Chapter 188 - First Night...Again?

That night, Mirae was in her room, lost in her thoughts. Secretary Lee's words ringed in her ears. Grandpa Kwon wanted her and KJ to get married all those years ago. No doubt that the old man wanted to protect her even after he was gone and wanted to entrust her care to KJ. Unfortunately, KJ had not turned up and hence, that wish remained unfulfilled. Until today.

Mirae reflected upon the irony of her situation. She wondered what would have happened if KJ had actually turned up. Would she have gone through with Grandpa Kwon's last wish? Life would have been different than, she thought sarcastically. She probably would not have found out about her parents and Abyss would not have been created. Mirae would have lived in a false sense of bliss. 

There was a knock on the door.

"Can I come in?" KJ's voice came from outside.

"Yes!" she said. KJ opened the door. It felt as if he was back in the original timeline when he had married Mirae. They were back at the mansion after their spontaneous marriage registration. A young couple who had no idea how to tackle the life that laid before them. At that time, they were naive and immature.

But time had changed. In this timeline, they were older and hardened by the experiences they went through. They were not the same people anymore.

"Are you alright?" KJ asked. He was carrying a dinner tray for her. Since she still had not completely healed from her surgery, he brought her dinner to the room instead of making her go downstairs.

"I brought your dinner here," he said, setting the tray down.

"You didn't have to!" Mirae said, feeling embarrassed. "I'm fine. I could have gone downstairs. I was just here thinking about some stuff…"

"Thinking about what?" KJ asked.

"Just...just about what to do next," she lied. "You know now that I'm also the CEO of Mystic Entertainment. I'll have to take a look at the work and also prepare for the take over of Hann Constructions. Secretary Lee also gave me the details of what you instructed him to do. I want to start work from tomorrow."

"You're still not fully healed," KJ pointed out.

"I'll be fine," she assured him quickly. "I'll feel sicker if I have to stay in bed for one more day."

KJ sighed. He knew that once Mirae made up her mind on something, she would go through with it no matter what. He handed her the tray.

"Eat up," he said. "You'll have to take your medicines after this."

Mirae took a spoonful of soup in her mouth. She ate quietly while KJ worked on his laptop at the desk near the bed.

"What will you do now?" Mirae suddenly asked.

"It's nighttime so I'd rather go to sleep," he joked.

"No I mean…" she hesitated. "Now that EXOTIC will disband. What will you do?"

"I'll keep making music," KJ said. "I'll keep singing as long as I can. Just because I have to defeat the Cartel, does not mean that I should give up living my life, right? I love performing on stage and I'll keep doing that as long as I can."

"You're admirable," Mirae opined.

"How so?"

"You refuse to give up on the things you love doing," she said. "Even though numerous threats loom over you, yet you live. Like you really live and do what you love to do."

KJ sighed. She had no idea of the irony of her statement. 

"There was a time when I was consumed by revenge," he admitted. "I gave up many things in order to bring down the Cartel. I wanted to destroy them and at one point, I stopped living. I was too consumed by grief and anger. In the end, I lost everything I held dear."

"What happened?" Mirae asked. Her voice came in a whisper as she listened to his words intently.

KJ hesitated. He was not sure what to say to her. "I...I ended up missing my grandfather's funeral," he finally said. It was half true anyway. He had already said goodbye to his grandfather before and it was his desire for revenge which destroyed many lives in the original timeline. In the new one, he was too ashamed to face his grandfather even when the latter was on his deathbed.

"So that's why you did not come," Mirae finally realized. He was too guilty, she concluded.

"Yeah," he said. They fell into an awkward silence as Mirae finished her dinner. 

"I'm done," she declared. "I'll take it downstairs."

"That's alright," KJ said. "I'll put it outside. Ms.Sejong will send someone to clear it."

He headed over to the bed and picked up the tray with the empty dishes and went over to put in on the ground outside of the room. He then closed the door.

"You should go to sleep," he said, as he gathered his laptop from the desk. 

"Hm," Mirae replied. "But where will you sleep?"

"I've got an extra mattress," he informed her. "I'll sleep on the floor there."

He pointed at the empty space near the couches. 

"You should take the bed," Mirae insisted. "I can sleep on the floor."

"It's alright," KJ shrugged. "I've slept on the floor during my early days as an idol trainee. I'm used to it."

"But it makes me uncomfortable to impose on your life like this!" Mirae protested. 

"You can sleep on the floor when you recover," KJ yawned. "Right now, if I let a sick person sleep on the floor, then I'll feel like the bad guy."

Mirae gaped at him and shook her head. "Fine," she agreed. "But once I recover, I'll sleep on the floor."

"Suit yourself," KJ shrugged but inwardly, he had no intention of letting her do that. He headed for the bathroom and freshened up. He looked at himself in the mirror. He knew very well that unlike last time, there would not be any wedding night for them this time around. For a brief second, he wished to reverse time again.

This time, he desperately wanted to relive that life he had with Mirae. He wanted to go back and go on that date with her that he had missed. He wanted to relive their wedding night. He wanted to give her the life she deserved in Kwon Mansion and not in some dingy apartment. And most of all, he wanted to go back in time and make himself leave that path of revenge he had once embarked upon. 

But that was no longer possible. He could not go back. Instead, he would have to make a new future. And this time, he would carve his future with Mirae. It was a long battle but he would not give up. 

"It's time to fight, Jiwon," he vowed to himself.