True Color

Chapter 37

"He was manifesting his true colors again? Why?"

"After my therapies, I wanted to come back, but my doctor said I will not survive that easy because my brain cells slept for a year and a half, so I have to read and memorize, do workouts, and exercise my brain by working on puzzles, scrabbles, and browsing books about Marketing because my dad wanted to get me back to my feet. So, I trained and worked in our Head Office in Korea, and when I felt it was time to return, I implored my dad to assign me here, in the Main Office, with my brother. They didn't know my plan, and I never let anyone discover my actual plan for my return here. My parents thought that I had forgotten everything about you, about us. My mom even thought that you might be dead. If you were dead, I told myself not to stop finding you; I can still ask for your forgiveness even at your grave. And although I don't know where and how to start to search for you, I always pray that fate will let us meet again. And so, it did! I was so more than happy to know that you are alive, Rielle. And I thought that fate had been kind to make us meet again. And I was so grateful that you were alive and became more beautiful than ever! Here we are; Destiny gave us this second chance, Rielle." Feeling hopeful, Hwan Chul held Rielle's hand, waiting for her reaction.

Rielle did not remove her stare at Hwan Chul. She was searching in his eyes, assessing her deep feelings, searching for his sincerity and honesty, but only doubt and confusion hovered her entire being. The pieces of her lost memory were complete now, yet, she could not find the true feeling she once had for Hwan Chul.

"It is not easy to say you're forgiven nor forget the past because our past once had destroyed us, Chul. It could be difficult for me to return the pieces, and have found you in my memory only left a scar, bitterness, and hurt." She hesitated for a moment and continued to express her feeling.

"Looking at you now-- only gave me the feeling of pain and brokenness. Healing the past would take time, Chul, but do we have that time to heal?" assessing her thoughts, her tone was of bitterness and regret. "

"For your part, yes, time healed you. Your wounds and body had healed already, and your memory was never damaged; but how about me, Chul, was I healed? After the pain, suffering, and hurt you inflicted on me, I want to ask you, do you think I am well? If you can give me a good answer, then maybe you can help me heal."

Rielle turned away from Hwan Chul, wanting to leave. All she kept in her heart and thoughts was the memory of Hyun-Ki, but then she felt she was losing him too. Now that she has resolved her problem with Hwan Chul, can Hyun-Ki take her back? He hated her now; much more, she was a disgust to him.

Rielle returned to Nancy to tell her about her leaving but promised to come back for a visit to her home.

"Rielle, have you resolved your issues with Hwan Chul?" Nancy was anxious to know.

"There's still something missing there, maybe an acceptance of forgiveness from my mom? I'm not sure if Hwan Chul can do that. And I don't even know if mom can forgive him." Rielle in a doubtful tone.

She was looking at Nancy. "And about us? There's nothing else there, Nancy. I'm sorry." Rielle said with bitterness. In Nancy's mind, she thought that she loved Hyun-Ki that much that there was no more space in her heart left for Hwan Chul. Or perhaps, still hopeful, time can heal her pain.

Hwan Chul returned home, devastated by Rielle's revelation of her feelings about their past together. An air of melancholy hovered him. In his thinking, maybe he can still get Rielle's forgiveness and accept him as a friend.

He has to do his best to make amends with her and will not stop even if it could hurt him.

The following morning, Rielle was successful in being in the Office early. She was preparing her schedule and booting her computer when she heard a sound coming from Hyun-Ki's Office but later dispelled it thinking a janitor was cleaning the Office. After hearing nothing, she went on on her business to make up for her absence yesterday afternoon. Then five minutes later, she listened to a movement in Hyun-Ki's Office again. She was curious, so she went to investigate. She was opening the access door when in front of her appeared Hyun-Ki. She was startled and troubled by the way Hyun-Ki stared at her.

"Where were you yesterday, Rielle? Had a date with some guy, huh?" Hyun-Ki gave a sarcastic remark with a tone of jealousy, and Rielle tried to keep off from his grasp.

"What are you talking about, Hyun? Please take your hands off me; you're hurting me!" begged Rielle. Hyun-ki took his grasp off her and pushed her away.

"You disgust me!" was all Hyun-Ki said and went back to his Office, banging the door. Rielle was so scared of Hyun-Ki, thinking he must be drunk and out of his mind. Rielle can't fathom why he was there in the Office so early. While packed in her thoughts, Alexis and Louie came in. Upon seeing Rielle, they gave a breath of relief.

"It was good you are here now and early, too. Alexis chirped.

"Yeah, yesterday was a nerve-wracking afternoon for us," seconded Louie. Rielle hushed the two of them.

"Be quiet; Mr. Han might hear you. He is in his Office." Hushed Rielle. After a bit, Junie, the driver, came to Mr. Han's Office to get him.

"Sir, we must get out of here before the rest of your employees see you in this state." Junie insisted. "See me in this state? I am not drunk. Just leave me alone; I said I don't want to return to my condo; why are you so stubborn? Now leave!" Hyun-Ki pushed Junie. So, Junie asked for Rielle's help because he could not move Hyun-Ki out of his Office.

"You better get his brother here quickly because the employees are coming in every minute, and they must not see him like this." Rielle expressed her anxiety. When Hwan Chul came in after Junie called him for assistance, Hwan Chul was on edge. He thought of carrying him out, but Rielle had a better idea.

"You cannot just piggyback him; the employees will think otherwise about their CEO. Why not ask your sister, Su-mi, to get him out using an ambulance."

"What? The more we are getting attention here, Rielle." Hwan Chul contradicted Rielle's suggestion. "I guess not; bringing an ambulance here is the best way to get him out of here. We will give them the idea that he collapsed because of hard work; that he has not slept yet for hours until this morning because he wanted to finish some important documents that made him collapse." Rielle felt optimistic about her idea, which Hwan Chul bought.

"Okay, I'll make a call now to Su-mi, and I hope my sister will agree with this idea, or else we are in big trouble!" Hwan Chul said and made a call to Sumi. His sister agreed because she also got worried for his brother. A bit longer, an ambulance came, and the aids were entering the elevator with a stretcher and Su-mi dressed in a doctor's coat. The employees were bothered by why they called an ambulance, and the aids joined their CEO's Office. Everyone was accumulating around the CEO's Office and prying in, curious about why a doctor and ambulance aids were carrying their CEO. Su-Mi put a face mask on Hyun-Ki so the employees would not smell alcohol.

Hwan Chul and Rielle followed them to the elevator, and once inside, Hwan Chul said jokingly, "don't tell me you're bringing him to your hospital, yeodongsaeng?" Su-mi laughed out loud. "Are you kidding me? If I'd bring him there, I'd inject him with lots of alcohol so he'll learn a lesson, hahaha!"

According to his driver, Hyun-Ki told him to bring him instead to the mansion because he didn't want to return to his condo, which puzzled Hwan.

"Okay, then to the mansion we go. And why doesn't Hyun-Ki want to go back to his condo? As far as I know, he was happy to tell me that he had his condo back, and both Hyun-Ki and Rielle arranged the place to look like home, so why had he refused to go back there now, my dear sister-in-law? Something I should know?" Su-Mi was concerned.

Hwan Chul interrupted, "Let us leave that to them; that's private, Su-mi; let us not go there, will you?" Su-mi was thinking about Hyun-Ki, and she thought he was a changed man since Rielle became his EA.

"He was manifesting his true colors again? Why?" Hwan Chul gave her an elbow making a cue that they were with others and Rielle was around. Everyone kept quiet until they reached the mansion.

They carried Hyun-Ki to his bedroom, and Rielle followed. "Leave him here, and I'll take care of the rest." Su-Mi and the ambulance left Hwan Chul and Rielle at the mansion. Rielle took some fresh clothes from his wardrobe and needed to wash Hyun using a basin and face towel. Hwan Chul stood by the bedroom door, watching Rielle caring for his brother.

"You can leave us now, Chul," requested Rielle amicably.

"You might need my help dressing him up; he's too heavy for you." Replied Hwan.

"No need, leave us alone. I can take care of your brother." Rielle once again requested. Hwan Chul left only to stand near Hyun-Ki's bedroom, assuming that he might be needed if ever.

Then, when Rielle was washing him with a wet towel, Hyun-Ki started to move in his bed, wanting to throw up, and Rielle placed the basin under his face and started throwing up. Hwan Chul thought of capturing these moments of Hyun-Ki with Rielle, and he opened the door a little bit enough to take film of both without having him notice. And while doing that, Hyun-Ki started to talk groggily to Rielle.

"Wow, I now have a nurse to care for me, huh?" His eyes were still blurry because of his drunkenness, and he talked some more. "You know you are beautiful, like my Rielle with short hair; why is that the trending style now?" Rielle wanted to laugh but controlled it thinking he might come to his consciousness, so she went along while Hwan Chul was chuckling to where he was standing with his camera. Rielle pulled out his shirt and dressed him with a fresh one. Hyun-Ki was staring at the 'nurse' he thought she was and then continued blabbering.

"Aah, Rielle, she rejected me! She doesn't want to marry me because she cannot get over my brother! I loved her so much; she did everything to fool me, huh! Women! I hate her; you tell her that she is disgusting! Having her was a disappointment! I should have never fallen in love with a flirt!" Rielle could not stand his blabbering anymore.

She threw the towel on his face and slapped him on both cheeks, which startled Hyun-Ki. Rielle could not control her tears and anger. "I cannot stand him anymore!" She angrily pushed him hard, making him fall back on his bed. Then Hwan Chul got a hold of her and pulled her out of the room.

"Rielle, stop it! He's drunk; you know that." Hwan Chul was holding both of her hands while she was fighting to loosen her up. She continued to cry, feeling that the hurt inflicted on her heart was so painful to bear.

"I can't go on. I'll head home. You take care of Hyun-Ki." Said Rielle in a painful tone.

"Did you both break up? Is that why he is acting that way?" Hwan Chul was puzzled and curious. Rielle kept quiet, keeping her feelings to herself.

"I'll bring you home, Rielle. You cannot go with that condition. Don't worry about him; he'll sober up soon. Too much alcohol made him say things he doesn't even understand." Hwan explained to ease Rielle's anger.

"Too much alcohol? But what he was saying was coming from his heart, Chul. I don't know if I can still stand him. I'm already confused. All I want now is to go home and think!" Rielle said with bitterness.

Rielle was home heartbroken. She was lying on her bed, recounting the events that had happened since this morning. She was thinking about why Hyun-Ki was in his Office the whole time and never went back home to his condo. Was it because he was waiting for her to come early to the Office and would want to talk to her? And why did he return to his Office after going with that VP woman? Why did he take three bottles of liquor with him and drink himself in his Office, knowing that there would be people coming to work the next day? Or did he drink himself to anger and wait to confront me? What was this Su-mi mentioned about Hyun-Ki showing his true colors? She had many questions and wanted to know more about Hyun-Ki.

Some birds' chirpings awakened Hyun-Ki among the trees fronting his balcony. He woke and looked around him with a puzzled face. He knew he was drinking in his Office, and then suddenly, he was in his bedroom. He stood away from his bed and groggily went to the balcony to breathe fresh air. He pursed his lips to inhale air into his lungs and exhaled. He was doing this for five minutes when Hwan Chul cast a quick look in his bedroom. Finding him on the balcony, he approached Hyun-Ki and greeted him with how he was.

"I still feel groggy with this severe headache, but I'll be fine after finishing my breathing exercises," Hyun-Ki said.

"Have you wondered why you were here? Have you recalled where you were yesterday and what you did, my dear brother?" prodded Hwan Chul, expecting an honest answer from Hyun.

"I went back to the Office yesterday only to find out that Rielle was not by her desk. And then she thought I had a 'private meeting' with Julienne?" Hwan Chul quickly asked, "and who was this Julienne? May I know?" Hyun-Ki stared at his brother and smirked, "Julienne was the VP for Operations of Hanzu Corporation. Was she jealous of her? And why should she? We are not together anymore." Hwan Chul was agitated by Hyun-Ki's remarks.

"You are not together anymore? That's not what I know, and that's not her impression." Hyun-Ki looked at Hwan Chul. "And what, she's living in her presumption? She should wake up by now." Hyun-Ki gave a dry smile. Hwan Chul faced him with agitation.

"Be thankful; I have not thrown you out of this balcony, you rude of all people! I learned from Nancy about what happened to you both. All Rielle knew was that you were sulking because she rejected your sudden proposal; Rielle was telling you that she wished to resolve her issues with me because, in case you forgot?—Rielle was still trying to regain her lost memory, Hyun!" uttered Hwan angrily.

"I'm exhausted about this lost memory thing, and I don't care anymore, all right? Fix that memory loss with her; I don't want to be involved anymore!" Hyun-Ki turned his back on Hwan Chul, walking away from him. Hwan Chul got fed up, grasped his t-shirt neckline, and punched his face, making his lips bleed.