Chapter 166 - No Magic Will Fix a Broken Heart

Eun Ha felt her legs tremble. The moment of truth had arrived, and she didn't feel ready for it! Furthermore, this conversation was just after a series of events in which she was forced to act suspiciously! The fairy knew that Ye Rim was angry and feeling underestimated in her intelligence. But she had no choice but to start talking,

"Ye Rim, I also wanted to have this conversation with you for a long time, but I've been putting it off. It is more difficult than it looks. I…"

"Let's start with this week's business. I found you and your 'Teacher' talking about me, my mother, and Yuna Zhang. But you tried to deny it. I was so furious that I didn't even want to look at you. But tonight I forgave you. And for what? For you to deceive me again, hiding something that is important! You better tell me all about these shadows I've seen! I know you saw it too! And what happened today? Jun Hyeon oppa for some reason believes that the police saved us, but I know it was your arrival that changed everything! NOW! DO TELL!"

Even though her eyes were full of tears, she had to make an effort and say,

"Ye Rim, I don't think I should tell you about this part, but long before. I have no way of saying it any other way. I… am not human."

She waited to see some reaction on her best friend's face, and saw it. Shock, fear, and suspicion.

" Are you really the girl who grew up with me?  Or… Are you a dokkaebi?"

"Yes, I am your friend who has known you since preschool. The girl who was born on the same day as you. I haven't been replaced, if that's what you think. But ... Dokkaebi? Perhaps something similar. I am a fairy."

"Fairy?" Ye Rim was as incredulous and suspicious as she imagined she would be.

"Yes, Ye Rim. That is my nature. I found out it was different during our teenage years. You must remember the time when I was acting furious and just wanted to be alone. When I started dressing in black and doing stupid and weird things... At that time I knew that what happened on the day of our birth differed from what the whole city believed. I didn't know what it was like, but I knew that your mother wasn't lying or was crazy. I didn't know why your mom was gone or if she found out what I was ... And I thought you wouldn't understand. YE RIM," she cried, "I didn't want you to reject me! I was afraid you would hate me! That's why I didn't say anything! That's why I kept it secret until now!"

Ye Rim's face was pale, and she was static, glaring at Eun Ha. After some time in silence, she snarled,

"So are you able to do magic? And have you done magic?"

"Wait. As I said, I am not a dokkaebi. I can't create real gold or anything. In fact, I didn't even know exactly what I was. I just found a magic wand in my mom's things... "

"A magic wand? Let me guess: the green pen that you carry everywhere?"

"Yes. But all I knew how to do was crash things and cause problems. It took me a while to get some control over my magic, and it was only after I met Hunter Shin… Well, that part is also complicated, but…" Eun Ha told about her learning with Hunter Shin, and that only now she was beginning to understand and master her powers, but Ye Rim interrupted, dryly,

"We'll get back to this later. The shadows I saw, the werewolf in the octagon, none of this is magic or illusion, but reality, isn't it?"

Then Eun Ha explained everything she knew about the wraiths. The reactions on her best friend's face were one of horror and silent crying, until Ye Rim exploded,

"UNNIE! You…! YOU KNEW IT ALL ALONG! You could have told me years ago what you were! We could have investigated further, together! But you were selfish! How many things could have been different…! For the past few days I have doubted my sanity, and in many moments of my life I have doubted! Because strange things happened around me! Today, on the carousel, I saw your real reflection!"

"No, my real reflection is the usual and ...!"

"You spent years lying to me. How can I believe you? You selfish and insensitive creature! You are A MONSTER!"

The words she feared most came out of Ye Rim's mouth. Monster. She wasn't a monster, but that was what Ye Rim would invariably think, as Eun Ha had imagined since the day she discovered she wasn't normal. She crouched in the middle of the room, hugging herself and crying softly.

But Ye Rim was too furious to have mercy on her,

"Now I am imagining all the bizarre things that have ever happened in my life. And there were many. You were always around."

"No... Not everything was my work."

"But then you admit that you manipulated my life," Eun Ha even feared that Ye Rim would hit her, such was her friend's wrath at that moment. She just curled on herself and cried more, but Ye Rim insisted,

"Come on, you liar! Tell the truth! Or are you going to keep trying to lie?!"

"Forgive me Ye Rim! Forgive me! I just wanted your good! I wanted to save you!" Eun Ha threw herself at her friend's feet, begging forgiveness with her heartfelt cry. And knowing that she needed to say everything, Eun Ha told of her concern about the prophecy of the 'man in pink' and some of her interferences in Ye Rim's career,

"And when you met Dr. Flam… Dr. Kim so close of our 27th birthday!  And once you arrived home with his pink shirt...!"

"You crazy! How can you! How could you interfere so much in my life ! You didn't have that right! You couldn't do all this with me and the people around me, without consulting me! You are a psychopath!"

"No, Ye Rim please don't say that! I am your unnie, I just want your well being!" she begged for forgiveness.

But Ye Rim didn't listen to her anymore.

ººº

The shocking revelations left Ye Rim upset and crushed! Although this confrontation was necessary, what she heard was terrifying. She lived for years with a supernatural being without knowing it, trusting and loving Eun Ha as a sister. Yes, like an unnie of her own blood. But all this time Eun Ha lied and manipulated the truth around her. She had also sabotaged her career for years, and even meddled in her love life! But what hurt most was the prolonged lie. Not even the fact that monsters existed, or that she was a 'fairy', could be more shocking than the loss of confidence in the person who was one of the pillars of her life.

Ye Rim felt dry eyes now. Her heart was so hurt that she felt she would choke. Even her desire to slap Eun Ha was small near the emptiness in her heart. No matter what her unnie said she had done for her, to protect her, she had no right to decide what her life would be like without consulting her.

"I'm leaving, Eun Ha. Don't cross my way never again!" she spoke with contempt, pulling in the air with effort, and feeling her heart freeze after that. Yes, it was what Ye Rim was supposed to do. Staying away from this insane creature who lived for years pretending to be her friend, but playing fairy godmother as if she were a brainless doll.

"Nooooo! NO! PLEASE, DO NOT GO! YE RIM! YE RIM DON'T GO! " Eun Ha sobbed and clung to her feet, but Ye Rim started walking towards the room. Today, she would pack a suitcase with the essentials, but she would soon move to the agency's lodgings, or anywhere else. But decidedly, she would not stay another minute beyond the essential in the apartment that belonged to Eun Ha.

"Let me go! Don't touch me! You have no right to ask for anything from me, Eun Ha, not even forgiveness!" she turned her face away from seeing Eun Ha crying on the floor, and angrily locked herself in the room, taking the suitcase from the wardrobe and throwing what was most important inside. In her mind, Ye Rim saw scenes and scenes from the past, at various times when everything seemed too surreal to be true, even the most recent, increasingly strange facts.

Monsters and fairies existed, and her unnie was both.

ººº

Jun Hyeon was examining just below his left rib in front of the mirror. He was making sure that the stitches he had there had been really well done before re-dressing when the phone rang. Recognized by the personalized touch that was Ye Rim. Worried, he answered,

"What's up, Ye Rim?"

"O-oppa, I know it's late but ... I have nowhere to sleep today and I'm in a cab in front of your building ..."

Scratching his head, he asked her to go up. The tearful tone and previous events already told him that the problems were far from over.