Chapter 16

LEVI'S POV

"Seoyeon?" I whispered under my breath as I stood up.

"L-Levi..." she said between her sobs.

I was just standing with my mouth agape when she came running towards me and gave me a tight hug. I was out of words as I glanced at Adalee. She was gulping as she slowly managed to stand.

Clenching her fist so hard that she almost crumpled the handkerchief like a paper, she uttered, "I'm... I'm l-leaving."

She turned her back, but before she could be able to take a step, I said, "Adalee... please—" She cut me off.

She said, "I'll r-return the h-handkerchief tomorrow. See y-you."

She didn't even bother herself to turn her head back. It felt like I was defeated of some sort when I had nothing to do, but to watch her leaving the hall.

I wanted to follow her, but I just couldn't leave Seoyeon like this, crying. I badly wanted to chase her and tell her what I feel, but Seoyeon needed me. Damn it, Levi!

I drew a deep breath and looked at Seoyeon, thinking, I can talk to Adalee some other time.

I held both of her shoulder and asked her, "Why are you crying? What's wrong, Seoyeon?"

Sniffing and rubbing her cheeks, she looked at me. She had this red face like Adalee who was crying earlier. Damn! If I could just ignore a woman who was crying in front of me!

"I'm h-hurt, Levi," she said between her sobs. "Yeogiga," It hurts, she clutched her chest, "apayo." here.

"Huh? Why? What happened?" I asked.

"He left me, Levi. He left m-me..." And she bursted into tears again.

"Hey," I mumbled. "I can't understand. Who," I bent a little as I tried to look at her more intently, "left you?"

Tears kept running down her cheeks as she trembled a little because of crying.

"Okay. Tell it to me when you calm down. Come with me," I said and held her hand.

We left the hall. Walking down the busy hallway, she was just behind me, hiding like a child because her face got red and a little bloated.

Consoling girls wasn't my thing, but I was probably getting used to it. I would be willing to do it especially for Adalee.

About Seoyeon... it's just that, I didn't want to be rude and just leave her when she's hurting. She even came running towards me just to share what she felt. I was rude the last time when I almost pushed her away because Caius needed me. Today, I was just being nice again.

I brought her at the nearest canteen around the corner. Letting go of her hand as we found a table a little far from the bunch of students and noise, I said, "Stay here, okay? I'll just going to get you water." She nodded before I left to buy a bottled water.

"Alright, Levi. You just need to be a friend and be nice, then come back to Adalee and apologize, okay? You little jerk!" I whispered to myself as I slid my hand inside my pocket to get my wallet.

"Water please," I asked the crew once I reached a stall and handed him the money.

I came back, barely running towards her with a bottled water on my hand, I said, "Here. Drink it and please calm down."

"Thank y-you, Levi. You're really... really a good guy."

I sat across her and scratched my forehead upon hearing it. Watching her as she twisted the bottle cap to drink the water, I noticed that she finally stopped from crying.

"Are you okay now?" I asked after.

She smiled and nodded. "I'm okay, I guess? Thanks to you," she stated.

"Um... Seoyeon?" I called her as I rubbed my palms. "I'm sorry about last time. I didn't mean to—"

"About the kiss?"

I held my breath for awhile when I heard it. Right. That kiss... I almost forgot about it. That kiss... it was just an accident.

Slowly, I shook my head as a gesture that she got the wrong idea.

"I mean... I'm sorry because I was rude to you that time because I was in a rush. There was an emergency that moment and my friend needed me. And about... about that kiss. That kiss," I said and looked at her, "was just an... accident, right?"

She barely smiled as she bit her lower lip. Playing the half-empty bottled water with her hands, she replied, "You know what, Levi? That very moment on the road, looking at the approaching 10-wheeler truck that would hit me in a split second, I already made my decision that I should just die and leave everything behind. But you were there."

A little surprised, I gulped and uttered, "Y-yes, luckily, I was... I was there. I was there to stop you."

She nodded in agreement. "I'm indeed a lucky girl that you were there to save me. That you were there to tell me that," she stated and looked at me with her eyes telling me as if she was really lucky and thankful of me, "life must go on no matter how bad life treats you."

"Everyday, my mind just couldn't think straight anymore. I was physically and mentally exhausted. I couldn't eat and I couldn't sleep because of too much thinking, and all I could feel was just pain. Everyone wanted to leave me," she said and looked down. Her voice started to break while telling me those.

"Hey," I approached her and tapped her hand on the table. "That's not true."

Slowly, she looked at me again and said, "Maybe? It was probably not true because you didn't left me there that night. You were just there, holding my hand so tight, and telling me that I should hold on. You were there, trying to console me and at least ease the pain that I was feeling."

"Y-yeah," I stuttered because I didn't know how to act properly. "I'm just... just afraid that you might cross the road incautiously again, so I didn't l-leave you." I clenched my fist and slowly pulled my hand back.

"Levi," she said, "my father was dying that night."

It surprised me more. My jaw dropped because of what she had said. I asked, "I'm sorry to hear that, Seoyeon. I didn't know. How's your... father now?"

She heaved a deep sigh before she answered me. "That night, when I came back home, he was still there with his life support. He... he was smiling and waiting for me. He didn't leave me," she looked at me, now with her teary eyes again, "yet."

Tears just came out from her eyes again as she continued.

"He's all... he's all that I have, Levi. He's all that I have yet he was taken way from me. Today... today is the day that he already bid his goodbye to me. He's gone. He's... he's g-gone, L-Levi. H-he l-left me," she said as she bursted into tears.

My heart was torn. My chest suddenly felt heavy as I watched her crying and sobbing over the pain that was torturing her. Nothing really could take away the pain of loss. Healing could take a very long time—even forever.

I stood up and drew close beside her. I said, "Hey. I'm... I'm here. I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm sorry."

Snowflakes are falling

Getting farther away

I miss you

How much more do I have to wait?

How many more nights do I have to stay up?

Until I can see you?

While in tears, Seoyeon suddenly held my hands and uttered, "Please... p-please don't leave me, Levi. J-just stay b-beside me... always. Please. I'm b-begging y-you."

I looked at her as my mouth suddenly lost for words to say. I couldn't think of anything or what I could possibly do now. What should I do?