25 People who cherishes me the most (Hyo Joo POV)
I open eyes, I look around but the place is pitch black. I try to touching everything. click, suddenly I hear clicking sound, the lights on. I see a man, he covers his face. he walking close to me, I want to run but my leg can't moves, I want to scream for helps but my voice doesn't get out.
he sit beside me and stroke my hair
"beautiful " he said but then he pull my hair.
this time I'm yelling as loud as I can.
"aaaaaaaa..." My voices get out so loud
I fell a hand touch my shoulder
"let go of me, let go OF ME" I'm wriggling
"Hyo Joo, this is me" someone speak, a familiar voices
I move my body slowly, encourage myself to see who is that. as soon as I see him I feel relieved and I hug him
"it's okay, it's okay I'm here" Alex pat my back
"I'm so scared" I'm crying
"it's okay, your brother here. and I promise won't leave you" Alex voices really calms me
"now wash your face, you sweat a lot" he wipes my sweat
I walk to the bathroom. while I get out fromq the bathroom I hear Alex and the doctor talking.
"there's another ways to help her?" Alex asks
"I'm afraid we haven't. we can give her medicine to treat her panic attack. but it won't be good. your sister try to forget it, forcible. it's easy to do, but it's never completely lost from her mind. anything even small things relate to that incident will bring back her horrible memories"
the doctor said
"so it's better to make her remember everything again?" Alex asks with higher tone
"for patience like your sister we need to make her mind accept that things is happened. and we need to figure out how to make anything related to that incident become a normal things again. like touching from people, a noisy voices, some certain object even sounds" the doctor explains
"you are a good brother. she will recover soon. with our helps, especially from you, someone that she really trusts"
I walking to them
"I feel better now" I said
"it's must be tiring for you to came as soon as you landed here" the female doctor have bright smile
"ah, yes. thank you for the help" I said
"were gonna leave now. we'll meet again at next appointment " Alex said
Alex grab my hand and we walk from the psychiatrist room. Alex put a jacket above my head and we walk to parking lot. there's driver that comes to pick us.
we seat at the back seat.
"oh, where is Yoon?" I asks
"ah, he back to his dorm. he will visit tomorrow " Alex put seat belt for me and for him.
"where we gonna go?" I asks
"hm, you'll find out soon" Alex said while smiling
"but now you need to eat this" Alex give me some pills
I eat that pills and drink water
"sir, let's go" Alex said to the driver
"okay sir " the driver reply
the car slowly walking, my eyes feel so heavy and I fall asleep. Alex put my head at his right shoulder.
"I wish you will be happy Hyo Joo -ya" Alex's voice equivocal
---
a gate is open as soon as our car arrives. Alex carrying me on his arms, the maid open the door. we arrives at big house, a middle aged house styled house, a really vintage house.
Alex put me on the bed. my eyes is closed but I can hear people talk faintly vague.
"what's happened with her" I hear a strident voices
"come here,let's go outside I'll explain everything " i can recognize Alex's voice
I can hear door sound and i can't hear their voice again. maybe they get out from my room.
a few minutes later, I hear someone open the room door and drag a chair.
I can feel something warm, someone holding my hand.
"sis, this is me. Leo, you remembered me. we used to fight all the time. sis at high school with Yoon, Alex go to college. I'm just a sophomore at middle school that time" he said while I'm not sober
"sis, you know why I hates you back then?"
"before you came Alex always spend his vacation here. but since you moved in to main house you take all Alex attention. he rarely came here. I'm the only son and I just have as a friend, cousin and family"
"it's so funny when we scramble about who is the one that more loved by Alex. it's so funny cause we ended up getting punishment "
"after that we begin to know each other, every year we can call and talk together. and find out that both of us have much similarities. and I really like you after that. sis, is the coolest sister I've ever meet"
"I'm sorry for anything that happened. I wish I was there. none of us that really keeping promise to you"
"please, stay strong you can do it"
he kiss my forehead and walk out from the room.
---
other place, Korean
tirittirirtrtrir... the alarm sounds. a hand wander try to search his phone.
he stop the alarm. he sits at the edge of his bed. he's zoning out for a while until his phone ringing, it's written "mom", he pick up immediately
"hello, mom" he said
"ah... my son... do you just wake up? it's already high noon " his mom ask
"hm..." he said
"why? it's a year end holidays, why you sound so down?" his mom asks
"ah... just, maybe cause I just wake up" he lies to his mom
"mom and dad will go to Jeju next week. comes home, go with us" his mom said
"yes" he answer shortly
"ah, it's been a while since we meet Hyo Joo, why you don't ask her to come along?" his mom ask
"about that..." he silent for a while
"hm..." his mom waiting for his unfurnish word
"I'll asks her" he lies again
"ah okay" his mom happy
"mom, I'll comes home tomorrow " he decides to tell the truth to his mom tomorrow
"ah, okay. I'll cook delicious food for my lovely son. we misses you so much" his mom voice sounds so happy
"me too" he said
he put his phone and lay down his body to the bed again. he's alone, he's feeling like trapped, he's lonely and he's hungry. he barely eats, he tilts his body to the left side.
"why you leave me?" he asks as he imagine I'm sleeping beside him
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Hyo Joo"
--
the medicine effects is faded, I try to move my fingers. I open my eyes slowly. Alex open the door.
"you wake up" he helps me to sit
I'm looking around, it's a medium room, there's so many figurines at glass cabinet. at the desk I see many photos, it's Leo's photos, with his family, with Alex and with his dog ,dadi.
"are we in Leo's House?" I asks
"yes" Alex answer
"we come suddenly so they haven't prepared room for you, so we put you in Leo's room"
"what time now?" I asks
"it's afternoon around 3" Alex answer
"how long I've been sleept?"I asks
"it's long time. you must be hungry. I'll prepare food for you" Alex said
"brother " I calls him
"thank you" I said
he smiling to me
"she's wake up?"
I can hear Leo's voice downstairs and I hear fast foot step.
"ah... finally you wake up" he said
he sit at the chair
"you know, I'm worried sick. I want to tell you many things but you just sleep. you skip 2 meals, I want to wake you up but I'm not allowed"
Leo is an energetic boy, he's 4 years younger than me, he's in his last year on high school.
"look my room. I decorated it coolly right? "
I just look at his bright attitude while smiling
"don't dare to touch it okay. don't touch, seriously don't touch it" he said
I just nodded
"ah, after you eats let's play a game. you must be still bad at games likes old day"
I'm not answer him, I just amazed by his high spirit.
Alex enter the room with a tray of foods
"hey, let her rest first. you had plenty of time to play " Alex said
"huh" he annoyed
I'm laughing look at Leo expressions
"let's play after this" I said
"wah the foods looks yummy. I'll eat first " I said
I know everyone is trying their best to support me and the only thing I can do is accept their sincerity.
---
we sit at the living room together, Leo's parents going out for business dinner.
"hey, hey, I'll definitely beat you" Leo said
"no, I'll better now" I said
we play kart rider, Alex just watching us compete and fight.
"hahaha , you still bad at this" Leo win the game
"ah, how you can be so good at it" I said
ring...ring... Alex phones ringing
"hello, yes ah..." Alex walk away from us
"uh, do we so noisy?" I asks
"hm, I think no" Leo scrolling to search another game
"why?" he asks
"usually Alex will just talk around people, not going out like that" I can see from inside the house trough the window, Alex stand outside.
"maybe it's something important " Leo said
"hm, maybe" i said
"yes... let's start "
we begin another round of game until 10.
"hey, stop it, you guys need to sleep" Alex said
"our room is ready, so Leo can sleep in his own room now" Alex explained
" Leo will go to school and Hyo joo we have appointments tomorrow. so rest well okay, two of you" Alex ordered us
----
at the morning Alex drop Leo to his school and we headed to the therapist place. all people who involve in my healing program is a woman. cause my incident related to man. it will be dangerous for my mental health to involve with a man.
"Hyo Joo, I'll leave you here. if you need me I'm around okay" Alex said
I nodded and enter the therapist room.
"hey, let's meet" Alex said trough the phone
---
Alex sip his coffee, he sits at café near my therapist place. a tall black haired girl walking close to him.
"long time not see you" the girl put her purse at Alex's table and sit in front of Alex.
"4 years" Alex put his coffee
"how are you Alex?"
"I'm fine, what about you... hee Jin?"
hee Jin is Alex first girlfriend. they date 1 year from 2nd grade to 3rd grade at high school. they break up. Hee Jin went overseas to study.
"me, I'm 100 percent okay " she smile
"what you doing here? in LA?" she asks
"not of your business " Alex answer
hee Jin gives some bad laugh
"why?" Alex asks
"I know all. no need too hide it" she said
"what do you know?" Alex asks
"your precious sister is meet therapist and psychiatrist here" she said
Alex silence
"don't worry. I won't tell anyone " she smiles again
"since the beginning she's always your top priority. if you can tell me why, I'll shut my mouth " she gives some deal
"actually I really angry when we broke up. I just need your explanation so I can 100 percent forget it" she said
"what do you want to know?" Alex said
"why your step sister become your first priority? are you in love with your sister? do you ever loves me? all this questions always plays in my head. i can't move forward ,I just stand still at the place when we broke up" she said
"I'm sorry" Alex said
" if you feel sorry about what happened in the past, then explain to me and release me from this chain of questions " she smile
Alex try to reminiscent everything
at that time he's just a little kid who didn't know anything. he was 3 when I was born, he never meet me until my mom passed away.
Alex is 12 at that time and I'm tears old. it's first time Alex meets me. he just found out all the story from house maid, they told him about my mom who is the first legitimate wife of our dad, and the fact that I was his step sister and my life was not well as him. he feel sorry for me. since that time he promised himself that he will protect me. but I wasn't allow to come to the main house. I still live in our old house, the one that I use to live with my mom.
at that time Alex still a kid and doesn't have any power.
when he enter high school he negotiate with my dad and step mother. if he get 1st, they will grant anything that he wish. that's how I can comeback to the main house. since that Alex never let his sight from me. always protects me. until he meet hee Jin. he really loves hee Jin, but hee Jin can't stand Alex priority is me. I never asks Alex to do particular things but he can let me going home alone or going out alone. even I have Nana at the time, Alex always around. sometimes he follows me without my knowledge. it's irritated Hee Jin.
after that Alex dates many girls, people say he is a playboy. but actually he always serious in his relationship, but all his girlfriend broke up cause they think Alex didn't love them.
"Hyo Joo will always be my priority, due to.my guilty feeling for her. I'm not loving her as a girl, we might have different mother, but we have same dad. we share same blood"
"did you loves me" Hee Jin eyes teary
"yes, I did" Alex said, he sip his coffee
"thank you, I feel the burden in hearts is lost" she said
"she's definitely someone that you cherish a lot. it would be nice to have brother like you" she smile
they both smile and sip their coffee. they talk for a while and separate
"I'll go now. see you next time" she said
"see you again" Alex said
hee Jin walks few steps and stop
"when will you back to Korean?" she asks
"next month " Alex said
"okay" she said
Alex then smile
"you want to eat dinner next time?" Alex asks
"sounds good, call me" Hee Jin said
Alex walking in the street, thinking about me. for him, I always have a special place in his heart, is it because his guilty feeling or else I don't know. all I know he is the best brother I can ask for. he's the one who cherished me.
