Samchon means Uncle

We Cried Together

"My Unnie's sudden death news had quite an affect on them and then Ji Ah too left unexpectedly and in such a way. They are just bitter and remorseful. They feel more guilty than you do right now, while neither of you two are at fault. It will take some more time for them to recover from this impact and see things for the way they are. Don't take any word she said seriously."

Na Ri looked down at her hands in her lap, her sobs slightly under control now.

"But it doesn't change the fact that I am the reason three people are no more in this world." She said hoarsely, more tears slipping down her pale cheeks and her chest heaving with the effort of restraining sobs in.

Nam Gil resisted grunting in annoyance. Had she not heard a single word he had said?

"What has happened, has already happened. There is no way to go back and change it. Focus on future now, so that you don't have any more regrets." He said sternly. He had just wasted his time in trying to comfort her.

"Ahjussii," Na Ri said feebly, "Why dont you hate me too? Why don't you tell me to die too?"

"She told you to die?" Nam Gil asked with a faint frown.

"She didn't." Na Ri replied. "But she must have wanted me to."

"I don't think she does."

Na Ri grew silent momentarily.

"What about you then?" She gazed at him questionably with her wide round eyes filled with tears.

And for a moment, Nam Gil was shaken. Because he was reminded of when Ji Ah had asked him the same question in the same manner once.

He finally really looked at her face properly for the first time, after her surgery. The surgeon had been right when he had said that her eyes were not harmed in the least during the accident. Hae Na Ri and Cha Ji Ah had almost exactly the same eyes. Big doe eyes that portrayed a perfect picture of innocence. The difference was that Na Ri's eyes had shadows underneath and they were bloodshot red. But the main difference, he realised, was that her eyes were dull and sad. They didn't have the same mischief sparkle that shone in Ji Ah's eyes when she had sat in his chair at his office. The rest of her features were just the same as Ji Ah. If she were to dress as Ji Ah and cut her hip length hair to below shoulder, she would look just like Cha Ji Ah.

Nam Gil stood up, straightening his tie and vest, "Ofcourse I wouldn't want you to die. I have gone through so much trouble for you."

Na Ri blinked at him blankly.

"And that is why you should live passionately too." He said in a deliberately angry tone. "Do it for me, do it for Cha Ji Ah and Mr Kim, our old driver who died with her."

Na Ri swallowed visibly.

"I am going to get your discharge papers ready." He told her, before leaving.

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The only good thing happening in a long time was Na Ri being released from the torture chamber they often referred to as hospital. Mr Seo had told her that he had rented a small apartment for her in a nice area, such that she could pay rent easily. She couldn't go back to her old apartment, though Mr Seo had her some of her stuff discreetly taken from her former apartment for which Na Ri was grateful. Na Ri was grateful for everyting, actually.

Mr Seo sent a car for her to take her to her new home. The car had barely started moving on the road when her body began trembling, breathing became hard and a sudden unexpected dread gripped her tightly. She felt as though something bad were going to happen; as if something were going to collide into them at any moment; as though the car would turn over with any little force.

She tried to bear with it, but when the car turned too suffocating, she panted at the driver to stop the car.

As soon as the car stopped, she threw open the door and stumbled out dizzily, taking in greedy gulps of air. The driver was by her side in a second, but her trembling didn't stop. She was made to sit at a bench and she stopped the driver from calling her Samchon.

When her trembling subsided significantly, she told the driver to go ahead with her luggage and provide her the address, she would walk there. Walking was good for her knee anyway, the doctor had told her.

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Nam Gil knew who he was when Kim Tan came to meet him at his office. Ji Ah had mentioned Kim Tan to him a few times. They had met in America not long ago and had, as Ji Ah said, fallen madly for each other.

But the boy had been engaged. Business or not, a commitment was a commitment.

And that is why Nam Gil had advised her to stay away from Kim Tan, and he was giving a similar warning to Kim Tan now, as they sat in his office, facing each other. Nam Gil knew Kim Tan wouldn't give up on Ji Ah easily if he told him a amnesia story. Circumstances required him to reveal the truth to Kim Tan. Nam Gil wasn't sure about Kim Tan, but Ji Ah did love him.

There was no way he could use it against Nam Gil, as he had identities swapped very neatly. He even had Na Ri's thumb prints replace Ji Ah's wherever necessary. He had many sources. A person claiming Seo Nam Gil had assisted in switching his dead niece's identity with someone else's, would most likely be called crazy.

Looking at Kim Tan, now Nam Gil believed that he did love Ji Ah truly. His otherwise tanned face had drained of any color and he looked to be in a shock for some moments.

Then he went livid.

"I know you don't approve of me. But how can you lie about something like this!" He yelled, tears glistening in his eyes.

He sprang to his feet, licking his lips and blinking rapidly. His voice was laced with desperation, as he rubbed the back of his neck, "You are lying, right? Ji Ah is with her Halmeoni and Halabeoji. You have taken away her phone. You must be preventing her from contacting me. She.. she is alive...she can't..."

Nam Gil sat still, one ankle squared over a knee, brows bumped together and his mouth set in a grim line. There were only three times he had felt his resolve waver in front of someone else after Ji Ah's death. One, in front of his parents at Ji Ah's funeral when he had seen them mourning and cursing themselves. Two, in front of Hae Na Ri, a few days ago when she had looked at him the same way as Ji Ah. Three, now, when Kim Tan broke down in front of him.

Nam Gil's vast experience and knowledge of his 34 years of life concluded that the boy in front of him had been truly in love with Cha Ji Ah.

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Na Ri -- now known as Cha Ji Ah had been advised that she needed proper rest, but she had started looking for a part time job immediately. She herself didn't have the strength to work double jobs, so she opted for only one, at a restaurant.

Her evening job turned out to be good distraction, though she needed someone emotionally. Colleagues at work were not exactly mean, but they were not particularly friendly either. She had tried initiating conversations like with Kim Eun Rin, but they just didn't seem interested in friendship like Eun Bi. That made her miss Eun Bi terribly.

Being alone caused her mind to keep wandering. At times the small quiet apartment would turn just as suffocating as the car and she would rush out in the streets. Even that act was not helping her much now. Her weight she feared would drop down rapidly if she kept eating the way she was.

Mr Seo had called once -- on the cell phone he had bought her -- to remind Ji Ah to take her medicines regularly and visit her doctor for weekly check ups. He had sent her a brand new scooty to travel on too, but Ji Ah was reluctant to use it. She was becoming more and more indebted to Mr Seo. Ji Ah felt herself very small whenever she thanked him lamely.

While working, Ji Ah had realised that the way you look affects a lot the way you are treated.

People were being extra nice to her; men in particular. They were flirtatious before, but they were even more now. They barely had any male colleagues, but the male customers were being too friendly. Ji Ah had been quick to notice that the friendly behavior was only towards girls, especially her. She tried to hide her discomfort everytime, yet she was growing irritated.

And then one day she encountered a total creep.

He ordered two vanilla shakes and sipped them painfully slowly while staring at Ji Ah. Her collegues were giggling and teasing her because the creep was a really good looking one, though there were fading bruises and bealing cuts on his face as though he had been in a fight some time ago.

Ji Ah tried to be patient, but when he ordered another vanilla shake and insisted Cha Ji Ah take his order, Ji Ah had had enough.

She stalked over to his table.

"What do you want, sir?" She said frostily.

"A vanilla shake." He replied after a moment, leaning back in his chair, staring intently at her, with his legs crossed. He was the same age as her. Ji Ah fleetingly thought he looked sad.

"I am sorry, we have run out of vanilla shakes." Ji Ah said with the same frostiness.

"Strawberry shake?"

"Out of stock."

"Chocolate shake?"

"Out of stock."

"Americano?"

"Out of stock."

A slightly amused smile settled on his lips. "Then what is in stock?"

"Nothing." Ji Ah replied, indirectly telling him to leave.

He gave a small amused chuckle before his smile faded, "I want to talk you."

Ji Ah scowled. What a weird creep he was, "I don't do. Please leave before I have police called."

He looked about to argue, but then with a thought, sighed and left.

When Ji Ah left the restaurant after her shift ended, she was frightened to see him leaning against a wall in front of the restaurant.

He stood up straighter upon seeing her. Ji Ah tried to walk away with long steps, but he caught up with her, standing in front of her and blocking her way.

"Ya!" Ji Ah cried angrily. "If you didn't leave right away, I will call police!"

"Hae Na Ri." He said unexpectedly, and Ji Ah almost stumbled back, "I am Kim Tan."

Ji Ah swallowed and fluttered her lashes at him. She knew about him. Mr Seo had told her.

They sat silently in front of each other, at a cafe. Ji Ah nervously picked at her thumbnail's cuticles with her fingernail under the table while Kim Tan stared at her intently, making her uncomfortable.

Ji Ah glanced around the small cafe, uneasily. "You said you wanted to talk." Ji Ah mentioned. Maybe he was here to rant too, like Halmeonim.

Kim Tan sighed, averting his face away from her, while licking his lips.

"I don't really have anything to say." He admitted. "I just wanted to look at you."

Ji Ah understood perfectly well what he meant by that.

She considered asking him did he not hate her?

"I have to go somewhere." Ji Ah lied poorly, trying to act normal. She just wanted to escape the situation.

Kim Tan gave her a knowing look, his face reflecting an unreserved sadness. Ji Ah instantly felt bad.

"I get it," He said, his voice sounding tight. "But can I hug you once?"

"What?" Ji Ah's eyebrows shoot up at the odd request.

"I just want to feel your heartbeat." Kim Tan confessed, "I will not trouble you after that."

Ji Ah felt trapped. Mr Seo had warned her about Kim Tan and told her to maintain her distance from him. She stared at him dubiously, as he gave her hopeful puppy eyes.

"Umm.." Ji Ah hesitated and his face fell, knowing her answer instinctively.

"It is okay!" Ji Ah said quickly. She already had enough to feel guilty about. This was a man 'Cha Ji Ah' had loved, and Ji Ah owed Cha Ji Ah her life. A hug should be a little thing compared to that, "Once is okay.'' Ji Ah mumbled, looking down.

"Thank you." He breathed.

They had been walking for some time and Ji Ah realised Kim Tan was actually walking her home. She stopped. She didn't want him to see where she lived.

"Umm.. I can go on from here on my own." She said awkwardly, anticipating the hug.

A light breeze brushed the brown tuft of hair on Kim Tan's forehead, as he stopped and frowned at her. "Then can I hug you?"

Faintly shivering, Ji Ah tugged her coat tightly around herself and nodded.

She imagined it would be awkward, but the awkwardness was only on her part.

Ji Ah inhaled a sharp breath as Kim Tan clasped her into his arms at once. She inhaled the light scent of his cologne, and her cheeks burned, as she felt her cold body warm against him. She placed her hands on his shoulder tentatively. Her chest pressed against him, and Ji Ah was certain that he could feel her heartbeat clearly, for her heart was thumping wildly in her chest.

Kim Tan's arms tightened around her torso and Ji Ah wondered if he were trying to squeeze her to death as a revenge for killing his love. Just when she was about to tell him how it hurt, she heard whimpering

She stiffened as Kim Tan's body raked with heartwrenching sobs. His chest shook against hers. Ji Ah didn't remember if she ever saw or heard a guy cry like this. So shamelessly and so painfully. She felt as though someone were tearing her heart apart piece by piece. If this was Kim Tan's condition then what about Cha Ji Ah's grandparents?

Ji Ah didn't move, she didn't stop him. Instead, she cried with him in his arms.

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Na Ri --now Ji Ah, met Kim Tan. I really love this scene where they cried together. :(

*feeling bad for kim tan and Na Ri*

She will be meeting Young Do in the next chapter.

~Fawns