Yi Jeong briskly walked out of the church as soon as the letter So Eun left him reached his hands. There's no use reading them, he already saw this coming. He just saw sympathetic faces while he walked out of the church and drove away with no destination in mind. He just wants to get away from all the pressure he's been into since he was a kid. He can see So Eun's face as he drove away, everything turned into haze before a buzzing sound surrounded him.
He parked his car near the park and watched the people come and go. Everything has been hard for him, how can he face the world alone? The only person who's supposed to be there by his side abandoned him too. He's on his own to face the shame and new controversy concerning the So family. He wanted to shout and let out all the pain that he's been holding back for years against the world. But funny, he can't feel anything.
Yi Jeong just stared blankly across the street and smiled bitterly when realization struck that everyone important in his life left him already. He's just a silhouette for everyone, living as the shadow of his father, the great So Hyun Sub. The company needs his presence as the President, but he knew he never existed because his father is the only achiever in their eyes. Yi Jeong loosened his tie and allowed himself to breathe. He then rested his forehead on the hand wheel and tightly closed his eyes. He doesn't know how long he stayed like that until the ringing on his mobile phone startled him. Annoyed, he simply turned off the phone, got off the car and started walking, leaving everything behind.
Different voices echoed on his mind as he continued walking along the busy streets of Seoul. He can hear his voice, crying and begging his mom as he watched her leave when he was 8 years old.
"Omma! I'll go with you! Please don't leave me.."
"Yi Jeong ah.. you can't. Be good okay? Omma will come back for you"
"Is it true that your mother ran away with another man?"
"Poor kid, his mom left them for another man"
"Yi Jeong can't join the game! He's a loser, he doesn't have a mom!"
"Don't mind them son, Appa's here for you. We're partners and together let's show them that you're the best"
Those were the words he kept on hearing when he was young. His mother's departure created a big fuss in the business industry and it became his childhood nightmare. Good thing his father, So Hyun Sub tried his best to fulfill his role as a good father and family to Yi Jeong. Once again, his world fell apart when his father died 2 years ago. He was left with a big responsibility, and no matter how much he tried to compete and keep up with other companies, the more he is pulled down into failure.
"If the sales remain like this, I'll have no choice but to withdraw from the partnership and get our shares"
"We know you are trying your best to solve these problems in the company Mr. So, but compared to your father, he can easily solve all of these in no time"
"If Mr. President is still alive, we wouldn't have these kind of issues"
The more those voices kept buzzing in his head, the more miserable he felt. He wants to escape from the shame and hard situation but he knows it's not going to be easy. Lots of families would suffer if their company would totally close. Yi Jeong was lost in his thoughts when he felt a tap on his right shoulder. He slowly looked up and met the eyes of the person standing beside him. It was the bus driver.
"Mister, sorry but this is the last bus stop"
He looked around and realized he was the only one left sitting inside the bus. He unhurriedly stood up and got off the vehicle, while the driver scratched his head as he watched the young man walk away, obviously lost in his thoughts again.
Yi Jeong continued walking without any idea where he was headed to. He rode buses without looking at his destination and just stayed drowned in his own depressed world until he found his self inside a train. It was already dark outside and he's starting to feel exhausted. He's been too preoccupied until a sweet scent filled his senses. What was that? Strawberries? He was about to close his eyes to savor the relaxing scent when a pair of big brown eyes appeared inches away from his face. It was a girl with soft curls tied up into a ponytail. The girl waved her hands then spoke while showing her ticket.
"Excuse me Mister but that is my seat. Look, it's number 124."
Yi Jeong just blinked his eyes as the girl continued distressing him that he should transfer because he is sitting on her seat. The girl's personality is bright and he concluded that she's the feisty and chatty type. The kind of person that would start talking about anything under the sun, even if she doesn't know the person yet. When he moved across the seat of the girl, she comfortably sat facing him and started to babble. He just stared blankly at her face without listening to what she's talking about.
"So that's where the sweet scent came from" he thought as he looked at the pretty girl in front of him.