MY lover from Daegu

Chapter 3

I stayed in my apartment for the next few days, trying to get over the jet lag. When I heard my phone notification, someone texted me from an unknown number. I was apprehensive at first, thinking it was my ex-boyfriend using a different number.

My ex-boyfriend, or should I say ex-fiance, was the reason I fled to Seoul in the first place.David Park is my ex-fiancé. We were in a relationship for 2 years. We were arranged to be married by our parents, who are good friends, particularly my dad and his dad. My mom was initially against the idea, but she couldn't do anything about it because of my dad. David was nice and fun to be with most of the time, but he turns into a monster whenever he's under the influence of alcohol and drugs. I told my parents about this, but only my mom believed me. My dad said that he is a very decent guy and would not do anything bad to tarnish his name.
The first year of our relationship was good. He was loving and respectful. In the second year of our relationship, he started to change. That's when he started to use drugs and alcohol. He became very jealous. He was jealous of my friends and my achievements. And then the abuse started. I told David from the very start of our relationship that I wouldn't sleep with him until we were married. And he respected that.
One day, we were out on a date. I smelled alcohol when he got close to me, and I saw a trace of a line from what looked like white powder on his dashboard. He has never used drugs in front of me, but I always suspected him. I asked bluntly if he had cocaine today, and without hesitation, he said yes. He said it was only for recreation to release his stress from work and his dad. He works for a very famous Korean auto company (US branch). His dad is the director of operations, his dad is grooming him to take the same position when he retires.

On our date, we went to see a movie. He was restless and mumbling things while we were inside the theater. He has his hand on my knee and then on my thigh. I stopped his hand from wandering because I was getting uncomfortable. "Let's go home if you're not going to watch the movie." I stood up to go outside, and he followed me. "Just drop me off at my house. I'm not in the mood for a date anymore," I said. He slammed the car door on me. He took the steering wheel and started driving. I was scared that an accident would happen at any time. He was swerving around and missed 2 stop signs. I was ready to get out of the car. I yelled at him to stop the car. His foot was on the gas pedal. We finally got home to his house in Pacific Palisade. I got out of his car as quickly as I could, but he got a hold of me. He dragged me inside his house. His dogs were barking from all the commotion. I was yelling for help but to no avail. I was scared, but I don't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. I was thinking about how to flee from this situation right now. I'm 5'4 and he's 6'2. He pushed me to his bed. I landed at the head of the bed, my forehead hitting the headboard, which caused me to feel dizzy. He pulled my legs so I could be flat on his bed. He ripped my blouse and tried to pull my pants down. I knew then what he was trying to do. I yelled for help and cried. He laughed at me and said, "You think you can escape me, huh?"
Even if you escape from here, no one will believe you. You're my fiancé, remember? I started cursing at him. "F**k you a**h**e," I said. I'm only your fiancé because of our parents. If I had a choice, I wouldn't be with you. I will never love someone like you. He then punched me, slapped me, and kicked me on my side. I was bruised and swollen after half an hour. My right eye was so swollen that I could barely open it. My upper lip was busted. A mix of blood and tears were rolling down my cheeks. He panicked as soon as he saw me with blood on my face. He ran to the living room to look for his phone. I saw a slim chance to escape. I grabbed my purse and ran away barefoot. I ran with all my might, not looking back. I flagged down a taxi and told him to drive fast. I was contemplating going to the police or going home. I decided to call my brother. He told me to go to his townhouse. He was waiting by the gate when I arrived. He was appalled at the sight of me. My big brother was speechless. He hugged me and comforted me while I was crying. I told him what happened. He was furious but told him to calm down. I asked him if I could stay with him for a few days until I figured out what to do. " We need to go to the hospital," he said. "Oppa no, the hospital will report this to the police. I don't know what to do yet at this point. He was so worried he called Eomma. I grabbed the phone from him and talked to Eomma myself. I told Emma not to tell my dad. Eomma came to see me. She started to cry when she saw my barely recognizable face. When I saw my mom crying, that's when I broke down. I cried and wailed at the same time. A mix of emotions and physical pain contained my body. Eomma consoled me the best way she could. At that moment, I felt like I was a little girl again, in my Eomma's arms, where I felt safe and secure.

Eomma stayed with me at my brother's house. My Dad called me, my brother, and Eomma, but we all refused to take his call. The doorbell rang at my brother's house; it was my dad, showing up unannounced. He barged inside and went straight to the rooms, yelling for my name and Eomma's name. "Nessa, come out here and let's talk. Eomma came out and yelled at him. "Why do you want to talk to Nessa? What did David and Park Seung Son (David's dad) tell you ?" They just want to apologize for what happened. " Yeobo, do you even know what happened? You don't have any clue, huh? You just believe what they say. " Have you seen Nessa? Have you seen our daughter? I can barely recognize her, Eomma crying as she talks." Go to the room and see her. Eomma is yelling at my dad to go see me. My dad was surprised to see me covered with bruises, my face swollen, and unable to barely open my right eye. This is not what the Parks told me. They told him that David and I had a small argument and became a little bit physical. " "Dad, I was almost raped by David. He beat me up to a pulp. And this is not the first time he laid hands on me. "Princess, it's OK, they are apologetic about what happened. He's your fiancé anyway. My mom and I couldn't believe what my dad said. "Dad, it's not OK. I want to press charges. Yes, we are. My mom backed me up. No, you guys are not doing anything that will ruin our relationship with the Parks. " I can't believe you're saying this, Yeobo." Our daughter was almost raped, David beat him up like a rag doll, and you're worried about our relationship with the Parks. My dad left without saying a word.

I stayed at my brother's house for the next 5 days. Eomma stayed with me, swinging by our house a few times to get my clothes and stuff.

I overheard Eomma and my brother talking in the living room, "Your appa is setting up a meeting between David and Nessa." " For what ?" my brother asked. " He said David wants to apologize to Nessa and set the wedding date."
"Eomma, you can't allow this. Dongsaeng ( my little sister) should not go back to that gae she kki (son of a b**t*h).
I came out of the room and told my mom and brother that I would go to the police and press charges if my dad insisted on this meeting.
"Nessa Listen, I talked to your Imo in Seoul. I think it's better if you go to Seoul and stay there for a while. " Eomma, what if David follows me to Seoul? " Don't worry, we will file a restraining order so he won't be able to get close to you. Also, don't tell anyone you're going to Seoul. So I asked a friend to reserve a ticket for you so your father and the Parks don't find out. You're leaving in 2 days.