𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 | 𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐣𝐚𝐲

31: goodbye

"𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮," 

~🌙~

Eun Hyerin

I held the picture in my hand loosely. My eyes scanned over every inch, taking in my indefinite fate. The picture itself was beautiful and if it were true it would be such a glamorous event. However, it was not how it seemed. I was not a teen bride and Park Jongseong was not my husband. This picture was built up of unintentional lies that I couldn't even begin to explain. It was such a simple fix: 'it was a photoshoot'. But alas, I didn't want to reveal that part of me. 

"Eun Hyerin? How could you lie about something like this," one girl called in sincerity. At first it seemed like she cared but then her expression morphed into one of disgust. 

"You must really be desperate to ask Park Jongseong to marry you," she tutted and began to record me. I was completely taken aback by her change of attitude. I wanted to laugh at hoe ridiculous the situation was, but their words made it seem so serious. It was like I was silenced. 

"You're pregnant aren't you?" another girl came up to me and put a hand to my stomach. I smacked her hand away and yelled at her to not touch me. My heart raced as more and more people began to crowd me. They were all people from my class, but there were a few others that I didn't recognise. They probably just wanted someone to make fun of. 

"What are you talking about?" I questioned as the hyenas continued to tear at me. 

"The only reason a girl like you would get married so early is if you got knocked up! Pathetic. You even got Park Jongseong of the golden trio to wed you," 

The golden trio? I assumed they meant Jongseong, Jake and Sunghoon, but I didn't know they had such a reputation here. I thought they were just regular students. 

"I don't know how you did it Eun Hyerin, but whatever you did was evil. You've ruined his life!" A paper ball was thrown at me, hitting me in the face. I felt the sharpness of the paper grate at my skin and I flinched. They cheered as it hit me and soon more followed. 

The scene unfolding before me was too overwhelming. The screams, the camera flashes, the trash being flung at me. I was an innocent outcast who was victimised by students who have nothing better to do than poke their nose into other peoples business. 

My face was wet with tears. Probably out of fear and the idea of owning up to the truth and not being believed. This was it. My high school career would be finished with this rumour. It would never be the same. 

Looking over the picture again, the fun memories I once held with it were tarnished. I wished it had never happened so I wouldn't be treated like such an animal. I wish I had never met them, and I wish I had never came back to Seoul. At the same time, I rejected my father for putting me in such a situation. I was tied between hating my friends and hating my family. 

However, I could never fully bring myself to do either. 

And then a strong pull yanked me out of the crowd of haters. My vision was blurry, but as I moved I saw less and less people. The shouting got quieter and the manic atmosphere quietened down to nothing. I was grateful for the figure who saved me from that burning pit of hell, truly. 

Once my vision cleared and the tears stopped flowing, I wasn't sure if I was happy to see Park Jongseong staring right at me.

***

Park Jongseong

"Are you okay?" I asked immediately once we were away from those students. I took her to an empty hallway behind the stairs. No one knew about it apart from me and the guys. 

Hyerin wouldn't look at me and instead continued to sob, staring at her feet. I asked her again but her sobs got louder. My chest hurt seeing her like this and I did the only thing that I could think of that might help. 

I pulled her into a hug, wrapping my arms around her back and bowing my head to meet her shoulder. Her face was buried in my chest and upon impact her sobs became cries. All the hurt she was holding in flushed out. A tear fell from my eye too knowing that I was partly to blame for all of this. 

"It's okay, just let it out," I hushed. I brought one hand up to stroke her hair and it soothed her. I wanted her to feel safe and know that she wasn't alone. Even if it meant overstepping some boundaries. 

Soon she stopped crying and pushed herself away from me. Her face was wet with tears and I wiped them with the sleeve of my jumper. 

"You don't have to do that," she said with a regretful tone. She turned her head away, again not looking at me. 

"Why not?"

"I didn't need saving. Those students... they just didn't know the truth. I can handle it," she tried to tough it out but I wasn't convinced. 

"Then why are you crying?" 

"Because everything about this is wrong," her voice was raised and instead of sadness a slight anger radiated. My lips parted but shut in a straight line - it was clear in her tone that a part of her blamed me for this. 

"What do you mean?" 

"I can't tell people the truth.  I don't want them to know I'm the daughter of a CEO and that the picture is just from a photoshoot," 

"Why? It makes sense and people will probably stop harassing you like this," I tried to appeal to her about telling the truth, but for some reason she rejected it. It was like she wanted the hatred to continue. 

"It's just too much. People will treat me differently and I came here to avoid that. If that's the life I'm going to live from now on then I don't want to be here anymore," Hyerin said quietly. 

My body went cold. That one sentence could mean absolutely anything and I feared the worst. If anything, I wanted to hold her more and comfort her over and over again. But there was evident distance between us that she was putting there herself.

"I don't believe that. Rumours fade... I would know," 

"It's not just that though, Jongseong!" She apologised for yelling but I stayed quiet. Whatever was on her mind, I wanted to hear. I needed to understand.

"I admit that I initially came here for Sunghoon and to lead a better and normal life," she started with a deep, shaky breath, "But leaving the Philippines also meant leaving my father. He didn't want me to go and ... we fought." 

"I'm sorry, Hyerin. I'm sure he'll forgive you," was all I could say. This was the first I was hearing about any of this. Part of me wondered if Sunghoon knew and there was a good chance that he did. Why didn't he say anything? 

"I don't know anymore... I felt guilty about it every day, especially when I was enjoying myself," 

"You shouldn't feel guilty for having a good time at school," 

"But at what cost? I have no family here, my father hasn't called since I left and I can see the company falling through all the media articles. I do enjoy it here and I love hanging out with you guys,"

The last part made me smile, even with the seriocity of the situation. It made me wish I had the courage tell her the same back, but I was frozen. I couldn't make this about me.

"But I shouldn't have come here," she sighed. She wiped her eyes and smiled at me. It was a broken smile that read 'I'm a mess but it's alright'. Even if she was, she still looked beautiful. 

"I'm going back,"

"Back to where?" 

"Back to the Philippines. Back to my father so I can make things right again,"