Chapter 189 - Turning Point

Ye Rim was astonished to realize that Jun Hyeon didn't return to the audience, but the show had to go on. Even more intrigued and concerned after the show ended and she returned to the dressing room, discovering that he wasn't there waiting for her either. There was no message on the phone or anything. His phone was off, by the way.

Worried, Ye Rim didn't care about anything else and took a cab to Jun Hyeon's apartment, but to her surprise, Dr. Kim wasn't there. Had it been something she had done? Or was he feeling ill again? Oh, she wanted so much to see and comfort him!

"Why did you hide from me, Jun Hyeon?!" she got off the elevator in the lobby of the building and found the trio there, Eun Ha, Shin and Chang Mi.

"Something happened?" she knew she should have looked for one according to the security protocol they insisted on, but her distress was greater. "Has anyone seen Jun Hyeon?"

"Dr. Kim was with Ji OPPA the last time I saw him, Ye Rim," said Eun Ha, while Shin looked at her inquisitively before 'OPPA'.

But Ye Rim could not understand, following them to the car. Chang Mi explained,

"We are investigating the cursed song that killed Hani. That's what happened, noona!" 

On the way home, she tried to pay attention to their explanations, but her mind wandered to Jun Hyeon's strange absence. Her night had been a whirlwind of emotions and ended in an anticlimactic manner.

Was she being selfish?

She just wanted to meet with Jun Hyeon and confess once and for all the feelings that became clear in her mind and heart tonight. Whether or not he was the Man in Pink, she loved him. She wanted him.

"Ye Rim, you're not listening to me, are you?"

"Oh, sorry, Unnie, my mind has wandered just a little bit. You said your boyfriend is going to start looking for broadcast stations. This is going to be difficult, don't you think? There are hundreds of community radio stations out there! "

"Yes, I talked about it, but now, I'm talking about the message on my phone. The message that Ji OPPA sent me a few hours ago, and that I just saw now."

"Is he with Jun Hyeon?" the singer asked, swirling her soothing cup of tea. Maybe that way she could get some sleep.

"Ji OPPA asks me about Chang Mi. And why I didn't tell Dr. Kim about Chang Mi opening a police report. But… why would I have told him that?"

"What are you talking about, unnie? I am completely lost here."

Eun Ha then told an absurd story about the strange burnt-faced woman who hitched a ride to Chang Mi.

"When did this happen?" she asked, and after Eun Ha provided the date, the singer tried to rescue the moment in her mind. It would have been the day they were in the park and Jun Hyeon had a strong dizziness, imagining having… HEARD HIS SISTER'S VOICE SCREAM?!

"Unnie! You have no idea what's going on! Jun Hyeon's sister may be alive!"

"Wait! Do you think the woman Persimmon helped ... Could be Dr. Kim's supposed dead sister?"

"Where's Persimmon now?" asked Ye Rim, agitated again. Eun Ha shrugged,

"Where do you think? Sleeping with my boyfriend!"

Even at that moment, it was funny to hear that, and they both laughed. But deep down, both had serious concerns.

ººº

Jun Hyeon woke up from his disturbed nap with his mother's gentle touch on his hair. He didn't need to open his eyes to know her touch. His body ached, and he knew he should have closed his eyes for just a few moments, overcome by tiredness. She asked,

"Jun Hyeon, what is this?" she was referring to the surrounding chaos, on the floor. Papers, photos and objects, along with his notes.

"Eomma," he didn't want to break the news like that, but she was a strong woman. He started at the end, and when his mother understood that her son believed that Ji Hyeon was alive, because of Dae Won's songs, she was very confused. With tears in her eyes, Ms. Go said,

"Jun Hyeon, if it were someone else telling me… I would be crazy about that person. You were always rational and sensible ... Yes, these things make sense ... But if Dae Won wrote ... He was close to her, he ... may have heard her confessions!"

"Is it easier to believe that?"

"I don't want to compromise. I want to be reasonable with Dae Won. What should we do, my son?! Can you imagine Dae Won… hiding it from us?"

"I don't know if I know him, after all. I know I walked away from him because I wanted to…"

"You wanted to give yourself a chance to live after a tragedy, my son! Seeing him reminded him of his sister. This is not wrong and I will not let you blame yourself. I know you keep it in your chest, that you believe it was your fault just because your father…" she stopped talking. She herself still had a lot of grudges against the man she believed to have failed them, and left her teenager son in charge of everything. Jun Hyeon knew that, and that was not what he wanted to discuss.

"Eomma… So I'm going crazy and Ji Hyeon is really dead?! There is no way to prove that she is really dead. You went to identify the body, but you said it was badly burned. We were all very shocked at the time that she wanted to die the same way she was injured. And Dae Won, always so helpful, so kind ... took care of everything for us. Cremation! We never thanked him enough. But…"

"Stop!!! Stop, my son!" his mother started to cry disconsolately, and Jun Hyeon felt bad. To say that Ji was alive was to imagine years being sluggish, all of them. Without ever knowing the truth. He hugged her, whispering,

"Mom, we thought it was suicide, not a crime. But it's a crime, I'm sure. Call our lawyers. We shouldn't warn Dae Won. I spoke to someone from the police, who is helping me. And I need to talk to him again about what I found out. I don't know why Dae Won did this, but now I have no doubt that he is not innocent in all of this. And if he hasn't told us so far, it's because he doesn't intend to tell."

ººº

Ye Rim woke up with a start, with the sensation of collapsing in her bed. It was still early, or at least, early by her standards. This terrible insomnia was caused by a series of things that ended in her mind. 

Looking at the cell phone, she saw that there were no messages from Jun Hyeon. She tried to call him, but the phone was off. Maybe he was in surgery. 

The light rain made the day melancholy and suffocating, and that sad feeling made Ye Rim hate rainy days. Rolling the messages on the screen, she came across a message from Dae Won,

LDW: 'Honey, I was in front of Pearl, but I was told it was sould out. I'm sorry for missing your last show at Pearl. But I'll be on your first show for a record label! It's a promise!' 

She sighed. It was a confusing night, and she needed to speak to Dae Won. The last conversation wasn't pleasant, and she thought he was hurt. But that message seemed to mean that Dae Won was willing to overcome any disagreement. 

She smiled hopefully. Standing up in a rush, Ye Rim decided to go over to his house to talk. He had previously said that when he was composing he liked to stay at home, and that rainy days were the best.

She also had a gift for him. 

Imagining that there was no reason to wake up Chang Mi to visit a friend during the day, Ye Rim ordered a cab and went to Dae Won's house.

She regretted having come on such a rainy day, as soon as she put her feet in front of the gate of Dae Won's house. While waiting for him to answer, she ended up getting a little wet. He was slow to answer, and his voice was surprised and perhaps hesitant.

But he opened the door, looking her up and down with a penetrating look. She expected a smile or even excitement, but he let her in and took her purse and gift bag out of his hands in a gentle and efficient manner. But there was not a smile on his face.

"You always appear unexpectedly at my door, changing my plans and my life! I'm starting to like your style," he said at last.

She smiled, satisfied, "I didn't imagine it would rain so much. I just woke up with an incredible desire to see you! And then I saw your message! Oppa! I'm so sorry!"

"Are you sorry? What are you talking about?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"For upsetting you the other day. Because I seem to ignore your advice. But, mainly, for not having thanked you before for all your effort."

Dae Won's eyes flashed, and she knew she was right about what to say. He was so sensitive and intelligent, it was a little difficult to talk to him. In fact, sometimes she felt like she had to step on eggshells all the time. It wasn't comfortable, but now that she knew he was so sensitive ... After learning that he created a song that took all of his pain ... 

"You're looking at me strangely, Ye Rim. You need to tell me what's on your mind."

"I don't think I can," she said, looking down. He noticed that her clothes were partially wet and her hair dripped on the carpet in the entrance. Dae Won had already put slippers close to her feet, but she asked,

"Can I use your toilet? I think we better talk without your house being ruined."

"Ah. Sure. Come this way," he took her to the toilet, but Ye Rim felt uncomfortable without knowing exactly why.

She went into the bathroom and closed the door, deciding to make this visit much sooner than she had planned.