Regret After Eight Years

Thinking about the date, Da-Jung had kept her phone on mute and she hadn't realised that the man whom she was to meet had sent her a message saying that, he won't be able to come and that they postpone their date for Saturday, which was two days later.

Taking a deep breath and letting out a smile, Da-Jung quickly typed an okay and reached back home.

When Saturday arrived, Da-Jung observed the beautiful weather around her and she dressed in an adorable baby pink outfit and reached the café. As she waited for that man to arrive, she began to hum a song.

It was her favorite song... which she always used to listen to whenever she was joyous. Da-Jung saw someone tap on her table and she looked up at the person standing in front of her. She removed the earphones from her ear. "Yes?" She asked.

"Do you also like this song?" The person asked and Da-Jung nodded with a confused expression on her face.

"I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself... I'm Yang Woo-Jin. My friend sent me over here." As Da-Jung began to look inquisitively at the person standing, the man apologized and bowed after introducing himself.

But Da-Jung was still confused as to why this unknown guy was introducing himself to her. She had seen some other guy in the photo and this person standing in front of her was someone else. Judging by her looks, Woo-Jin let out a soft chuckle and elaborated "The man whom you were supposed to meet, he said that he is not interested and he sent me instead."

"Not interested?" Da-Jung asked being surprised. If he wasn't interested, why did he even agree to meet up?

Seeing how the talk was taking a different turn, Woo-Jin immediately waved his hands and explained again "Ohh! I don't mean it that way... What I mean is that my friend was proposed by someone yesterday so... he didn't want to meet you that is why he sent me."

Getting no response from her, Yang Woo-Jin shrugged his shoulders and said "Now that I have conveyed my message, I will also leave. Have a good day, Miss!" And quickly he turned around to leave but before he could take a step, he felt someone tugging his sleeve.

Turning back, he saw the girl who was tugging his sleeve. Her big brown eyes and her pink small lips were just fascinating. 'She is cute!' Woo-Jin shook his head and looked at the girl who was looking at her with a petite expression.

"Let's date!"

However, after hearing what this young girl said, Yang Woo-Jin opened his eyes wide in surprise. "What? What do you mean?"

Da-Jung let go of Woo-Jin's sleeve. She took the fresh mango juice in her hand and sipped it. After taking a sip, she crossed her legs and said nonchalantly "I'm asking for you to come on a date with me."

Although, she said nonchalantly, Da-Jung could feel her legs shaking just by this statement. She didn't know that she was this bold to say something like this that too, to a man whom she just met.

After seeing Yang Woo-Jin for the first time, Da-Jung felt something in her heart. Although she didn't know what it was but it was just like how her mother had described when she had asked her a question about how you know that you are in love.

Her mother had said that when you fall in love things around you stop momentarily, your heart beats faster and you feel your surrounding colorful just like a color rush. And just like her mother had said, Da-Jung felt the same when she saw Yang Woo-Jin.

Da-Jung inwardly hoped that this man would agree to her and she was very much happier when Woo-Jin agreed to go on a date with her.

That day... Da-Jung was able to get an answer to all her questions. As she felt warm upon holding his hand, she couldn't help but smile. And that was also the day when she had first kissed someone in her life. Although it was just a small cheek kiss, Da-Jung was the happiest in the world.

****

THE PRESENT DAY

Da-Jung scoffed as she thought of all the things which she did with this man... She was now twenty-seven-year-old and in this twenty-seven-year-old age, she would have been a successful artist and all the praise would have gone to her instead of Yang Woo-Jin, hadn't she wasted her time being with this man.

Now that she thought about it, Da-Jung really felt like an idiot who just wasted her time and couldn't even complete her goals.

Ever since young, Da-Jung wanted to be a singer. She used to score very high grades in her music class and used to win first prize in every singing competition. However, when she met Yang Woo-Jin and married him despite of her parents' disapproval... Da-Jung realized that it was the biggest mistake of her life.

While this man had turned successful, Da-Jung was trying a way to score a permanent job.

Eight years ago, Da-Jung was the one who never thought about where and how to spend money, she just did as she liked while Woo-Jin had to think and use his money. And eight years after, Da-Jung was thinking and using her money while Woo-Jin just spent it as he wished.

She knew that life had taken a full turn for the two of them. But she just wished that she had also achieved something in her life just like her ex-husband.

But upon thinking of all the obstacles in her life, Da-Jung let go of all her wishes and just thought of leaving a peaceful life while taking care of her comatose father and her mother who was also working hard like her to earn money.

Da-Jung felt really ashamed of herself as she saw her mother who was already in her late-fifties wash dishes, cook food and earn some money just for the sake of her husband who was lying comatose in a hospital bed.

And that was the reason why she wanted to secure a permanent job and look after her parents on her own and also the reason for giving up her dreams.

Sometimes , Da-Jung even feared that she would lose both her parents if she stopped working hard and invested all her money in fulfilling her wish of being a singer. So, she let go of all her dreams and just focused on her work and earn money as much as possible so that she could treat her father and make her mother stop from working so hard every day and night.