Chapter 30 – The Promise

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All of a sudden, she spotted an elderly lady walking toward her, a phone pressed against her ear.
Yiyoung’s eyes widened as she observed the lady’s elegant mannerisms.
She wondered who she was. 

“Muyeol, it’s all good now,” the lady said, “They won’t harass that kid anymore.”

Yiyoung stopped in her tracks as she heard the name.
‘Muyeol? Cha Muyeol?’ 

“Now, as you promised, you have to grant my wish,” the lady continued talking on the phone.

‘Is she really talking to Cha Muyeol?’ Yiyoung thought as she stared at the lady.

Yiyoung wasn’t sure what the lady heard, but the woman suddenly froze, one hand clenching her heart. 

“Oh, how I missed your voice…” the woman’s voice trembled with emotion, “It’s been a while since I heard you speak.”

Yiyoung turned around, feet thudding against the floor as she quickened her pace.

* * *

 

Yiyoung startled Muyeol when she stormed in and snatched the phone from his hand just as he was about to put it away.
She pulled up the call history and hit the dial button.

“Yes, Muyeol?” an elegant, smooth voice blared from the speaker.
It belonged to the woman who Yiyoung had seen just a few moments ago.
So it really was Cha Muyeol…

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She gingerly returned the phone to him, barely able to hold back the tears threatening to rush out at a moment’s notice.
She… she didn’t think he cared about her.

The truth was, being treated like a criminal when she was the actual victim did bother her, no matter how much she tried to hide it.
The harsh reality had hit her in the face.
She desperately wanted someone to comfort her, and this… Her eyes slowly turned red.

“I accidentally dialed your number.
I’ll see you at home, Granny,” Muyeol explained, but his eyes remained on Yiyoung. 

The moment he hung up the phone, Yiyoung asked him, “Are you my benefactor?”

Her instinct told her he was.
She was saved, multiple times, just at the right time.
A bodyguard protected her when she was in danger, and now her worries of being transferred out of the school were resolved too.

Muyeol casually dismissed it, “It’s nothing.”

Yiyoung’s mouth quivered as she bit her lip, trying not to cry.
If Muyeol hadn’t helped her… She couldn’t even imagine where she would be.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said.

 

“I can’t avoid worrying about it,” Yiyoung replied, determination lacing her voice, “If you ever need me to help you with anything, tell me.
No matter what and how, I will help you.
I’ll do it even if I have to risk my life.
Okay?”

Muyeol stared at her as she made the bold declaration, but Yiyoung didn’t avoid his gaze.
If it wasn’t for him, she would have been stuck in such a bad situation.

“I know you already have everything you need, so you might not need my help at all, but… you never know.
We don’t know what will happen in the future, so remember my promise, okay?” she continued, the tears finally making an appearance.

“You really mean it?” asked Muyeol.

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“Yes.” Yiyoung nodded.

“You shouldn’t make a deal like that.”

“It’s okay if it’s you.
I mean it.”

“Well, then…” Muyeol nodded, putting a bright smile back on Yiyoung’s smile. 

 She wiped her tears with her sleeve and then beamed.
She grabbed her bag, which confused Muyeol.
“I feel like I’m going to bawl my eyes out, so I’m going to ditch today’s classes.”

Bag dangling off her shoulder, Yiyoung walked out of the class confidently despite the whispers of her classmates.
They all blamed her for getting Sunah kicked out of the school.
Only, one question still lingered in their minds: who helped her stay?

As the kids continued to gossip about Yiyoung, Muyeol pulled out his diary. ‘Shitty Yoon just blabbered some nonsense about helping me? Who is she to determine that I might need her help? She really doesn’t know her place.’ 

 

Contrary to the scathing words he had penned down, however, his lips quirked up into a small smile.

* * * 

Muyeol stopped reminiscing about the past, snapping out of his thoughts when Madam Choi held his hand.

“I’ll introduce you to someone who I think would be the perfect fit for you,” she said.

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‘That’s right… We were talking about marriage.’ Muyeol finally caught up with reality.

“You don’t need to, I’ll take care of it,” he replied.

Madam Choi narrowed her eyes, unable to believe what she just heard.
“On your own?”

“It’s my marriage, so I won’t do things without planning properly.
It’s an important decision which will affect my life, so I won’t make any false promises.
Don’t worry.”

“But what if you meet someone you’re not meant to be with,” Madam Choi sputtered.

‘Yoon Yiyoung’s not meant to be with me?’ thought Muyeol.
No, he was confident his plan would work, even if he had just come up with it.

Muyeol held his head high, voice full of confidence.
“Don’t worry.
That won’t happen.” 

 * * *

 Yiyoung stared at the drunkard making a scene in the emergency room.
From what the others had said, he had screamed loudly in the streets, threatening to commit suicide.

Face flushed from the alcohol, the man turned to Yiyoung and pointed at her as he screeched.
“What are you looking at? Who do you think you’re staring at? Do you know who I am?”

“Nope.” Yiyoung shifted her focus to a chart. 

“You don’t know who I am? How come?” the man huffed, “I was the leading candidate in the Mayor’s Race.
Just one phone call, and you—”

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Yiyoung interrupted him, “Didn’t you say you were having a hard time breathing? But your breathing rate seemed perfectly fine.
I don’t think you need further examination.”

The man fumed instantly, “What? How dare you talk to me like that? I’ll repeat.
Do you know I am?”

“I already told you.
I don’t know who you are.” Yiyoung focused on the charts the paramedics had prepared.
“You don’t seem like you have dyspnoea.
You said your heart felt stiff, but with the way you’re screaming right now, you seem fine.
You’re drunk, so the bloodwork and other tests won’t give us an accurate result, hmm…”

She didn’t think his face could turn even redder, but it somehow did.
“Who’s your supervisor? One phone call, and you’ll be done.
Done, I say!”

“What do you want me to do, Mister?” Yiyoung asked, “How about you sober up and go through some tests?”

“What?”

“You said you aren’t feeling well.
Dyspnoea and a stiff heart… We need to perform some tests to find out what’s wrong.
But frankly speaking, even if we do the tests now, they won’t be accurate because you’re drunk.”

“What? How dare you!”

Yiyoung turned to the paramedic standing next to them.
“Did you call his guardian?”

“I did,” the paramedic responded, “the guardian is on the way.”

The man screamed again, “What did you call my guardian for? I don’t need any guardian!”

The man began to spout nonsense again.
He screamed at her endlessly, hoping a tantrum would make everything go his way.
All the attention was on them now.
She couldn’t believe it.
The man was making a scene in the ER, but no one was willing to jump in to save her from the embarrassment and humiliation.