but he wouldn’t allow me. “Ally, I love you.” Tears started flowing from my eyes. “I’ve loved you for a long time. I just never had the courage to tell you until now.” I looked at him and told him how I felt right then and there. “I’m sorry Johnny. But I can’t accept your declaration.” “What?” “You and I, we could never be anything but friends.” I broke his heart and I knew it. I could see he was dying inside. He got up and was about to leave when I grabbed him by the hand. “Please Johnny, let me explain.” “What’s there to explain, I understand, you don’t love me.” “It’s not like that. I love you but as a friend. I’m afraid of who you’ve become Johnny. You’ve changed, you’re not the same Johnny I met three years ago. And it scares me.” “What do you mean? I’m still the same person I was three years ago.” “No you’re not. Even ask Charlie, he’ll tell you that you’re not. He’s worried about you, I’m worried about you. And that’s why I can’t love you in that way.” He left me there by myself after that. I just sat there on that bench staring at the moon. I must have sat there for hours until I finally got up and went home. I began hanging less and less with them. Johnny understood, he believed it would be best for me if I concentrated on school more and so when I told him I needed some time apart he didn’t question me. He never questioned my actions. That’s what I liked about him. For some reason, Charlie began hanging around school more. I use to joke around with him and tease him because he was actually studying. He used the excuse that the reason why he was hanging around school more was because Johnny asked him to look out for me. I knew what Johnny was thinking. I knew he didn’t want his brother to end up like him. He always wanted a better life for Charlie. And so I helped him out by helping Charlie out at school with his studies. The less I saw of Johnny, the more I saw of Charlie. But that was fine with me. I didn’t mind, my parents didn’t mind either. They liked Charlie and Johnny. They knew that inside they were good, just grew up in a bad childhood. And so my parents didn’t mind me hanging with them. A week before the end of the first quarter I stopped hearing from Johnny and Charlie. It’s as if they disappeared. I didn’t think much of it at the time because I was over burden with homework and my future. One night I received a phone call from Charlie. “Charlie? Do you know what time it is?” “Ally, you gotta come quick.” “What? What’s wrong?” “It’s Johnny, he’s gone too far this time. I’m worried about him. Please meet me by the corner of Robert and Lane. Come quick!” I got dressed and climbed out of my window. I ran as fast as I could but I was too late. When I got there I saw a bunch of guys around Charlie. Johnny was nowhere to be found. That’s when it happened. Two guys were holding Charlie while the others were beating the crap out of him. “Charlie! No!” I screamed as I ran to him and just started beating anyone who got in my way. There were so many of them. I managed to clear a path and dragged Charlie out of there. We must have ran for an hour or so until they gave up and left. I looked at Charlie who didn’t look too good. I knew then he was dying. I ended up dragging him to the hospital. “Ally.” He said to me. “Hush Charlie. You need to save your strength. We’re almost there.” “Ally, I know I’m not gonna make it.” He said to me. “I’m so sorry Ally. I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess, but most of all I’m sorry that Johnny hurt you like this. Look Ally. I promise you that if I do make it, I’ll change. I know Johnny’s way into deep but I can still make it. I don’t want you to worry about me anymore. You’ll see, I’ll make you proud of me.” And then he died in my arms. When I got to the hospital the doctors had to revive him. His pulse was very week and the doctor told me that if I were just a few minutes late he wouldn’t have made it. The next day I went back to the hospital to check on Charlie only he wasn’t there. I asked the nurse who was changing his sheet what had happened to him. “Oh, he left this morning with his brother.” I turned around and ran home. I didn’t see Charlie at school anymore. I didn’t hear from neither of them. A week after I finally found the courage to go to their house and check up on them. I banged and banged on the door but no one was there. As I was about to leave this car pulled up in front of the house. It was their landlord. “Excuse me miss but you’re on private property.” “What do you mean? My friends live here.” “If you mean Johnny and Charlie than they don’t anymore.” He told me that they moved out a week ago. I asked if they told him where they were going. He didn’t know. Just like that, they left never to see or hear from again. I was angry with Johnny. I was angry at him for dragging Charlie out of that hospital after he left him to die on the street, I was angry at him for telling me that he loved me, but most of all I was angry at him because he left me and took Charlie with him. From that day I made a promise to myself that I would never allow anyone to hurt me like he hurt me again. As the year came to an end my friends became my friends again. But it was different now. I never told them how I felt, I just smiled and went along with them. The only two that stood by me throughout this whole ordeal was Cecile and Amy who was in Korea. And that’s my story. It’s just a chapter in my life that has ended nothing else. ~ Ally just leaned on Minwoo and began to cry. Minwoo just held her and let her cry away her sorrows. ‘Ally, you poor soul. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to help you out. But I’m here now and I promise you that I’ll never let anyone hurt you like Johnny did.’ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~Chapter 17~ ~I know the world without you is also blinding, I'm no longer waiting for you, Don't look at me with sad eyes, I have no more heart to give you, The only thing left is to leave you, I'm grateful you won't try to stop me, The woman who loved you is not there anymore, I forgot everything about you, Don't look back at me with regret, There are no memories of us together, Toss them all away, Even farewell, Nothing needs to be beautiful, Like love isn't always beautiful, It's not sad for faithless love to end, Don't look at me with sad eyes, I have nothing but pain to give you, The only thing left is to leave you, I'm grateful you won't try to stop me, The woman who loved you is not there anymore, I forget everything about you, Don't look back at me with regret, There are no memories of us together, Toss them all away, Even farewell, Nothing needs to be beautiful,~ ~BabyV.O.X.~ ‘Baeshin’ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (The next morning.) Ring… ring… Minwoo woke up and reached over to answer the phone. “Hello?” He said in a sleepy voice. “Hello? Who’s this?” “Huh? What?” Minwoo said confused. “It’s Minwoo. Who’s this?” “Ah, Minwoo. It’s me, Huang. What are you doing at Amy’s house?” Huang asked. ‘Amy’s house?’ Minwoo thought to himself. He looked down and saw Ally who was sleeping on his lap. ‘We must have dosed off.’ “Minwoo? Are you there?” “Huh, oh yeah, I’m still here.” He said to Huang. “So what are you doing there?” Huang asked. “It’s pretty early for a visit.” “After I sent Ally home we decided to talk. I guess I must have dosed off.” Minwoo replied. “Where’s Ally?” Huang asked. “She’s sleeping. I don’t wanna wake her up, she was a wreck yesterday night.” “Yeah, I know. I feel so guilty for getting her involved in this whole mess.” Huang said in a sad tone. “Come on Huang, it wasn’t your fault. Ally’s the one who decided to do what she did yesterday.” “I know, but it’s just that I’ve disappointed her after I promised her that I was gonna change. Now she’ll never believe that I’ve changed for the better.” “You heard her yesterday. She said she believed you when you told her that you loved Amy. Besides she was in a bad mood yesterday.” Minwoo said trying to comfort him. “Well I just called to check up on her to see if she was alright. Thanks for taking her home yesterday.” “No problem.” Minwoo replied. “So how’s Amy doing?” “She’s still sleeping. The doctor said that she needed the rest in order to gain her strength back. He said she should be out in a week if she relax and rest.” “That’s good to hear. We’ll stop by later to see her as soon as Ally’s awake.” “Alright then, I see you guys later.” Huang said to Minwoo as he hung up the phone. Minwoo set the phone down and just stared at Ally’s face. Her eyes were swollen from crying the whole night and at times she was still shivering and sobbing. Minwoo stared at her for what seemed like 10 minutes and then he saw her open her eyes. “Good morning.” He said to her as she looked up to see who it was. “Minwoo, where am I?” She said to him as she looked at his face. “You’re at home. How did you sleep?” “Huh, home?” She said as she got up and looked around. “Oh my god! Amy!” “Shh… don’t worry Ally. Huang just called, he said she’s fine. She was still sleeping.” “Why didn’t you wake me up?” Ally said to him in a weak voice. Ally’s voice had gotten weak and sore from all that crying. You could barely hear her voice as she spoke. “You we’re still sleeping and so I didn’t want to wake you.” Minwoo replied. “You’re not mad at me are you?” “No, I’m done with being mad. I’m tired right now. And my throat is so sore I can barely speak.” “Figures, you went through a lot yesterday night.” Minwoo replied while brushing back a strand of hair from her face. “Are you okay? “I’m fine.” She said to him. “Thank you.” “For what?” “For not stopping me. For letting me release all my anger, the anger that I’ve kept inside for so long. I don’t know how I managed to keep it inside for so long.” “It’s alright now. It’s over, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. I’m here now and I’ll make sure that nothing like that ever happens to you again.” Minwoo said to her with a smile on his face. She looked at him and smiled back. She then leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her puffed up eyes. “Minwoo?” She said to him. “Yeah Ally?” “Can we just stay like this for a moment?” She said to him. “It’s so quite and peaceful I don’t wanna lose the moment just yet.” “Sure Ally, anything you want.” He said to her as he closed his eyes and they enjoyed the silence. (Hospital Amy’s Room.) Knock… knock… knock… “Guess who?” Eric said as he entered the room. “Eric!” Amy said with a smile on her face. “So how are you feeling today?” He asked her. “I’m fine. It still hurts a little but I’ll be fine after some rest.” Amy responded. “Is it just you?” Huang asked. “Hyesung, Dongwan, and Jin are here too. They needed to grab something, they should be here by now.” Eric replied. Just then the guys walked in with a stuffed bear, flowers, and balloons in their arms. “So how you feeling today?” Jin asked Amy as he set the flowers down and hugged her. “I’m better now. Are those for me?” She asked with a smile on her face. “Yeah, I got you the flowers, Hyesung got you the bear, and Dongwan got you the balloons.” Jin replied. “Thanks you guys, you didn’t have to.” “We tried to get Eric to get you something too but someone was just too stubborn.” Dongwan said sarcastically. “What! You didn’t even tell me you guys were getting her anything!” Eric said while the others laughed. “That’s okay Eric, having you here is better than anything else.” Amy said as she tried to comfort him. The guys laughed and then turned to Huang. “So is this your boyfriend?” Hyesung asked. “Oh yeah that’s right. You guys this is Huang Nam, also known as Charlie.” Amy said to the guys. “Huang, this is Eric, Hyesung, Dongwan, and Jin.” The guys greeted him and shock hands. “So where’s Minwoo? How come he’s not with you guys?” Amy asked. “Actually we thought you could tell us where he was.” Jin said. “He never came home yesterday.” Dongwan replied. “Oh, he’s fine.” Huang replied. “He’s with Ally.” “Ally?” Amy said. “That still doesn’t explain why he didn’t go home.” “I called Ally this morning but he answered the phone. He told me that he fell asleep there last night.” Huang explained. “That’s just like him.” Eric said shaking his head. “Yeah, you tell him to do one thing and he goes and does another.” Dongwan said as the others laughed. “What about Minwoo?” Minwoo said as he walked into the room. “Minwoo!” Hyesung said in shock. “Well, what about me? I’m curious to hear how I don’t do things I’m told to do.” He said looking at Dongwan. “You know we were just joking around.” Dongwan replied. “Whatever Wannie.” Minwoo said as he turned to Amy. “So how you doing today Amy?’ “I’m fine but where’s Ally?” Amy asked. “Hey guys.” Ally said as she walked in. “Ally!” Amy said as Ally walked to her bed and hugged her. “What happened to you? You look worst than I do.” “I’ll be fine. I see you’re doing well also.” Ally responded. “Your eyes are all puffed up.” Hyesung said to her. “Minwoo what did you do to her?” “What!” Minwoo said as he took one step back. “Yeah, how could you hurt our Ally like that?” Dongwan said. “Don’t worry Ally, we’ll teach him a lesson.” Jin said to her as they went to grab Minwoo who was now angry. “What the fuck, let’s go of me.” Minwoo said to them. “I ain’t playing with you. Let go.” “Come on you guys, let go of him.” Ally said to them as they let go of him. “Minwoo didn’t do this to me, I did.” “Alright, so explain the cut lip then.” Eric said from behind. “That was business.” Ally replied. “Ally I can’t believe you went through with it.” Amy said in an angry tone. “I thought I told you to look after her Minwoo, and instead you drive her there.” “Amy, don’t blame Minwoo. It wasn’t his fault. Besides I dragged him with me.” Ally said trying to clear Minwoo’s name. “And you know there was no other way, I had to go and see Minyoung.” “I told you not to get involved. You promised me Ally.” Amy replied. “Now look, you got hurt and it’s all my fault.” “Now don’t blame yourself for what happened.” Ally said to her. “None of this is your fault. I chose to go, and besides, Minyoung looks ten times worst than I do.” “That’s right! You should have seen it.” Minwoo said in excitement. “Left punch, right punch, kick, just like a pro.” “Minwoo.” Ally said with a cold look in her eyes. “I don’t think going into details will make thing better.” “Sorry.” Minwoo said as he quietly sat in the chair next to him. They laughed and joked around for an hour and then decided to leave and let Amy rest. They said their good byes and walked out of the room leaving Amy and Huang to rest. “So Ally, what’s the deal with beating down that girl?” Eric asked as they walked down the hallway. “Yeah, Minwoo. How come you let them mess up Ally’s pretty face?” Jin said to Minwoo. “Aww now come one you guys, I think you’ve made enough fun of Minwoo.” Ally replied. “Thank you Ally.” “Besides, I think Minwoo did a great job posing as my pretty boy. Didn’t you Minwoo.” Ally said to him as the others laughed. “Ha, ha. Very funny Ally. I can see you’re back to normal.” Minwoo said to her with a smile on his face. They joked around again as they walked to their cars and drove home. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~Chapter 18~ ~Since I was always together I didn't know they were precious The people that were always with me Sometimes when I was exhausted and felt that I was alone I lived forgetting about the people that gave me strength Now even though it's hard, don't collapse Think about your future and get up Failed in business, failed in love Nothing can make you fall I know That you're not alone in the world That it's not the time to sit down and grieve over it Let's all get up and hold out our hands Get through it altogether Everybody hold hands and look at the sky Draw the new world that we are going to create in the sky The blazing sunlight is in my eyes Isn't it beautiful? Let's make our future together with the hands we're holding~ ~HOT~ ‘Hope’ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Two Weeks Later.) Beep… beep… beep… Ally reached over to the side of her bed and turned off the alarm clock. For a moment she just laid there in her bed staring at the stars on her ceiling. ‘It’s so peaceful in here? It’s never been this peaceful in my mind before.’ Ally thought to herself. ‘This past week has been so joyous for me. I’ve never felt so happy like that for a long time. Is this how happiness feels like? Am I supposed to feel this way? If so, then why aren’t I enjoying it? Why is this peaceful state bothering me?’ Ally got up and put on a pair of sweats and a tank top. After she got dressed and watched up she grabbed her cd player and walked out to the living room to find Amy drinking a cup of coffee. “Oh hey Amy. You’re up early today.” “Hey Ally, ready to go?” “Go where?” “To the gym of course. I need to get back into shape so I decided to get up this morning so I could catch you before you left.” “Alright but I don’t want you to over do it. You’re still weak from the accident and the doctor told you to take it slow.” Ally said to Amy who got up from her seat to wash her cup. Amy dried her hands, grabbed her car keys and the girls walked out of the house to Amy’s car. They got into Amy’s car and drove off to the gym. “Hey Ally, what are you gonna do this weekend?” Amy asked as she kept her eyes on the road. “I don’t know? Maybe after this I’ll just come back home and watch TV or something.” “Ally, you can’t do that. They gave you a three day weekend, you can’t just waste it sitting at home.” Amy said to her. “Why don’t you come with me and Huang? I’m sure he won’t mind having you there with us.” “No, that’s okay Amy. I know he won’t mind but I really think you two need some time together alone. You’ve both been working hard you haven’t had time to spend time together.” Ally replied to her as she gazed out of the window. “I guess we do need time together, but I don’t want you to sit at home while I’m out having fun. I’d feel guilty.” “Look Amy, I’m pretty tired and all and I need the rest anyways. Besides it’s been so nice and peaceful this past week, I just wanna relax and enjoy the moment while it lasts. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine by myself.” “Alright, no sense in trying to talk you out of it. I know you’ve got your mind set already, just promise me that if you get bored you’ll get out of the house and do something.” “I will, I promise.” Ally said to Amy as they stepped out of the car and walked towards the gym. They walked into the gym and found Lao already there. They walked towards him to say hi. “Hey Lao.” Amy said to him as he turned around to see them standing there. “Amy!” He yelled. “It’s so nice to see here again. I’ve missed you.” “Good morning Lao.” Ally said to him. “I didn’t expect you girls here today being your day off and all. Should you two be in bed getting some extra sleep?” Lao said to them. “You’re here earlier than usual too. It’s only 6:00 in the morning. You guys usually don’t get here until 7.” “We decided to come early today since Amy’s gonna leave at 9:00.” Ally replied. “Leaving? Where are you going?” Lao asked. “Huang’s taking be on a romantic weekend getaway to the beach.” “Ah, the beach. Now you two better behave or I’ll have to give you another lecture on the birds and the bees.” Lao said to Amy with a smile on his face. They talked and joked around for a while and then Lao left to answer the phone. “Well if you need me you know where to find me.” Amy said to Ally as she walked towards the treadmill. Ally warmed up her body by stretching and running a couple laps around the gym, and then she headed to the punching bag and began her exercise. It has been two weeks since she last used the punching bag. “Did you need me to hold the bag for you?” Lao asked. “No that’s okay, I’m not gonna punch and kick as hard today. I just miss the old punching bag.” Ally replied. “I know, you having used it for two weeks now. It’s been very lonely.” “Well I haven’t had any worries lately.” Ally replied. “So what’s troubling you today then? You should be happy, you’re getting an extra day off!” Lao said to her. “That’s the thing, nothings troubling me. I just saw the bag and decided to work on my punches.” “Well let me know if you need anything. I’ll be in the office.” Lao said to her as he turned around and headed for the office. Ally smiles and then began to punch the bag. As she was punching she began to think to herself. ‘Why do I feel like something’s wrong? I should be happy but instead I feel awkward. Why can’t I just face the fact that I’m happy.’ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |