Chapter 9: Healing.

Eun-woo, Ga-ram, and Diego were aghast upon beholding U-jin's utterance; his use of the word "marry" caught them off guard. They observed that U-jin had long despised any mention of matrimonial bonds, so such an admission left them utterly flummoxed.

"U-jin, please can you repeat what you said again" implored Eun-woo, flustered and perplexed by what he had just heard, even though both Ga-ram and Diego also wore identical expressions of bewilderment. They eagerly anticipated U-jin's response, eyes affixed on him but instead U-jin remained fixated on Eun-kyung's performance, breathlessly awestruck.

Eun-woo grew irked by U-jin's inattention; however, Ga-ram restrained him before he could do anything else.

Eun-kyung concluded her melodic masterpiece with a resounding round of applause from the audience, igniting euphoric emotion within her. She bowed and thanked them, then she withdrew from the stage and as she came down she encountered Diego and gestured him towards the stage. "Don't let me down, Goodluck," she exclaimed and showed her fist then strolled off to join the others.

"That was magical" exclaimed Ga-ram, expressing her elation. "You're too kind," Eun-kyung demurred shyly. Observing Eun-woo's irate expression and U-jin's rapt expression, Eun-kyung paused and turned to Ga-ram, seeking a rationalization, only to receive a dismissive shrug.

"Hello everyone, I'm.... my name is Yu-jin but you all know me as little Diego, I was actually given the name Diego by Ji-woo but you guys preferred to call me Little Diego" Diego declared cheerfully, drawing guffaws from the assembled multitude.

After pausing for a moment and clearing his throat, he announced, "This song is dedicated to Ji-woo, it is titled 'Healing' but I will need two volunteers" he looks at the MC who nods.

"Ga-ram, Eun-woo please come up to the stage" he looks towards them, Eun-woo, who was preoccupied in his own thoughts, was stunned to be called out to the stage but Ga-ram took his arm and propelled him towards their destination.

U-jin and Eun-kyung had been standing by the side, bewildered and curious. "Have you any inkling on what is happening?" Eun-kyung gingerly inquired, standing by U-jin's side, her eyes probing the situation.

"I didn't know they planned this" U-jin explained, surprised at what was unfolding before their eyes. "Do you suspect it was plotted?" Eun-kyung queried.

"Yeah, Diego was manifesting some dubious actions, coupled with the fact that Ga-ram and Eun-woo were absent from morning class," U-jin replied, and Eun-kyung's face suddenly dawned with comprehension. The realization of Diego's intentions struck her and she understood the truth of his ulterior motive. He had gone to extensive lengths for Ji-woo, and it was quite clear how much he adored her.

When she looked back to the stage, she found out that Ga-ram had settled behind the drum kit, and Eun-woo had taken position beside her with the guitar. The crowd erupted into thunderous applause, and Diego initiated the song by playing the piano.

'I know how disappointed you are

The ordeals that life have put you through

And you, how many tears you cry

On days things go awry

Disappointment is your only company

I want you to know, you'll always find me

Whenever you're in pain.'

Then, Ga-ram accompanied the song with resounding drums, adding the necessary rhythm.

'Every teardrop that falls on your face

You have me to heal your pain

When you lose, rest and start over

When you fall, get up and run for cover

Know that it's true

I'll be the one to heal you.'

At last, Eun-woo lifted his guitar and strummed the strings, joining in on the melody, enriching the overall sound.

'Aim for the stars but the sky seems so far

It may leave you with, Hang on tight.'

'I want you to know, you'll always find me

Whenever you're in pain.

Every teardrop that falls on your face

You have me to heal your pain

When you lose, rest and start over

When you fall, get up and run for cover

Know that it's true

I'll be the one to heal you'.

Finishing the song with a flourish, Diego sang the final verse thrice before ending the ballad, leaving the audience in awe.

Amidst the deafening roar of applauses and cheers, he graciously expressed his gratitude to the crowd and humbly bowed before descending from the stage, accompanied by Ga-ram and Eun-woo.

U-jin, on the other hand, made a beeline towards Diego, enveloping him in a tight embrace which caused Diego to be taken aback at first before reciprocating the gesture. Just as they disengaged, Diego glimpsed Eun-kyung's damp, teary eyes.

"Are you all right?" he inquired with genuine concern.

"I'm alright, but I'm not one to shed tears. I can't seem to help it," she replied, attempting to wipe away her tears without much success. "What the hell, why can't it stop" she continues wiping it.

"Here" U-jin moved towards her to assist but halted midway - Eun-kyung's irises were flickering, transforming from ebony to colours resembling the universe, settling on one that mirrored the cosmos.

U-jin found himself rooted to the spot and when Eun-kyung saw that he doesn't intend to wipe her tears again, she took the handkerchief and places it under her eyes.

"My song has certainly struck a chord with you," bragged Diego.

"Not really, you wrote it yourself?" she probed, jealousy tingeing her voice. She didn't want to believe that he wrote a song by himself while she plagiarised someone's song.

"Yes, I did, I wrote it after Ji-woo tried to commit suicide, I wanted to comfort her with the song"

"Aren't you releasing it too soon?" she jibed.

"Not at all. I'm confident she felt it," he beamed.

"I need to go home," Eun-kyung sighed, queasiness rippling through her. It was obvious that Diego had feelings for Ji-woo but no one was complaining. I bet Ji-woo didn't know about it.

"Wait. They will be announcing the results soon," Diego halted her.

"I thought it was just a facade to sing for Ji-woo," she interjected.

"Actually, the music club leader implored me to join, so I requested an audition to join legitimately," he brimmed with pride, his arrogance not lost on Eun-Kyung, who made a clicking sound with her tongue.

"What?" he quizzed.

"At least you paved the way for others to join," she replied, trying to seek solace in the silver lining of the charade.

"But why pretend to be anxious when you followed me here?" she queried. But before Diego could respond, the MC took to the stage, announcing the names of those selected to join the music club.

"Dong-hyun, Hae-won, Kwan, Joon-woo, Bong-chan, Ji-woo and Diego, welcome to the music club!" The crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheers as they clamoured towards the stage.

"Ga-ram and Eun-woo executed an exceptional performance in aiding Diego, for whose support I am grateful. I would have added them to our club but they're already part of a club but they are free to join if they decide to change clubs" The MC articulated affably, followed by a joyous laugh.

Diego and Eun-kyung waved at U-jin, Ga-ram and Eun-woo before they were escorted to where the music club was located with the others. They then exchanged numbers with the music club leader who added them to the club's forum.

Eun-kyung and her companions were then briefed on the club's norms and disparted into separate groups based on their musical expertise. Since she could play a variety of instruments which was the violin, piano, and guitar, she was placed in a specialized group that elevated her status beyond Diego's who could only play a piano. Although Eun-kyung had never felt the urge to engage in competition with someone before, Diego's demeanor had prompted this inclination.

After being introduced to her group, led by Il-seong, which comprised of only six people, including her and Kwan, who had won the audition alongside Eun-kyung, she realised that her peers possessed a wealth of musical proficiency. Il-seong, being the leader, could play six different instruments no wonder he was made to be the leader. Kwan, who seemed shy, could play two different instruments with another group member while the others also knew either four or three. Kwan's skill level was impressive even though she was a timid fellow. After testing both her's and kwan's abilities, Il-seong and the group were amazed by both their level of musicianship.

As the day progressed and the session ended, Eun-kyung and Diego left the premises together and spotted Si-woo seated on the bonnet of his car engrossed in his phone. After waving to Diego, Eun-kyung approached Si-woo.

"I'm here, did you wait for long"

"No, I just came out three minutes ago" he came down and examined her. "Nothing happened today" he displayed a concerned expression.

"Why do you ask?"

"I was told that you ran a marathon race today, I wasn't at the stadium because I was at the football field for practice" he answered.

"Oh yes I did, you could have just texted me if you were worried about me"

"I did" he said in anger while she brought out her phone from her bag to check the message inbox.

"Oops sorry" she chuckled as she puts her phone back in her bag.

He shakes his head, "Let's just go back home" he said moving to open the car's door.

"Tomorrow's Saturday" she shouts garnering looks but she ignored them and enters the car.

However when Eun-kyung thought she could finally rest during the weekend. Her plans were abruptly disrupted by an unexpected request from her aunt.

"Ji-woo, have you prepared yourself for today?" asked her aunt.

Confused, Eun-kyung responded, "For what?"

"You were supposed to accompany U-jin to his mother's gravesite today," her aunt answered, but Eun-kyung caught onto the word "grave."

"Grave?" she screamed. "Why in the world should I go to a grave?"

"Ji-woo, watch your language," her aunt reprimanded her while pinching her lips to indicate disapproval.

Eun-kyung's aunt sighed and said gently, "Ji-woo, you have escorted U-jin to his mother's grave site every year on her memorial day. It is imperative that you go this year as well. If you decline, it would reflect poorly on our family, and the Wang family might misunderstand our intentions." her aunt came close to her and placed both her hand on Eun-kyung's shoulders "I promise you that I will find a way to stop the engagement from happening, just be patient" her aunt said as she hugged her. Eun-kyung didn't know that her aunt was carrying so much pressure because the main madam of the house wasn't around.

With a determined and resolute expression, Eun-kyung agreed to her aunt's request despite her reluctance. She then quickly went to her room to change into a white short gown with a black belt and accessorized with a white hat, white sandals, and a black bag.

As she was about to leave, her aunt teased her, "Trying to impress U-jin's late mother with that outfit, huh?" Eun-kyung was not amused by her aunt's comment, but her aunt urged her to hurry as U-jin was waiting for her outside.

When she stepped outside, she saw U-jin leaning on his Lamborghini, dressed in a white shirt with the top three buttons undone, displaying his well-toned chest. His shirt was tucked into black jeans, and he wore black shoes.

For a moment, Eun-kyung just stared at him, admiring his sleek ride and impeccable fashion sense, before walking up to him and complimenting his car.

"Nice ride" she said as she touched the car's bonnet.

"Eun-kyung" he looked up to her and admired her clothing, "You look good" he smiles.

"You too", she hit his arm playfully before getting into the passenger's seat, then he enters driver's seat and zooms off.

"Where are your flowers?" she asked as she checks the back seat.

"I wanted to buy them with you," U-jin responded.

"What type of flowers does your mother like?" Eun-kyung asked out of curiosity.

"Lilies, why?" U-jin replied.

"Well, that's what we're going to buy then," she stated unequivocally.

U-jin smiled, recalling how Ji-woo usually purchased roses to represent her love for U-jin's mother. Ji-woo and Eun-kyung are indeed very different.

"Ok ma'am" he laughs.

Eun-kyung was slightly concerned by his laughter and asked, "Should I be worried?"

U-jin chuckled again, "I always try to lighten the mood on days like this."

She looked at him for a while then placed her hand on his hand that was on the gear, "I don't know how it feels to lose one's mum but if you need a shoulder to cry on, you can use mine" she said sincerely.

"I appreciate that" he took her hand into his and smiled.

"So, anything else?"

"I want to also buy perfume for her" he answered.

Eun-kyung was taken aback by this, asking, "What? Why?"

U-jin explained, "My mum loved perfumes with lily fragrances, so I want to sprinkle it around her grave. Can you help me choose one?"

"Of course," Eun-kyung replied, touched by U-jin's sentiment.

With a squeal of the tires, the Lamborghini came to a stop in front of a grand mall adorned with the prestigious name of Wang so she guessed it belong to U-jin's family. U-jin alighted the car and gallantly opened the passenger door for Eun-kyung, who gazed in amazement at the opulent sign before them. U-jin threw the valet the car key and held out his arm, offering Eun-kyung to lean on it.

The eye-catching duo drew scrutinizing looks as they entered the cosmetics section of the department store. A sales attendant rushed towards them, addressing U-jin with reverence.

"Master U-jin, how may I be of assistance to you?" she asked timidly.

"Please lead us to where we can locate the perfumes," U-jin responded politely. The blushing assistant led them to the designated perfume section while handing U-jin her business card.

"If there's anything else you need, feel free to contact me," she said.

Eun-kyung couldn't resist wondering how an assistant could have a business card, and U-jin looked at her expectantly.

"I need to look for a perfume with lily fragrance," Eun-kyung said as she browsed through the perfumes on display.

"That's not what I meant," U-jin replied, getting closer to her.

"Then what did you mean?" she asked without facing him, feeling slightly offended.

He sighed, "If it were Ji-woo, she would have snatched the card before the attendant gave it to me."

"Unfortunately, I am not her," Eun-kyung retorted before carrying on with her search.

"The lily-scented perfumes are in that section," U-jin said after a while, pointing her in the right direction.

"You should have mentioned that earlier," she said, feeling a bit annoyed as she headed to that area.

"It wasn't me that told you not to be observant" he said mockingly, she stopped walking but instead of turning towards him, she kept on walking forward.

"Why are you controling it?"

"I have my reasons" she said as she searches through the perfumes.

"This one is pretty nice" Eun-kyung picked out a perfume with lily and rose fragrance, spritzing a bit and pleasingly inhaling its freshness.

"Yeah, two will do" she said as she grabbed another bottle of perfume, and they proceeded to pay for it. U-jin footed the bill as they left the mall to go to the florist shop.

When U-jin parked in front of the florist shop, Eun-kyung insisted on purchasing the lilies herself while he waited outside.

"Hello" she called out as she entered the shop.

"I'm here" she saw Young-chul coming out from one of the doors that led to who knows where.

"Young-chul, what a pleasant surprise, how are you doing now?"

"I'm alright thanks to you, what can I offer you" he answered with a smile.

"I need a bouquet of lilies," Eun-kyung requested.

With deftness, Young-chul proceeded to cut and carefully wrap the bouquet in paper and nylon before securing it with a rope.

Eun-kyung marveled at the vast plethora of flowers on display, outdoing even Ji-woo's garden, which, to her was quite impressive.

"I must compliment you on the exquisite arrangement of your shop," Eun-kyung complimented.

"My mother always takes great pains to ensure its magnificence," Young-chul replied as he handed her the wrapped bouquet.

"Do you require a card?" he asked.

"Nay, the flowers will suffice," she responded, handing him her aunt's card that was given to her incase she goes out for shopping, he then briskly returned with a smile.

"Thank you for patronizing our establishment," he said and Eun-kyung laughed at how polite he was.

As she was about to open the door to leave, he went ahead of her and did it before he bade her goodbye, she also did the same before leaving the shop.

As she emerged from the florist shop, Eun-kyung spotted U-jin dashing out of his car and onto the road's median, where a little boy, roughly five years of age, had fallen.

Amidst this commotion, a trailer was moving towards them at an alarming velocity. Her fear surged, and her instinct kicked in, as she let go of the bouquet and rushed towards U-jin, shouting in alarm, "U-jin!"