CHAPTER 12 — Broken Heart = Broken Leg: Incomplete Healing

Moments five months ago...

At night, in the garden of his house, someone was sitting dreaming. He thought about his relationship with the woman who was his fiancé. Juyeon — a man who is cynical because of his family background. Even though he comes from a rich family and academics, Jun Myeon's life is not as beautiful as people imagine. Juyeon was born when his mother had an affair with a man who had a wife.

Since childhood, Juyeon had to live apart from his biological mother — a math teacher who worked at one of the most prestigious and best schools in Seoul. Since separating from his biological mother, Juyeon has lived with his biological father and stepmother in the area where the conglomerates live, namely in Apgujeong, Gangnam. Until one day, Juyeon, who has grown up, received news that his biological mother had a disease in her liver.

Juyeon's mother doesn't have much time. She needs a donor liver in order to survive. During those critical times, Juyeon's mother met her old friend, Yoora and her daughter, Dalmi. Yoora received news that Juyeon's mother, Hanna, needed a suitable liver donor in the near future. Therefore, Yoora volunteered to be a liver donor for Hanna.

However, behind these good intentions, an agreement emerged between Hanna and Yoora. They want to match Juyeon and Dalmi with some considerations and reasons. For Hanna, this matchmaking is a form of her gratitude to Yoora. Meanwhile, according to Yoora, this matchmaking reflects a good reciprocal relationship.

Not only that, but Hanna and Yoora want their children to have a good life partner too. Hanna believes that Dalmi can help Juyeon improve his cynicism and make him a warmer man like when Juyeon was a child. Meanwhile, Yoora felt that if Dalmi married someone she knew well, she would be much more trusted than marrying someone new.

After the agreement was made, Hanna and Yoora brought Juyeon to Dalmi. The meeting went smoothly even though Dalmi didn't like the decision that had been made by Yoora and Hanna. However, Dalmi could do nothing but accept this matchmaking. Dalmi accepted this match solely to fulfill her mother's wish before she died.

Dalmi can see how much longer Yoora's life has left through the clock of life that is clearly depicted on Yoora's right arm. The clock of life showed that there were only five months left of Yoora's life. Therefore, Dalmi decided not to waste time by rejecting the matchmaking and making Yoora's face sad. She wanted to make what Yoora wished for her.

Unlike Dalmi, Juyeon, who has been watching Dalmi from afar and secretly for a long time, actually likes Dalmi. This can happen because Dalmi is a good friend of Juyeon's stepbrother, Gyungsoo. They have been close friends since they were little. Dalmi and Gyungsoo were often seen together until they were teenagers, including when they studied with their study group at Gyungsoo's house every Sunday.

Juyeon's love for Dalmi grows into the love of a man for a woman. Her friendliness, charming smile, and cheerfulness were like magic that had made Juyeon trapped in Dalmi's charm. Finally Juyeon tried to approach Dalmi by making a pretty good friendship with her.

When he found out that Hanna wanted to set herself up with Dalmi, Juyeon was very happy. Juyeon accepted the match happily. But Juyeon noticed Dalmi's cold attitude towards him. Dalmi never again showed her warm attitude to Juyeon, after their match was declared in front of their family.

Even so, Juyeon never gave up on Dalmi's indifferent attitude towards him. He did everything he could to make Dalmi like him without getting bored and tired. Juyeon is not a man who gives up easily. He will keep trying to reach and get what he wants. Especially Dalmi has been chosen to be his fiancé.

~~~

"What exactly have you done to me all this time, Dalmi, so that I always look at you with love and my heart always flutters every time our eyes meet?" Juyeon asked as he sat alone in his garden that night.

After that, Juyeon sighed and closed his eyes. This man recalled his conversation with Dalmi at one of the best restaurants in the Gangnam area, a few hours before he sat daydreaming in the garden of the house that evening.

In that simple conversation, Juyeon and Dalmi discussed why the two of them couldn't have a normal relationship like others. Even Juyeon told Dalmi that he was the right man for Dalmi. That means his mind and heart belong to Dalmi.

However, Dalmi reiterated that she didn't like Juyeon at all. She told Juyeon that she accepted this arrangement, just to make her mother happy and fulfill her wish.

Although Dalmi never knows how long she has to pretend to love Juyeon in front of her parents and all their families, but Dalmi will still do her part well.

~~~~

Go back to December 2023, when Juyeon smiled at Changyi and said, "Changyi, your Mom and Dad never really die. They just keep your house in the sky. They will polish the sun during the day then light up the shining stars at night. day. They will keep the moonlight in the sky bright silver. And in the heavenly house above, they will wait to welcome their loved ones." Juyeon's words instantly made Changyi and Dalmi's ears melt.

Although Juyeon's warm words were able to melt Changyi's and Dalmi's ears, but in reality, Dalmi and her brother would still grieve forever. They will never be able to 'forget' how sad and tormented they were when they lost their loved ones. Dalmi and her brother will learn to live with their sadness and emptiness.

As Dalmi and her siblings learn to live with their sadness and emptiness, after their parents are gone, they will rebuild themselves around the loss they have felt. Dalmi and her brother will be whole again, but they will never be the same again.

"Changyi, maybe one day, you and your parents will meet again and explain to each other what really happened. Maybe one day, you will understand why this happened, why good people leave so quickly, and why the most beautiful flowers in a beautiful garden will be picked by someone first. Until then, I hope you will live your life well — live your best life with your siblings. I hope you truly do all the things you've always wanted to do." Juyeon rubbed the top of Changyi's head.

Juyeon said that because je understands how it feels to be abandoned by the person he loves. Two months ago, Juyeon's father, Professor Jang Wook, passed away due to the heart disease he had been suffering from for a long time. When Jang Wook left, Juyeon and Gyungsoo became children again on one hand, and became more mature adults on the other.

Juyeon and Gyungsoo feel left out so they feel scared because they don't know how to live without their Father by their side. But then, Juyeon and Gyungsoo learned how to take the first step without Jang Wook by their side. With the trust that Jang Wook had instilled in them all along, they could almost hear Jang Wook's voice cheering them on.

"Jun Myeon is right," Dalmi said from her heart. "We will lose people who we can't live without. Either now or after today. Either this week or next week. Either this month or next month. Either in the winter of this year or in the summer of next year. We will still feel this loss, and our hearts are so broken."

"The bad news is, we'll never be able to get over the emotion of loss when Mom and Dad died. But their death also brings good news. They live forever in our broken hearts — a heartbreaking feeling that we can never hide or let go of. This feeling of heartbreak looks like our leg is broken and never fully healed. It still hurts when it's cold. But we still learn to dance even when we're weak." Dalmi's heart added more.

"I'm not sure if I can live my best life without Mom and Dad, and the enthusiasm they always give me, Hyung." Changyi looked at Juyeon with teary eyes.

"I'm sure you can move on with your life. So how can you be unsure of yourself?" Juyeon asked, while Changyi looked at him confused. "I believe you will become stronger after this. And as you become stronger, you will learn to believe in yourself. To achieve this, you will need desire, willpower, and patience. But you will get there. Listen to the voices of your Mom and Dad who are always cheering you on and your thoughts. Even when you think they didn't teach you how to live without them. In fact, they have been doing it all along, without you knowing it," said Dalmi's fiancé.

"He's absolutely right, Changyi. I also agree with his thinking." Dalmi chimed in.

"You agreed with him because he is your fiancé!" Changyi's heart grumbled.

"There are some people who bring such great light into our world, Changyi. And after they leave or after their death, that light will remain. Even though they are outside this world, their love for us cannot be separated by death. Death can never kill a thing that never dies." Dalmi's words were like a dagger that managed to pierce the throat of her brother and Juyeon.

"Now, maybe it's time for us to say goodbye to Mom and Dad. But they will always be in our memories, and we will always cherish the memories we made with them so far," said Dalmi with a sad intonation.

Juyeon's heart moved to hug Dalmi when he saw Dalmi crying. He carried Dalmi into his warm embrace. Although Juyeon's hug was very soothing, Dalmi's heart never trembled for Juyeon.

All the attention, support, and affection that has been given by Dalmi to Juyeon so far is a form of concern as a human being for humans. The love given by Dalmi to Juyeon is love as a sister to her brother.

"Is Dalmi Noona going to hug him back?" Yinjun whispered to Zhuyang.

~~~