29Ha Eun closes the first aid cabinet slowly, not wanting to disturb Zen's call. He was far across the hallway, in his own room, tangled in what seems like a serious call.
She shouldn't have agreed to go on this trip.
Jumin agreed with the trip idea and backed the whole thing. Saeyoung had procured her a new identity and papers she required. They are put on different flights because fans would still remember how Zen's wife looked like even though she's reported as deceased.
A house was rented for them and there was extra precaution made to make sure they would not meet the caretaker. Keys in the box, and such.
It was a quiet city, halfway across the world where Zen's fame should have not reach.
"Don't worry I'm fine.", she can hear Zen talking to his phone.
Fine, they are far from fine. With cuts and bruise on his hand, Zen is far from fine.
"Everything basically, phone, money, wallet.", he said again.
They were enjoying a stroll around the city, near the city icons where a group of men came. Knowing they were tourists.
"Yeah I get it. Thanks.", he ended his call.
She waited as he turned, with the first aid on her hand.
"You..."
"Let me treat it.", she offered.
Zen sat down on the couch, and the seat next to him dipped as Ha Eun joined him. She took his hand slowly as if it's a fragile glass and would shatter anytime.
"It doesn't hurt you know."
"But..."
Her eyes glimmers as tears start to well up but to Zen's surprise, she wiped it with her sleeves and focused back on his hand.
It was his fault, perhaps. Zen's fault. Zen's stubbornness.
He had given the muggers everything. His watch, his phone, his wallet. But his movement stopped when he saw the ring on his finger. His wedding ring.
They insisted on telling him to take off his ring and hand it. But he stood his ground. Even Ha Eun was telling him to do the same.
Was it the connection he hold dear? Of the ring and Ha Eun? The past her at least.
His reluctance had ignited a scuffle. One of the men tried to grab his hand and he fought back. The other was going to aim his knife at Zen before Ha Eun screamed and moved the knife out of the way.
A person had heard Ha Eun's screams and went to their rescue.
He was stupid.
What if things had gone terribly wrong? He could have been stabbed and left to die, the men would have lay their hands on Ha Eun, he could lose his fingers, or he could have a wound to his face, his asset.
Stupid.
With each gentle dab of the medicine on Zen's finger, he took the moment to study Ha Eun again. She was still the same, how her hand looked small compare to his. How easily he could use both his hand and grab her waist.
And how the woman in front of him knew him no longer.
"Do you have any injuries anywhere else?", Ha Eun asked again.
She pushed Zen's hand back to him and he noticed the marks had all been covered in medicine.
He stayed quiet and let out a deep breath.
"Do you need to rest? It has been a terrible."
With a smile he placed his hand gently on her head.
"Yeah, why don't we rest?"
He thought he couldn't get a minute of rest, his adrenaline has been through the roof with the mugging. But it turns out he had drifted asleep and woke up to the bedroom filled with orange rays. It's dawn.
It's too early for him to wake up. But he did slept earlier and he haven't had a bite. Well, who wants to eat after getting mugged.
Now his stomach is growling.
He tiptoed out of his bedroom, opening his door quietly, afraid that Ha Eun might still be asleep next door.
But she wasn't.
The slim figure was out on the dining table, her legs propped up as she folded herself. There is a bedsheet fallen on the floor. The gentle rise of her chest. She is asleep on the dining table.
At that moment, Zen took a deep breath and imprinted the whole scene into his mind. How the gentle sunlight touched her skin, the smooth hand arm that propped her head. Time stopped for him, for a littlest of moment.
He wanted it to last forever. Just him and the beautiful woman in front of him.
There was a note in front of her filled with scribbles.
Zen continues his tiptoes, he was dancing on stages for nothing, tiptoe-ing requires grace.
With a side eye, he peeked at the note she had written.
It was a list.
'Zen's children
Twins
Girls
Name?'
She had listed names she could conjure.
None of them was the name of the twins. Their twins. Even though it was the simplest thing of it all. Just the names of the parents.
The pain in her palm woke her up. It had bothered her in sleep.
Wait why is she sleeping?
Ha Eun woke up to the sight of Zen in front of her. He was smiling.
Wait, did he see the note.
As if Zen managed to catch her eye movement as she eyed her notebook and him, he smiled again at her.
"Ha Young and Hyun Young. The twins name. It was our name.", he said.
She scanned the names she had written, none of it was that. But at the bottom, in Zen's masculine and rough handwriting, he had written their name.
"I couldn't remember.", she said softly.
He pushed a mug to her side, small pieces of oat was floating on top of the chocolate colored liquid. Without a word she brought it to her mouth and chewed on the grains.
"When they were born, the doctor decide beforehand to do a surgery. He said it was much safer since you were carrying twins after all. So we thought we were prepared, I thought we are being confident enough with this. When the nurses wheeled you out of the room, I waved you goodbye and you smiled back at me.
I was supposed to come in later, as the doctor had informed me before. So I was thinking of texting my parents that you had gone into surgery. But suddenly the nurse come rushing in and said you were calling for me.
My heart drop, I turn pale, if I could be even more pale than I am now. I tied my hair as I can as I follow the nurse to the operating room and the doctor said your heart beat is too high and you had trouble breathing.
When my eyes met you, I swear I couldn't forget that sight. You were looking at me with this deep look I couldn't find a word it, your cheeks were already wet with tears and when you saw me you cried even more.
The thing is you took pregnancy like a champ. You still work, attend conferences, even my mother had to call me behind your back to tell you to take it easy.
So seeing you like that makes me want to cry too, but I know I shouldn't. Or we'll both be a bundle of tears. The only thing I can do was hold your hand tight and comfort you as I can."
Zen took another sip as he stared out the stained window.
"All those pent up tears came crashing down when the nurses gave me the twins. I can remember how warm they feel in my skin. The nurse that came to take the twins back giggled and say I am bawling much more than you."
The smile looked good at Zen's face, it radiates his whole face as he tells the story.
"That sounds like a happy memory.", Ha Eun said.
"Yeah, too bad you can't recall it."
The thud of Zen's mug to the table brought Ha Eun's attention to him, maybe he had banged the mug in purpose.
"So I talked with my manager yesterday and I decided to come back and work again. I've had enough time for myself. My work got cut off abruptly and projects are piling with me gone. I think this is time for me to finally start walking forward."
She had no words to say to him, he was beaming with his own bright light it felt best to let him be.
"My parents are waiting for me. I have girls to raise. My fans are wondering if I'm ever coming back. So I am."
'What about us', was what she was going to ask.
But she had no place to ask of it.
You are selfish enough to cause him this.
"I called Seven and he'll come pick you up. All this time I thought I'm going to regret it if I let you go, if I didn't fight for you harder. But I haven't thought about how you feel. I had enough additional time with you and I had made peace with myself. I'm ready to say goodbye. For real."
To be continued
