Chapter 2
Mina's heart was pounding fast. The journey to Hwang's house seemed to take forever. However, the late afternoon sun felt great on her skin – it had been days since she had stepped out of her house, and she had pounced on the chance to get out of the place when her father wanted her to ask Hwang over. Well... she admit that it was half out of boredom that she decided to go. And the other half... maybe because... she wanted to. Her thoughts drifted to what happened the other night. She felt weird – a nice fuzzy feeling in her belly. A feeling of contentment that she hadn't felt before. A feeling of being protected... and loved.
Mina started humming to keep her mind from wandering off too much. It wasn't a long time before she reached her destination - Hwang's gate was already ajar. She approached gate with apprehension. Suddenly she wondered - for just a split second – why did she want to come anyway?
"What are you doing here?" the voice coming from behind sounded so harsh and cold – Hwang's. How he had managed to sneak up to her, she didn't know. But she did know that he was standing close... she could almost feel his breath on her...
He looked slightly worn out and tired, with dark rings threatening to make its mark underneath his otherwise piercing eyes. He carried a large bag over his shoulder, which Mina suspected was the supplies he needed for his stay at the coastal defense. It was almost instant – she felt her heart sink.
Mina swallowed the lump in her throat, together with her pride. She did look somewhat suspicious lurking around his house like that...
"My father... he made me come. To look for you," Mina sounded pathetic. She had totally forgotten what she wanted to say to him. For one of the very first times in her life, she blushed hard. "I mean. He wants you over now."
"Yeah, I guess I can make it," he said after a pause. His eyes darted somewhere else when she tried to catch his gaze. Instead, he proceeded to go into the house, pausing only once to ask her to come in.
"Need any help?" Mina peered through the doorway of the main house, where Hwang was busy sorting out the contents of the bag.
"Nah," he gave her a small smile. "I'll be done in a while."
Mina sat down across him. She had been dying to talk to him just an hour ago. Now she was so near him, there was nothing to talk about. The cloud of uncomfortable silence hung between them for too long... too long for Mina to take it.
"So... are you going to leave, really soon?" Mina blurted. Her eyes were downcast – she couldn't bear to look at him, knowing that for the next few months to come, they might never see each other again.
"I... I have no choice, Mina," he was trying not to make her feel bad, she could tell. There was an awkward pause. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow!" Mina exclaimed. She thought that he was only leaving sometime next week, that there was still some time before they had to say good-bye. And most of all it meant that she wouldn't have known about this if she hadn't decided to visit him. "And you were planning to tell me... when? After you've gone?"
She stood up angrily, too hurt and betrayed and shocked to stay on. Maybe she was not that important to him in his heart after all. Or maybe she had imagined everything right from the start. That there was nothing that happened between them at all. She couldn't stay in this place any longer. Giving him one last look, she turned on her heel and ran, as fast as her legs could take her, away and away from here.
*
Again, she was running away. Perhaps it was time to stop. She was tired of doing that everytime something failed her. She did that when she wanted her way, she did that when she didn't get her way. Suddenly Mina felt small and weak. Of course deep down she knew, that she was just like any girl. She thought she was special, she thought she could very well change the fact that girls couldn't make a difference.
She was wrong.
What difference did it make now? Did Hwang really treat her like some kind of extra burden in his life? Not at all like someone he would share his joys and sadness with. Not at all like his... wife. It still boils down to this... that men were superior.
She didn't know how long she ran, but after some time, Mina felt someone grab her arm. "Please don't run away anymore." it was Hwang. He had finally caught up with her. That jerk.
"I'm sorry, Mina. I was really going to tell you soon..."
"Of course that's right!" she raged. "Whatever YOU say is right."
"No... no, look at this," Hwang said. He held Mina's body close to his, pulling out a long metal chain with two identical silver rings on it. On the rings were beautiful carvings which strangely resembled those of the Zanbatou. "I thought of you when I saw this."
"Keep it for me, will you, Mina?" he looped the chain around her neck, and the two rings fell nicely on her chest. "Wait for me."
Mina nodded speechlessly. She didn't know... that Hwang would do such a thing. For her. She felt the first wet trail on her cheek. Hwang... maybe he wasn't the bad guy that she had made him out to be. She looked at the rings, then at him.
"I know... you can't stay even if I ask you to," she sniffed. "But promise me... that you'll come back. Alive. Okay?"
"I won't... die.. I can't die right?" he smiled at her, at the same time wiping the tears off her cheek. "Not when I have to come home to you."
"Thank you Hwang," Mina lay her head on his chest. She felt so safe in his arms. "I... I..."
"Yeah?"
...
I love you...
AN: Hey, how was it? I guess this is going to end soon. :( I hope the third chapter will be up soon! ;) Oh yeah, review!!!! Thanks...
Mina's heart was pounding fast. The journey to Hwang's house seemed to take forever. However, the late afternoon sun felt great on her skin – it had been days since she had stepped out of her house, and she had pounced on the chance to get out of the place when her father wanted her to ask Hwang over. Well... she admit that it was half out of boredom that she decided to go. And the other half... maybe because... she wanted to. Her thoughts drifted to what happened the other night. She felt weird – a nice fuzzy feeling in her belly. A feeling of contentment that she hadn't felt before. A feeling of being protected... and loved.
Mina started humming to keep her mind from wandering off too much. It wasn't a long time before she reached her destination - Hwang's gate was already ajar. She approached gate with apprehension. Suddenly she wondered - for just a split second – why did she want to come anyway?
"What are you doing here?" the voice coming from behind sounded so harsh and cold – Hwang's. How he had managed to sneak up to her, she didn't know. But she did know that he was standing close... she could almost feel his breath on her...
He looked slightly worn out and tired, with dark rings threatening to make its mark underneath his otherwise piercing eyes. He carried a large bag over his shoulder, which Mina suspected was the supplies he needed for his stay at the coastal defense. It was almost instant – she felt her heart sink.
Mina swallowed the lump in her throat, together with her pride. She did look somewhat suspicious lurking around his house like that...
"My father... he made me come. To look for you," Mina sounded pathetic. She had totally forgotten what she wanted to say to him. For one of the very first times in her life, she blushed hard. "I mean. He wants you over now."
"Yeah, I guess I can make it," he said after a pause. His eyes darted somewhere else when she tried to catch his gaze. Instead, he proceeded to go into the house, pausing only once to ask her to come in.
"Need any help?" Mina peered through the doorway of the main house, where Hwang was busy sorting out the contents of the bag.
"Nah," he gave her a small smile. "I'll be done in a while."
Mina sat down across him. She had been dying to talk to him just an hour ago. Now she was so near him, there was nothing to talk about. The cloud of uncomfortable silence hung between them for too long... too long for Mina to take it.
"So... are you going to leave, really soon?" Mina blurted. Her eyes were downcast – she couldn't bear to look at him, knowing that for the next few months to come, they might never see each other again.
"I... I have no choice, Mina," he was trying not to make her feel bad, she could tell. There was an awkward pause. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow!" Mina exclaimed. She thought that he was only leaving sometime next week, that there was still some time before they had to say good-bye. And most of all it meant that she wouldn't have known about this if she hadn't decided to visit him. "And you were planning to tell me... when? After you've gone?"
She stood up angrily, too hurt and betrayed and shocked to stay on. Maybe she was not that important to him in his heart after all. Or maybe she had imagined everything right from the start. That there was nothing that happened between them at all. She couldn't stay in this place any longer. Giving him one last look, she turned on her heel and ran, as fast as her legs could take her, away and away from here.
*
Again, she was running away. Perhaps it was time to stop. She was tired of doing that everytime something failed her. She did that when she wanted her way, she did that when she didn't get her way. Suddenly Mina felt small and weak. Of course deep down she knew, that she was just like any girl. She thought she was special, she thought she could very well change the fact that girls couldn't make a difference.
She was wrong.
What difference did it make now? Did Hwang really treat her like some kind of extra burden in his life? Not at all like someone he would share his joys and sadness with. Not at all like his... wife. It still boils down to this... that men were superior.
She didn't know how long she ran, but after some time, Mina felt someone grab her arm. "Please don't run away anymore." it was Hwang. He had finally caught up with her. That jerk.
"I'm sorry, Mina. I was really going to tell you soon..."
"Of course that's right!" she raged. "Whatever YOU say is right."
"No... no, look at this," Hwang said. He held Mina's body close to his, pulling out a long metal chain with two identical silver rings on it. On the rings were beautiful carvings which strangely resembled those of the Zanbatou. "I thought of you when I saw this."
"Keep it for me, will you, Mina?" he looped the chain around her neck, and the two rings fell nicely on her chest. "Wait for me."
Mina nodded speechlessly. She didn't know... that Hwang would do such a thing. For her. She felt the first wet trail on her cheek. Hwang... maybe he wasn't the bad guy that she had made him out to be. She looked at the rings, then at him.
"I know... you can't stay even if I ask you to," she sniffed. "But promise me... that you'll come back. Alive. Okay?"
"I won't... die.. I can't die right?" he smiled at her, at the same time wiping the tears off her cheek. "Not when I have to come home to you."
"Thank you Hwang," Mina lay her head on his chest. She felt so safe in his arms. "I... I..."
"Yeah?"
...
I love you...
AN: Hey, how was it? I guess this is going to end soon. :( I hope the third chapter will be up soon! ;) Oh yeah, review!!!! Thanks...