Remember Me

Chapter 3

Jin's party was being held at his penthouse at a well-known apartment downtown. I had scanned the guest list online and noticed I knew many people from our social circles. He was a couple years older than me, so his friends he'd invited were also a little older. A few people his parents' age had also been invited, which led me to believe that his parents would be present. I noticed that my father had been invited but had declined, which wasn't surprising considering his influence and wealth. Well, at least it wouldn't get crazy with parents present.

As I walked out of the elevator to his penthouse apartment, I saw a very well-decorated party venue, and noticed many people had arrived. I arrived an hour after the time stated, and people were still rolling in. The number of people, while not that many, overwhelmed me for a moment, and I steadied myself by holding a wall. I was fine after a deep breath or two. I hated myself for reacting this way, as it was a pretty recent tic.

A waiter offered me a glass of champagne, which I gladly took. People noticed me walk in and got to whispering quietly. I sighed and ignored them. Once I spotted a friend of mine, I quickly walked over and interrupted her conversation with another woman. She looked genuinely surprised. "Zara! I didn't know you were coming...! You should have said something! We could have arrived together!"
I smiled gratefully that she was warm despite how long we hadn't spoken, and told her I'd decided to come very last minute. She introduced me to a few of her friends and acquaintances present, and I met a few other people I was familiar with.

As I hopped between groups to say hello, I spotted Jin; he was talking to a few older people. He saw me and waved me over.
"Dad, this is Zara, she went to my high school."
I smiled at his dad and shook his hand.
"What do you do Zara? Are you working with my son?" He asked warmly.

I shook my head with a smile, "I work under Sando Corp. actually." The name piqued his interest and he raised an eyebrow.
"Oh lovely. My company has been trying to get a deal with them this month. They're doing very well."
I bowed a little and thanked him.
"Do you know what the CEO is like personally? I gather he's a reclusive man—"
"Dad! This is Zara Sando. That's," he chuckled nervously, "that's her dad."

He opened his eyes in surprise and stared at me, a smile creeping onto his face. "I see. I apologize for not recognizing you. The resemblance is definitely there."
"Don't worry about it," I laughed, and after some chitchat, I excused myself and sat down at the lounge alone with my glass of champagne. It was a great vantage point a floor above, and it was practically empty, so I just people-watched in peace for a bit. Even when I tried to be cheery, I knew what my reputation was. Dealing with all the gazes directed at me was exhausting.
Just as I thought to descend to the floor again, a loud crowd announced themselves as they stepped through the door. The guests seemed excited and happy to see them too. I recognized Jin's close friends. At the back of the group, Jimin came in and greeted people with hugs. He had a huge smile on his face I hadn't seen in a while, and he immediately got to entertaining the crowd with his friends.

Rather than be amused at my... 'fiancé's' behavior, I was confused, angry even. I glared at him. Every smile and hug he gave, I wondered why he'd stopped sharing with me. Every laugh that came from him, I wondered why I'd been deprived of. I felt like shit, because it felt like I'd lost a close friend; probably my only close friend I'd known since childhood.

As we'd gone to each other's college graduations, I still remembered the bitter words he'd left me with after I'd tried talking about our future. "I don't want to be around you when I want to figure myself out." I'd respected him by not bothering or initiating contact with him, but I didn't fully realize how he'd cut me off to this extent. Honestly... I still didn't fully understand why he hated me. I wondered if things would ever get better.

A distinct memory of my mother telling me of how she wanted Jimin and I to be engaged popped up from when we were thirteen or so. Our parents had planned for us to get married and keep our companies together when we were children, and had kept us in the same schools and encouraged our friendship without our knowledge when we were young grade-schoolers. When she'd told me I was going to marry Jimin someday, I was honestly... content with that. Not that I showed it.

But that was like ten years ago. A lot had changed since. Somehow, I still had faith that we could make it work. I just had to—wanted to—talk to him.

I was snapped back to reality when I heard Jimin exclaim, "Babe! You made it!" I turned to look, and saw the girl who was at the hospital before walk into his arms with a clear laugh. The two of them shared a short kiss before they started talking to the others. They looked like... a happy couple.

It took me... a moment to process, but when I realized what had happened, I stood up in surprise, my eyes wide and shaking.
I don't know why it made me upset. Against all reason, I felt betrayed. If I was a few shots in, maybe I would have gone up to him and said something, but unfortunately, seeing her with him had sobered me up completely.

I stood frozen in place, and couldn't take my eyes off Jimin. At some point I noticed Jin glancing around nervously. He was the only one looking uncomfortable, and when he finally looked up and made eye contact with me, he gulped. I was sure my expression was sour. Did he not know Jimin was going to bring her to the party? What did he expect to happen today? Did he do it on purpose? I glared at him, my fists trembling slightly enough that he couldn't see.

When I looked around again, I realized that a few of my friends and acquaintances were giving Jimin weird looks. They knew of our inevitable engagement from a young age after all. I let go of my breath and quickly strode down the stairs, hoping to avoid anyone's eyes, and praying to avoid Jimin's attention.

"Zara!" I heard my name called out by an acquaintance, and paused for a moment in shock. I hoped to god Jimin hadn't heard, and just continued to the elevators without turning around. But I felt a tug on my hand, and another girl called out my name. "Zara, wait!"