Chapter 32: Long Story

Taesung's POV:

"I would if you truly want to tell me. " She leaned back. I took a deep breath.

I wanted to tell but this wasn't the right place. I wanted us to be in somewhere else, where no one would be but us, where I would be able to concentrate on her every expression. Noona was a real softie. I knew she wouldn't take it easily. I wanted to tell her every story behind my scars.

"Not here. Can we get back to our place?" I requested her.

Her eyes shined and she gave me her fascinating smile. I smiled back. She asked the waiter to pack rest of the food.

We took a cab. Noona must have noticed the distant look in my eyes. She held my hand and intertwined our fingers as she saw my expression. I was preparing myself to tell her. It wasn't easy for me to open up to anyone. I never had anyone who would want to know my past. But she wasn't just anyone. She was my Noona who cared for me with all of her heart. Despite being a foreigner, she tied us together in a strange bond. I sometimes wondered how she made me feel like this! How she made us close to each other!

After reaching to home, she walked to her room. I followed behind her. I stopped in the middle of her room. She sat down on her bed and patted on the bed, asking me to sit next to her.

I slowly made my way to her bed. She kept staring at my eyes. I didn't know how to start. She smiled at me to encourage me. I licked my lip.

"Where should I start?" I sounded nervous.

She stroked my left arm with her palm, up and down, gently and slowly. It relaxed me. I looked at her face. She was eagerly waiting for me to speak. I took a deep breath, gathered my courage and spun around.

She was startled a bit as she didn't expect my move. I slowly took off my olive green shirt to expose my back. I heard her taking deep breath.

"Why don't you decide, from where should I start?" I gulped.

She slowly traced my scars. I flinched when she first touched. She immediately tensed and stopped tracing.

"Don't stop." I whispered.

"Who did all of these?" She sounded sad and angry like a defeated lioness.

"Appa. Or should I say Appa named monster?" I snorted.

She growled lowly.

She first touched the right side of my lower back. "How did this happen?" She sounded sad.

I closed my eyes, "When I was ten years old. Appa came back from his work, then asked what did my sister make for dinner? My sister was just eight years old back then. She didn't know how to cook. When my sister said, she didn't cook anything, appa slapped her, and she fell down on the floor. Her lips were bleeding. I got angry and yelled, "How can you hurt her like this when you should take care of us?" He was smoking then. Do you know what he did? He slapped me too and when I fell down on the floor, he pressed his burning cigarette on that spot. I screamed and cried and he laughed. Then asked me if I got my lesson."

She exhaled loudly and touched the middle of my back. There was a huge burn mark. "What about this one?" She sounded like she was trying hard to control her cries.

I sighed, "That happened when I was twelve. By then I learned how to cook but I couldn't do it properly. I made soup but it was too much salty. He threw the bowl at me when I was going to the kitchen to bring rest of the items. It directly hit me there and all the hot liquid spilled on my back."

Her breathing quickened. She slowly made her way up to my shoulder blade. There was two big parallel scars on my shoulder blade. This one was the worst torture I had to endure.

I laughed bitterly, "This one's story is interesting. I was fourteen years old back then. I went to play with my friends. When I came back home, my father named monster was cursing at my little sister. She was scared and standing in the corner of the room. When I went inside and faced my father, he asked me where I was. I said I was playing with my friends. He cursed. He said instead of earning money for his alcohol, why was I playing? That monster cursed my mother. I could endure everything but I couldn't endure when he insulted my mother. I angrily pushed him and threw him on the floor and screamed, "Don't talk like that about my mother." He got furious. He hit me until I started bleeding. Then he brought a huge knife and tied my hands and legs. I was almost passing out, that's why I could not remember what happened to my sister. I heard her crying for a long time. Anyway, after binding me, he said, "You will remember this day until you die. You have got wings. You think yourself as mighty. But no, you are just weak and pathetic, just like your mother. I am going to cut off your those wings that helps you to fly around. From now on, you will never forget your responsibility." Hence, this happened. I maybe passed out as soon as it happened. I couldn't remember most of the things about that day but I couldn't forget this incident."

Noona traced the scars. When my sister touched those years ago, I flinched. When Noona first touched them, I flinched too. But now, it felt so good. It felt like a cure. She was just like a cure. I closed my eyes but opened them when I heard her sobbing. I turned around to look at her. Her hands immediately went to my shoulder, and she was crying, just like that day when she was crying for her brother.

I didn't like her crying but I felt good this time. I knew, I was a hypocrite to think like this but it was a foreign thing for me when someone cared for me. Specially her. She hugged me tightly and wrapped her hands around my bare back. She placed her head on my shoulder and cried. Her each sob hit directly at my heart, like an arrow.

"Noona, don't cry please." I stroked her back to calm her down. She didn't stop. I lifted her like a child and pulled her closer, made her sit on my lap. Her legs wrapped around my hip and her hold tightened.

"I am sorry Taesung." She was hiccupping, "I am sorry for not being there to protect you. I am sorry for not being there to heal your wounds, I am so sorry." She couldn't control her crying.

This woman! Oh, God! This woman drives me crazy. Everything she did, made me feel something that I couldn't describe in words. This feeling was very unknown to me. I didn't know what it was but it was powerful like a tsunami. I patted her head to help her calm down. Looked like, it was going to be a long night.